Speedmaster vs Bobber
Pillion + comfort
The Speedmaster shares the Bobber frame, engine and most components. Key differences: pillion seat fitted, footpegs further forward, more comfortable rider seat, slightly different bars. The Bobber is the solo cruiser; the Speedmaster is the two-up cruiser. Same DNA, different role.
Engine architecture
Parallel twin throughout
Both Speedmasters use parallel twins with 270-degree cranks. Triumph signature cruiser engine — V-twin character with parallel-twin packaging benefits. The 1200cc HT (high torque) tune in the modern Speedmaster is the same engine as the Bonneville T120.
Production gap
About 18 months
Triumph killed the original Speedmaster in 2017 and revived it in 2018 — only about 18 months of actual production gap. But the new Speedmaster is fundamentally different: T120 platform, 1200cc, modern electronics. The name continued; the bike did not.
Power gain
+25bhp
54bhp original Speedmaster → 79bhp new Speedmaster. 46% more horsepower, similar engine architecture, 335cc more capacity. The HT tune is positioned as torque-rich rather than peak-power-focused.
Weight gain
+25kg
230kg dry original → 255kg wet new Speedmaster. Modern bike is heavier despite better materials — bigger engine, more electronics, larger fuel tank, full ABS hardware. Heavy is part of cruiser character.
Real cost change
+£2.0k
Original Speedmaster was £7,000 in 2006 (£11,750 today). New Speedmaster is £13,795 for 2026 — about 17% more in real terms. Triumph priced the modern Speedmaster identically to the Bobber to reflect the platform sharing.
Cheapest way in
£3.5k
A clean original Speedmaster from 2006-2012. Cheaper than the modern bike, more characterful in its own way, and historically interesting as Triumph 1st-gen cruiser experiment. Becoming sought-after as the modern Speedmaster proves the formula.
