Triumph Speedmaster 1200 'Merlin' 1 Year Long Term Review 

Thank you… it is beautiful! I removed the Union Jack in the end and added gold ones to where the tank knee pads usually go… it’s always evolving!

Tally Bally Ho!

Thank you!

Sorry about that… I try to turn the volume down in the edit but it’s produced for mobile devices really so that it’s loud enough for people to hear on iPads and iPhones etc… tv speakers are a little difficult to cater solely for…

They advisements at point of sale that you have to clean it, or should... In the past they have coated them but water seeped in and the corrosion was worse anyway, so they've decided not to bother and leave it to the user... There are plenty of products out there, so I suppose fair enough... I just think that the ceramic coating doesn't work as well as advertised...

@@CaptainRambunctious I'm a new(ish) rider with a new 2022 speedmaster. I love her (The Morrigan) but want to try to prevent the oxidizing. Any advice on specific cleaning products? Cheers!

@@ginger-witch the best thing to do is use either ACF50 or just GT85 when cleaning the bike… it helps to protect. Ultimately just clean it straight after riding in any salt

Thank you Stuart! It will be down to price, but BC have replied to me and said that they are making some polished sleeper pros which is the look I'm after... I'm happy to settle for cheaper straight pipes or turn outs in the interim... Thanks for watching! TBH!

Thanks Weggy!

Aaaagh... fair enough... I know what I did there... 156nm = 115 lbft! 😂 Whoops! Fair point! Thanks for watching and the correction!

Captain Rambunctious no problems, I thought that’s what you might have done. Keep up the good content. Cheers

Excellent stuff! Yes there’s quite a few different ways you can go with the speedmaster... it’s amazing that you can make it your own..

@@CaptainRambunctious Indeed! Next up for me is luggage (when conditions permit some actual travel). I'll be checking out your solution for sure. I think I like it more than the Hepco & Becker CBow system I've been eyeing...

Thank you. Check out my 3 year review, might give you more ideas…

I agree!

Thank you sir! I’m quite partial to it too!

Thanks Mark! I try!

Naturally! Thank you. Thanks for watching!

Why thank you! 😎

Glad you enjoyed it Gary! Thanks for watching!

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!

You are absolutely right. The horn sounds great. Fools auto drivers that it's not you telling them your there, so they blame it on other car driver's ha. Thanks for the cue in.

Thank you for watching it and enjoying it!

What an awesome compliment!! Thank you! Tally Bally Ho!

Please share a pic

The Denali horn is brilliajtb

LOVED my GT 500, crack on...........

@@lauriebloggs8391 I remember there was a gt 500 as well. More sporty than my t 500. Thanks.

@@peterford9369 Alas, I think it was the other way, the GT was 3 bhp down (wow) and geared up a bit. I think it had slightly smaller carbs. Loved that engine, vibes an' all! Have the same horn as Capn R on my t120.............

@@lauriebloggs8391 Back then all i cared about was the reliability. She kicked over every morning , to get me to work, and got me home every eve. I still have the manual I think. I sold it for same price I bought it for 13 years later. By then It was a classic. When I first saw pics of the gt, I was envious. Disk front brake , swept rear seat. I think even the tank was cooler looking. Then came the 75, Honda CB 750. No smoking, less buzzy, electric and,,,,kick start,just in case. I actually bought the Triumph cause I missed riding. Wanted something just to ride. Haven't riden for 6 years. Figured a 900 would be enough. Sold my VMAX about 6 years ago, hadn't riden since. I love the style. Plus the girl who owned it did alot to it. And it's mint. Loud too. She put slashed, out bound light baffled slip on s on it. That's why I want a bigger horn. The 120 does sound like a highway machine. 1200, like my old Max. Man that sucker was fast. At 6000 rpm,v boost, kicks in. In every gear. The first time it hit i was pulling my visor down and it almost lost it. Taught me kwik. So I'm figuring with EFI the 120 does alright. Cap never sounded the horn, that I heard. So not sure the sound. But if it's auto loud, that's fine. Thanks for the memories LB. Ride safe.

Awesome! It will always get at least 120 miles so I’m happy with that! It does have cruise control! Very easy one button affair...

TTRGuy thank you Sir Ed!! Part 1 of the wales trip is now live too! 2 vids in one day?! I must be mad!!

@@CaptainRambunctious LOL Good Sir! Sir Ed of Sandy Hook

Thank you! I’ve been doing a few more things if you want to follow on instagram! 😂

They just have been. No increase in tank size but I do get 140 miles to a tank...

Absolutely! But they got it sorted... 😁

Thank you Malcolm! Check out my latest video if you like the sound from this one... I believe that I've made an improvement...

Very much so! Thank you for watching!

I completely agree with you!

Ultimately the bobber is less practical luggage wise and can’t take a pillion. The speedmaster hasn’t got the same ground clearance in the corners as the bobber so they are the main differences. When it comes to handlebars it doesn’t matter as I have the bobber black bars on my speedmaster. All parts are exchangeable… The main thing to note is that the original bobber only has a single front brake disc as apposed to dual discs on the bobber black and speedmaster.

@@CaptainRambunctious Thanks for info 👍

Thanks Peter. Some of my videos are published out of order so if there isn’t a brass tank cap then it’s an older video… the cap I have is solid brass but you can get cheaper ones that are brass coated. Denali do very good horns. The pillion seat isn’t sprung but the rear has a mono shock under the seat anyway so no need for seat springs… Merlin is a Speedmaster but that’s just a bobber black with a read… Hope this makes sense…

T St thank you!

It has indeed! I go through all that when I get the bike so I didn’t want to repeat myself too much! It has got the one touch cruise control and it’s excellent. Maintains very well and very easy to set.

@@CaptainRambunctious ok thx :-)

Thank you very much!

@@CaptainRambunctious just put a deposit down. For T100 first bike. Hopefully she will be fun and fast enough. Test ride seemed to prove so.

@@tlong9812 it’s a great first bike! Looks the part and yet easy to ride and great fun too! Enjoy!!

james the fith right here sir! www.ebay.co.uk/itm/381545263811 They do individual kingdoms too!

Thank you!

Very well done for the effort! Some people enjoy it, some don’t! Thanks for trying!

It’s a Denali sound bomb mini. Should be able to find them easily online! Thank you. Love the speedmaster too! Thanks for watching!

J Edwards of course!!! Whoops! It’s excellent by the way... 😁

@@CaptainRambunctious It sure is

I did get the shorter cable kit. But you might not need it if you are getting a riser. I think the best option is to buy it and see

😂

Glad you enjoyed them! They were a few hundred pounds but they’re not available at the moment for some reason. My guess is that they’ll come back after the launch of the new face lifted models… essentially bobber black bits… It is cheaper to just get the brushed cases powder coated like on my thruxton… depends if you know someone local or can do it yourself. One caveat to that is make sure the coating isn’t too thick on the back of the cases as the gaskets don’t seat properly… I just had to retighten my engine case bolts twice to crush it flat over a few weeks… easy enough.

Warranty (should) cover any gearbox troubles...?

@@martycech5844 What about when the warranty expires or you buy used. There shouldn't be any engineering problems today, WTF is going on ?

Ha ha!! My alter ego has been found out!!

I’m afraid that they are now discontinued. They were original Triumph gloves from 2013.

Got the shorter bobber cables with it.

Thanks Peter. I just think that I’m the wrong height for screens. They either push the air into my shoulders or onto the visor of my helmet creating wind noise. I prefer the unturbulent and undirected wind... you just lean into it! 😁

Just watching again. It is a nice looker alright. I have the 2005 air-cooled t100, and I'm getting a center stand in hopefully soon. So hard to work on with just the side stand. It doesn't have all the bling as yours,,but I'm happy. I was shocked to find that my old 75 CB 750, had more hp as the t100. Maybe I'll trade in the t100 for the 1200. Ride on, me Capt. And stay safe.

The stock beach bars were too close to me and I prefer to be pulled forward... not too far, just right. I’m leaning slightly forward of vertical which is actually perfect for a bit of leaning into the wind. I find it spot on but others find the beach bars are great. I think it depends on how tall you are.

@@CaptainRambunctious I am 173cm, would the stock bars be allright for me then? Planning on ordering one soon.

I know someone who is 195cms and says the stick bars are fine. 🤷🏼 so they’ll be fine whatever, just not for me! 😁

Merlin does cope! But if commuting everyday, there are a lot of spokes to look after!

@@CaptainRambunctious Ah indeed. I just cover them in waxoil in the winter, as I would the rims. Works a treat

That’s around Buckinghamshire.

sfbdotcom I heard of the gearbox issues but I’ve not had them on any bike I’ve ridden... there’s obviously an issue but I think there’s a workable fix that I read on the Bonneville Facebook page anyway... I wouldn’t let things like that put you off. Similar issues with any bike really and I think it’s down to luck if you have one of those bikes anyway... it seems a random occurrence rather than a bad batch of VIN numbers or where they were built... but no, I’ve never had an issue or met anyone personally who has had that experience...

@@CaptainRambunctious I think they are Ok after a certain VIN which I think yours is. There is a leaked service bulletin which Triumph put out giving details. Stuart Fillingham mentioned it on his channel (Yes I know he's a bit of a BOF, but he is thorough) All told, there are a few quality issues tho'.

sfbdotcom I saw his video! I do like what he does

Thank you and thank you for watching! They are Triumph ones that were discontinued about 6 years ago!! There are newer Union Jack ones out there but not as nice in my opinion!

@@CaptainRambunctious thanks for your response. I agree they are not as nice. Shame they discontinued them. Keep up the good work 😊

115 Ftlbs... I got my units muddled!

@@CaptainRambunctious ah, that makes sense! Totally jealous by the way. I've always wanted a go on that storm and you speedy! Keep up the great videos

That is due on Friday being the 23rd and Merlin’s 3rd birthday! I suppose I can do a video this afternoon! Good idea!!

Yes, I think so! The instant oomph is there! The only difference really is the better legroom but worse ground clearance...

They are quite different in terms of handling and ground clearance... you’ll scrape the legs more, and you might find the position a bit testing on your lower back if you’re not used to it. Forward foot controls also mean your weight is all through your bottom instead of spread through legs and arms as well.... I find all of this fine... I prefer the shape over the T120. The T120 is the natural progression from the T100 is just looking for power... Definitely ride one and see if you fit the ergonomics... I do miss going round corners fast but that’s not what the speedmaster is about... if you like the thrill of leaning the bike over through the corners then the speedmaster isn’t for you... the speed twin might be with the SW Motech panniers that I have on my speedmaster?

@@CaptainRambunctious I appreciate the feedback. Getting blown around on highway is no fun. Going all back roads makes a long trip like twice as long. I am 66 and not heading for the track anytime soon. Again thank! Cheerio!

They are the SW Motech legend panniers with the SLC racks... they’re brilliant

@@CaptainRambunctious thank you my friend. I must also say I do enjoy your ramblings and follow you with keenness. 😊

Thank you very much Tony! You just like watching me make all the mistakes so you know not to do it to your Speedmaster! 😂

@@CaptainRambunctious. You have style 🙂

Thank you!

Triumph. It’s the bobber black bar but is an accessory for the speedmaster.

I do indeedy!! Loving it… I’ve done a 3 year ownership review so that might help…

Todd Guillory it Is rather fun to keep clean!

@@CaptainRambunctious Rust spots.

Todd Guillory ahhh. True! I’m thinking black rims at some point. Do you think the chrome is too thin?

@@CaptainRambunctious Thin r poorly done...I'm thinking mags at some point.

Peter Scott he is indeeed! He ticks all the boxes for a one bike stable... there’s only two things he can’t do and that’s a track day and off reading... track days are enticing but never been on one, so no real point wasting money in the current climate on a track bike at the moment... off roading?? Not many green lanes around me... I’d love to join Phil down south but getting there on a 125/250 would be a bit annoying so possibly soemthing that could do off roading but also eat the miles when I don’t want to put them on Merlin? I have a vague idea about the Triumph Scramblers... the Street Scrambler wouldn’t have the ground clearance but maybe the 1200 Scrambler XC?? Pricey though? Street scrambler with the XC suspension fitted?? Again, maybe, but there’s no real reason at all to ever get rid of Merlin... 😁👍🏻

@@CaptainRambunctious Very good as it does sounds that way Captain!