I'm considering buying a Triumph America

[Navigator]

Billy and Grumpy, those are both very nice machines. I might have mentioned earlier that the one I'm considering has no windscreen, a must for me, so if I decide to buy it I'll offer less than his $5500 asking price. The friend who I sold my Nomad to was just by aand told me be changed the plugs on a friend's America and they were way down in the head, 5 inches or so.

I know they are not power bikes but of interest is that the claimed 61 hp is about te same as the Harley Evo and early model Twin Cams. Most odd that it has speed limiter though so thanks for pointing it out.

 

[Grumpy Ole Codger]

Mike, I never came across the speed limiter in mine so maybe this is a export thingy. As for the spark plugs...see below!

 

[Navigator]

Mike, I never came across the speed limiter in mine so maybe this is a export thingy. As for the spark plugs...see below!

Well they look to be right there and of easy access so I'm not sure what my buddy was talking about.

Even if it has a speed limiter it means nothing to me since I don't even do 95 on my Rocket, "bustin' a ton" only once. I wish I'd taken some pics of the bike

 

[Bondysbike]

I looked at a 2016 today and it was a beauty that ocal retired guy is selling. It is black, almost metalflake, and in like new condition with about 3200 miles on it. My wife even liked it and thinks I should buy it. I only sat on it and found it to be extremely comfortable. I read some old ride reports with the America getting very good reviews. $5500 is what he is asking. It has Triumph saddlebags and a passenger backrest/ rear rack plus one of those big round hard luggage bags with an attached rider backrest.

Has anyone owned one of these?

One of the most beautiful designs ever...if you look at every curve on this bike from tank to seat etc it’s gorgeous. My wife has a Speedmaster and went to buy the new version and both her and I thought the older model ...simply better.

 

[Bondysbike]

I looked at a 2016 today and it was a beauty that ocal retired guy is selling. It is black, almost metalflake, and in like new condition with about 3200 miles on it. My wife even liked it and thinks I should buy it. I only sat on it and found it to be extremely comfortable. I read some old ride reports with the America getting very good reviews. $5500 is what he is asking. It has Triumph saddlebags and a passenger backrest/ rear rack plus one of those big round hard luggage bags with an attached rider backrest.

Has anyone owned one of these?

My wife has one...great acceleration and doesn’t start to run outta puff till about 90 ish...

 

[Bondysbike]

Am really on the fence, with my wife even pushing me to ride it. I've been wanting a bike to ship to England to ride UK and the America would be perfect.

You like sitting in traffic then...

 

[Tal]

The speedie i had caused my lady to not ride with me anymore. We had a drag with a couple of Bigdog choppers away from the lights one sunday afternoon and she wasnt expecting it! Her feet came up off the pegs and scared the crap out of her...she hasnt been on a bike since!

 

[barbagris]

Through the doors is the edition with where all of my vintage Triumph twins, special tools etc., are kept. I also have the lift back there.

As far as I can see - you are missing two things. Your own Dyno bank, and a tame @Claviger

 

[Quey]

I have a 2010 Speedmaster. Great bike. About 1/2 the weight of my Rocket.

How do you decide which bike to ride???

 

[Quey]

Thanks gents. A few things I should have included in my original post. I was doing the post using my pad, with typing tedious at best.

-My daughter had a 2006 Speedmaster and I put the original 55 miles on it for the first service prior to us departing for Daytona Bike Week in 2007. I found it to be heavy in the front end with the seating position difficult for me after about 150 miles. She had it accessorized with the tractor seat/seat rail and with the accessory floorboards. I found the power and torque to be quite adequate but of course, nothing compared to my 07 Classic. We bought them at the same time.

I read a few ride reports and factory spec on the 2016 before starting this thread and one report said that the Speedmaster and America had different rake and trail due to differing tire size. It observed that the Speedmaster more suitable for highway riding but a bit more heavy in the front end for local riding and commuting. Hmm. As I look at the pics of Tals Speedmaster and Michael G's America, it appears to be so. I did find my daughter's 06 to be heavy in the front end. My son, who now owns my 07 also found his sister's Speedmaster to be tiring during an all day ride.

The 2016 I viewed seemed to have a different front end with less rake than her Speedmaster and a much more comfortable bike. It also has floorboards similar to my Rocket in both positioning and design. The 06s were more like a Rocket standard that had been fitted with the accessory floorboards.

Quite candidly, I am looking for an alternative to my beautiful Rocket and I know there are many bikes out there I could be considering. I am starting to struggle with it post knee replacement surgery and as my other knee starts to fail. I had a nice ride on it Sunday and injured my new knee while riding it into my shop, setting my recovery back a bit. I just don't know how I'll be able to keep my incredible R3T. I'm trying not to believe it was a mistake to buy it but Sunday's ride and injury is telling me it was.

A good friend sold his big bike and bought a Bonnie. Jack is older than me and completely happy with the Bonnie, riding it to Sturgis via the back roads in 2015. Well he also just rode his Yamaha 200 TW to Fairbanks, AK last year.

Decisions, decisions. Then again, perhaps at 70 my riding days have come to an end.

You can always convert the Rocket to a trike..no more knee worries.