I weigh about 60kg, this bike weighs 395kg with all the wet stuff inside it. I stand 1.6m tall in my socks, this bike is 730mm high and is 2,5m long – I think you now have a good idea of the scale of this bike.
I had the privilege of riding this bike for a long weekend and I made use of opportunity properly and thoroughly. I was a bit overwhelmed by the volume this bike takes up, but I quickly got used to it. Fortunately the seat is quite low so my feet could reach the ground when I stopped.
On the road it is a wonderful touring bike, even for women. With an engine capacity of 2294cc, it is quite a monster who is willing to do your bidding at the drop of a hat. Because of its weight, it clings to the road and the sweeps in the ET was great fun! The petrol tank holds just on 23 litres and that gets used up pretty quickly when you’re having so much fun!
One of my greatest problems with bikes in general is that they are designed for men and no allowances are made for the possibility of a woman riding that bike. This bike is no exception and the greatest problem I found with this bike, was the handlebars – they couldn’t be adjusted forwards or backwards and because women’s arms are shorter, it would be nice to have that as an option, especially on a tourer where you’re going to spend many hours on it. My arms and back got a little tired over the longer stretches and by the end of the weekend I felt like I’d done a good few rounds in the boxing ring.
In contrast with other cruiser-type bikes, this one doesn’t have the traditional vibration. With the big backrest it feels as if you’re sitting in your favourite leisure chair. It was pretty difficult to remember to stop often when on a long bike ride – this bike made me want to just ride and ride and ride.
The panniers are definitely not made for packing but more for the aesthetics of it. I had to pack very carefully to fit a long weekend’s winter biking clothing into them. However, they do look part of the bike and not like a last thought pasted on before being released to the public.
The screen was big enough to keep the wind off me, however much I shifted around. The foot pegs are also not in the traditional cruiser position and I was very comfortable on the long road. I was happy to see that Triumph had not followed in the footsteps of other cruiser manufacturers with their gear lever – it’s a traditional lever and not one of those rocker-type levers that you use your heel to change gears.
As a woman on a bike, one normally draws attention, but with this bike, I had to get used to the extra attention, especially at petrol stations. This bike certainly gave new meaning to “biker chick”. I didn’t mind one bit!!
If I have to choose a cruiser to do the long road with, I would cautiously put this bike on the top of my list.
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