Seat Color (Triumph)

[tommymck_imp]

Love me my CB. Putting about 1K miles per month on it since I got it. I also love my old BMW too, but she likes to be babied and polished more than rode. Thought that I'd add something new for a changeup and ended up settling on a Triumph Speedmaster. The feet-forward posture is a perfect counterpoint to the CB.

So, for the question. The local dealer has one in stock, but with a brown quilted seat. My first reaction was "no way...give me the stock black". The dealer said "no problem...we can change it out for you, or give you the seat that's on it ($300 upgrade) for the same price. "

Having second questions now. My original visceral negative reaction to the brown seat has mellowed a bit. I'm sort of digging it now. I have a couple of days to decide... Thoughts???

[The A-man]

I like it. Very retro looking.

[Mandrau_imp]

I think that seat is gorgeous and really works with the black bike. I also like that bike and am looking forward to your ride impressions when you get it. If there was a Triumph dealer in my neck of the woods, surely that bike would have been a contender, particularly with the touring kit.

[the Ferret]

forum member KVDV just bought one of those

http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread....ht=Triumph

[tommymck_imp]

I think I'm going to keep the seat as-is. Thanks for the feedback.

Took a look at the link to the thread that The ferret put up. If I had to get rid of the CB to get the Triumph, it wouldn't happen. I like the looks of the Speedster, and the overall vibe, handling and riding position is a nice counterpoint (particularly I'm guessing on longer hauls), but the CB is the best "if I could only have one" bike out there in my opinion.

[Bheezy27403_imp]

If you take into account the ridiculous price you can get a leftover for now it may just be the best bike value out there period. Buy 2, set one up to tour and sport out the other.

And the brown works. Good looking bike.

[kvdv_imp]

I think I'm going to keep the seat as-is. Thanks for the feedback.

Took a look at the link to the thread that The ferret put up. If I had to get rid of the CB to get the Triumph, it wouldn't happen. I like the looks of the Speedster, and the overall vibe, handling and riding position is a nice counterpoint (particularly I'm guessing on longer hauls), but the CB is the best "if I could only have one" bike out there in my opinion.

Hey Tommy - if you decide you'd like the stock black seat set, I will happily trade you mine (still in perfect condition). Feel free to I.M. me.
Thanks, Karl

[tommymck_imp]

Thanks kvdv....but this seat has grown on me and I have already decided to stick with it.

So, picked it up this afternoon and rode it about 30 miles from the dealer. I'll do a more detailed observations post after I have had a chance to ride it more, but here is a short list of initial impressions....

1. Relative to the CB1100, with both naked, the CB is just better relative to wind blast. I think that it's because the riding position of the Speedmaster, with it's feet forward pegs and controls, encourages you to lay back even at highway speeds. I was really jostled around a bunch. Some of that is probably because I95 between the two beltways is raised above ground level in many places and crosswinds are more prevalent. Still and all, at least without faring, the CB is probably the more comfortable highway bike, as strange as that might sound.

2. The low end torque on the Speedmaster is just fantastic. You can be in 6th, give it a bit of throttle, and "thwack", it responds fantastic. Far less shifting for any riding environment.

3. While I had already test-rided the Speedmaster, and really liked the peg and control positions, it took nearly the full trip to get used to where I needed to move my feet once underway.

So, my very initial impression is that I'll likely reverse the roles that I had in mind for both bikes. We'll see how it nets out, but I'll bet I'll tour around on the CB and do my local runs on the Triumph. Either way, I love the Speedmaster based on just my initial ride (and truth be told, I find it beautiful in any case.) But I'm sticking to my story that if I had to have just one, it'd be the CB1100 all the way.

[kvdv_imp]

Thanks kvdv....but this seat has grown on me and I have already decided to stick with it.

So, picked it up this afternoon and rode it about 30 miles from the dealer. I'll do a more detailed observations post after I have had a chance to ride it more, but here is a short list of initial impressions....

1. Relative to the CB1100, with both naked, the CB is just better relative to wind blast. I think that it's because the riding position of the Speedmaster, with it's feet forward pegs and controls, encourages you to lay back even at highway speeds. I was really jostled around a bunch. Some of that is probably because I95 between the two beltways is raised above ground level in many places and crosswinds are more prevalent. Still and all, at least without faring, the CB is probably the more comfortable highway bike, as strange as that might sound.

2. The low end torque on the Speedmaster is just fantastic. You can be in 6th, give it a bit of throttle, and "thwack", it responds fantastic. Far less shifting for any riding environment.

3. While I had already test-rided the Speedmaster, and really liked the peg and control positions, it took nearly the full trip to get used to where I needed to move my feet once underway.

So, my very initial impression is that I'll likely reverse the roles that I had in mind for both bikes. We'll see how it nets out, but I'll bet I'll tour around on the CB and do my local runs on the Triumph. Either way, I love the Speedmaster based on just my initial ride (and truth be told, I find it beautiful in any case.) But I'm sticking to my story that if I had to have just one, it'd be the CB1100 all the way.

No worries on the seat, Tommy. Thanks for considering. And wow, our experiences on the same bikes could not be different! When I first rode my 2014 DLX home on the freeway, it felt like 3 or 4 huge guys were trying to tear me off the bike. I couldn't believe the violence of the wind swirls and shifts. It only got better after I added the Road Comet fairing, which of course bumped up the helmet noise a bit. Fast forward to the Speedmaster, and even at 80+mph, no windshield, the air is absolutely smooth for me, very little helmet noise (Shoei RF1200), almost serene. The only thing I'm considering for the Speedie now is a set of mid controls...the feet forward thing doesn't seem to agree much with my lower back. It's the only complaint I have so far with the Triumph in the first 900 miles...
Happy Riding!

[tommymck_imp]

Thanks kvdv....but this seat has grown on me and I have already decided to stick with it.

So, picked it up this afternoon and rode it about 30 miles from the dealer. I'll do a more detailed observations post after I have had a chance to ride it more, but here is a short list of initial impressions....

1. Relative to the CB1100, with both naked, the CB is just better relative to wind blast. I think that it's because the riding position of the Speedmaster, with it's feet forward pegs and controls, encourages you to lay back even at highway speeds. I was really jostled around a bunch. Some of that is probably because I95 between the two beltways is raised above ground level in many places and crosswinds are more prevalent. Still and all, at least without faring, the CB is probably the more comfortable highway bike, as strange as that might sound.

2. The low end torque on the Speedmaster is just fantastic. You can be in 6th, give it a bit of throttle, and "thwack", it responds fantastic. Far less shifting for any riding environment.

3. While I had already test-rided the Speedmaster, and really liked the peg and control positions, it took nearly the full trip to get used to where I needed to move my feet once underway.

So, my very initial impression is that I'll likely reverse the roles that I had in mind for both bikes. We'll see how it nets out, but I'll bet I'll tour around on the CB and do my local runs on the Triumph. Either way, I love the Speedmaster based on just my initial ride (and truth be told, I find it beautiful in any case.) But I'm sticking to my story that if I had to have just one, it'd be the CB1100 all the way.

No worries on the seat, Tommy. Thanks for considering. And wow, our experiences on the same bikes could not be different! When I first rode my 2014 DLX home on the freeway, it felt like 3 or 4 huge guys were trying to tear me off the bike. I couldn't believe the violence of the wind swirls and shifts. It only got better after I added the Road Comet fairing, which of course bumped up the helmet noise a bit. Fast forward to the Speedmaster, and even at 80+mph, no windshield, the air is absolutely smooth for me, very little helmet noise (Shoei RF1200), almost serene. The only thing I'm considering for the Speedie now is a set of mid controls...the feet forward thing doesn't seem to agree much with my lower back. It's the only complaint I have so far with the Triumph in the first 900 miles...
Happy Riding!

No worries on the seat, Tommy. Thanks for considering. And wow, our experiences on the same bikes could not be different! When I first rode my 2014 DLX home on the freeway, it felt like 3 or 4 huge guys were trying to tear me off the bike. I couldn't believe the violence of the wind swirls and shifts. It only got better after I added the Road Comet fairing, which of course bumped up the helmet noise a bit. Fast forward to the Speedmaster, and even at 80+mph, no windshield, the air is absolutely smooth for me, very little helmet noise (Shoei RF1200), almost serene. The only thing I'm considering for the Speedie now is a set of mid controls...the feet forward thing doesn't seem to agree much with my lower back. It's the only complaint I have so far with the Triumph in the first 900 miles...
Happy Riding! Less wind today, or maybe I just rode more sheltered highways on the way to work, but windblast was normal / equivalent to the CB. It was probably just the conditions yesterday. We'll see about the forward controls. No problems so far with my back, and I like the attitude that the position evokes, but I may change my tune if I spend a couple of hours straight in the saddle. Evidently it's a pretty easy swap-out to move the controls and pegs.

Weather finally broke here in the mid-Atlantic. Great day. Rode the CB1100 to the warehouse to swap it out with the Triumph. The CB will stay there until I receive my new whitehouse tank from Samurider where I'll swap tanks... (should be within the next week or so). Continued to the office on the Triumph. Too bad I didn't figure out a way to work the BMW into the mix. OK, I'll admit it. I'm a slut...