2020 BMW RnineT vs Triumph Speed Twin 

That's dedication to one's profession: real life testing of an airbag! I salute Troy. Happy you're OK!

Troy’s about to get paid... glad you’re okay 👌

I rode both bikes, and although both bikes are very exciting to ride the R NineT feels superior immediately. I was hoping to buy the Triumph to spend less $$, but after riding the BMW I ended up buying the BMW. Worth every penny. BTW, this video could have been done better. Specially, since so many people want to compare both bikes

Holy shit. Glad you're OK. Beautifully filmed with the sound and just a few bits flying off. Just like a Hollywood movie. 👍

Had my speed twin for a little over a year now. The big factor between the r nine T and speed twin for me that pushed my hand was price. Even after a full adjustable cartridge kit in the front and fully adjustable rear shocks it’s cheaper than the bimmer. I love both bikes but I don’t regret the speed twin for a second. It’s my daily commuter and I’ve taken it to the track twice now.

I’ll go for the Triumph every time. Retro classic, beautiful

Respect that you finished the ride and glad your ok. Great video guys.

Glad you're ok Troy. I read your article on MO & it sounded like you wouldn't be riding for a while, but here you are - your safety gear certainly did its job. The Triumph sounds better to me, but I haven't ridden it yet. R9T is definitely a good bike, but quirky to ride ("characterful?"). For an only bike I'd probably go Triumph.

$4 grand is a little bit cheaper?!

Troy, glad you're ok. Thanks for the review.

Shaft drive is unbeatable. I have had two Boxers and 1 Triumph. Best of them was the R80GS Paris-Dakar with the 32 Litre tank and shaft drive, no chain to oil or adjust - heaven.

Thanks for review. Just got R nine t - as recommended - very happy

Really good video!!! Thanks a lot, and I'm glad you're okay!! Keep up the good job you're doing ✌🏼

I’m so glad your ok Troy. 🙂 Also, I’ve been waiting for this review.💕😍

WOW! Glad you made it out safely from the crash! ... goes to show how important good gear is. I was actually discussing both of these in my Speed Twin review a few weeks ago ... i have LOVED the R Nine T for so long and still do, but ... i do feel the Triumph has a slight upper hand even though it does not have the fancy suspension setup and bigger brakes. also something you guys missed, and i think that's why the speed twin is a more dynamic motorcycle is that the speed twin is around 23 kg's lighter than the R Nine T and you feel it on the road especially on take off and cornering.

Maybe I should do this in the form of an email to you so I don't bore your readers but I'd really like to see you guys do longer term rides on the bikes you do because you could inform us on how they are from a quality of ownership perspective. I'm not a crotch rocket guy so a lot of the stuff you guys talk about is lost on me from that perspective. Don't get me wrong it has it's place. Every golfer wants clubs that are better than they are on the course whether they help them enjoy the round better or not. But from an ownership perspective I have a 2020 Triumph Speed Twin that is such an awesome bike to ride for me. The torque low in the rev range that you talk about is built for guys like me that can drop the hammer and enjoy a minor rush without going the track. Not that I don't want to do that some time, it's just not in the cards right now. But for guys like me that just want to get back on bikes after a few years off I need to know about long term or at least mid term reliability if I'm going to drop $14K on a new bike. I bought my Triumph in March of this year and the gear shift linkage broke 100 miles from my home on the 4th of July with 1500 miles on the odo. The part that that snapped was a threaded rod that connected the gear shift linkage to the shift lever. It's one of the few parts on the bike that cannot be band aided in the field to allow you to drive it home. Thank GOD for AAA. Triumph charged me $65 for a 65 Cent part because I live 4.5 hours from my nearest Triumph Dealership. Long story longer, the same linkage broke again, only this time on the back half of the linkage on the exact same type of substandard material part. This time on Labor day weekend 50 miles from home. Triumph wanted me to pay for the part because i did not live in Des Moines where I bought the thing. If not for a stand up guy at a really good dealership (shout to to Donny at Struthers Bros) I'd have been forced to pay $65 for a 65 Cent part that broke. This kind of information would be much more valuable to me than whether I can shred a canyon somewhere in Cali and to be told that either bike would be great for me. You guys are really good at what you do and I watch a lot of your content. So I wanted to put out a request for most of us real world consumers. Thanks, Peace.

The R NineT Pure would've been the right BMW to compare the Triumph to.

Glad you didn't pull a Yammie and head on that Porsche Troy 👍

Those Street Twins are so damn cool. Loving the content guys

Damn! Glad your ok Troy!! I was too busy looking at the bikes to notice you were in different gear. But then I didn't notice that the colour of the bikes was different either so who knows what I was looking at... The red triumph looks better anyway.

Very cool, and glad you are OK! Would be so interesting to see you reviewing the Triumph T120, as it is the better Triumph for a slow joyful riding experience. And to mix things up a bit, you can pick the BMW R nine T Pure instead and each of you rank the 4 bikes from the ultimate favourite for cruising to least favourite.

Glad the gear kept you with us.

Thank good you are OK Troy. Just made me think about a Dainese Airbag that I tried before Covid started and then forgot about it.

wow! Glad you're ok! You seem to be in good spirits and collected! It could have gone so horribly wrong!

I like this no b.s approach to a comparison video!!!

I sold my RNineT for a Triumph bobber and I couldn’t be happier. The sound, the smoothness of the engine and overall comfort make for a much more pleasant ride.

Speed Twin all day. Love the look of it... and that torque! I'll take mine in that silver/black color scheme. Hoping they might just do a Speed Twin R, or something with a bit better suspension.

Glad you're alright bud. Good video. I'm seriously torn between these 2 bikes...but leaning a bit more towards the BMW. I love both of them though.

Great review

Great review guys! Keep up the good work, and stay safe out there!

Holy crap! Glad you’re ok Troy. You need hazard pay!

Hope your good and have no long term injuries.

love love the sound of both bikes! I like the aesthetics of the r nine t pure over this model here. I'd pick that over the speed twin i think.

The Speed Twin is `much` cheaper, which is why it doesn't have the same level of suspension and brakes. I think taller people will be more comfortable on the RnineT, and it has a more unique and quirky look. But the Speed Twin is more classically beautiful, and more fun and capable in the twisties.

Should be a Thruxton R to match the price.

Wow, glad you made it out alive.

The special design package of the R9T tested is about 2500$. The geometry and suspension of the R9T was also slightly revised since 2015 to make it a little smoother, I think that is your impression of the comparison with the bikes of 2014/2015. Good luck!

I rode the Triumph & loved it...but I dig the R nine / 5 version of the BMW....glad youre OK

Looking forward to the airbag clip ...So glad Troy rolled out of it ok ........

Just want to point out that the discrepancies in power/torque measured at the rear wheel are due to differences in drivetrain power loss between chain drive (~10%) and shaft drive (~15%)

Man... I was wondering why you were wearing a jacket that’s a size too big. Get well soon Troy! Look forward to more video reviews once you get better.

Great vid ! 😍

As much as they are being diplomatic, this is a very honest review.

Glad your okay, dude! I have the older RnineT (2015) and absolutely love it, though, I agree that i'd like the rake to be shorter. Another thing to keep in mind to, is you'll scrap the heads if you have bad body positioning, I was used to having a motorcycle where scrapping the footpegs wasn't a big deal... but on the BMW, it becomes a very big deal (something the racer series has found out too) lol

glad you are fine. I ordered a new Speed ​​Twin this time gray after they cut my way.

I would also choose the R nineT 😉. Glad you made it out of that crash.

You're not testing like with like. The BMW RnineT Pure is the true competitor to the Speed Twin. The Pure has axial brakes with a right-way-up front fork and a price more in keeping with the Triumph. Bad comparo.

After many years with a chain, I will take a shaft drive all day long, personally. I don't scrape knees anymore at my age. And I don't like dealing with the hassles of chain and sprockets. Nice vid, with lots of great info.

love my R Nine T Racer. Joy machine!

A better comparison would have been the Thruxton R. That would have even-uped the price gap as well as the spec on the suspention and brakes; the Thruxton having upside-down forks, higher spec brembos and Ohlin shocks. 😎

Just cause you have a Porsche doesn’t mean you can drive😒...glad you’re straight Troy

I’ve been waiting for this

This really isn't a fair comparison for the speed twin.. Ya'll should've got an R9T Pure with the lesser suspension components for a more accurate comparison.

Triumphs and Porsches, seems like a combo I've seen before. :D

Direct competitor for the BMW is the Thruxton r not the speed twin.

Wow happy you guys are ok

Can someone tell what canyon these guys are riding on in the video. I understand it’s in Souther California. But which road is it? Thanks

You exude character glad your ok bikes are awesome review was great

Great video guys! Would love to see you compare these bikes to the Kawi Z900RS or do a modern classics range comparison.

Now I'm a bit of a Triumph fan boy, but that RnineT is a fine looking bike!

Holy smokes - glad you’re are ok. Wow.

I think my Speed Twin is great but I would like to ride the BMW to see what those radial brakes feel like glad you are of after the off 🇬🇧👍

I own a RnineT/5 and was considering the Speed Twin. I think either is a fine bike although I've never rode th Speed Twin I have ridden the Thruxton. Just go with whichever one calls to you more. In comparison it's like splitting hairs. I do prefer the shaft drive over a chain.

Did you have the Tech-Air 5 ??,,,Cause I have one also, how did it do ???, glad you're ok

Which airbag? I was disappointed with alpine stars, so looking around. Good job.

Mind asking what airbag were you wearing ?

Good test guys, what you could have answered is if you had to pay for it what would you likely choose.

Looks wise, Triumph all day long. The Beemer is too much of a mish mash imo.

I love both bikes and think it's a fair comparison, the extra cost of the the beemer for the better spec seems fair BUT the one defining difference you didn't mention is SHAFT DRIVE for the beemer...

Hey Troy, so good to see that there was an HAPPY END !!! Porsches should be driven only from skilled drivers! And btw. nice,good and interesting content with a pinch of humor , thanks a lot :-) I need to make a decision between these 2 bikes soon and I find it also very hard which one to pick!?!? You could have mentioned that the Beemer got a shaft drive over the chain driven Triumph ST...which could be a kind of decision criteria, perhaps ;-) Take good care and stay healthy...best regards from good old Germany

Hi I’m 6’ this those gonna fit me well? What do you suggest

Funny how nothing seemed broken on the triumph even when they were loading it in the van

Porsche vs Triumph again! Glad you're okay, wow.

looks like there is not so much broken at the Porsche, just a bit from the frontlip and the coolantcontainer under it, Did you brake and lay the bike down so it slipped into the porsche?

Did you use sport mode on the Triumph ?

Dunno.. the beemer seems better quality but there is something about the simplicity of the speed twin that I just love! Hope they make a higher spec one next year when I'm getting one ;)

I enjoy your videos but I have to think you are doing them more for the manufacturer instead of your readers. (or viewers) It's completely up to the potential buyer to determine what the maintenance cost are for each, and unless we know someone personally who owns one we can only learn about potential reliability issues by reading comments from viewers. I've seen a few RU-vid videos from the UK that mention problems with Triumph. They appear to have serious issues with their transmissions, and BMW parts are ridiculously expensive. Maybe you are right, the average buyer who watches your reviews may only be concerned with what bike sounds better, or has more interesting details or better brakes. Some of us wish you would dig deeper and tell us the whole story. After all, if you won't tell us, who will?

Wow, last year I got t-boned and luckily had no broken bones. I too was wearing an airbag jacket, will never ride without one!

Both bikes are good in their own segment, you can check out the Kawasaki z900rs.

The T looks like something I WANT to ride, while the BMW looks like something I’m told I should ride.

What was your airbag?

Bmw for me just looks class, glad you are ok after bump

Yikes, Troy! Dang! Hit by a car and still finishes the comparison like a trooper! I'm glad you're relatively okay :)

What airbag were you wearing?

Glad you're okay !

The triumph is an awesome however I have to go with the RnineT I love the look and sound and style of the BMW. Hard to beat.

Glad you are ok

Rode the R Nine T Sport , that things sublime Great breaks and handling and feels really light with the boxer engine and god it’s pretty .. prefer it with just the brushed aluminium tank .😀🇬🇧🏍❤️🇺🇸

I own a Speed Twin with upgraded suspension. Fully adjustable Nitron fork and fully adjustable rear Ohlins. Bought a '19 black one for 10k +2k in suspension parts. This bike is great. Much cheaper than the BMW and would compare better to it than the stoc

Would you have been able to stop if you were on the BMW? I think you guys need to look at revisiting this turn with that in mind.

that's it, I'm looking into airbags...

Glad you're okay Troy. I hope the Porsche guy's not hurt too, except for a hurt wallet and ego. lol. Ride safe y'all. Cheers from the Philippines!

I really like the loose vibe of the presenters together

I like the R NineT better, but that $17k price tag would keep me looking for alternatives.

I really like the Speed Twin.

I don't think this was a bad comparison. These are the exact two specs I'm considering.

Which bike will out last the other??

Both beautiful bikes in a different way. The Triumph looks more refined and clean whereas the BMW does not try to hide anything, no fakery…I respect that

It is not a parallel twin that refers to the crank angle of the pistons and it is a 270 degree angle on the Street Twin. Correct is a transverse twin like a transverse engine in a car has the cylinders arranged perpindicular to the frame. An inline engine would be a v-twin like a Harley or such the cylinders are in line with the bike...likewise my Z1000 is a transverse 4 cylinder not inline as is the usual description...

If the driver couldn't keep the boxster on the road going round a corner then he should be jailed for impersonating a human being