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/128636
RIDIRM=CJ Et ,·, = C omparis o n in g the cops that it was some other guy on an a bright -pink bike , Those are the pros and cons of the paint job, now le ts move o n . The Speed Triple is fitted w ith the same 955cc motor that is in the Daytona , but it is " t u n ed for torque" . It i s a l iquid-cooled i n l ine three cy l inder , with multipoint sequential fuel-injection . The injection system is one of the most sophisticated in the industry. Triumph is constantly working to perfect the fuel injection on their bikes . What is unique is that the buyer is able to go down to their dealer and have the latest inj ec t io n mapping uploaded into the bike's compu te r. It has a six-speed tra n smission, with a we t m u lti- pla te c lutch , a nd chain fi nal drive. The frame is a tubular , alu minum, perimeter-style frame , with an aluminum sing le -sided swingarm , and fully adjustable single rear shock. The right -side -up - cartridge forks have dual -rate sp r in g s and are fully adjustable . The f r o n t end is highlighted by twin 320mm discs with four -p iston calipers, mounted to a 3 .5 " X 17" rim. The front tire is a 120j70ZR 17 w ith a 190/50ZR 17 rear tire , fitted from being a full screamer. The a sportbike , so they perform satisfactor ily. Add to th is all of the amenities that come on the Bandit , such as the centerstand , helmet lock , adjustable levers , and the best transmission is everything that you'd expect from the Japanese perfect. Suzuki trannies are always seamless , and this one is no excep- mirrors in the group , and it makes for th e best bargain - by far. tion . Same thing goes for the clutch , which works perfectly . It's hard to criticize the handling 2000 T RI UM PH SPEED T R I PLE of the 1200S too much, because, at $7400, you aren 't going to get top- If the Du cati Monster made naked bikes hip , then the Speed Tr iple made them badass . Th e Triumph is withou t a doubt th e bad -boy bike. It can be rude , it can be c r u de . but you won 't catch yourself c o m p la in- notch susp ension . The bike d oes wallowa bit , and the spring rates seem pretty soft , but it does a fairly good job in the canyons. The leverage available from the wide handle bars allows it to be ridden harder ing . Many may question Triumph's choice of fuchs ia as a color o p t io n. but you won 't run into too many than expected. Around town, and on the freeway , the ride is plush and . combined with the w ind -protection peopl e with th e exact sam e bik e . Then again , if you act lik e a tota l jerk , pull ing whee lies eve ry w he re , you ma y have a hard t im e con vi nc- offered by the fairing , the miles can be pil ed on . Th e brakes could bite a little harder, but that is compared to Triumph Speed Triple 40 O CTO BER 25 , 2000· c U c I e n e vv s fliJ@ fJ@ @G!J~~D \Y7fJ fJ g)[j)@r?fJ [?U[JL)(t!UOO@ !1@rg@ UOO @oo fX1&JOU@OO @@/](ilJ Sound s like it could be the working title of the next Roberto Benigni movie, or the followup to Al essandro Manzoni's Promes si Sposi. Nope, it merely describes my feelings toward the Moto Guzzi Vl 1 Sport. with which I have developed a romance that has unexpectedly swept me off my feet. Hardly the fastest or sexiest of the two-wheeled Italian phallic sym bols that have been rolling out of the boot country during the Italo -renaissance of the past decade, the Vl 1 Sport portrays a beauty all her own; thoug h more the marrying k ind. She's a looker, with that striking green-on-red hue and a view that , from the engine plate forward, is perh aps the most gorgeous in all of motorcycling. It' s damned near enough to pique your lust and divert attention from the fact that she's got a he-hum shaft drive and some extra junk in the trunk (t he Guzzi weighs 48 1 pounds dry, making her unable to match the waistline of the Ducati Monster, which practica lly floats across the scales at a claimed 407 pounds dry) . But ride the VI 1, and bliss can be yours . First off, she remains in keeping with family tradit ion, thanks to her air-cooled, pushrod-activated two-valves-per-cylinder 90-degree tran sverse V-tw in, but that doesn't mean that she hasn't become liberated enough for the new millennium. The V l 1 sports revised intak e porting , and a new pist on shape to match a mod ified combustion chamber that , along with improved Marelli fuel -injection mapping, keeps her bark ing clean throughout the rev range. She's slow- revving. for sure, but sprite Iy enough to get with the program. the best dollop of power coming between 4000 and 700 0 rpm. Rev up any further , and you're just making noise. Thankfully, rowing through the ratios of the smooth new six -speed gearbox keeps the motor singing lik e an operatic tenor . Furth er enhancing the shifts is a new twin -disc dry clutch that works well enough to make Ducati units appear downright neurotic. All of this wholesome goodness is packed into steel rectangu lar box tubing that treats the engine as a stressed member . The head angle has been reduced from 26 degrees to 25 degrees, while the wheelbase has been short ened, checking in at 57 .9 inches, hardly more than half -an-inch longer than the Monster. Yes. Guzzi has joined the living in the handling department. These changes , combined with a taut set of 40mm Marzocchi legs out front and a WP shock tucked up under the saddle, mean that you can tell it where you 're going , not merel y ask it. Compliance is instantaneous - for a SOO-pound machine . And the twin 320mm four-piston Bremb o binders up front will get you stopped molto ueloce whenever necessary . Is she perfect? Well, whoever said that marriages weren't work? Maybe if she can deal with the fact that you squeeze the toothpaste tube from the middle and leave your dirty socks laying on the bedroom floor, then you can accept her nagg i ng vibrati on, something that she should have gotten over years ago. But when it's love, you j ust sort of deal with it , you k now? At S11,900 , the Vll Sp o rt dema nds c o m m i t m en t anyway, but she's far less likely to leave you stranded when you wa nt to do your thing on th e weekend. Yep , it's love . My wife 's gonna be pissed. Scott Rouss eau