2003 Triumph Speed Four
Casey's Speed Four
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Ever
since I sold my VStar in 2001, I've been looking at getting another
bike. I finally did on April 5, 2004. The Speed Four is basically a
naked detuned Triumph TT600. It's got less horsepower, but more torque
and keeps the excellent handling of the TT. It's definitely got a "love
it or hate it" style, but I happen to love it. The bike was originally
orange, but orange doesn't sell well in this town thanks to the A&M-UT
rivalry, so the dealer painted it red hoping to help sell it.
I'm only 5'1" with a 28 inseam, so finding a sportbike
that fits has been a problem. I was able to ride the S4 home only because
the dealer adjusted the preload on the suspension so much that it sinks
when I sit on it. I can reach the ground now, but the ride isn't very
sporty (think Cadillac instead of Corvette). The bike is back at the
dealer now getting a lowering link installed to bring it down so I
can fix the preload setting and get better handling. I may also shave
the seat which might get me another inch or so (the seat is wide, so
just narrowing it will help me).
Update - July 5, 2004
Lowering the bike made a huge difference; I could reach the ground better than before and the bike rides a lot better since the mechanic put the suspension settings back to normal. I decided not to shave the seat because I could get both feet down (not flat footed, though) and didn't want to ruin the comfort of the seat.
Thanks to 11 inches of rain in June and other circumstances, I still only have 430 miles on the bike. The shift level rubber is rotted and needs to be replaced, and the bike has picked up this odd stalling problem that's driving me crazy. I'll be driving down the road, downshift, and suddenly the bike isn't on. It doesn't buck or anything, just feels like I hit the kill switch. It almost always happens on the second downshift (for example, if I shift from 5 to 4, let out clutch, then 4 to 3, it stalls). Revving it slightly keeps it from stalling but makes it hard to use the front brake. The bike also surges in 1st gear. I let out the clutch, roll on the gas, and the bikes starts to accelerate smoothly and then all of a suddent gets much faster, without rolling on more throttle. In straight lines it's fine, but in turns it's pretty nerve-wracking. I haven't had a chance to take the bike in (when the weather has been nice enough I haven't wanted to give the bike up for days!) but hope to soon. I'm hoping this will all be caused by the carbon fiber can and some tuning will fix it.
Update July 23, 2004
Took the bike in last week finally to have them look at the stalling problem and replace the shift rubber. They put a new tune in the bike under warranty, and so far it's been running much better. It feels stronger now and it hasn't stalled on me since. It still surges in first gear, but I've gotten used to that. The mechanic said the tune that was in the bike wasn't in any of their charts and he wasn't sure where it came from, so replaced it with a standard one from his cheat sheet. Almost makes me wish I had a carburator - seems like it's easier to tune it yourself! I've finally hit 500 miles on it so I can now rev to 6000 rpm, which is about 70 miles an hour. That's a relief - I've been wanting to take some longer jaunts, but not on any highway where people were doing 75 and me only 55. No thanks! But now I can keep up with traffic so I'm ready to hit the road!
The Lowering Link
I get a LOT of questions about the lowering link. I bought it from my Triumph Dealer (now out of business) who claimed to have ordered it from Great Bay Triumph.
Update 2006
I've parted with the Triumph. It was a blast, but we moved and I decided to be a housewife for a while and it didn't seem right to have no job and two vehicles (especially one completely impractical one).