The Triumph Speedmaster has a decent chassis, with beefy 41mm forks and a twin shock back end, plus substantial cradle frame. It's a heavy bike at 229kgs dry, but it carries the weight lowdown and most riders will admire the way the Triumph Speedmaster handles.
The later Triumph Speedmaster with the 865cc motor makes more midrange torque than the 790cc powered model, but a peak power output of just 54bhp isn't going to float too many boats. Triumph Speedmaster? More like Routemaster bus...
There are a few question marks over the Hinckley Triumphs overall durability; some examples of this vintage seem excellent, others suffer niggling faults or corrode rapidly. The Triumph Speedmaster is a fair weather motorcycle, a summer cruiser, so if it's used as such it should prove reliable enough.
Even within the world of retro cruisers, the Triumph Speedmaster is an acquired taste. Is it supposed to compete with a Ducati GT1000, or perhaps a Kawasaki ZRX1200? It fails on both counts. A Harley 1200 Sportster matches the Triumph Speedmaster on power and holds its resale value ten times better.
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The Triumph Speedmaster is a fairly basic bike, lacking any fuel gauge and the pillion seat is pretty much emergency use only. On the upside the Triumph Speedmaster has a solid dish type rear wheel and some nice black paint on the engine and other components - massive twin front discs too.