Having just read (OBM Jan 2019) the report on the new 2019 Triumph Speed Twin, I ask the question why the engine has to be 1200cc, over twice the size of the original 1938 500cc Speed Twin. Surely in view of engine development over the years the engine size needs to go down rather than up. In the car world smaller engine sizes have become the norm with many smaller cars being sub 1 litre but giving over twice the power of a 1000cc Morris Minor or Ford Anglia of the 1960's.
A modern 500cc bike engine should be able to produce more than double the power of its 1938 ancestor, and at the same time benefit from a lighter bike. With max UK speed limits set at 70 mph on motor ways and 60 mph on lesser roads it would make much more sense to build bikes of smaller capacity. Which should result in lower purchase prices as well as cheaper insurance and running costs.
A modern 500cc bike engine should be able to produce more than double the power of its 1938 ancestor, and at the same time benefit from a lighter bike. With max UK speed limits set at 70 mph on motor ways and 60 mph on lesser roads it would make much more sense to build bikes of smaller capacity. Which should result in lower purchase prices as well as cheaper insurance and running costs.
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