Eyecon
EYECON
Triumph's Speed Triple gets a new face on its old soul
MARK HOYER
SUCCESS COMES IN MANY FORMS. THE MODERN iteration of Triumph Motorcycles has to be considered a success in most forms. Since the first models from the reborn company hit our shores in 1995, there have been some hiccups along the way, but the Speed Triple has never been one of them. In fact, it is the moderm company’s soul, the one model that really helped define Triumph as a legitimate player in the market and not some warmed-over nostalgia trip.
It also has been a ripping-good motorcycle, particularly the first twin-headlight, aluminumframe, single-sided-swingarm model of 1997. This new 2011 version is no different.
Except for those headlights... There was much crying about their polygonal shape versus the traditional round twin lamps during the bike’s Cologne show debut last fall, but I offer this incident as a true mark of brilliant success on Triumph’s part: I stopped for gas while out riding our 2011 testbike, and a rough-looking dude in black leather and an open-face helmet on a dirty old cruiser rolled in. As he idled on by, he said with a big grin on his face, “Hey, the new Triple!”
That, friends, is the Desired Effect.
Throw a leg over and take a ride, and that is exactly what you’ll say about how this bike works, too. It’s a new Triple.
The 1050cc engine still has that gruff, grunting-like-a-gorilla nature the 120-degree dohc Triumph three-cylinders have always had, but this is the best-running version we have tried. Fueling is exceptionally good, with smooth, predictable and immediate throttle response. Power appears to be merely a function of the engine turning some rpm—that is, it never feels out of the powerband. A look at the dyno chart reveals why: Torque breaks through the 60 footpound mark at just 2300 rpm, rises to a peak of 73 at 6700 and doesn’t fall below 65 ft.-lb. until it hits the 9500-rpm limiter (the tach fibs with its 10K redline, by the way). Triumph claims output increases are due to “soft” changes to the ECU and a revised stainless exhaust system. Peak horsepower vs. that of our 2006 testbike has increased by 2 horsepower to 116.7 at 9400 revs. More important are gains in hp and torque (as much as plus 3 each) between 5000 and 7500 rpm for the new model.
CYCLE WORLD TEST
The adolescent primate in me wants a stronger top-end rush and a higher rev ceiling, but at the same time, this powerband is the perfect “practical” scream. A fast, easy-to-manage backroad pace with crisp comer exits can be had by keeping revs in the 5000-rpm range; it just motors right off the apex. Want more? Surf the engine at 7K and it fires away with a brisk urgency that still never feels mshed. In fact, it’s too easy to ride right into the rev-limiter because the engine never sounds frantic. Idling around town, the Triple has exceptionally nice manners.
If somehow you feel as though the bike should have more top-end power, consider the counter-argument presented by the Speed Triple’s 10.56-second quarter-mile with a 128-mph terminal speed. Our last Yamaha FZ1 testbike (2006) delivered 132.9 hp and did a 10.68 at 129, and the current Kawasaki Z1000 ran 10.45 at 129 on 123 horses. Road Test Editor Don Canet reported from the strip that the feel and engagement provided by the cable-actuated clutch are superb, and the predictable torque made the perfect low, driving power wheelie easy to maintain after a bog-free launch at 5000 rpm. This is a great street engine of superb flexibility.
Some may complain about the sort of “grainy” feeling of vibration. “After riding the FZ8 (p. 56) and also getting back on the Ninja 1000 recently, I found that the Speed Triple vibes much more than both those bikes,” said Canet. “It’s felt in the grips, not in the pegs, seat or tank. It’s basically a constant level of mild buzz that persists throughout the entire freeway-cruise rev range. I didn’t find any sweet spot in top gear between 65 and 90 mph. Maybe some big, old ugly GSX-R1100-style bar-end weights would help?” I didn’t find the vibration annoying or uncomfortable, but I regularly commute on a 53-year-old Triumph 650 Twin that makes a blender full of rocks feel relatively smooth.
Vibration was just about the only real comfort complaint anybody could muster. The beautiful, tapered-aluminum handlebar is relatively flat in its bend and works with well-placed, highish (and grippy) aluminum footpegs and a decent (if somewhat thin) seat that is 0.6-inch lower than before to make a very nice ergonomic package. There’s even a bit of underseat storage, a rarity for bikes featuring an undertail exhaust, while flip-out bungee hooks are found on the underside of the seat. “Fuel-tank width isn’t too severe—as it is with some Fours—but it also offers better support under hard braking than some narrow-waisted Twins,” said Canet. The result is a great modem-standard seating position that is comfortable for commuting but works for the mad backroad shred.
Which is good, because the real progress with this motorcycle comes from chassis changes. Unsprung weight (wheels, etc.) is reduced a claimed 6.6 pounds. The single-sided swingarm is nearly /Vincli longer but 2.2 pounds lighter. Weight distribution has been altered with a new, narrower frame that moves the rider forward, as well as revised battery placement (over the airbox instead of under the seat) and a repositioned engine that is 3mm closer to the front of the bike and canted forward 7 degrees.
The 22.8-degree steering-head angle is steeper and the 3.6-inch trail slightly longer (vs. the previous 23.5/3.3), with wheelbase now 56.9 inches (0.2-inch longer). These are very aggressive numbers that only truly work if there is enough weight over the front wheel. Clearly, there is. The Speed Triple steers beautifully, telepathically, and was stable to our recorded 151 -mph top speed.
“Triumph has certainly stepped it up in the handling department, applying much of that Daytona 675/Street Triple R experience in bringing the new Speed Triple into the realm of the MV Agusta Brutale and Ducati Streetfighter.”
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“Triumph has certainly stepped it up in the handling department, applying much of that Daytona 675/Street Triple R experience in bringing the new Speed Triple into the realm of the MV Agusta Brutale and Ducati Streetfighter,” said Canet. “I think I prefer it to both of those lovely Italian machines, mostly because I find the Speed Triple without any quirks. It is super easy to hop on and ride fast or slow with full confidence. It has superb steering feel, a planted front, is stable yet agile and exhibits little tendency to stand up during moderate trail braking.”
Showa suspension is fitted, with both the 43mm inverted fork and the shock offering full adjustment. The bike is taut and fully composed when set at or near the factory-recommended damping settings. The rear is definitely on the taut side but the harshness of previous Speed Triple shocks is gone. Make no mistake, if the suspension is on the “firm” settings found in the owner’s manual and you need to take a leak, you will be encouraged to pull over and take care of business sooner rather than later, just like with most any hardcore sporting motorcycle. The good news is that there is significant latitude in damping adjustment, and we softened both compression and rebound to find a kinder, more supple ride on the street without a significant loss in composure.
How deep can you lean? “Abundant cornering clearance!” exclaimed Canet. And the dude can lean a motorcycle.
“I scrubbed the rear K3 to its edge; the front.. .well, okay, I’m a chicken! But really, multiple photo passes allowed me to corner harder than I otherwise would on the street, and I never so much as skimmed a peg-feeler nub.” The Speed Triple just leans forever, feels incredibly connected to the tarmac and steers with an awesome, light neutrality and composure that put it among the elite in terms of handling.
Braking performance from our nonABS testbike with its new supersportquality Brembo radial master and fourpiston, four-pad calipers is solid and consistent. It marks a big improvement over the previous Nissin master/Brembo calipers combo. Previously, excess lever travel and consistency both were issues.
“The new brakes, along with the very good fork damping control and resistance to bottoming, made brake testing drama-free,” reported Canet. “As is often the case with pure supersport bikes,
I achieved my best stopping distance using front brake only, as the rear gets very light and slews out of line with little pedal application.”
Bikes are expected in dealers by late March, with an MSRP of $11,799. Very un-hooligan ABS is offered as an $800 option for the first time on the Speed Triple.
Triumph has made huge strides in the last five years. The products of the company (dating back to my first ride on a Trophy 1200 tourer in 1994) have typically been quite good, but there is no doubt that Triumph has figured out its development schemes and has very good people in key places, with management and R&D having clearly defined both vision and execution regarding its products.
The Speed Triple is a prime example of this. It was a good bike from the beginning and remains the soul of the company as a naked, practical sportbike with killer all-around performance. But it offers a new precision and polish on its punk, tear-it-up core. And the lights? This bike deserves to look different than its predecessors. Consider them the new windows to look at the Speed Triple’s old soul. E3
EDITORES' NOTES
To me, the 1997 Speed Triple was the first modern “naked” bike, and as a mostly urban denizen I loved it immediately and ever since. We don’t call them motorcycles for nothing, and with this bike it’s always been about the engine. Upscale sophisticate that I am, something about that big Triple speaks to the part of me that appreciates six-cylinder Jaguar saloons, smoking jackets, a nice brandy by the fireplace—but Sid Vicious is always but a wrist rotation away. It’s been my privilege to have ridden every engine configuration out there from Boxer-Six to big Thumper, but if I had to settle down tomorrow it would be with the large Triumph Three—and the Speed Triple is its most attractive vessel. How unfortunate, then, that they’ve taken its finest feature—those chrome bug-eye lights—and tacked on instead a plastic facsimile of a badly botched breast augmentation. Like replacing the Leaping Cat on your Jag with a suction-cup Garfield. Horrible little accountants. —John Burns, Feature Editor
Few modern bikes have been as recognizable at a glance—from near or far—as the bug-eyed Speed Triple. Triumph shocked the motorcycle establishment with its unique tandem round-lamp appendage when introduced back in 1997. While I didn’t care much for this styling element back then, neither could I resist the bike’s overall performance and fun factor. Although I’ve simply grown used to the Speed Triple’s skin-’n’-bones boobs-inyour-face styling over the years, there are plenty who adore it, evident in the parade of machines that have since emulated the look. And for many of these fans, Triumph’s recent updates to this important icon of the streetfighter movement may be a punch in the eye. Not for me, however. Having put the new 1050’s vastly improved chassis and superb engine to good use on all sorts of backroads, I’m reminded yet again that looks are not always everything. —Don Canet, Road Test Editor
While the boys here seem to be distracted by anatomical analogies, the inner beauty at work here far, ahem, outstrips the importance of this naked-bike’s headlights. In fact, this bike’s new, lightweight feel and deadly chassis precision have totally elevated its level. And the version revised for 2005 was a Ten Best winner for Best Open-Class Streetbike that year and followed up with Best Standard in 2006. So, the fact that the Hinckley crew has done the job in this way is really saying something. But Triumph is on a roll. The Daytona 675, the new 800 adventure bikes, the Tiger 1050, the Sprint GT, all show a company that is methodically driving its way forward and working constantly to improve its products. Some bikes, the first time you get on, you know the manufacturer has nailed it. Think 1994 Ducati 916,1998 Yamaha YZF-R1,2000 Suzuki GSX-R750, any Hayabusa or Aprilia Tuono. The new Speed Triple is one of those. —Mark Fioyer, Editor-in-Chief
TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE
$11,799
