VOL. 53 ISSUE 2 JANUARY 19, 2016 P85
Triumph refused to reveal the
new 900HT (as in, High Torque)
engine's power figures at its
EICMA Show debut, fearing that
outsiders would assume that the
only way they could meet Euro
4 requirements was by detuning
the bike. Nothing of the kind, as
my day's ride proved-for what
matters most in real world riding
is the fact that by contrast there's
a claimed 18 percent more
torque than the outgoing T100
model, peaking as low as 3230
rpm when 59 ft-lb is available,
and thereafter widely spread
across the whole rev range.
It's really noticeable how much
more low down grunt there is
on this bike versus the old, and
I suspect that in a comparo
test with its main rivals in the
800-1000cc retro category that
seems to have developed almost
by accident–bikes like the BMW
RnineT, Harley-Davidson 883
Sportster, Indian Scout 60,
Yamaha XV950 Bolt and espe-
cially the Ducati Scrambler–the
Triumph will be hard to beat for
revs the engine is turning at so
you can aim for the redline in
each gear-they just want you to
go with the flow and relish riding
that torque curve, if necessary
using the five-speed gearbox
with evenly spaced ratios to do
so. But holding second gear
proved an ideal attack mode for
long stretches of switchback
Spanish country roads, with the
rev limiter only intruding with 70
mph shown on the speedo, and
still no vibes from the engine
even when pressed as hard as
the 105 mph I saw briefly in top
gear. But the Street Twin re-
ally didn't want to be going that
fast—70-80 mph top gear cruis-
ing is where it's most at home.
its overall real world rideability in
retuned as opposed to detuned
guise.
That also explains why there's
no tacho incorporated in the
Street Twin's single analogue
instrument with digital info panel,
because Triumph's R&D team
headed by Stuart Wood isn't in-
terested in telling you how many
Five speeds in the gearbox
are quite sufficient for some-
thing this torquey, by the way-I
never caught myself looking for
another gear. But less satis-
factory was the rather abrupt
pickup from a closed throttle
when exiting a turn in second
gear-it's fine in the other gears,
just noticeable in this one where
(Above) With a low center
of gravity and well sorted
suspension, the Bonnie's ride
quality is superb.
Innovative one-piece kill and ignition
switch makes for a tidier switch block.
The seat foam has been thickened to
make longer rides more comfortable.
