First of all I must say this bike is a nice ride and whatever you read hereafter that fact makes it my favourite ever bike.
The saddle, which is fairly comfortable, is low enough for me to get on and off with ease and high enough for a comfortable knee/leg angle. The riding position is almost classic upright British but with the foot rests a bit further back than bikes of the sixties. At rest I can get both feet flat on the road, with a straight but not vertical back, I feel, like T.E. Lawrence looked on his Brough Superior. Just need the flat hat and large gauntlets to complete the picture.
First alteration after I collected the bike was to turn the handlebars down at the ends as there set up like cow horns. It is very easy to ride being well balanced and for the first time for many years I am on a bike that I can U-turn in the road at slow speed with my feet up.
The 1200 cc motor is water cooled and runs a 270 crank. It burbles along without fuss or vibration and when ridden up to speed limits returns about 68 mpg. Riding sedately 74mpg.
The 'engine break in' regime allows revs up to red line of 7000 in about a thousand miles. I have not taken the revs over 4000 in 1500 miles. I keep the rev counter somewhere between 2000and 3500. 3000 is about 68mph.
Electrics are can-bus and the throttle is fly by wire. The fuelling is “big twin“ like. A bit lumpy but little lumps and not big lumps so not problematical for me having had four Harleys and number of Stroms.
Triumph sell this bike as a “classic look”. Maybe me being an 'old misery' have never been interested in “look” or “style” in fact if there is one thing I hate it is when something is made in circumstances where form has been given precedence over content. Take as an example the V-Strom where the stylists were allowed to add a pointless beak and remove one of the headlights.
Hence chrome rims and spoked wheels. I hate spokes and they're difficult to keep clean and don't allow tubeless tyres. In my view a punctured tubed tyre is very difficult to deal with as they go very flat, very quickly, or they explode and they need the wheel off to be repaired unlike a tubeless tyre which in some circumstances can be plugged in sit-tu to provide a get home fix.. I'd be happy with the cast wheels of the Street Twin and tubeless tyres.
Stylists 2 practicality and safety 0
Mudguards hmmmm! they're not classic. No they are skimpy to the extent that the rest of the bike get filthy as soon as the road gets damp.
Style 1 practicality 0
“Fake carburettors” they look stupid as they have no cables and they corrode especially where there is a hole where the fake cables should go and these holes fill up with water and rot stuff. They corrode and look horrid without AFC 50 etc being applied. I like the throttle bodies of the Speed Master as they look like fuel injectors which is what they are.
Style 1 practicality 0
The exhausts give off a nice deep burble at standstill and is just audible enough on the move without being intrusive. The exhausts follow the classic look but need to be removed when the chain needs adjusting. Clever.
Style 1 practicality 0
The twin clocks lay too flat and have shiny 'classic chrome' bezels so wherever the sun is in the sky it will be reflected into the eyes. Also the flattish faces reflect the sun and sky and are not easy to read. They're are set at about 160 degrees and would be better if they were set at about 120 degrees or as I call it “pointing at my face so I can see the bloody things”. The indicator repeaters are set in the rev counter, a separate idiot light for each one however the left one is hidden at 3000 rpm (68 mph)by the rev counter needle. Easy to not notice it on the motorway. Add to that the indicator switch is a stumpy lever that needs very positive operation. A quick jab may not get it going and it is easy to not properly cancel it.
The font used for gear indicator and riding mode (Road or Rain) is almost too small for me to read on the move.
When the LED driving light is on there is a green idiot light on the rev counter. So the Rev counter can show three of four green lights at the same time. Left or right 'Indicator repeater', 'neutral light', 'LED on'. Too fussy.
Fitted as standard the heated grips works well and get HOT.
The Speedometer reading is accurate being 2mph over reading at 70mph. As per my sat-nav
Brakes work well enough for me without grabbing or the ABS coming in too soon.
Other on-line reviewers have a poor opinion of the suspension saying that both ends are too soggy when pushed. Replacement front springs and complete rear units are recommended. Me and my 17 stone are quite happy with the standard units.
I suspect Triumph are hoping to go down the Harley Davidson route where the bike is a “lifestyle” which owners buy into. Logo'd shirts and handbags are not for me. The base bike is good and can be improved with wallet stripping 'Accessories'. There is as much chance of me buying into that as there was with the H-D. NONE. I care more about what it does than what it looks like. Amusingly some owners plaster their bikes with Union Jack motives strange when much of it is made in the far east.
And lastly wherever I park some old bloke, and I am 70 !!, will come over and say “I used to have”, or “always wanted”, or “my mate had”, “one of those”.
And now you're thinking why did I buy it. And the answer is: I test rode it and I liked the ride and I still do. The nicest bike I've ever had.
