There were 10 of us riding new Triumphs formation-style, but we didn't get far. Between stopping to thaw out hands, swap motorcycles and get busted for shooting photos without a permit, we travelled just 90 miles. Naysayers will complain that the sample was too small; too unscientific; that no one can review a motorcycle competently in such a short distance. My rebuttal to these whiners is: Trust me, I'm a professional. Besides, the Storm is perfect for bar-hoppers and our Putt-'n'-Stop riding experience fits this demographic so precisely, a double-edge razor couldn't be inserted between the two without somebody getting cut.



I may not have ridden the Storm very far, but it doesn't take Einstein to know bigger is always better. Based on the Thunderbird and its 1597cc parallel-twin, this year's supersized k1200 backrest

Storm receives last year's optional (dealer-installed), 100cc overbore kit straight from the factory. That bore job boosts power from 85 horsepower at 4850 rpm to a claimed 97 bhp at 5200 rpm, and pushes torque up to 115 lb.-ft. at 2950 rpm. That's some serious stomp! Non-performance-oriented mods include black paint on the engine cases to match the bike's midnight look. A fatter r1200rt backrest fork, double "bug-eye" headlamps and a flatter drag bar finish off the alterations, and yield a pretty serious-looking muscle cruiser.



The Storm's rumpty-rump 270-degree crank spins two balance shafts, but with two fist-sized forged slugs flailing about between your legs, you have to expect a little movement. Don't get me wrong, I like the frequency of vibe this bike produces. It's more velveteen sledgehammer than buzz. Twist the throttle and you can nearly count the blows, like a young Pele kicking your seat-back on an international flight. Anyway, for all I know the Storm may run perfectly smooth, but the big parallel-twin has such a guilty-pleasure roll-on I found myself constantly rowing the twistgrip back and forth just to feel the hit.



The motion of those two 103.8mm pistons is never far from mind, and neither are the footpegs. With no frame cradle, that great liquid-cooled lump of a motor dangles just inches ITom The asphalt. The slightest bit of frisky riding decks a peg or your boot heel, triumph calls its 860cc Speed T master and America models "entry-level" motorcycles. These are rorty, 60-horsepower beasts weighing 550 lbs., mind you. I remember when you ascended the performance ladder cubic centimeter by cubic centimeter, and the rungs were indexed exceedingly fine. But these days all that knuckledragging-before-you-can-walk nonsense is gone, and if you want to get your feet wet without straying from the Triumph cruiser lineup, the Speedmaster or America are your only options.



Neither bike is new, but both have had their bars, seats and pegs repositioned to make them more welcoming to a wider range of riders. The Speed-master is the more chopperish of the two with a big, 19-inch front wheel and skinny tire. The bars are farther away and it feels clumsier during parking-lot maneuvers, but the floppy feeling goes away a couple miles per hour into the hide. I didn't measure anything, but the seat height feels pretty low on both these bikes. Suffice to say that if you're over 5 feet tall, you'll have no problem reaching the ground.







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