I think you'll find the reviewers who call the America/Speedmaster underpowered are comparing the the bigger cruisers, and would probably say similar about any 800cc cruiser. If you want a bigger, more powerful bike you should be comparing to a Thunderbird or Rocket 3.

When I test rode the America (6 years ago) I got performance from it very similar to other Jap cruisers in the same range. No it did not offer the same "kick in the pants" as a 1500cc Kawasaki Vulcan I rode but that's hardly surprising. It does however beat my friend's 800cc Vulcan in every regard, including quality, appearance, and the ability to garner the interest of strangers (he almost cried when he bought his brand new Vulcan and we rode into the city, only to have a stranger disregard it to come talk to me about my then 2 year old America).

Since then I have put some really nice silencers on it, modified the air box, and removed the Air injectors (as well as a bunch of other non-performance related mods). I have taken it to 175kph (about 110mph I think) and it was me that backed off, not the bike. That's not bad for a 6 year old 800cc bike with 65,000km on it.

It's true that the Jap cruisers are cheaper (in fact you can get a Hyosung for MUCH cheaper) but when you ride them and then ride the Triumph you'll appreciate WHY they're cheaper. It's about build quality & feel... and the fact that the British machine will hold it's resale value much better and last longer (partly because much fewer Triumph owners sell their bikes than the Jap owners). Compare the number of used Jap cruisers in the size range vs the number of Triumph ones, and the differences in mileage. We typically keep our bikes a lot longer and sell them far less often - that alone speaks volumes.

Best advice I can give is: go test ride some 800cc jap cruisers, then ride the triumph, and I bet you don't go back to the jap ones, even at a few thousand bucks less.

Matt Electronic mods for TBA/SM!