I’ll replace my mirrors with an. oval chrome ditto and an all chrome exhaust. Together with my brown saddle that will make my Speed Twin 1200 absolutely Fab
People who complain about the throttle on this bike really need to get some wrist control. I had no issues with it from the start and I do very mixed riding. The brake squeal was due to the lack of copper paste on the brake pads, easy fix.
Just got the bike about 3 weeks ago absolutely in love with it ☺️ the torque and the looks are just amazing. Correct me if i am wrong but I don’t think there is another naked bike that has such torque at low rpms. This bike is no super naked but thats whats fun about it. You don’t have to rev to infinity and beyond to feel that power. Its very beautiful and can also cruise just fine if you want to
I have a Speed Twin 1200 and it took some time to bond with it. At first, it was too easy to ride after all my years with large cruisers. Second, it gets a little buzzy above 3,500 rpm, like the Japanese bikes. But the more I ride it, the more it satisfies my lust for a nimble, strong acceleration motorcycle. It feels like it's maxed out at 4k, then you yank the throttle and you're at 100 in the blink of an eye. With three Triumphs, I appreciate the quality of these bikes.
I’ve had mine for abort 2 months and love it. And I really enjoy that it had a gentleman mode and beast mode. Not sure I agree with the poor in town manners, I have no issue
i have me a 2019 and have had it for almost 3 years now. plenty of customization options like you mentioned. I didn't touch the suspension for nearly 2 years. I'm a fair weather spirited rider and a little on the heavier side, sure there were times I wish I had better suspension; but for those that just get the bike and want to swap/upgrade suspension out the gate I would strongly suggest just riding the bike as is. Another thing I notice is that people buy these Speed Twins and try to make it something that its not. There's other bikes out there for other purposes. I've turned mine more into a cafe racer style adding spoked rims, cafe fairing and running no rear fender. But to each their own. Great content as always! I'm just happy to see some content on the Speedy! 🤙
@@alexpryce555the bike is what it is, a modern classic, a blend of power, performance and looks. I see a lot of ppl try to make it a tourer, it’s not set up for that! They try to add top boxes and side bags, raise the bars to scrambler bars. There’s a reason for the different type of bikes out there and bless your heart if you can afford more than one bike for whatever purpose that you put that bike through. But at the end of the day it’s not a tourer and I’m just tired of ppl trying to make it something that it’s not. Get a Tiger or a Scrambler.
I adore my '22 model. Perfect road bike for my needs, good looks and fantastic build quality. Definitely needs the standard silencers swapping out for a bit more noise, throttle spacers and rear shocks to sort the niggles out.
Great overview. I agree with pretty much everything you said. Can’t say I’ve ever worried about the kickstand, though. Stick some Öhlins on the back and it’s the perfect, if largely impractical bike. I don’t think I’ll ever part with mine😊
Yup I agree with everything he said as well. Kickstand only bothers me in the rain, with wet boots I have to stick my toes out and get it down on the back of my heel, small irritation on an otherwise amazing bike. I did upgrade my front master cylinder to a brembo corsa corte, WOW it brakes like a supersport now. Highly recommend that as a second upgrade after rear suspension.
Hey @motobob you really want to fix a major error in your video that is dead wrong around 3:00-3:45. You talk about Booster Plugs and ECU. I’m the owner of DNK TuneWorks, the only active tuner in this community. We are also the only ones that cover all Triumphs. All years of Speed Twin can be tuned. All Triumphs from 2010 onwards can have the ECU directly flashed. There was zero change whatsoever with Euro-5 as for tuning. The only change is that placebos like the Booster Plug now set off a check engine light, and rightfully so since the ECU cancels it out in milliseconds as soon as it sees the AFRs out of spec. Another would be that non North America market bikes require a tune even for sprocket changes. The only real fix is ECU tuning. The throttle spacers just take up any slack at zero throttle, which are also a mod that isn’t needed or an actual problem. Never do I get on a customer’s bike and even think or notice if it has these spacers installed or not. Truthfully if you aren’t and haven’t been tuning your bike, then you have no idea how much you are missing out. Triumph severely neuters many of its models just to have a little something extra in a few years when it needs an update. 165hp Rockets suddenly become 200hp bikes. A 103hp Thruxton RS suddenly becomes a 115hp bike. They bake in such heavy limiters in some models (60% throttle no matter how much you give it) that they truly become a different bike. The only exception is the early 900cc bikes that were sub 60hp. They simply have a weak camshaft. Please correct this error. You are uninformed and putting out very wrong information that hurts companies like us. I’d hope that you’d want to be helping the only source in the community that tunes all Triumphs from 2010+ instead of putting out bad information.
@@Drzee1968 the Triumph community. We tune on six continents every month, have Triumph dealerships and private shops as partners, as well as all of the big reputable names in the aftermarket, Motone UK, British Customs, worked with Thornton, A&J, Conyon, and when I have free time will be working with Hitchcox for a collab on a Bobber TFC we're building. Hell, we were scrubbed in when BC was developing all of their new exhaust offerings. You'll also find a tuning guide on their website that was codeveloped with us. We originally just started on Modern Classics, but now we tune more Tridents, Street Triples and Rockets more than the rest, I reckon. If I could just find a Triumph dealer or shop in Antarctica, when we'll complete all seven continents.
Sure seems to be alot of people complaining about easily remedied things on a bike with great value. No bike is perfect for everyone. When I bought my '22 in Dec of '21, which makes it 2 years old already, I had a game plan for upgrades. I don't have the time or space to detail all the mods here, but lets just say its all come together quite nicely! I never even started the engine or rode the bike once, before tearing into it seven ways to sunday. With all the aftermarket support for this bike available, I had zero issues getting the parts I wanted. With an ECU tune, the mods I've done should pay off handsomely. It already pulls hard from 0-125+mph without an ECU flash. Should be like riding a brand knew bike all over again, after uncorking the severely limited factory tune.
I owned a Thruxton which I loved to look at it more than ride it, just a little too much shoulder and neck soreness. I hope the Speed Twin 1200 (RS?) specs up closer towards the Thruxton. Then I'll be ordering one.
My friend solved the side stand issue by installing a rubber door stop on the kickstand lever - a simple fix. Great bike. I have the ‘22 and just did a 500 mile tour in California on it. Great for right sections too with the 160 rear.
I own a first gen, I like the older look of the ‘right side up’ front. Also for me it feels more balanced than the new one who is to stiff up front. Mine is fitted with Motone x-pipe, vance and hines, a ecu flash and throttle spacers. Trust me, it pulls like a freight train!
Three months in and I absolutely love mine. It really is a ball to ride. I read of owners complaining of the seat, side stand, indicator switch as well as suspension shortcomings. I’ve even seen someone write don’t expect anything over 70. What?? They must be on a different bike. This thing really will move at real world speeds. Ok it’s no out and out sports or Superbike. But if thats what you’re expecting do not buy. For someone who cut his teeth on 60’s Brit twins in the 80’s this bike is everything I ever dreamed of. And trust me you even get used to the side stand.
After seeing your "Speed Twin R" ride featured again in this video, I pushed the button and ordered a 23' ST 1200 with the idea of making one myself.... fast forward to 4 months in and I'm almost there, I wanted to keep true to the beautiful lines of this bike (in my opinion at least the best looking retro of them all), but add a bit of modern edge to make it a true "Modern Classic" so with rear & front suspension upgrade, decat and pipes, a tune and high flow air filter, 3k from triumph's parts catalogue, bits and bobs from British customs and motone and some carbon fibre notes from RSR-moto Europe my Speed Twin R is almost complete, bar the paint and a few more details.... I couldn't be happier with ( dare I say it), my forever bike. Thanks for all the vlogs you make mate, they really helped me zero in on the perfect bike for me.... especially when there were limited test bike available over the past few years due to covid and supply chain issues. The roads of Australia might not all be perfect for this type of machine, but the glorious weather does go some way to making up for that fact. Please keep being my go to channel for all things motorcycle mate. J
I have an identical one to the one you presented. They are a great wee bike but I would not wish to go to far on that seat. I had a gel insert put in that helps but I have a BMWR1200R & Ducati V2S Multistrada for touring down here in the South Island of New Zealand
As an owner of ST 22 (1,5 years already) let me comment on the same points as you: - engine - beautiful torque, throttle bit jerky (too much engine breaking power), top high rpm end is not so good - all those thing can be fixed with good ECU map (don't waste money for booster plug on 22 model -pointless) - handling - a bit on the heavy side and I don't mind the actual weight .... the weight feels in the twisties is a bit too much (center of gravity probably is higher), so you need much more work on the handlebars! If you consider buying it for sporty riding better chose another bike! - brakes - amazing, when you push them a lot you start hearing a bit of noise (fixable with EBC aftermarket pads - which improve the braking power as well). - tyres - personally for me and type of roads I'm riding... disaster. Swapped them with ContiRoadAttack4, totally changed the whole bike... much more confident and forgiving (excellent road tyres). RR3 are just not for normal road usage. - suspension - I installed aft shocks from Wilbers (not the high end series) and I'm happy with them - preload and rebound adj + nice color matching the bike Few other things mandatory for me to replace ware the levers and the exhaust (slip on from Motone - much better sound), still thinking should I decat the bike and install K&N also some other minor engine mods 🤔... aaaa some people are mentioning that the two throttle flaps are not synchronized - which is easy fix as well! At the end, very nice looking bike, fun to ride, very good quality, happy to have it!
Agree! That will be the next step. As I said remap is solving most of the issues with this motorcycle (let’s say that stock fueling is not good, may be because of euro5 restrictions)
@@ivankolev4662 It's the bigger cat, and then the secondary air injection isn't doing it any favors. The fueling after a decat and SAI delete get it 85% of the way there.
This couldn’t have been uploaded at a better time for me. I’m looking at upgrading from a Street Twin but I still can’t decide between this Speed Twin 1200 and the Thruxton RS, specially not being able to test the Thrux…
Really it's the same bike for the most part and nearly everything is interchangeable. For the price difference you get a lot more suspension from the Thrux, and it's simply the best looking cafe racer out there.
Love the looks of the T120 but I would prefer that it had a 17" front wheel(like the Ducati Sport Classics) for better, more sporty, lighter tyre options and looks too. Not a fan of 19/17 combos on what's a heavily biased street motorcycle. Leave the 19/17 wheels for the adventure bikes.
I rode one & found it to be a thoroughly modern motorcycle dressed up to look like a retro... Something I found terribly disappointing. I bought a V7 Guzzi. Not because it's a retro bike, it's not. It's an genuine survivor from a different age, &much more to my liking. Horses for courses...
Just curious but I have a Panigale v4 and have taken my girlfriend on a couple of rides but she doesn’t like being on the back which I understand. But she likes that retro triumph look. How is this bike like with a passenger, Is it relaxed and Cruzy? These type of bikes are not realistically not my kinda taste, but happy to get something me and the girlfriend can both be happy with while still keeping the Panigale.
Love the Speed Twin. I am getting on into my mid 50s now and have a 2016 TTR that I adore but the riding potion is becoming a bit cumbersome for me. I have often thought the Speed Twin would be the perfect bike for riding potion but I have disliked the thought of downgrade in terms of suspension Looks like Triumph has made some nice upgrades to the Speed Twin but the rear shocks need the same treatment at the TTR. I can attest to the benefit of the throttle spacer for smoother application of power. I have one on my TTR and it works brilliantly.
Love the orange just wish it wasn’t matte though. Doesn’t really matter as I don’t qualify for one due to not having a beard or any intention of growing one.
I can never get comfortable in the seat. Get moved around a bit. Emergency breaking throws me over the tank. And if I let the throttle out a bit too quickly I'm seated where the pillion should be 😂
Are the foot pegs position interchangeable with T120? One owner said that he put SeedTwin 1200 foot pegs in his T120. 1" higher & 1" further back. So I guess you can use T120's goot pegs on Speed Twin 1200 wherein it'll be 1" lower & 1" forward. Please enlighten if this is possible. Thank you.
I really like your content, follow u for awile now. I got the 2020 SpeedTwin love her, but let ask you something what would u recomend for all seasons tires? Thank you so much for the content 🤙
Beards have not been mentioned in the caption, sorry, switched to the wrong video obviously… :-/ Otherwise: Good video on an almost-perfect bike. Riding joyfully my 2019 model since almost 30k kms, and no intention to swap.
Hi there, thus is on my shortlist (no 1) as my next bike. However I was lucky enough to test one at the ABR Festival, but that one had really bad vibrations through the seat and bars. Anyone got any views on this?
Could have been a one off bad bike? I test rode the older version in 2019 and was a little underwhelmed, yes too vibey and not smooth enough. In 2021 I went back to triumph dealer intending to buy a different bike, but saw the 2021 (newest) model, fell in love, test rode it and smooth, not annoyingly vibey etc. Bought it and loved it for last 2 years. In fact one of the few bikes i've not put grip puppies on. (Obviously it is a twin and so there are vibes, part of the character. On the 2019 it was too much, this 2021 is perfect). Maybe demo bikes are ragged from early on and not run it properly, leading to bad vibes.
Definitely something wrong with that bike. My ST is dead smooth. Some early gen-1 bikes had a dodgy fuel map which caused the bike to hesitate when on constant throttle and cut out when rolling to a stop. I have a late gen-1 bike and it's superb, really smooth and no throttle issues at all.
@@tomostinato2918 Thank you for replying, I thought it might that particular bike as the seat vibrated enough to give my wife's rampant rabbit a run for its money and the fingers on my right hand were going numb. It was a test bike with less than 500 miles on it, so I suppose it wasn't run in at all. am looking for a 19/20 1st gen bike. again thanks
@@Denali1600 Thank you for replying, I thought it might that particular bike as the seat vibrated enough to give my wife's rampant rabbit a run for its money and the fingers on my right hand were going numb. It was a test bike with less than 500 miles on it, so I suppose it wasn't run in at all. am looking for a 19/20 1st gen bike. again thanks
Hi mate, sorry for my late response! But mine has no excessive vibrations. It is a twin and above certain rev’s it starts to get a lil’ bit buzzy but nothing a sv650 doesn’t do. Nothing like numb fingers!
@@tedcity5861 5 different bikes that I know of... All broke the left piston, in the same place, around the same mileage. Same damage... Different mods... Same result... What are the chances of several bikes losing the left piston, right at the ring land where it meets the valve pocket, taking out the valve, etc... ? It's either a bad set of pistons, a faulty valve dropping, etc.... Could be that the new piston design is too thin and weak, and if the ring gap isn't enough, it pushes against that weak spot and it breaks... The chances of all the failures being the same piston in the same spot, is highly unlikely....
The Speed Twin is a wonderful bike, but the saddle is a piece built to torture, disgust and destroy any pleasure there is. And there is no remedy, nowhere.
@fauveride Why though? This bike and other retros aren't designed for chasing tenths on a track or aggressively tackling twisties. Triumph will happily sell you a Street or Speed Triple for that
@@Alex_mkII When "quick" shifters first came out, the only real point of them was to shift quicker. Nowadays they're so well refined and buttery smooth that shifting quickly to go from A to B faster is far from the only point of them. They're a HUGE quality of life improvement. If I'm gonna spend a huge amount of money for a premium, world class street bike that I would hope to be keeping forever, and spend hundreds if not thousands of hours riding, it'd be nice for Triumph to give us the option. I COULD get past not having a cruise control option but not having that an option either is really a bummer on a bike that already has ride by wire and a computer perfectly capable of accommodating both
@@fauveride When they already have ride by wire throttle, and the entire engine is already run by a computer, I can't understand not at least throwing a little bit of extra wiring and a plug into the loom for the aftermarket to tap into :( It boggles me
Lovely looking machine but I can't be doing with traditional dials anymore. The modern electronic tablet style instrument are just so good. I personally wouldn't mind a bike like this having one. If you want a historic bike buy an original classic. A retro bike should look like something from the 1960's but has been taken into the future ie, now and modernised accordingly, not 1960's analog dials. 👎
I hope triumph sacked the team who made the video, edited it, checked it, approved it, and then also uploaded it and thennnnnn watched it and still didn’t take it down😂
Upside down forks ,idiot modes & fly by wire throttle ,is a big no no on this style of bike . Also 1200 cc totally far too much for this type of bike ,& U.K. speed limits increasingly being reduced to 20 mph & 50 mph with a national speed limit of 70 mph . Real road speeds 80 % of the time are about 20mph - 50 mph no matter what cc . What’s needed is smaller capacity engine , 100 mpg ,top speed 90 mph max ,no riding modes ,no gimmicky crap like slipper clutches ,idiot riding modes ,or fly by wire blipper throttle crap . Also quick spare parts availability & no more rip off prices , all bikes with Triumph badges claiming to be British actually made in the U.K & better reliability .
And I thought I was going to watch a video about a motorcycle. Not how to look after me feckin face fungus. People used to do this kind of thing for the pleasure not the money.
i pay a monthly fee to watch youtube ad free - nonetheless some RUclipsrs dont care and add even more advertisement to their videos. of course, driving the latest motorbikes is a hard job. not like mine, programming and managing sap projects, which is apeace of cake. but no one pays me for advertsisng sap.
The suspension does make a difference… I moved my rear to ohlins from the thruxton rs and the front to the ohlins from speed triple 1200… since there is no xpipe possibility, I had put the pipes from tec that go straight to the v&h endcans. The tyres are a different story, the racetech are good in clean roads but give them a bit of dust or wet conditions and they tend to make the traction systems work over time, I had shifted to Michelin road 6 and they are really good…. the bike now is much lighter and handles well at what ever speed one thinks of doing. As for the jerky throttle, I had put a t120 front sprocket and it’s sorted..
As a litre+ bike rider my whole motorcycle career, I feel like not enough people appreciate the rear brake for smoothing out big power when opening the throttle.
The T120 looks nicer but is heavier and 20 less HP. and in my opinion way underpowered. because for me even the the Speed Twin is not powerful enough. unless you are using it for putting through town and just using the low end.
@@photographerjonathanthis is why there are different versions of the Bonneville. No one version is perfect for everyone. The Speed Twin 1200 has plenty of power. I traded in my MT07 for it. It’s like the same bike but more of everything, quality, price, power, and performance.
I have an identical one to the one you presented. Love the tank colour and put a gel insert in the seat to assist on the comfort side. I have a V4 Ducati Diavel & BMW R1200R for longer distances but love the Triumph on the hilly curvy roads near my home in Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand. Really enjoy your good road tests
i have to agree, i have had my Speed Twin 1200 for a couple of months now, (had its 600 mile service this week @ fowlers) rear shocks are functional, but a bit naff. i am 6' 2" the bike is on the small side but fun to ride. brakes are breathtaking, even the rear is good. low speed can be fidgety, Rain mode sorts it a little... but not totally. i had a black one, with CNC brake reservoir, head bolt covers, light bezel, clutch guide, heated grips, tank and knee pads, and the necessary radiator guard!
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Not interested in litre+ bikes 🥺
I’ll replace my mirrors with an. oval chrome ditto and an all chrome exhaust. Together with my brown saddle that will make my Speed Twin 1200 absolutely Fab
People who complain about the throttle on this bike really need to get some wrist control. I had no issues with it from the start and I do very mixed riding. The brake squeal was due to the lack of copper paste on the brake pads, easy fix.
Agreed.
I've never understood or agreed with the complaints over throttle.
I think it's just a bunch of parrots with no real experience.
Just got the bike about 3 weeks ago absolutely in love with it ☺️ the torque and the looks are just amazing. Correct me if i am wrong but I don’t think there is another naked bike that has such torque at low rpms. This bike is no super naked but thats whats fun about it. You don’t have to rev to infinity and beyond to feel that power. Its very beautiful and can also cruise just fine if you want to
I have a Speed Twin 1200 and it took some time to bond with it. At first, it was too easy to ride after all my years with large cruisers. Second, it gets a little buzzy above 3,500 rpm, like the Japanese bikes. But the more I ride it, the more it satisfies my lust for a nimble, strong acceleration motorcycle. It feels like it's maxed out at 4k, then you yank the throttle and you're at 100 in the blink of an eye. With three Triumphs, I appreciate the quality of these bikes.
I’ve had mine for abort 2 months and love it. And I really enjoy that it had a gentleman mode and beast mode.
Not sure I agree with the poor in town manners, I have no issue
I didn't notice any problems when I test rode one either.
Got a Gen-1 bike and love it. Smooth, grunty engine is a joy and you soon get used to finding the side stand. Stock exhaust sounds great too.
i have me a 2019 and have had it for almost 3 years now. plenty of customization options like you mentioned. I didn't touch the suspension for nearly 2 years. I'm a fair weather spirited rider and a little on the heavier side, sure there were times I wish I had better suspension; but for those that just get the bike and want to swap/upgrade suspension out the gate I would strongly suggest just riding the bike as is. Another thing I notice is that people buy these Speed Twins and try to make it something that its not. There's other bikes out there for other purposes. I've turned mine more into a cafe racer style adding spoked rims, cafe fairing and running no rear fender. But to each their own. Great content as always! I'm just happy to see some content on the Speedy! 🤙
What do you mean by making it something it's not?
@@alexpryce555the bike is what it is, a modern classic, a blend of power, performance and looks. I see a lot of ppl try to make it a tourer, it’s not set up for that! They try to add top boxes and side bags, raise the bars to scrambler bars. There’s a reason for the different type of bikes out there and bless your heart if you can afford more than one bike for whatever purpose that you put that bike through. But at the end of the day it’s not a tourer and I’m just tired of ppl trying to make it something that it’s not. Get a Tiger or a Scrambler.
I'd like to see your speedy with the spoked wheels, very cool. I dont favor the cafe look or style but as you said to each their own.
Live my street twin
I adore my '22 model. Perfect road bike for my needs, good looks and fantastic build quality.
Definitely needs the standard silencers swapping out for a bit more noise, throttle spacers and rear shocks to sort the niggles out.
maybe for you. I dont need new rearshoks, neither Throttle Spacers or a loud bike...
@@Beat_DaddyNobody asked you.
The bike is great, the length of the Thruxton r shocks is indeed longer. Been doing a fair bit of customization for customers at the shop❤
Great overview. I agree with pretty much everything you said. Can’t say I’ve ever worried about the kickstand, though. Stick some Öhlins on the back and it’s the perfect, if largely impractical bike. I don’t think I’ll ever part with mine😊
Yup I agree with everything he said as well. Kickstand only bothers me in the rain, with wet boots I have to stick my toes out and get it down on the back of my heel, small irritation on an otherwise amazing bike. I did upgrade my front master cylinder to a brembo corsa corte, WOW it brakes like a supersport now. Highly recommend that as a second upgrade after rear suspension.
What do you mean when you say, "impractical"?
Hey @motobob you really want to fix a major error in your video that is dead wrong around 3:00-3:45. You talk about Booster Plugs and ECU. I’m the owner of DNK TuneWorks, the only active tuner in this community. We are also the only ones that cover all Triumphs.
All years of Speed Twin can be tuned. All Triumphs from 2010 onwards can have the ECU directly flashed. There was zero change whatsoever with Euro-5 as for tuning.
The only change is that placebos like the Booster Plug now set off a check engine light, and rightfully so since the ECU cancels it out in milliseconds as soon as it sees the AFRs out of spec. Another would be that non North America market bikes require a tune even for sprocket changes. The only real fix is ECU tuning. The throttle spacers just take up any slack at zero throttle, which are also a mod that isn’t needed or an actual problem. Never do I get on a customer’s bike and even think or notice if it has these spacers installed or not.
Truthfully if you aren’t and haven’t been tuning your bike, then you have no idea how much you are missing out. Triumph severely neuters many of its models just to have a little something extra in a few years when it needs an update. 165hp Rockets suddenly become 200hp bikes. A 103hp Thruxton RS suddenly becomes a 115hp bike. They bake in such heavy limiters in some models (60% throttle no matter how much you give it) that they truly become a different bike. The only exception is the early 900cc bikes that were sub 60hp. They simply have a weak camshaft.
Please correct this error. You are uninformed and putting out very wrong information that hurts companies like us. I’d hope that you’d want to be helping the only source in the community that tunes all Triumphs from 2010+ instead of putting out bad information.
What community are you speaking for, does that include the UK, being you're thousands of miles away?
@@Drzee1968 the Triumph community. We tune on six continents every month, have Triumph dealerships and private shops as partners, as well as all of the big reputable names in the aftermarket, Motone UK, British Customs, worked with Thornton, A&J, Conyon, and when I have free time will be working with Hitchcox for a collab on a Bobber TFC we're building. Hell, we were scrubbed in when BC was developing all of their new exhaust offerings. You'll also find a tuning guide on their website that was codeveloped with us. We originally just started on Modern Classics, but now we tune more Tridents, Street Triples and Rockets more than the rest, I reckon. If I could just find a Triumph dealer or shop in Antarctica, when we'll complete all seven continents.
Love my speed twin... had mine 2 and a bit years now and still makes me smile. Done plenty of mods for this bike on my channel
The beard fact with retro motorcycle is so spot on.
Love my SpeedTwin. It’s exactly as advertised. Got some Nitron shocks for the rear on mine.
same here!
Sure seems to be alot of people complaining about easily remedied things on a bike with great value. No bike is perfect for everyone. When I bought my '22 in Dec of '21, which makes it 2 years old already, I had a game plan for upgrades. I don't have the time or space to detail all the mods here, but lets just say its all come together quite nicely! I never even started the engine or rode the bike once, before tearing into it seven ways to sunday. With all the aftermarket support for this bike available, I had zero issues getting the parts I wanted. With an ECU tune, the mods I've done should pay off handsomely. It already pulls hard from 0-125+mph without an ECU flash. Should be like riding a brand knew bike all over again, after uncorking the severely limited factory tune.
I owned a Thruxton which I loved to look at it more than ride it, just a little too much shoulder and neck soreness. I hope the Speed Twin 1200 (RS?) specs up closer towards the Thruxton. Then I'll be ordering one.
My friend solved the side stand issue by installing a rubber door stop on the kickstand lever - a simple fix.
Great bike. I have the ‘22 and just did a 500 mile tour in California on it. Great for right sections too with the 160 rear.
I just use the heel of my foot and kick it out. Easy peezy! My previous experiences I’m used to was using my toe area to push down the kick stand.
At a price like this it should be perfect ,why should you have to pay for after market stuff stuff to try make it run properly.
I own a first gen, I like the older look of the ‘right side up’ front. Also for me it feels more balanced than the new one who is to stiff up front.
Mine is fitted with Motone x-pipe, vance and hines, a ecu flash and throttle spacers. Trust me, it pulls like a freight train!
See my comment, does yours vibrate?
What a shock, the bike you paid for you like better than the new, updated machine.
I'd buy one in a heartbeat if it only had cruise control. I believe it's the only 1200 cc classic Triumph that doesn't have one.
Great review! I appreciated the discussion of the seating position and fueling.
Three months in and I absolutely love mine. It really is a ball to ride. I read of owners complaining of the seat, side stand, indicator switch as well as suspension shortcomings. I’ve even seen someone write don’t expect anything over 70. What??
They must be on a different bike. This thing really will move at real world speeds. Ok it’s no out and out sports or Superbike. But if thats what you’re expecting do not buy.
For someone who cut his teeth on 60’s Brit twins in the 80’s this bike is everything I ever dreamed of.
And trust me you even get used to the side stand.
Thruxton r shocks definitely fit no problems but requires spacer washer at top lug to avoid (possible)contact with frame..black springs look mint👌
After seeing your "Speed Twin R" ride featured again in this video, I pushed the button and ordered a 23' ST 1200 with the idea of making one myself.... fast forward to 4 months in and I'm almost there, I wanted to keep true to the beautiful lines of this bike (in my opinion at least the best looking retro of them all), but add a bit of modern edge to make it a true "Modern Classic" so with rear & front suspension upgrade, decat and pipes, a tune and high flow air filter, 3k from triumph's parts catalogue, bits and bobs from British customs and motone and some carbon fibre notes from RSR-moto Europe my Speed Twin R is almost complete, bar the paint and a few more details.... I couldn't be happier with ( dare I say it), my forever bike.
Thanks for all the vlogs you make mate, they really helped me zero in on the perfect bike for me.... especially when there were limited test bike available over the past few years due to covid and supply chain issues.
The roads of Australia might not all be perfect for this type of machine, but the glorious weather does go some way to making up for that fact.
Please keep being my go to channel for all things motorcycle mate.
J
It's a wonderful bike, perhaps the best in its category
They had to cost cut somewhere AND they had to keep a distance to the Thruxton somehow. But this bike is the must have for people like me this days!
Nice bike. I had the 1st gen. Really enjoyed it. I part ex’d it for a 1200xe. More comfort, more road presence and just as quick.
Did the same swap, from a 2nd gen though. No regrets but I do miss that hooligan feeling from time to time.
Bought the Trident, but this is my second (and super close) choice.
I have an identical one to the one you presented. They are a great wee bike but I would not wish to go to far on that seat. I had a gel insert put in that helps but I have a BMWR1200R & Ducati V2S Multistrada for touring down here in the South Island of New Zealand
Had mine 3 weeks. Love it. Looking forward to when its run in. 💩 weather preventing this😢
As an owner of ST 22 (1,5 years already) let me comment on the same points as you:
- engine - beautiful torque, throttle bit jerky (too much engine breaking power), top high rpm end is not so good - all those thing can be fixed with good ECU map (don't waste money for booster plug on 22 model -pointless)
- handling - a bit on the heavy side and I don't mind the actual weight .... the weight feels in the twisties is a bit too much (center of gravity probably is higher), so you need much more work on the handlebars! If you consider buying it for sporty riding better chose another bike!
- brakes - amazing, when you push them a lot you start hearing a bit of noise (fixable with EBC aftermarket pads - which improve the braking power as well).
- tyres - personally for me and type of roads I'm riding... disaster. Swapped them with ContiRoadAttack4, totally changed the whole bike... much more confident and forgiving (excellent road tyres). RR3 are just not for normal road usage.
- suspension - I installed aft shocks from Wilbers (not the high end series) and I'm happy with them - preload and rebound adj + nice color matching the bike
Few other things mandatory for me to replace ware the levers and the exhaust (slip on from Motone - much better sound), still thinking should I decat the bike and install K&N also some other minor engine mods 🤔... aaaa some people are mentioning that the two throttle flaps are not synchronized - which is easy fix as well!
At the end, very nice looking bike, fun to ride, very good quality, happy to have it!
Have you tuned it? Pulls very hard to the 8400 redline after tuning and makes peak power just under 8k
Agree! That will be the next step. As I said remap is solving most of the issues with this motorcycle (let’s say that stock fueling is not good, may be because of euro5 restrictions)
@@ivankolev4662 It's the bigger cat, and then the secondary air injection isn't doing it any favors. The fueling after a decat and SAI delete get it 85% of the way there.
Triumphs motor cycle I liked the most is 1200 rally pro.
This couldn’t have been uploaded at a better time for me. I’m looking at upgrading from a Street Twin but I still can’t decide between this Speed Twin 1200 and the Thruxton RS, specially not being able to test the Thrux…
Really it's the same bike for the most part and nearly everything is interchangeable. For the price difference you get a lot more suspension from the Thrux, and it's simply the best looking cafe racer out there.
Great looking bike plenty power too, when are TRIUMPH going to make a 1200 SPEED TWIN RS
Love the looks of the T120 but I would prefer that it had a 17" front wheel(like the Ducati Sport Classics) for better, more sporty, lighter tyre options and looks too. Not a fan of 19/17 combos on what's a heavily biased street motorcycle.
Leave the 19/17 wheels for the adventure bikes.
I rode one & found it to be a thoroughly modern motorcycle dressed up to look like a retro... Something I found terribly disappointing.
I bought a V7 Guzzi. Not because it's a retro bike, it's not. It's an genuine survivor from a different age, &much more to my liking.
Horses for courses...
Link to the boots you're wearing?
Just curious but I have a Panigale v4 and have taken my girlfriend on a couple of rides but she doesn’t like being on the back which I understand. But she likes that retro triumph look. How is this bike like with a passenger,
Is it relaxed and Cruzy? These type of bikes are not realistically not my kinda taste, but happy to get something me and the girlfriend can both be happy with while still keeping the Panigale.
If you were buying used , is this model worth the extra over previous ?
Love the Speed Twin. I am getting on into my mid 50s now and have a 2016 TTR that I adore but the riding potion is becoming a bit cumbersome for me. I have often thought the Speed Twin would be the perfect bike for riding potion but I have disliked the thought of downgrade in terms of suspension Looks like Triumph has made some nice upgrades to the Speed Twin but the rear shocks need the same treatment at the TTR. I can attest to the benefit of the throttle spacer for smoother application of power. I have one on my TTR and it works brilliantly.
What is a TTR? Are we all supposed to know your abbreviations?
@@holdencaulfied7492 Trump Thruxton R
Love the orange just wish it wasn’t matte though. Doesn’t really matter as I don’t qualify for one due to not having a beard or any intention of growing one.
REally looking at one of these and wondering if putting a Power Commander on it would help with the low end fueling. Thoughts?
Yeah it can be a bit jerky at low speeds compared to a three cyl. But doesn’t matter. The bike as such is a true Gem
Triumph Speed Twin 1200 vs Ducati Scrambler 1100 vs BMW R nine T. Is it possible by any chance?! 🙏🏼🍻
I can never get comfortable in the seat. Get moved around a bit. Emergency breaking throws me over the tank. And if I let the throttle out a bit too quickly I'm seated where the pillion should be 😂
“There’s a massively high probablility that you’re sporting a beard”
😂😂😂😂😂
Quality reveiw, camerawork is slick and info is relevant and in depth. I will never be able to afford this bike
Too bad you don’t live in America, only because they will happily finance anyone and anything!
Any cams out yet?
Are the foot pegs position interchangeable with T120? One owner said that he put SeedTwin 1200 foot pegs in his T120. 1" higher & 1" further back.
So I guess you can use T120's goot pegs on Speed Twin 1200 wherein it'll be 1" lower & 1" forward. Please enlighten if this is possible.
Thank you.
I really like your content, follow u for awile now.
I got the 2020 SpeedTwin love her, but let ask you something what would u recomend for all seasons tires?
Thank you so much for the content 🤙
hi Bob! i am dying to hear your opinion on that white flashy thing on your head ruroc calls a helmet. please do a review.
Love my first gen Speed Twin, beards?? Not for me thanks! 🤐👍
Beards - more for the Hardly Movingson crowd or those riding on old dogs of MZs or BMWs
No beard on my Speed Twin.
They belong with horse and carriages in the 1800's.
Nice bike! Looks good with a lot of power.
Best looking mike on the market.
Thank you for the honest review.💯
Is it any good for a tall riders (6"2 188cm)? Thanks! Great video!
I absolutely love this bike and I’m seriously considering buying one.
Beards have not been mentioned in the caption, sorry, switched to the wrong video obviously… :-/
Otherwise: Good video on an almost-perfect bike. Riding joyfully my 2019 model since almost 30k kms, and no intention to swap.
So this or a Scrambler XE for a city bike for a guy that's 6'1", 235lbs?
The first model look 100x better
6:42 what was that odd visual effect?
Have I made a huge mistake buying the speed twin as I don’t have a beard lol.
Video starts at 1:43
The ultimate bike!
I’ve been lucky with mine I can’t say I have much snatching
Hi there, thus is on my shortlist (no 1) as my next bike. However I was lucky enough to test one at the ABR Festival, but that one had really bad vibrations through the seat and bars.
Anyone got any views on this?
Could have been a one off bad bike? I test rode the older version in 2019 and was a little underwhelmed, yes too vibey and not smooth enough. In 2021 I went back to triumph dealer intending to buy a different bike, but saw the 2021 (newest) model, fell in love, test rode it and smooth, not annoyingly vibey etc. Bought it and loved it for last 2 years. In fact one of the few bikes i've not put grip puppies on. (Obviously it is a twin and so there are vibes, part of the character. On the 2019 it was too much, this 2021 is perfect). Maybe demo bikes are ragged from early on and not run it properly, leading to bad vibes.
Definitely something wrong with that bike. My ST is dead smooth. Some early gen-1 bikes had a dodgy fuel map which caused the bike to hesitate when on constant throttle and cut out when rolling to a stop. I have a late gen-1 bike and it's superb, really smooth and no throttle issues at all.
@@tomostinato2918 Thank you for replying, I thought it might that particular bike as the seat vibrated enough to give my wife's rampant rabbit a run for its money and the fingers on my right hand were going numb. It was a test bike with less than 500 miles on it, so I suppose it wasn't run in at all.
am looking for a 19/20 1st gen bike.
again thanks
@@Denali1600 Thank you for replying, I thought it might that particular bike as the seat vibrated enough to give my wife's rampant rabbit a run for its money and the fingers on my right hand were going numb. It was a test bike with less than 500 miles on it, so I suppose it wasn't run in at all.
am looking for a 19/20 1st gen bike.
again thanks
Hi mate, sorry for my late response! But mine has no excessive vibrations. It is a twin and above certain rev’s it starts to get a lil’ bit buzzy but nothing a sv650 doesn’t do.
Nothing like numb fingers!
I’ve had a Speed Twin since 2021 but still no beard 😄sylvie 2:23
Can we expect a review on that Ruroc you are rocking 😜
An honest review, perhaps 😎
Come on buddy relax with the adverts , you can always add them in before and after,
Some of the 2022 models are popping left pistons.
brings up the question of owner or manufactorer problem?
@@tedcity5861 5 different bikes that I know of... All broke the left piston, in the same place, around the same mileage. Same damage... Different mods... Same result...
What are the chances of several bikes losing the left piston, right at the ring land where it meets the valve pocket, taking out the valve, etc... ?
It's either a bad set of pistons, a faulty valve dropping, etc.... Could be that the new piston design is too thin and weak, and if the ring gap isn't enough, it pushes against that weak spot and it breaks...
The chances of all the failures being the same piston in the same spot, is highly unlikely....
And I love mine!
Can this motorbike be lowered in height? I really want to have one but my height is a problem..😔😔😔
Yes, if you buy Bitubo rear shocks and fork cartridges.
@@flamintasty thanks.. 👍
No 7, it is not made in the UK. Why is that ?
they've been this way for like 20 years now.
It's an ok bike I guess
You would know 😉
so if you're a beginner rider at 34/35 years old, this bike still isn't for you or is it?
Yeah if you ride it sensibly and don't cane its nuts off
Went from passing my test,straight onto one of these(im 53)just be sensible and keep it in rain mode till you get used to it
It's a shame to see a professional reviewer suggest exhaust mods w/o noting the proper fueling changes required.
Switch it off as soon as the ad crap in the beginning
I'll happily keep my Z900 RS. Had a speed twin. Prefer the Z.
Can you tell us why you prefer the Z900RS? I’m hesitating between the 2! And here in Canada you can’t test drive them! 😞
Embedded advertising? Thanks for all the past reviews, but I’m out . . .
Oh, beards? They're like the hair on your nether region.
I'll take the trident 660, looks better and in real world you would be just as quick.
The Speed Twin is a wonderful bike, but the saddle is a piece built to torture, disgust and destroy any pleasure there is. And there is no remedy, nowhere.
The Cornish accent! 🤣
I want one SO bad, but, I just can't get past the lack of a quick shifter/auto blipper, or cruise control :/
After riding one, I'm not sure if it's really the kind of bike that needs a quickshifter
really though, now's the time for retro motorcycles to adopt quickshifters by default.
@fauveride Why though? This bike and other retros aren't designed for chasing tenths on a track or aggressively tackling twisties. Triumph will happily sell you a Street or Speed Triple for that
@@Alex_mkII When "quick" shifters first came out, the only real point of them was to shift quicker. Nowadays they're so well refined and buttery smooth that shifting quickly to go from A to B faster is far from the only point of them. They're a HUGE quality of life improvement. If I'm gonna spend a huge amount of money for a premium, world class street bike that I would hope to be keeping forever, and spend hundreds if not thousands of hours riding, it'd be nice for Triumph to give us the option. I COULD get past not having a cruise control option but not having that an option either is really a bummer on a bike that already has ride by wire and a computer perfectly capable of accommodating both
@@fauveride When they already have ride by wire throttle, and the entire engine is already run by a computer, I can't understand not at least throwing a little bit of extra wiring and a plug into the loom for the aftermarket to tap into :( It boggles me
Actually funny how I have a beard and ride a motorcycle. The manscaped people know their target demo.
sound ...sounds like a Honda 360 ....no thanks
How many people do you see with beards, that warrents such a long commercial. Get on with the motorcycle information.
Just checked in the mirror. Still no beard.
Lovely looking machine but I can't be doing with traditional dials anymore. The modern electronic tablet style instrument are just so good. I personally wouldn't mind a bike like this having one. If you want a historic bike buy an original classic. A retro bike should look like something from the 1960's but has been taken into the future ie, now and modernised accordingly, not 1960's analog dials. 👎
Thanks for wasting 90 seconds of my life advertising a crappy razor.
I hope triumph sacked the team who made the video, edited it, checked it, approved it, and then also uploaded it and thennnnnn watched it and still didn’t take it down😂
Upside down forks ,idiot modes & fly by wire throttle ,is a big no no on this style of bike . Also 1200 cc totally far too much for this type of bike ,& U.K. speed limits increasingly being reduced to 20 mph & 50 mph with a national speed limit of 70 mph . Real road speeds 80 % of the time are about 20mph - 50 mph no matter what cc . What’s needed is smaller capacity engine , 100 mpg ,top speed 90 mph max ,no riding modes ,no gimmicky crap like slipper clutches ,idiot riding modes ,or fly by wire blipper throttle crap . Also quick spare parts availability & no more rip off prices , all bikes with Triumph badges claiming to be British actually made in the U.K & better reliability .
And I thought I was going to watch a video about a motorcycle. Not how to look after me feckin face fungus. People used to do this kind of thing for the pleasure not the money.
nothing cheapens youtube videos more than ads for grooming products, vpn, documentary or food subscription services
You do understand that it takes time and 💰 to create decent content? Or would you rather pay a subscription fee?
i pay a monthly fee to watch youtube ad free - nonetheless some RUclipsrs dont care and add even more advertisement to their videos. of course, driving the latest motorbikes is a hard job. not like mine, programming and managing sap projects, which is apeace of cake. but no one pays me for advertsisng sap.
@tuberichter Sound a bit bitter there mate 🤣
@@Alex_mkII sure, because my job is boring 🥹 - i would love to ride bikes and make a living of it…, right?
Agree
The suspension does make a difference… I moved my rear to ohlins from the thruxton rs and the front to the ohlins from speed triple 1200… since there is no xpipe possibility, I had put the pipes from tec that go straight to the v&h endcans. The tyres are a different story, the racetech are good in clean roads but give them a bit of dust or wet conditions and they tend to make the traction systems work over time, I had shifted to Michelin road 6 and they are really good…. the bike now is much lighter and handles well at what ever speed one thinks of doing. As for the jerky throttle, I had put a t120 front sprocket and it’s sorted..
As a litre+ bike rider my whole motorcycle career, I feel like not enough people appreciate the rear brake for smoothing out big power when opening the throttle.
So you’re breaking with the rear as you’re coming off the line? Would love some advice thank you
@@Fittednocap yep, good for city riding when you need to keep the speed low
💯
Nice a great review. I think I prefer the T120. It’s more relaxed ergonomics and those pea-shooters wins me over that way.
The T120 looks nicer but is heavier and 20 less HP. and in my opinion way underpowered. because for me even the the Speed Twin is not powerful enough. unless you are using it for putting through town and just using the low end.
@@photographerjonathanthis is why there are different versions of the Bonneville. No one version is perfect for everyone. The Speed Twin 1200 has plenty of power. I traded in my MT07 for it. It’s like the same bike but more of everything, quality, price, power, and performance.
No booster plug available for the euro 5.. but you Can remap the latest speed twin..I did mine with tune ecu.
I have an identical one to the one you presented. Love the tank colour and put a gel insert in the seat to assist on the comfort side. I have a V4 Ducati Diavel & BMW R1200R for longer distances but love the Triumph on the hilly curvy roads near my home in Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand. Really enjoy your good road tests
i have to agree, i have had my Speed Twin 1200 for a couple of months now, (had its 600 mile service this week @ fowlers) rear shocks are functional, but a bit naff. i am 6' 2" the bike is on the small side but fun to ride. brakes are breathtaking, even the rear is good. low speed can be fidgety, Rain mode sorts it a little... but not totally. i had a black one, with CNC brake reservoir, head bolt covers, light bezel, clutch guide, heated grips, tank and knee pads, and the necessary radiator guard!
I gotta say, this bike makes me miss my 2009 Street Triple R, which handled way better and sounded better as well in stock form