TRIUMPH 675 STREET TRIPLE
by Troppo
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Whilst I do love my FJR, she is a big girl, and I'm looking for something small and nimble as a second bike for local twisties blasting and general around-town work.
Forum member Wayne's recent purchase of a Triumph 675 Street Triple and the universally enthusiastic reviews spurred my interest in this new bike from the chaps at Hinckley.
Well, today I had a chance to spend about 45 minutes on a black Triumph Street Triple, courtesy of the local dealer. Triumph has a fleet of test bikes that they send from dealer to dealer, and this week is Cairns's turn.
My test route took in stop and start city traffic, 100 km/hr open divided road (interspersed with some lovely roundabouts) and the racetrack-like Kuranda Range.
First things first - the donk. Yes, readers, all the reviews are spot on - the engine is truly superb. The torque produced by the little mill is astounding - it does not feel like a 675 - more like a 900 or grunty 1000.
The fuel injection is as close to perfect as I have seen. There is a very, very slight snatch off idle, but the fuelling is linear smooth throughout the rev range. I deliberately tootled along in top at 50 km/hr and wound it on... not a hiccup.
The exhaust note and induction roar are aural porn. This is an engine that loves to rev, yet it can be ridden around at the suburban speed limit all day - it is that flexible.
The test bike only had 300 km on the clock - she felt tight and I was gentle with her. However, I did give her a handful now and again - you can certainly feel the potential for much, much hooliganism...
The gearbox ratios are delightfully close; you can run up and down the box in and out of corners with ease. The box shifts well for a new engine. OK, not as slick as a Suzuki, but quite nice nevertheless. Unlike some testers, I had no trouble finding neutral.
The first thing you are struck with upon climbing aboard is the low C of G and the general lack of weight. The bike feels very easy to throw from side to side, and this translates into a wonderfully simple to ride machine. It steers very accurately, and drops into corners with nonchalance.
The riding position took a bit of getting used to after the FJR - the pegs are mounted reasonably high and are set back in an almost sportsbike like position, and the flat bars felt initially too wide. However, after about 10 minutes I was in the groove.
I'm 5'10" (none of this metric rubbish), and I could flat foot the bike, although the seat did feel high. But that doesn't matter, as the bike just feels so light and easy to throw about -- like a big dirt bike.
The Kuranda Range has recently been resurfaced to race track like smoothness, so I really couldn't test the suspension. The Street Triple certainly made easy work of the run up and down the range. It just loved to tip into the sweepers and the tighter curves. It steers by mind control.
The controls fall easily to hand, with all the switches in the standard (Japanese) positions. The speedo is a bit difficult to read - it is a digital display at the bottom of the tacho, and is affected badly by reflections. This could be a problem if you are riding in suburbia a lot - especially camera-infested Melbourne. I did find the lack of a fuel gauge rather strange, given all the other electronic wizardry available like lap timers and average fuel consumption readouts.
Some have complained that the side stand is hard to reach. I managed to operate it easily enough, although do you have to look down to find it with your boot.
The brakes worked well. The front did lack some initial feel, but it will easily pull the bike up. Yes, the front brakes don't display sportsbike-like bite, but they do the job.
The bike I rode was not fitted with the optional front screen and headlight surround, so I was exposed to the full force of Mother Nature. After the cosseted world of the FJR, it was great to be out in the breeze. A visceral experience, in fact.
It rained. I got wet. The essence of motorcycling, and all that Zen stuff.
This is the first modern Trumpy I have ridden. Like all disciples of the perfectly engineered and ruthlessly efficient motorcycles from the land of the rising sun, I was initially sceptical about Triumph build quality.
After almost running out of fuel (where is that bloody fuel gauge...), I had an opportunity to have a good close look at the bike whilst stopped at the local service station. It is well put together.
Of course, there has to be a downside to every bike, right? It is obvious that the Street Triple is built to a price, reflected in the fairly basic suspension and brakes. Having said that, for normal use, on relatively smooth roads, everything felt quite adequate.
If I was to nit pick, I would have liked an adjustable clutch lever; however this could be easily fixed with an after market (Pazzo) item - like the suspenders and the anchors, for that matter. There is already talk on the various 675 forums about after market suspension kits.
Indeed, the Street Triple makes a lovely basis for personalization - there are enough accessories out there to create your own version of the ST; be it a light-sportsbike-with-sane-ergos twisties weapon or a pure naked street fighter urban assault machine.
This really is a bike that the full spectrum of motorcyclists can enjoy. The flexible engine, comfortable ergos and (relatively) light weight make it a friendly mount for a rider coming off his/her P's, whist that same engine can be the source of much amusement for the more experienced two wheel pilot.
The reviews are right - I predict Triumph will sell Street Triples by the shipping container load. There is already a 2 or 3 month waiting period in Australia.
At just 13K on the road, the Street Triple represents tremendous bang for your buck. There is nothing from Japan that comes close to providing the same riding experience.
I want one. In green, with the 3-into-1 low pipe.
