Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Speedmaster or 1200 Custom

I'm looking into getting my first serious bike and definitely can't spend a cajillion dollars on a full-size Harley bike. I've narrowed my selection between a Speedmaster and a Sportster 1200 custom. I'm leaning toward the Triumph because it is slightly larger, has a great look, and seems like a confortable ride (although I've road neither). On the otherhand I like the sportster for its motor, sound (feel from that sound on shorter trips), and the nostalgia that comes with a Harley.

I was hoping to get some information from some riders and any knowledge about your experiences would be great to read.

Someday if I really get into bikes I may be able to justify buying a softail like a Deuce or something, but I still want a cruiser all the way.

Hahaha, like we're going to give you any answer other than the obvious?

Let's see:

1) Triumph is technically a better bike -- speed, handling, reliability, etc., are all superior with the Triumph.

2) The Triumph has all the history of HD. They were founded in the same year (1901 as I recall... And I think Triumph is actually a few months older).

3) The Triumphs are just cooler. Everybody and their mother have Harleys. They've been done to death. Ride a Triumph anywhere and you'll get looks, pointing, thumbs up, questions... And anybody with half a brain knows that Triumph is NOT trying to be a Harley -- back in teh day, Harley was more trying to be Triumph! (look at a sportster next to a Bonneville and note the similarities)

4) The Triumph is more cost effective. You get more bike for less money.

Did I miss anything?

--Jaeger

I think the out the door price for the sporty will be about 40% more than that of a Speedy.

The folks driving the 72 month loans known as big Harleys look down their nose at the sportsters.

Triumphs tend to look in their mirrors at Sportsters afer they pass them.

Personally, I really like the look of the lowered 1200s but:

Triumph is faster
Triumph is cheaper
Triumph as a 24 month unlimited warranty

****and drum roll please*****

Triumph is cool

Good to know that the Triumphs out perform a Sportster. I did forget to mention another benefit of the Speedmaster is saving about $1,500. They both seem to hold their value nicely.

I like the looks of the lowered Sporsters too but I don't like the peg positions compared to the Customs. I like the more forward positioning.

I should know Trumph enthusiasts are going to stand by their bikes, but I figure a Triumph guy knows more about a Harley than a Harley guy knows about a Triumph.

Sportsters are for chicks or for folks who don't want to shell out the $ for a full-size Harley. Definitely go for the Triumph. Like it was just said, Harley owner's look down at Sportsters anyway.

No offense, but it really is a no-brainer. I dont' know how many times I've heard HD guys say "Damn, I wish I'd bought one of those."

Oh, and heres' one -- the triumph dealership will let you test ride one. And trust me, the Trumpets sound just as cool with the right pipes.

--Jaeger

As for the sound, check out the sound of a Speedmaster with Sceptres, there is no comparison, the Harley will sound the poorer and just like all the other V Twins. The provenance of Triumph is easily as full and deep as HD, and to some, greater.

Just to play devil's advocate for a bit...some pluses for the Harley.

Aftermarket: You can pick out anything you want from a multitude of vendors. Try finding anything Triumph in the JP Cycles catalog, or any other catalog.

Dealer network: There's a Harley dealer in just about any average size or bigger city in this country. Triumph dealers are few and far between, so if the local one blows you might have to travel some distance to get to a good one.

Fit and finish: I'd say the fit & finish on a Harley is a bit better than our Triumphs. More chrome(if you're into that), better looking turn signals, better looking wheels(Speedmasters have mixed color wheels...grey painted front and brushed aluminum rear).

Maintenance and mileage: That Sportster gets about 50 mpg while our bikes generally are around 40-45 mpg. Belt drive is lower maintenace than chain drive, and valve adjustments aren't as frequent on the Sportster.

Now to the Speedmaster, which I've had for over 3 years now. If you want a unique bike you won't see very often, buy a Triumph. It has dual disc brakes up front, which is an option that'll cost you some bucks on a Sportster Custom. It has carbs instead of EFI, so it's much cheaper to put a stage 1 or 2 setup on. If a fatter tire is something you like, a Speedmaster comes with a 170, the Sportster has 150.

The bottom line is a Triumph is about being different....being a lone wolf in a herd of sheep. If you're into HOG Chapter group gatherings, or being just like a million other owners, Harleys are for you. Triumph has a marketing slogan that says "Go your own way". That pretty much sums up owning a Triumph. It's a great bike that'll take you anywhere. I have almost 42,000 miles on my 2003 Speedmaster that I bought new back in June of 03. If I had to do it all over again, I'd still buy my Triumph. It's been a great ride.

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I figure a Triumph guy knows more about a Harley than a Harley guy knows about a Triumph.

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That oughta give ya the answer right there.

Not always, although commonly chicks ore on sportys,,,the 1200 low is great for a very short inseam. aka my brother. he tried our bikes and they were to heavy for him he has tried a T-100,,to tall and a BMW.. Way too tall. So as much as i hate to say it it all goes back to what the needs of the rider are.

Oh yes and one more thing, if any biker looks down on any biker, then he is a POSER, not a biker or motorcyclist.

I was in your place 18mths ago, 1200c or Triumph.
Both have their advantages and disadvanatages, the only real advice I can give you is go for a test ride, bikes are a personal choice, for me I had the 1200c for a whole day, left thinking yes nice bike does everything I wanted it to do except go round corners (bit of a problem at traffic islands), took Triumph out knew which bike i wanted within 20mins!!

For the last 30 years I was waiting to get a Sportster. 30 years.

Then I saw the Speedmaster. End of story.
Good luck!

Triumph is one year older than harley....and in the industry the fit and finish on triumphs is considered better than most including harley.....not nearly as much chrome...but i like it that way...and im getting 53/54 mpg...

I think You should buy the HD

Buy the sportster. You won't be disappointed. Harley does have a lot of nostalgia. Just go to the mall and look at all the hardly T's and such the kids are wearing. 50 years is how long HD has had their head in the sand. So go for the nostalgia and toss ride comfort and handling.

Really, what would you expect us to say? Triumph let's you test ride their sickles. HD won't. But you may rent one! Well maybe not the underclassed sportster as they rent usually the (how did you put it?) cajillion dollars full-size Rides only. Walk round each companies service departments. Looky at all the sportsters at the shop. What,?! You don't see many americas or speedies at the Triumph service department?

Buy the Sportster. It won't draw as much attention and you'll be able to walk up to it while it's parked without someone stopping you and asking questions and/or making positive comments about what a neat bike it is. I HATE it when THAT happens...

If you buy the 1200 you will immediately be planning your finances to move up to a soft tail or whatever.

If you buy the Triumph you will have no desire to get rid of it. You may, after enjoying the superior handling, decide you want a Speed Triple or an older Legend to tear up the back roads when you are in that mood; but you will keep the SM or Bonneville America

i have been on the 883 and the 1200 sporster. it felt very unbalanced and uncomfortable to me. the harley salesman was honest and told me the sporster would eat me alive on a long ride. i also watched a woman climb off of a sporster a nd read her husband the riot act. the triumph is for ME.

I can put several hundred miles (Friday will be a 500 mile day) in a day on my Speedmaster, get off and feel good. A guy at work has two HDs, a Sporty (1200) and an Eltra Glide. He uses the Sporty to commute, and will admit that he refuses to ride that thing for more than an hour or so in a day because that is all he can stand. He says that he wont take in the back country hills because of the handling.

I am averaging 52 mpg highway. I have plenty of power. I have gotten into several impromtu drag races (light to light) with 883s and 1200s and beat them every time. On the freeway, I can give the throttle a quick twist and I am off like a rocket. This bike is awesome. It is the best light/mid-weight cruiser on the planet.

Soren

I too thought I wanted a HD. Was almost sucked into the hype. Tried on a bunch of them for size and the only one that felt comfortable was an $18K Wide Glide. The Sporties just felt too cramped. I stumbled onto the TBA's, and then found a dealer 20 mi. from home. Hopped on an America and the rest is history.

I too thought I wanted a HD. Was almost sucked into the hype. Tried on a bunch of them for size and the only one that felt comfortable was an $18K Wide Glide. The Sporties just felt too cramped. I stumbled onto the TBA's, and then found a dealer 20 mi. from home. Hopped on an America and the rest is history. I wouldn't trade this bike for anything.

I have to say SalMaglie's points are good but the Triumph engine really is more capable and smoother than the sportster - even the 1200.

heatr,
You know in your heart what you want, that's why you askd that question hre. Get over the Milwaukee Madness thing and enjoy your motorcycling experience. I'll be honest, I'd love an Ultra Classic, but I know that I can get a better touring bike in a Venture, Vulcan, etc. I've owned HDs, and I will not recommend them.

I would recommend that if you do make the wrong choice and get a 1200 sportie, you buy a used one. They are a dime a dozen and there are thousands of them for sale in the 3-4,000 range. What's that tell ya? A friend of ours just bought one (from a girl of course ) and he only paid $4000 for it. It is only a year old and he is somewhat unhappy with it too. Shakes like all get out and makes his teeth hurt he says. He really likes our Triumphs and we have to wait for him all the time as he cannot keep up with Matt and I.

I bought my TBA and was happy but having second thoughts, then i painted it, changed the pipes, K&N air filters buffed some parts and i was VERY HAPPY. the stock bikes cry out for something to be done to them.

Best thing about the bike, its NOT a harley.

Robert in Utah

A few weeks ago the local HD dealer was having a big Saturday bash with free hotdogs and such. There must have been 400 HDs parked in front with hundreds of people all wearing their HD gear. I parked my BA in the middle of them and went in to check the price on some leather conditioner for my seat. When I came back out about a dozen people were gathered around my BA. I was asked where Triumphs were sold (just a few blocks away) I got a really dirty look from the HD salesman

I think the folks above already said it all but I'll add my 2 cents anyway. IMHO, if you want a bike that performs and gets noticed for a reasonable price you can't go wrong with a Speedy.

I bought an '04 Sportster (the new design) and spent the next year fixing it up, etc. (it also ran like crap out of the box, Harley guys all know it, you're expected to pay the 'Harley tax' - take the bike back and pay the dealer to set it up right because of the evil 'polution laws') I never could get around the fact it was no fun to drive on the open road - seems top heavy. After about an hour you're just used up. Went to several H-D dealers to trade up and no one would give me more than salvage value for it on trade. When I found out Triumph was back in business I bought a new Speedmaster for far less than I would have paid for trading the Sporty in. Now I use the Sporty for around town crap and the Speedmaster for when I really want to ride. All the stuff said above is true. The only real reason to buy the H-D is to live the H-D mystique, but you won't get it on a Sporty. The 72 month loan guys (I like that) look down on you and consider the Sporty a chick-bike (but with the top heaviness of it, a chick would have to be crazy to drive one, you really need a bit of upper body strength). I get more respect from the Harley guys driving the Triumph than I do the Sporty. On the road I think they see a Fat Boy (the big headlight and forks ya' know). Up close (I took it to a Harley event last week at my local H-D dealership) they sort of just look on speechless. They really have no idea that you spent half what they did!!!

My brother had a Triumph Cub back in the day and I had a Norton in 72. Three years ago decided to get another bike. Found a Triumph dealer, and never considered any other machine. I want to ride a bike not wrench on it on the side of the road. Just got back from camping and riding in the Smokey Mountains. My TBA was a BLAST!!! in the twisties, switchbacks and long ride in the saddle. These bikes are great all round bikes. I am a rider, not a biker, cyclists or a poser.Get the SM, it is obvious you have made you mind up or you would not be at this site.
Mark

Remeber you cant buy Triumph shirts at Walmart.....
That was important to me.

so you bought a 1200 because you could get cheap tee shirts?

It took a lot of decyphering to see which bike you guys were suggesting.

Ridability is my biggest concern at the moment and it seems every category - performance, comfort, style, and price all point to the Triumph. To be honest though I don't want a bunch of people stopping and asking about my cycle. Waving is good though.

Thanks for all the replies and especially to the people that took some time to let me know how it is. Can't get that from a dealer unless you already have the answers. Now I just have to pick between black and blue, I'm thinking all black.

Ok... here go from one recent owner to a potential owner. I rode several HD's (Duece, Fatboy, Dyna Wide Glide and Dyna Low Rider). I rode the DWG the most (buddy has one and also the DLR). We rode them all the time. When I got ready to buy a bike of my own I obviously looked at the DWG. My problem with it was styling... I just wanted something meatier. I couldn't stand the fatboy, but that was the way I was heading (was gonna buy a used one and have it customized the way I wanted it). Read here... spend BIG Bucks to get the look I wanted. Well by happenstance I saw a Triumph dealer on a drive about. I walked in and I mean right in front of me was exactly the bike I was looking for... the Bonneville America. It was heafty looking, it had a raked out front end, fat rear tire, and my goodness it had a vertical twin motor! It didn't look like anything I had ever seen. Fit and finish was flawless, styling was impecable. Engine was a little smaller than what I was looking for... but what the heck, I'm not breaking any speed laws anyway. When the salesman told me the drive out price I bought it on the spot... didn't even ride it first. It was everything I was looking for and couldn't find in (up to that point) a stock bike. I've had it 4 weeks, put 1400 miles on it and wouldn't trade it for a HD DWG if you traded me even money. This bike simply is a better all around package... Styling (unique custom look), handling (very nimble and quick... loves the twisties), last but not least, value for the hard earned dollar (i.e. price). Until I saw this bike, I would have gladly spent pretty close to 3.5 times more to get this same package (except for engine displacment). Heck, I feel like someone who won the lottery! Smiling all the way to the bank.

I bought the bike that handles round corners, does not stop at every repair garage, and looks just as good if not better than a 883 or a 1200 Hardly.

you know it makes sense, to "GO YOUR OWN WAY"

I've owned two Harley's in the past, a custom Sportster and a Special Edition Low Rider. They were fun bikes but had too many problems(Leaks, clearence problems with new sprokets, etc...)I've had my Speedmaster for almost three years and she is still solid as a rock........Angelis

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I'm thinking all black.

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By far the superior bike .

All BLACK is the way to go. The stripes ( red or blue ) get old to look at.