Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128152
2002 Triumph Speed Four turn, without fear it'll start shaking its head or chattering the front wheel in a fit of the sulks at being asked to work so hard. Hit a bump in the apex of the turn, on the angle, and the 43mm cartridge forks eat it up: the only time the bars start working in your hands is when the lack of a fairing shoves air at your shoulders and you over-correct on the steering. What we have here is a stock somewhere fast. It's not a sudden hit of extra power, though, more just a stronger wave of engine acceleration which propels you more satisfyingly toward the soft-action 14,500 rpm revlimiter. This huge band of progressively building power is what makes the Speed Four so satisfying to ride on the street, allowing you, if you prefer, to choose to chill out and go with the flow in a line of traffic, or else get the motor revving in the fivefigure bracket and zap the lot of them in one fell swoop. It's a bike which adapts itself to suit your chosen mood even better than the less-potent, lower-tech, 93-bhp Honda/Yamaha naked duo do - and if you opt for street-racer mode, the Triumph has the depth of resources in its handling as well as engine package to deliver the goods. The only real criticism I had on any of the bikes I rode at the launch was that some had a heavier, clunkier gearbox action than others, with a stiffer action which presumably (given its inconsistency between different bikes) was down to their still being so new, with around 600 miles on the clock. But this made c1utchless upward changes while wide-open a definite no-no, and even at partthrottle, there was a harsh feel to selecting the bottom three ratios. No complaints about the riding position, which even with the forged alloy clip-on handlebars that have been retained from the full-fa ired version give a comfortable stance for a six-foot rider, who improbably enough doesn't feel as draped aboard the naked Speed Four with its 810mm seat height as he does on the 58 MAV 1, 2002· cue • e fully faired R6 Yamaha, and what seems at first is a Ducati Monstertype far-forward stance is actually more similar to the Cagiva Raptor's more laid-back nudiebike riding position, arguably more comfy and for sure making you feel more a part of the bike. But among the range of options Triumph is offering for the bike is a Speed Triple handlebar as employed on the Baby Speed, which has you sitting a bit more upright and gives improved leverage, so would be better for city use or on winding country roads, at the expense of making the bike less comfortable to ride on continuous fast stretches. Even without this, though, the Speed n e _ s Four was a great bike to ride over the switchback, winding roads leading down to the Cartagena coast - though arguably it's not so much the lack of any bodywork which makes it seem so much slimmer and more agile than the fully faired TT600 does in flicking from side to side along a winding mountajn, as just the psychological feeling of being so much more at one with the motorcycle. The result is a bike that, just like the Baby Speed with its more upright riding stance, allows you to use the excellent grip from the front Bridgestone and the good compliance from the Kayaba suspension to carry unlikely extremes of speed into a TT600 that has taken Latin lessons and proves less can indeed be more. The result is a real-world road tool that is not only more tractable and rideable than the first-series TT600 I rode a couple of years ago, but also more f1ickable and just plain more fun. The best-selling Hornet and Fazer duo now have some serious competition for Supersport streetrod supremacy, with a higher-spec Britbike now offering extra performance and improved handling, at only a small extra premium on the price sticker. Amazing that Suzuki and Kawasaki haven't clocked the commercial potential for this kind of motorcycle - but full marks to John Bloor and Triumph for now having done so, at last. With a little help from Uncle Carlo.... eN