Forum

[NEV]

Hi 2cvandy, I fully agree with you, I have also had Harleys for 29yrs! 2 Sportster 1200s in fact. Brilliantly engineered bikes shame about the added on culture, I dislike the culture so much that I only buy my spares through the web & post to avoid the dealers & a section of owners that seem to be having an identity crisis. I also wear the same bike gear as when riding my Brit & Italian bikes so I don't appear Americanized.

[ric]

Even the small 900 Triumph twins are having problems competing with the 1200 Triumph twins on some levels.
How any journo worth his salt would try and fit a 650 Enfield twin in the same basket as a 1200 Triumph T120 Bonneville is beyond my simple comprehension when the T100 (900cc) Bonneville is a slightly closer match.

[Rattlebattle]

I don’t know about the current 865cc l/c twins but I do know that no 650cc twin with 47bhp is going to be anywhere near a match for the air/oil cooled Triumph 865cc bikes. These were DOHC and in Thruxton/Bonneville form (ie 360 degree crank) they produced 69bhp. That of course is before tuning, which is easily done at home via free software on a laptop or Android tablet or phone. To me the nearest comparison for the RE twin is the Moto Guzzi 750 twin, another softly tuned A2 licence bike. As for Harleys I had a 4 Speed 883 Sportster new in 1989. It was bloody awful; I believe the later 5 speed ones with belt drive are much better, preferably the 1200.

[Bullet Whisperer]

And heaven forbid anyone should compare the new twins with the original 56 BHP Interceptors, perhaps the new ones are 650's to try and avoid direct comparison with the originals? ...

[NEV]

Yes Rattlebattle the 4 speeds were awful, I had a 1989 1200. The 5 speed machines are a complete redesign not just as before with another cog & a belt, they are wonderful, I've done 48,000 great miles on my 2001 XL1200S. I agree the Guzzi V7 is the closest to the new RE twin but is very expensive at £7999 - £8999.

[macg4]

The Triumph Factory Tour is a worth the trip.Custom tooling, "just in time" assembly,forensic attention to H&S,literally someone randomly samples components,rinses them,and analyses the rinse for carcinogenic contaminants.The warehouse has finished machines in breathable bags stacked cathedral high awaiting shipment.Messrs Turner.Gander and Gray would be thrilled.The Japanese response, "no earthquakes in Hinckley then?"

[Rattlebattle]

Shame a lot of the bikes are made In Thailand.....Actually I don’t suppose it matters, because they will have the same setup there anyway.

Nev: Yes, mine was new in 1989 too. I spent a lot of cash on it making it go and stop better, go further and be more practical. It was the high risk of the gearbox blowing and taking out the crankcases that made me decide to move it on. Apparently it was possible for second and third gears to select at the same time, causing internal carnage. It was reported that this issue affected mainly tuned 883s and the 1200 models in the UK and German markets because we tended to ride them a lot harder. Certainly I had great difficulty separating the clutch plates first thing. Putting it into first gear would produce the most GodAlmighty crunch that was, frankly, embarrassing. Strangely I quite fancy a current model 1200; like you say they are much better than the 4 speed Evos which in turn were better than the infamous iron models, though the latter did look better IMHO.

I didn’t look like a Harley rider either; I just wore my normal riding gear and serviced the bike myself.

[NEV]

Hi Rattlebattle, I'm sure you would enjoy a later Sportster, from 2004 they are even rubber mounted but have a much lower seatrail making them less handy for a caff racer conversion like I have done to my 2001 XL1200S. If I decide to sell my Bullet Sixty-5 I would prefer either the new Interceptor or a V7 Special to the porky Thai Bonneville. Just waiting to see the proper road tests of the new RE twins now