The 1,200-cc High Power parallel-twin produces 97 PS and 112 Nm. It is mated to a six-speed gearbox. Suspension duties are handled by a non-adjustable KYB front fork and twin rear-suspension units from the same brand that can be tweaked for spring preload. Both the former and the latter offer 120 mm of travel. The 17-inch wheels are shod with Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres and braking comes from twin 305-mm discs with Brembo four-piston fixed calipers up front and a solitary 220-mm disc with a Nissin two-piston floating caliper at the rear.
Feature-wise, the Speed Twin is equipped with throttle-by-wire and three riding modes (Sport, Road, Rain), switchable traction control, and ABS, and a USB socket all as standard. You can also go for optional features such as heated grips and tyre pressure sensors. How do all these elements come together and perform out on the tarmac, though? Only one way to find out.
So, I thumbed the starter on a freezing morning in Mallorca (with the heated grips on max) and headed out of the hotel and towards the hills. The riding position on the Speed Twin is fairly upright and the wide bars along with the mid-set pegs make for an easy-going posture in the saddle; a saddle that’s an accessible 807 mm off the ground and quite comfortable too. The torque-spread on the Speed Twin is ludicrous, with a large lump of the drive being delivered as low down as 2,200 rpm. This means you don’t need to exercise the torque-assisted clutch and smooth six-speed ‘box too much and can easily accomplish most riding requirements sat squarely in third gear. This also means that you can gather pace with alacrity, as the engine revs smoothly till 7,000 rpm, the burble from those twin exhausts rising to a crescendo of howls, after which it hits the limiter. I also like the fact that the tacho goes only till 8,000 rpm, which means a quick flick of the eyes is all it takes to gauge how close you are to needing to shift up. You can get up to triple digits rapidly and cruise along at 150 km/h on the Speed Twin with ease. The lack of wind protection means you will get strongly buffeted about 120 km/h, though, and in Sport mode, in particular, the throttle response does feel a tad snatchy.
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