Triumph Street Triple
Triumph Street Triple
CYCLE WORLD TEST
Past melds with present to show the future
MARK HOYER
AFTER ALL THE HAPPY TALK IN THE world's moto-press about the Street Triple following its launch last year, I wondered if the folks at Triumph hadn't, perhaps, routed everybody though Amsterdam for a couple of days worth of "recreation" before and after the trip to Italy.
But it wasn't just a short-term buzz, because the 675cc naked bike scored second in the annual International Bike of the `~ar voting, too. So it seems there was something more going on.
Clearly, additional data-gathering was in order, which is why we got our hands on this Roulette Green tester as soon as Conner's hangover cleared up.
It's not like we didn't expect the naked version of Triumph's awesome Daytona 675 to be good-~they'd have to work pretty hard to screw that bike up! The sharply styled, fttlly faired middleweight not only had great hard numbers in testing, but the rather more intangible things that added up to overall fun factor were also there.
The Street Triple didn't lose any fun in the translation. In fact, stripping the bodywork and putting on a tubular chrome handlebar only heightened the experience.
At the core are the truest virtues of any sporting bike: light weight and compact ness. These stem naturally from its Daytona lineage but also make the Street Triple spiritually reminiscent of its 1950s and `ôOs forebears. More than any other Triumph, the Street Triple feels light and tithe, handy" even, in a way that captures the ease and eagerness of the old air-cooled bikes but completely updates those qualities with excellent per formance, reliability and smoothness. The spiritual essence of this bike-at least for a guy like me who owns an alloy-head pre unit Triumph that'll be 50 years old this year-captures more of what the marque has been about historically than anything else out of Hinckley.
But please don't think for a millisecond that there is anything retro" going on with the Street Triple. One ride and you'd know that. The short-stroke 675cc engine is just like that of the Daytona, but with cam profiles altered to bolster low-end torque. Rev limit is 12,650 rpm, down from the 14,000 redline of its more aggressive brother. Tractability is excellent, and power is always at your command. Lugged to 2000 rpm in sixth gear, the engine simply responds smoothly to any amount of throttle. At 4 grand, things get useful, and by 8000 the Triumph sizzles with the throaty three-cylinder wail we love so much from this engine.
Engineers did play with the stain less-steel exhaust system's header! silencer volumes to help it make all the right noises. Intake roar is also quite distinct, but even after a 450mile riding day it wasn't bothersome. In fact, at steady-state cruise the bike is very quiet. The show of sound is really only on when you are stretching the throttle cables. There are a couple of different exhaust-sys tem options in the Triumph accessory catalog, but the bike sounds nice stock and runs well. Fueling is tidy, although the throttle is sensitive to input at small openings and response can be somewhat abrupt in off/on transitions. Otherwise, there are no hiccups.
On the dyno, the torque curve proved to be quite broad, with a 45-foot-pound peak delivered at 8580 rpm. Better is that the engine provides at least 40 ft.-lb. from 4200 to 12,100 rpm. That is a pretty amazing tuning job on Triumph's part. As for horsepower, 93.3 ponies are on tap, which is 14.5 down on the peakier Daytona. The latter gives up some midrange torque so it can make more juice from 8500 rpm up. The $5999 Suzuki SV650, similar in spirit to the Street Triple if not in price, is no comparison: Our last SV made 69.5 horsepower and nearly
identical peak torque but hits its revlimiter at 10,250 rpm. The SV's got a sweet engine, but it just doesn't have the same headroom as the Triumph.
With such a broad spread of power, it is almost irrelevant that the Street Triple's closely spaced gearbox ratios are unchanged from those of the Daytona. Pick a gear, any gear, and the bike moves ahead smartly. Shift quality is good without being excep tional; the 1-2 shift in particular is a bit balky at times. Lever throws are short and top gear provides non-fre netic sub-80-mph cruising.
It is true I am not the shortest guy on staff, and I am also somewhat, uh, dense. And my 210 pounds pretty much overwhelms the Kayaba rear shock, with the 41mm inverted Kayaba fork holding up to my (m)ass a bit better. Heavyish flyweights like Conner and Canet were not complaining. No, the non-adjustable fork doesn't feel like the latest Ohlins superbike unit, and neither does the shock (spring preload only, and not one of the units subject to a recall-see Service page 110) appear ready for Turn 8, Willow Springs, even for lighter riders. But it isn't supposed to be. While the suspension is sometimes surprised by bumps, it is never overwhelmed. It is good suspension for the money with comfortable ride quality and good cornering composure. If you are serious, it wouldn't be out of the ques tion to bolt up some Daytona pieces. Even on the stock setup, after tearing up a backroad, the rider will remove his helmet to reveal a semi-maniacal yet completely cheerful grin.
But even if you never tapped the available lean angle or bounced the engine off its rev-limiter or plumbed your own madness, you could be completely content with what is also a wonderful, easy-to-ride town bike. When you're just pop ping down to the shops, there are things you really begin to appreciate. Like a completely predictable, smooth-engag ing clutch. The fundamental ease with which the little Trip changes direction. How small it "parks" and how easily it starts. That it consistently does 140 miles before the fuel light comes on, getting 40-plus mpg even when ridden with some exuberance. That the headlights are excellent, with a high beam that truly pierces the Great Abyss. That the gauge package and trip computer give you all kinds of useful info and, because the instruments are sourced from the Daytona, there is also a lap timer and programmable shift light.
About the only thing that bothered on this bike was the seat. It is like Triumph used sponge cake for padding. We need more sponge, less cake. Maybe a nice hearty cibatta would do the trick? There is a gel seat in the Triumph acces sory catalog, according to which the $240 unit "will pay dividends on longer journeys providing greater levels of comfort and support." Indeed.
If you can't pop for the seat, perhaps you could distract yourself with the gold-anodized top yoke nut for just $20. It was heartening to find that paint finish on the bodywork and frame/swingarm was quite good, and that the Daytona's lovely buttonhead fasteners used for the engine mounts and to attach the rear subframe are employed here also. Available colors are a subdued Jet Black, a conservative Fusion White and the Roulette Green of our machine. This is a lot of motorcycle for $7999.
The success of the Street Triple is that for those informed of Triumph's past, the bike represents a true spiritual succes sor to the marque's classic and sporty all-rounders. And for those who don't give a damn about history, the 675 Triple stands on its own merit.
EDITORS' NOTES
You CAN'T BLAME A GUY FOR BEING apprehensive. I can't remember how many motorcycle manufacturers have tried to ram the "streetfighter" image down my throat and come up short on exeëution. Most of the time, these nakeds are simply dumbed-down ver sions of machines I already loved, which made the disappointment that much greater. So as I sat in the conference room of a fancy waterfront hotel in Lago di Garda, Italy, listening to Triumph's Simon Warburton blather on at the press launch, I wondered if he, too, was spoon-feeding me typical marketing hyperbole. Would this bike have the dreaded and overdone "tuned-for torque" ailment that afflicted so many other stripped sportbikes? Would it be just another neutered pretender? After blitzing a hundred miles of Italian switchbacks the following day, I was blown away that Triumph had delivered on its promise Despite being retuned, this bike has real beans and is one of the most entertaining motorcycles made. The Street Triple is a bonafide badass. -Blake Conner, Associate Editor
I COULDN'T OWN A STREET TRIPLE. OH, I could own one easily enough, but I wouldn't be able to ride it-not for very long, anyway. I've gotta believe that, much sooner than later, I'd end up handcuffed in the back seat of a police cruiser. And since everybody everywhere these days has some kind of recording device, millions would watch it all unfold on YouTube or TV'S "World's Wildest Police Videos," much to the embarrassment of friends and family. See, wheelies happen almost automati cally on the Street Triple, ditto for stoppies, and the damn bike flicks around corners and darts through traffic like the rest of the world is mired in peanut butter. Even if you make a concerted effort not to ride in such a juvenile fashion, the Trip eventually gets the best of you and you find yourself bopping along on one wheel (either one-it doesn't matter) or executing a Top Gun strafing run through an urban sea of Camrys and F150s. Don't say I didn't warn you. -Paul Dean, Senior Editor
WE HAVE ALL SEEN THE ARTIFACTS OF THE motorcycling British Empire. Some of us even get to see the relics every day in our garages, occasionally celebrating past glories with a little ride now and again on some piece of ancient iron. Which is all fine. But you can cel ebrate the new glory of the Empire by riding a Street Triple. There are some very cool bikes in the Hinckley lineup, but in my opinion this one is tops on fun and in value. It's easy to ride, fun, light, sounds great, has good fuel range and even fits my apelike stature pretty well. No, it's not per fect, because the seat is junk and the rear shock might have some trouble keeping my screen door under control, but aside from that I am ready to visit my local dealer. And while I can imagine in 30 or 40 years somebody restoring a Street Triple "barn find" to celebrate the glory years of newer British motorcycling, it wouldn't be mine. That Street Triple would be flat used up. -Mark Hoyer Executive Editor
STREET TRIPLE 675
$7999
Triumph
