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Your Location: Home, Test Rides Spotlight This Month: Harleys Buell Cyclone -vs- Triumph Speed Triple by Peter Ludwig 
Before I get into this comparison, let me apologize for the delay since the last article. A good friend,
colleague and contributing editor to ThunderToys, Randy Montgomery, died on November 12, 1999 from injuries sustained in a
freak road accident. My sympathy continues to go out to his children, family, friends and all those who knew him. He is
sincerely missed!
During Park City's Motorcycle Week I had the opportunity to ride the various bikes brought by H-D, BMW, Ducati and Triumph. My notes placed the Ducati 996 and Triumph's Speed Triple at the top of the list in all categories - power, handling, braking, comfort and plain fun to ride. Overall, the Speed Triple was the hands down winner when all rankings were combined. So why this comparison with the bike that my notes placed at the bottom of the list, the Buell? Three reasons:
COMFORT: I'll begin by giving the Buell a real plus in the area of general comfort. The grips were easy to reach, the seat cushy and the riding position more upright than the Triumph. The Speed Triple on the other hand insisted on a more aggressive riding position with more of a set back on the pegs. The Triumph was also a bit lower and closer to the ground, increasing the comfort level for those with shorter legs. Both bikes were basically devoid of fairing of any significance, and at speed the wind nailes you squarely in the chest. SUSPENSION: Here the differences become a bit more obvious. It's beyond just basic shocks and spring rates and goes into the suspension trigonometry. The Triumph had a much firmer ride than the Buell, and ws much more responsive when exiting a corner at speed. The Speed Triple also provided greater confidence when hitting road undulations while leaning through a high speed turn. The Buell on the other hand provided a more comfortable ride, but after 200 or 300 miles I don't think there would be much benefit derived from the cushier ride considering the amount of fun left behind if you're riding through any stretch of road with real twisties. HANDLING: This is where the difference began to become obvious. Yes, the Buell does all right with its stock factory set up, a handling package a beginning sport bike rider could begin to gain confidence with over some time - smooth through the turns and quite stable at speed. To the contrary, the Triumph handled like a dream! I took it around the road race course and after about three turns, the confidence level hit a major upward curve. With each turn, I pushed the lean angle further and further until I finally reached the point where I reminded myself that this bike was a demo and not mine to lay down and damage. At speed the Triumph was rock solid! Around 125 mph I felt as though I could take my hands off the grips and just let the bike guide itself. No, not enough balls to actually do it. BRAKES: A major differentiator. Harley has a reputation for its minimal brakes and this carries directly over to the Buell. The Buell's are adequate, and that's where it ends. To the contrary, Triumph's Speed Triple had brakes that compare to those found on factory racing machines - responsive, smooth, tons of stopping power and minimal effort - minimal lever pressure required. Their factory rep and mechanic warned me before my first ride that these were brakes dreams are made of. They also told me of a test rider who panicked, grabbed a full hand full of lever and bent the forks. YES, the brakes on the Triumph are marvelous; Particularly on the road course where they provided much later braking as I prepared to enter a turn.
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