Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster Vs. Harley Davidson Softail Heritage Classic

The Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster and the Harley Davidson Softail Heritage Classic are popular motorbikes built with high-quality parts. Both motorcycles have their unique purposes and designs. The Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster is a retro-style motorcycle that is smaller in size than the Harley Davidson Softail Heritage Classic. Meanwhile, the Harley Davidson Softail Heritage Classic is a multi-purpose motorcycle designed for touring and cruising. To improve its touring capability, it comes with stock leather saddlebags, a large windscreen, and floorboards. Despite having a classic cruiser design, it also comes with modern ride-assist features.

Both the Triumph Speedmaster and the Harley Heritage Classic have comfortable riding ergonomics. However, due to being built with a larger engine and having better touring capability, the Harley Heritage Classic is more expensive than the Triumph Speedmaster. This article provides a detailed comparison between the Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster and the Harley Davidson Heritage Classic.

The Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster has a simple yet stylish retro look, with a compact, smaller design. It comes with a comfortable tuck-and-roll seat with additional lumbar support. This motorbike also has a cushioned passenger seat for two-up riding and a grab rail to better ensure passenger safety.

The Triumph Speedmaster comes with flat, low-mounted, swept-back handlebars with wide, chrome side mirrors. This motorcycle has a bobber-style front mudguard and a small rear mudguard with small tail light, rear turn signals, and a license plate holder.

The Triumph Speedmaster has a classic round LED headlight enclosed inside a blacked-out nacelle, and the gauges are mounted on the front forks. It has dual separate chrome mufflers attached on both sides. It comes with Avon Cobra tires wrapped around stylish 32-spoke wheels.

The Harley Davidson Softail Heritage Classic is a classic cruiser and a touring motorbike. This vehicle comes with stock leather saddlebags and a large windshield. Its design shares a close resemblance with the Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe. However, the Harley Softail Heritage Classic is fitted with a larger engine that makes it better suited for touring. It has a peanut-shaped fuel tank with the classic Harley Davidson logo on both sides and the gauges mounted on top.

The Harley Davidson Softail Heritage Classic comes with a comfortable tuck-and-roll seat and a passenger seat attached to the rear mudguard that allows for comfortable two-up riding. It has a stylish chopped front fender with the Harley signature on it and a large rear fender with a classic tail light, rear turn signals, and a license plate bracket.

The Harley Davidson Softail Heritage Classic high-mounted, swept back handlebars have side mirrors attached and are within comfortable reach of the rider. It is fitted with Hiawatha headlamps, with a main headlamp in the center and two smaller headlamps on both sides. The Harley Softail Heritage Classic motorcycle is available in 14 vintage color schemes with blacked-out or chrome polish.

The Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster is powered by a 1,200 cc liquid-cooled, Parallel-Twin engine capable of a horsepower of 76.9 hp at 6,100 rpm and a torque of 106.02 Nm at 4,000 rpm. Though this motorbike has old-school retro looks, it is equipped with several modern features that ensure a safe riding experience, including the ride-by-wire throttle with switchable traction control, ABS, two riding modes (Rain and Road), cruise control, LED lighting, and torque-assist clutch.

The Triumph Speedmaster’s small size and low weight ensure refined handling and better maneuverability. A 1,200 cc Parallel-Twin engine ensures smooth power delivery and torque at all gear levels, plus the motorbike is very responsive when pulling the throttle. The torque-assist clutch provides smooth gear shifting, while the multipoint sequential electronic fuel injection has a fuel economy of 60.9 mpg. It comes with a six-speed transmission that connects to the rear wheel via a chain drive.

The Triumph Speedmaster’s 310 mm Brembo front dual discs, 255 mm Nissin rear single disc, and ABS ensure effective braking. The handling and comfort level is improved by the 47 mm Showa front forks, its preload-adjustable hidden mono-shock, and low wet weight of 263 kg.

The Harley Davidson Softail Heritage Classic is fitted with a 1,868 cc, air and oil-cooled, Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-Twin engine capable of a horsepower of 94 hp at 4,750 rpm and a torque of 161.34 Nm at 3,000 rpm. It comes with a six-speed transmission that connects to the rear wheel via a belt drive. This motorbike has an old-school touring bike look, but comes with modern ride-assist features, including an ABS and cruise control.

The rubber-mounted technology is replaced with counterbalancers that effectively reduce engine vibrations. The Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine’s air-cooled system is integrated with oil lines to better maintain the engine’s temperature. It also comes with an electronic sequential port fuel injection system that gives this motorbike a mileage of 47 mpg.

The Harley Davidson Heritage Classic is an ideal cruising and touring bike, but it can be difficult to ride through traffic due to it being a heavyweight vehicle. A novice rider can find it difficult to maneuver at low speeds and make U-turns.

A 1,868 cc Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine produces adequate power for two-up riding. The engine also produces a good throttle response and accelerates quickly at all gear levels. The Harley Softail Heritage Classic comes with a high-performance hidden rear mono-shock with hydraulic preload adjustment for better cornering.

The Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster does not have an ideal cruiser design but the riding ergonomics are comfortable for both short and long trips. Due to its low-mounted, swept-back, beach handlebars, even a shorter rider can comfortably sit in an upright riding position.

The Triumph Speedmaster has a seat height of 27.8 inches and comes with small lumbar support for comfort. It also has a cushioned passenger seat and a grab rail for safe and comfortable two-up riding. The foot controls are forward-mounted, making it comfortable for average and taller riders. It has a low wet weight of 263 kg, making it an ideal motorbike for beginners.

The Triumph Speedmaster can be used for cruising and light touring by adding saddlebags, a sissy bar, and a windshield.

The Harley Davidson Softail Heritage Classic is an ideal touring and cruising motorbike with comfortable riding ergonomics. A large stock windshield blocks incoming wind and the stock floorboards allow you to comfortably rest your feet while cruising on highways. However, stock saddlebags, a large windscreen, and heavy front and rear fenders make this Harley model a heavyweight bike. Due to having a wet weight of 330.21 kg, it is not ideal for beginners.

The Harley Heritage Classic has a comfortable saddle with a low seat height of 26.3 inches. The high-mounted, swept-back handlebars and forward-mounted floorboards ensure relaxed riding ergonomics and adequate legroom for taller riders.

Triumph motorbikes are faster and accelerate quicker compared to their Harley Davidson counterparts. Harley Davidson primarily produces cruisers and tourers. Meanwhile, Triumph produces versatile motorbikes, including sports bikes, retro bikes, sport tourers, and cruisers. If you are looking for a fast motorbike, then Triumph tends to have the better options.

Triumph originated in Britain, while Harley Davidson is an American motorcycle brand. Both motorcycle brands produce high-quality motorbikes and have huge fan bases worldwide. Harley Davidson motorbikes are built using a stronger frame and compact designs. Meanwhile, Triumph motorcycles have more unique and aesthetically pleasing designs.

Both Triumph and Harley Davidson have highly customizable motorbikes with aftermarket parts and modification kits readily available.

Triumph motorbikes are built with high-quality parts and are reliable. In Triumph’s first years, Triumph motorcycles suffered oil leakage due to poor quality parts being used. However, the Triumph motorbikes have improved significantly over time. Currently, Triumph is one of the well-known motorcycle brands with motorbikes that have good resale value.

The Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster and the Harley Davidson Softail Heritage Classic are high-quality motorbikes with an aesthetically pleasing look, comfortable ergonomics, and modern ride-assist features. The Triumph Speedmaster is a small, retro-style motorcycle fitted with a 1,200 cc engine that has smooth power delivery. It is nimble and easy to handle due to being lightweight. The Triumph Speedmaster is a beginner-friendly motorbike that can be used for light touring and cruising if you add a windscreen and saddlebags.

Meanwhile, the Harley Davidson Heritage Classic is a touring motorcycle with a large easily detachable windscreen and saddlebags for a stripped-down cruiser look. Its engine has a high power output suitable for two-up riding. This motorcycle is not good for riding through traffic due to being bulky and heavy. A novice rider may find it difficult to maneuver while making sharp turns. The Harley Heritage Classic is an expensive option, costing $7,304 more than the Triumph Speedmaster.