Best Triumph for beginning rider?

[TxRIIIRider]

Your son may be just fine with the T-Bird, but just be aware that they are a bit top heavy and that can be felt at parking lot speeds. A used Speedmaster or America will have a much lower center of gravity and I would imagine be more user friendly to a novice rider.

That being said, in my opinion, the T-Birds have a much more "substantial" feel to them than the Bonnie line-up. I've only test road a Bonnie and an America, but I left feeling like the bikes were 7/8ths scale... I owned an '00 TBS for 5 years and still regret selling it. The 885 triple will out perform the twin in every way and get close to 50 MPG doing it. With some aftermarket pipes they sound AWESOME too..

Either bike would be a great bike for your son to start on, just need to be aware of the T-Birds are a little more top heavy than most bikes.

 

[Ogremeister]

I have a Speedmaster and a Rocket. (Well the Speedy is supposed to be wife's bike). It is very easy to handle and a lot of fun. It corners very nicely and gets very good mileage.

It, of course, is no Rocket, but I have no problems passing cars or traveling at freeway speeds on it. You can cruise mellowly on the backroads or hit the ton with no problem.



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[wilbur-t]

Thanks Ogre, That is what I needed, some first-hand experiance!

 

[ironbutter]

That being said, in my opinion, the T-Birds have a much more "substantial" feel to them than the Bonnie line-up. I've only test road a Bonnie and an America, but I left feeling like the bikes were 7/8ths scale... I owned an '00 TBS for 5 years and still regret selling it. The 885 triple will out perform the twin in every way and get close to 50 MPG doing it. With some aftermarket pipes they sound AWESOME too..

Agree with almost everything you said. As one rag writed put it the T3 triples with TORs put out a "sound to make a red Ferrari turn green with envy." After Don at Baxter did his tuning magic my 'bird ran like a raped ape but never ever got 50mpg. Don't have a clue how you did that. Mine would drop way down in the 30's with a bad headwind and caused me to carried extra fuel on roadtrips to western Kansas. Needed it once when I found the station I was counting on had been blown away by a tornado a couple of days earlier. Didn't think it was all that topheavy cuz the gas sucker wouldn't keep a full tank long enough to notice it if it was. But I wish I still had mine too. Simply wonderful machines the T3's are, but IMO the Bonnie might be a slightly better newbeebike.

 

[TxRIIIRider]

I could make my TBS drop below 50 MPG, but that was hauling butt for long distances.. I "raced" a Honda 1100 Shadow (suprisingly fast bike!) for about 15 miles or so on I-90, just west of San Antonio. There was no traffic and we were doing 110+ MPH for quite a while, that got me well below 50 MPG... but normal riding (cruising about 80MPH) I never failed to get 50MPH or close to it. I would switch to reserve at anywhere between 150 - 165 miles. I had been as far as 188 miles on a tank and still going, but I was sure praying for a gas station at that point!

Oh.. I also live out in the country a bit, so anywhere I go is steady cruising for 25+ miles which helps my MPG average considerably..