NEWS / EVENTS / SPECIALS / TOM'S TIDBITS

Size doesn’t matter as much as you may think.

I grew up with sayings like “there is no replacement for displacement” and “bigger is better,” in regard to engine size, of course. Recently I had the chance to try the Triumph Speed Twin 1200 and Triumph Speed Twin 900 back-to-back and the differences are interesting.

The 1200cc Speed Twin has 96 HP and is a rocket. Loads of power everywhere and very small throttle movements tell you “be careful.”The 900cc Speed Twin was very easy to ride and has a very smooth throttle. It has great power and is very similar to the Bonneville 1200 but with less torque. Both bikes are similar in seating position and handling. I was surprised that I found I liked riding the 900cc Speed Twin better.

Back in the day I did track days on the latest, biggest, and greatest Ducatis. You would get from one corner to the next in what seemed like a nano second and it took every bit of my concentration to keep them on the track. I remember taking a Triumph 675 Daytona to a track day and had more fun than any of the previous ones. You could use more of the power, it handled incredibly well, was extremely fast and it was simply a blast to ride.

Don’t get too caught up in needing to have the biggest engines with the most power. Technology has helped develop incredible motorcycles and smaller displacement motorcycles perform so well it will blow your mind. Even the 250cc bikes of today have power to do most anything you want. I would travel across country on my Triumph Tiger 900 without a second’s thought regarding it not having a bigger motor! 

Bigger isn’t always better.

A question is asked every couple of years or so. More precisely, it’s asked whenever KTM, Ducati, Triumph, or Honda throw the kitchen sink at their flagship adventure bike and bring it, revised and reinvented, to market bristling with new technology and global intent. “Could this, finally, be the bike that knocks the BMW 1250 GS Adventure off its perch?”

Until now, the answer has been a polite, “Nearly, but not quite.” Countless adventure all-rounders have run the boxer close—and clearly outperformed it in certain areas—but none has convincingly made a case to be crowned king on road, in the wilderness, and everywhere in between.

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Come join us at The Friends of Steve McQueen Car & Motorcycle Show

June 4th, 2023

8:00 am until 3:00 pm

At the Boys Republic Campus

1907 Boys Republic Dr. Chino Hills, CA 91709

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(714)256-6700 socalmotorcycles.com