The Tale of the Triple Test

[craigs23]

Certainly warmed up my bleak Saturday morning...

Arrived at the local Triumph dealers, wishing I'd actually worn my Spada trousers - the assumption that without them would give more feel when riding an alien bike seemed a little futile in hindsight after my legs got numb within the first 10 miles.

Brilliant service - I signed a form, handed over my licence, was given the keys, a bit of history with the bike and then "have fun". So off I went for the next hour to try out an ex-demo 1050.

The first thing which became apparent was the seat height - just about fits me. Takes a bit more effort to lever the bike off its stand (especially as it was sitting on a camber), but once away, the low speed poise and control is far better than the Hornet's. Surprisingly so too. The seating position is a lot better, pitching the rider directly over the front end, for much better feel and agility (although the Hornet takes less effort to countersteer).

Once on the move, the engine is very untimidating for a 120bhp beast, revs up so quickly in comparison to what I'm used to, and is deceptively fast. 7000rpm (redline's at 10), comes up very quickly, so much so that it allows you to ride around at 2/3rds pace almost effortlessly, covering miles and just cruising around without too much drama. Very V4 in its delivery as well, faultless fueling, pulls from any gear, any revs no problem. There's a nice dollop of torque as soon as the clutch is out, the midrange is fantastic, but there doesn't seem to be the 'rush' you get from an inline 4 (you get one with a V4, but then again, you lack a bit of bottom end (well, on a 400cc bike anyway). 4000rpm in top will see 70mph, 6000 will give 100mph cruising, which adds to the apeal when faced commute which is mostly based around bypass work. Sounds good too, even with standard cans - especially on the overrun when the bike seems to burble and pop - just for fun. Lord knows how good it'll sound with an aftermarket set of pipes (which may be needed (see below).

The seating position, spread of the bars also makes higher speed a lot more comfortable, and most importantly, controllable. The suspension, although feeling quite hard at first (mostly down to the Hornet's slinkies), doesn't seem to get out of its depth as speed increases. The back brake's like an NC30's, i.e. it's there for MOT purposes, but is reasonably useful in town when in stop start traffic. I couldn't ask for more from the front though - brilliant feel, power and bite (and looks).

The dash is neat, but the speedo's in the wrong place. I kept looking down to see I was doing 11:42am from time to time. The actual speedo was slightly masked from a partially misting visor too. If Triumph swapped these around, or possibly used their speedo display as a gear indicator, it would be a little better. Unsure about the arangement of gear-change lights that run down the right hand side of the tacho (they start coming on at 7k, but are programable), but the range of modes on the dash is quite helpful - running mpg, average mpg, top speed, average speed, time, trips, etc.

The only area which I was unsure about was the bike's finish. The detailing is very nice - the back wheel/suspension/exhaust looking quite similar to the V4 Hondas I love, but I'm unsure whether even I could keep on top of the finish for some of the bike's components. For a bike that had only covered 3k, there was already corrosion on some fasteners, oil lines, etc. Whether the bike would last as well as say, a Hornet, through normal UK wintry conditions, is another story. It would take me some time just to get the bike back to my usual condition, before entering the realms of long lasting winter protection.

Overall, a great bike. Very much like a V4 (which, if you haven't guessed yet, I'm a bit of a fan of), comfortable, useable, easy to ride, and above all - British. I got a warm glow riding this bike today, despite the weather being so grey and miserable. Finish aside, for what it is, I can't really fault it.

But then comes the price. It's almost three times that of the Hornet. The dealer's phoning me on Tuesday with some definate figures, but I've got to decide whether or not I want to pay that much on such a desireable bike, considering I already have my ultimate weekend toy cacooned in the garage. I'll think about it, but I don't feel as if I'm in a rush to chuck in the Hornet right away. Maybe after the worst of that corrosive winter weather...

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/DSC00115.jpg

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/DSC00112.jpg

Looks good, but for how long?
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/DSC00118.jpg

Shades of NC30:
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/DSC00117.jpg

Neet dash intrument. Plus you get to see how cool you look from the reflection in the headlights:
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/DSC00119.jpg

[Wave2k]

I love the 1050's, they wheelie like demons, a steering damper wouldnt go a miss either.
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Ducati 1299 Panigale
2009 Corvette C6 z51
RS125->CBR400->RXS100->GSXR750K2->Ducati749S->CBR600RR5->TL1000R->DRz400->RSVR1000->Honda VTR SP1->CBR400->GSXR1000K6->Honda H100->CBR600RR3->Ducati1299

[quacker_boy]

Me wants...but then again, me wants a lot of things

On a serious note, part ex the Hornet. The devil inside you wants to

If i had the money i'd buy one without batting an eyelid and then sort it out some Arrow exhausts
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wizzzard wrote: Imagine God just stopping by, tidying your front room up and then quietly letting himself out again. Statisticly more likely to happen than Korn being on here.

[craigs23]

My heart says........

But not

I've been mulling over the prospect of owning the bike throughout the afternoon. I could quite easily agree a price on Tuesday and have that very bike on my driveway in a week's time. But at the moment, I'm not sure whether it's the right time to trade in the 600. Winter's fast approaching, the roads are lathered with salt and I'm not confident that the Triumph could battle through the worst of it and come out the other side better than the Honda could....

....I'm also considering paying the rest of the Hornet off rather than part exchanging it, and then saving a hefty desposit up so I'm not burdened with large interest charges.

I think I'd also like to try a Superduke out before parting with such an amount of cash. From what I can gather, they trade a little character for improved build and reliability (I wonder how frequently I'll be glancing at the Triumph's oil warning light).

[Fahd]

I'm assuming this bike is going to be for your commute and since you already have the VFR as a play toy why don't you just buy this and ride it since you like it so much instead of worrying about weather it gets road salt all over it. You already worry about that stuff on the VFR, you don't want to have two bikes you don't ride!
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I Ride: Honda CBR 400RR.
I Drive: Audi S3.

[D O G]

[craigs23]

lol

I need a bike that's going to robust. I'm still a little concerned about how much corrosion was on the Triumph already, despite it costing so much and being so new.

I'm not sure whether I'm going to make a decision until I've tried the KTM...

[St0rmer66]

If I could afford to have 2 bikes, I would have a Street Triple and a ZX6R probably. The Speed/Street Triple is one of the best looking naked bikes that are actually affordable and reliable (Benelli TNT Café Racer otherwise!). But then I also look at the Superduke and have the same sort of feelings as the speed triple! It's also awesome, just in a different kind of way. The Street triple seems more composed, probably sportier, quicker in most conditions etc... where as the Superduke seems more raw, edgy and like it would wheely if you just look at the throttle wrong .

Maybe I could just make it 3 bikes..
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:: Honda XR 125 L ('53) => Kawasaki GPZ 500S ('02) => Suzuki SV650S ('00) => Aprilia RSV-R ('51) ::

[Andy C]

Nice write up craig, looks like a blast to ride
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99 RS125 --> 02 SV650s --> 03 Speed Four --> 92 RXS100 --> 93 CB400sf --> 01 CB600f Hornet

[craigs23]

It was a good test, but I'm now pretty sure I don't want to spend so much money on one. If the Street Triple was available right now (and not such a long waiting list), I think I'll have one instead. The price/build quality ratio makes a lot more sense to me.

I've been reading up on a few tests and I believe the Superduke will be too focused for the daily commute, especially with such a small tank. I'm just about comfy on the Triumph's 815mm seat height, but the Duke towers over this and I think will be too tall for me...

Alternatively, early Z1000s (I don't like the latest incarnation) have a build similar to the Triumph's, but the cheaper price reflects this a bit more. I'd like to try one of them, but I'm fearing it may turn into a big bore Hornet bore...

...oddly, I'm actually considering a second NC30, afterall, I only sold the CB1 as it was too buzzy for bypasses, I've found the V4s aren't....

[Whosthedaddy]

It seems that you wanted a Triple, loved the idea of a Triple and was left feeling a little deflated after actually riding one for various reasons.

I can't help feeling that I would be like this after having some major guilt trips about spending so much on a bike and am not sure that I really, really would want another bike at the moment.

Lust, desire, dream and reality are often worlds apart.
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Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy