Bonneville America Forums Forums General Motorcycle Forums Other Bikes After 2 months - Speedmaster vs. Speed Triple

I bought a '00 S3 at the beginning of the summer to fix my cornering problem on my lowered SM (drags the pipes bad). I love the S3, it is one serious performer and I'm having to learn to ride all over again. It likes wheelies so I'm learning how to do them and I can't find enough roads with curves here in SE Michigan. My buddy that has an '04 S3 said after I got it that I probably wouldn't ride the SM much now. Nothing could be further from the truth.

If anything I appreciate my SM more now. Its WAY more comfortable and I still enjoy longer rides on the SM where I 'm looking at the scenery more than the road. It still turns heads wherever I go and I love that attention, as its the first custom anything I ever built. That baby will always be my favorite.

Nice to have different bikes for different moods. If I ever got a sport bike, it would never be to replace my Speedmaster, and it wouldn't be my daily rider, it would just be there to satisfy the periodic itch that would come up to be able to just really haul it, and scream through a curve.

Man, I'd love to have an S3 in the stable to compliment the American and for days you just want to play the fool with one wheel in the air! One of these days!

NQ,

Fresh back from the Kootenay Raid today. Yesterday we went for a spin, four of us crossed Kootenay lake on the ferry. Friar, myself, a new friend Rene Louis all on BA's and Todd, another new found friend on his speed triple. After the crossing there are 70+ kilometers of world class twisties all the way from Kootenay Bay to Creston BC. Rene led, followed by Friar, then Todd and myself. Except for maybe 6 Km's, everything was strictly 3rd and 4th gear, with about half of that slammed up against the rev limiter in 3rd gear, at least for me. Rene and Friar don't realize there's a difference between sport bikes and cruisers!!! I for one, was fortunate to stay in the same time zone. Tailing that speed triple for 70 Km's was a treat, what an effortless ride! Obviously a Speed triple piloted by a gonzo tattoed Canadian will outperform a BA, but I think Todd was somewhat impressed. Ride safe Canadian friends.

Hummmm.. what does a triple go for these days?? Bad thought, bad thought.

jh

A couple of my friends who really like my SM have asked why I would want a second bike like that. Especially one that doesn't "look" as cool as my SM. My reply has been, "I haven't been on an entrance ramp yet, 25mph max or otherwise, that I can't get that bike to 100mph before merging onto the freeway." If they don't understand after that statement, then further explanation won't help.

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Hummmm.. what does a triple go for these days?? Bad thought, bad thought.

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'99 - '01s are going for around $5000 with pretty low miles.

NQ, that's a nice pair of bikes. What kind of fairing is that on the headlights of the triple?

That "fairing" is actually a different set of headlights built into that assembly. I actually hate it but its what came with the bike. It kinda looks like I have Darth Vaders head mounted on the front of the bike. If it were any further forward, it would be on the bike in front of me. The bike had been dropped by the previous owner and he musta wrecked the headlights. Those things are freakin' $200 EACH from the dealer, so I'm doing the ebay thing looking for another set of stocks.

I sold my FZ1 now that i have a TBA, cuz I found that, while going really fast is reallly fun, I had a hard time controlling that 'urge'.

Riding my BA , I slow down on purpose,take longer, cuz its such a fine, comfortable cruiser I don;t want the ride to end.


Ride safe.

2005 Speed Triple, 2005 Daytona 955i, 2005 turbo Hayabusa.
The Speed Triple gets ridden more than the other two.
Mad`

I'm a little curious ... how much horsepower does a turbo 'busa have?

My Busa dyno'd 320 HP at 11 PSI. That's pretty low on the scale of Turbo Busa's. I have a basic turbo kit with an intercooler. No engine modifications needed. Just bolt on the kit and go.
Some turbo Busa's make it to the 700 HP range but it takes significant engine modifications for longivity.

I had the new Hooligan just for the day while my speedy was at the doctors,just fantastic the only problem was traffic in the way, pulled a wheelie for the first time in my life,a doddle to ride,but i still made the right choice with the speedie cuz its just fun whatever speed your going even standing still,but If there was ever going to be a 2nd bike this would be it.

Mad, what kind of 1/4 mile times do you get with that thing?
How much does one of the turbo kits cost?

I haven't run my bike at the track. Why? Lots of other folks with the exact same kit have run theirs and I ain't putting on no faggot leather pants to run mine.
Most run mid to high 9's with the basic intercooled turbo kit.
Bout $5,500.00 to get into the 300 HP range.
Mad`

Next question, will the 320HP special break 200 mph?? The stock 'busa as I understood it, could do 187mph off the showroom floor. Just curious..

A stock new Busa will not run 200 MPH because of the rev limiter. Get rid of the limiter and a stock 160 HP Busa should top 200 MPH. An experienced light rider would be a plus too.