I was given a great opportunity to evaluate my
next steed when Anders of Eurotune in Queanbeyan offered to let me
take the Triumph Trophy for a short test ride. I collected the bike
on the Friday afternoon so we could lead the progression of motor
cycles to Merimbula first thing on Saturday morning for Christmas in
July.
My first impression was that it seems twice the
size of our Sprint but once you start riding this impression
diminishes. The lower seating position caters for my long lanky legs
and the wide handle bars help to manoeuvre the bike when needed. The
bike is well balanced and copes easily with any speed from pottering
around to full throttle on the open highway and you are confident
that you are backed up by the stable rock solid feel of the Triumph
brand. The brakes pull you up without hesitation and using the rear
brake pedal does not hamper the balance as it is linked to one front
disc and rear brake.
Tracey climbed aboard once we had packed all
our gear into the larger capacity panniers and reported she was
impressed with the ease of embarking and the large soft comfortable
seat (I’m hoping this is enough to sway her to allow me to buy the
Trophy – clever Anders). After meeting up with everyone at Hume we
started down the highway to Cooma and I played with the cruise
control, the screen and scrolled through the readouts showing tyre
pressure, seating position, etc. I was surprised to find the fuel
economy was running around 4.5 litres per 100klms giving you a 530kms
ride before refuelling. We stopped at Nimmitabel for lunch where we
had to allow extra room to park the bike as my long legs made
reversing uphill a little harder. After lunch we travelled down Brown
Mountain where it was hard to let the bike flow due to the four wheel
vehicles hogging the road with nowhere to pass safely.
Arriving at Merimbula neither of us was achy or
sore. Starting up on Sunday morning we headed to Bermagui via Tathra
along a nice twisty section of road but the suspension was possibly
too soft for two up with luggage riding on the soft setting. We were
able to change it at the stop at Bermagui to the normal setting which
changed the handling more to my liking. We rode through another
lovely section of road passing water views and sleepy villages. I
refuelled the bike at Bodalla before stopping at the Dairy Shed for
lunch which allowed the group some great food and a break before
heading back home. Tracey and I travelled by ourselves back to
Bungendore without stopping and even after I pulled a back muscle
while packing I wasn’t uncomfortable travelling home.
The moment which made my mind up was when we
rode up the Clyde Mountain as one with nature through the flowing
corners letting the Triumph take control of the road as it unfolded
in front of us. The windshield impressed me as it not only
electronically adjusts six inches to suit you, but it also actually
remembers its last position. So, when you start the bike, you don’t
have to waste time readjusting it. The nice thing is that we could
talk to each other while riding at lower speeds as it blocks out the
noise of the wind.
I handed the Trophy back on Monday - it was a
sad moment but I was very impressed with the bike. A special thankyou
to Anders from Eurotune in Queanbeyan for allowing me to take the
bike out for a real test ride. I walked outside to ride my Sprint
home and after riding the Trophy all weekend it seemed smaller than I
remembered.
My final hurdle is to convince my wife to let
me purchase our new champagne coloured Triumph Trophy possible in
2014.
I hope you are listening Mr Triumph.
Michael Winters
