Ok, here's my story. I'm 50 years old, have ridden all my life, have had 44 motorcycles, all of them Japanese except for one '73 Harley Sportster, and one '66 Triumph Bonneville. The Harley was junk, and for the most part, so was the Triumph, but it had a charm to it that neither the Harley nor the Japanese bikes had. So, it was time for a new bike, and I wanted this to be my last new bike. I also did not want it to be Japanese. I checked out the Harley 883 Sportster, but it felt too small, plus the dealer wanted to add to many things onto the MSRP. Also, I just didn't get a good feeling from this dealer. Then I remembered the Triumph. I went to the only Triumph dealer in my area, sat on and looked at all the different cruiser models, and settled on the Speedmaster. It looked beautiful, and fit like a glove. And I loved the tubeless tires and air cooled engine. The icing on the cake was the deal I got on an '09 model. OTD for under MSRP. I wrote the check, and the deal was done. No turning back now. Understand I bought this bike without even riding it. I was almost afraid to ride it home, afraid I'd be disappointed. No way. I've owned many nice bikes, of all different types, but I immediately felt at home on the Triumph. I knew it would be comfortable, but I was amazed at the way it handled, at how it responded to control inputs, at how the controls felt. It was perfect in turns, shifted great, and the fuel injected engine (my first) has excellent throttle response. While I wouldn't recommend this bike for 2 up riding (look at the America for that)I've always been a solo rider. Though I only have a little over 1000 miles on it so far, I have already developed a bond with this bike that I never had with any of my other motorcycles. This bike may not be for everyone, but if you are looking at a Harley Sportster, or a Japanese cruiser in this size and price range, both the Speedmaster and the America are definitely worth more than a casual look.
Upgrades/Accessories: None yet, considering saddlebags, but don't want to ruin the lines of the bike. I will definitely be sticking with the stock pipes and mechanical parts, no reason the change them. This is one of those rare bikes that is perfect as it is.
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