Triumph Demo Truck

After performing two shows with my band the night before, it was tough to get up at 6:15 a.m. to make the two hour trip to El Dorado Cycle. Four friends and I had solidified the plans at the party where we all knew that the late night and Boulevard beers would make the morning rough.

Demo fleets are a great way to test ride motorcycles. Read about Harley-Davidson’s demo truck, Kawasaki’s demo truck and my reviews of the Ninja 1000 and KLR 650.

We made it. There were no bright eyes, but there was also no puking beside a trailer.

In the interest of time, we took the most direct route down to El Dorado Springs … straight down 71 highway. With a tinge of hangover and 50 degree air it was rough, but we made it in good time.

Unlike other demo events, Triumph placed a hard two ride limit. Ducati, Kawasaki, and Harley had no such limit, rides were only limited by the number of riders requesting a given bike. The off-putting attitude of the woman at the registration tent did nothing but add to the collective sigh we all gave when we registered. Riding two hours for a limited demo event was a bit of a let down.

We all registered for our first bikes and proceeded to wait for the slotted times. The waiting was made easier by the refreshments provided by El Dorado Cycle, specifically, donuts and coffee that were perfect for heading off my teensy hangover.

The chosen route was the best I’ve been on at a demo ride. 25 miles of straight rural highway, twisty county road, and a short jaunt through a quaint small town main street. Pacing was impeccable reserved in the town and around traffic and a healthily sporting gallop once away from the in town obstacles. At the midway point there was a stop sign. On each ride, the lead rider put his kickstand down, waited for the group to regather then walked back through the line making sure that each rider knew that this was a good place the “open it up, really wring it out here.” It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened next. The rural Missouri countryside was disturbed by cacophony of British twins and triples.

My first ride was on a Scrambler which Triumph had smartly outfitted with the Arrow 2-into-1 exhaust. This bike made a seriously addicting racket. Everyone that got on the bike went gave the throttle quite the workout while in neutral in the parking lot, I was no exception. From the moment the motor caught the staccato thump of the motor egged on my throttle hand.

I immediately missed having a tachometer. I always have a hard time gauging how hard a twin is working. After the first couple of gears I decided to just run it hard and keep up with the group.

This is the “coolest” bike I’ve ever ridden. It’s not fast, it doesn’t handle exceptionally well, it doesn’t brake exceptionally well (though it’s more than adequate) and it doesn’t care, and you don’t care once aboard. This bike doesn’t scream “look at me” it gives a smirk, a nod and a “thanks for noticing”.

All of the important workings felt like proper working versions of their classic counterparts. It didn’t feel sharp and modern but more like a vintage bike that was actually in proper repair. Very tight, very solid, but definitely a design of a time.

Upon returning I had to decide on a second bike to ride. My preference would have been to ride them all, but I decided that comparing a Bonneville to the Scrambler would be fun.

The Bonneville SE I was given was fitted with the Arrow 2-into-2 pipe. I can’t overstate how effective a raucous exhaust is on getting someone to like a bike. The Bonnie is nearly as cool as the Scrambler, but nicely reserved and straight forward.

The difference between the 360° phase engine in the Bonnie and the 270 ° phase engine in the Scrambler is striking. Where the Scrambler thumps along, the Bonneville has an urgent blat. Low end power delivery is softer than the Scrambler but the overall character was much more sporting. The tachometer helped considerably in the first few miles as I was able to map the sound and feel to the actual engine speed.

Once in the curves the Bonneville felt much more in touch with the road than the Scrambler, a trait that I chalk up to the difference in tires with the Scrambler having a knobby-esque tread pattern that felt a little squirmy.

All the right buttons were pushed by the Bonnie: it looks cool, it looks classic, it started, it didn’t leak oil, the brakes worked as expected. Basically, everything that make a vintage bike good, but actually in working order. I fully intend to add one of these machines to my garage in the next few years.

Other than the 2 ride limit, Triumph conducted the best demo event I have been to. It was orderly, but kept fun. The route, pace, and riders that it attracted (more on riders at demo days coming soon) were top notch.