2008–2010 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
British Style, Off-Beat Soul
The Speedmaster is Triumph's read on the cruiser, built without borrowing anyone else's playbook. Its 865 cc air-cooled parallel twin makes 60 hp at 6,750 rpm and 51 lb-ft at 4,800 rpm, so the useful work happens well under the middle of the tach. Five gears, chain final drive, a 65.2 in wheelbase and a 28.3 in seat give it the long, low stance the category demands. At 551 lb wet the mass sits low. Fat 170/80-15 rear, 110/80-18 front, 310 mm front brake. Simple hardware, finished with more care than the price suggested.
Out on the road it holds a line at speed better than the stance implies, and it stays settled when the pace picks up on an open two-lane. It ages well because there is little on it to go wrong: air cooling, a telescopic fork with no adjusters to get lost in, a rear end you set for preload and leave alone. This one is for the rider who wants the look and the mechanical feel of a cruiser without a service department on speed dial. The honest caveat: no ABS, no traction control, nothing electronic sitting between your right hand and the rear tire.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 60 hp (45 kW) @ 6,750 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 51 lb-ft (69 Nm) @ 4,800 rpm |
| Displacement | 865 cc |
| Engine | Parallel twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 5-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 310 mm |
| Front tire | 110/80-18 |
| Rear tire | 170/80-15 |
| Wheelbase | 65.2 in (1655 mm) |
| Seat height | 28.3 in (720 mm)Motorcycles With a Seat Height Under 30 Inches → |
| Wet weight | 551 lb (250 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.4 gal (16.6 L) |
| Top speed | 110 mph (177 km/h) |
| Fuel economy | 37 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
This one comes from listening rather than riding: paddock talk, owners who corner me at club nights, and the messages riders send once they have lived with the bike a while. The pattern on the Speedmaster is consistent. Owners treat it as a keeper, and the gripes they raise are mostly ones they have already worked around.
Durability leads every conversation. Riders routinely describe passing 30,000 miles (50,000 km) on nothing but scheduled maintenance, and they say it without hedging. The engine draws steady praise too, for pulling cleanly and with character instead of asking for revs. Distance riders add that it goes further between fill-ups than the V-twins their friends are riding.
The most common one is stalling at low speed, either rolling to a stop or sitting at idle. Most owners settle it with a bump in idle speed or a small aftermarket fix and move on. Next is the pillion seat, small and thinly padded, which riders say works for a short hop and little more. Quieter but persistent: chrome and fasteners that rust if the bike lives outside or sees wet weather without attention, and stock rear shocks that plenty of owners call harsh enough to replace.
Starter idler gear boss cracking (early models)
The boss that supports the starter idler gear can crack over time; a bracing kit is available to reinforce it, and later models received updated castings.
Oil pump drive gear weakness
The oil pump drive gear can fail if subjected to sudden high loads, such as pushing thick oil through a cold engine. Most bikes avoid this, but it is a known weak point.
Handlebar shake at low speeds
When riding with a light grip on the bars at parking-lot speeds, a side-to-side oscillation can develop, particularly if the steering head bearings are not properly adjusted.
Where this Triumph Speedmaster pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Top speed
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Speedmaster is actually built for.
The stance, the metal, and the off-beat idle all work at a rally. Just go in clear-eyed: you are showing up on a British parallel twin, not the badge most of that crowd is expecting.
Made for Florida State Road A1A · Black Hills · Main Street, Daytona Beach
This is your bike. Low seat, easy controls, 37 mpg, and a shape that belongs on a small-town main street. It holds highway pace all day and asks very little of you between stops.
Made for Park Loop Road · Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
It will cover distance, but nothing is fitted for it. No cruise control, no luggage, no screen as standard, and 4.4 gal between fill-ups. Great for a long weekend, hard work across a continent.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2005–2007
British Style, American Attitude
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Compare it with every bike that shares the same spec or equipment.
