Comments on: 10 Mile Shootout: Street Triple vs Monster 696

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:59:42 +0000

I test rode the Monster as well as an Aprilia Shiver when I was looking to upgrade my 2007 Kawasaki Ninja 250…the Street Triple won hands down. It runs so smooth, shifts wonderfully, and it is just such a BLAST to ride! It surprises me that I don’t see more of them out on the roads.

By: Geoff James

Geoff James — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:46:40 +0000

Have now covered 2500 km on the Striple and adore it. If you’re interested in the comparison between the Triumph and Blackbird which I previously owned, it’s here: http://geoffjames.blogspot.com/.

Cheers,

Geoff

By: Geoff James

Geoff James — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:37:49 +0000

I’ve had a Blackbird for the last 8 years and consider it the best all-round bike I’ve ever owned. However, I’ve just bought a Street Triple and for the area I now live (Coromandel Peninsula, NZ – 300 km of twisties by the sea and over a mountain range), the Triple is much more fun and encourages bad behaviour! Errr… I’m 62 by the way!

I’ve just entered the Triple for the 2010 Grand Challenge – 1000 miles/1600 km of back-roads in under 24 hours. That ought to be a good test of the bike – and me come to that as I haven’t done one since 2003!

Cheers,

Geoff

By: Steve Williams

Steve Williams — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:24:36 +0000

I rode the Street Triple last week for over 200 miles and I agree that it is fast, smooth shifting and well made. I’ll get on the Monster sometime soon but it is hard to imagine that it could be better than the Triple.

Both bikes have cache. Can’t go wrong with either in my opinion. There is no perfect bike despite what I tell myself…

Great review and post!

Steve Williams
Scooter in the Sticks

By: LifeOn2Whls

LifeOn2Whls — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:58:38 +0000

Great post. I’d love to take the STriple out for a spin. I got a chance to take a 30 min demo ride on the Ducati Hypermotard and would own that bike now had it not cost double what my SV did OTD. I’d be curious to know how the Triple and the Motard would do against each other since they seem to be more evenly matched in some regards. For the money though…SV all the way!

By: conchscooter

conchscooter — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:11:18 +0000

The Ducati needs a fiddly major tune up every 7500 miles. The Triumph every 12,000. If you do more than ride on weekends that’s a big difference.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:40:55 +0000

I was a disappointed in the 696. Especially since I am a big fan of Ducati. I think it came down to the smaller engine size. I need to ride a non R version of the Striple. Good write up!

By: Stacy

Stacy — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:30:17 +0000

Mike, you summed up my feelings exactly regarding the Monster. It’s fun to ride, but it didn’t blow me away. It’s purely an image bike, and folks will dig up the extra $3000 if they find that kind of thing appealing.

I’d go straight to the R edition of the Striple if I weighed anything more than 140 pounds or so.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:19:30 +0000

Fantastic post. I am in the same boat. I own a SV and would like to get a Monster or a Street Triple. I have ridden the Street Triple R for about an hour and a 2007 and 2009 Ducat 695/696 for about 30 minutes each. I have similar comments. To me the Street Triple just felt so much faster than the Ducati. The Duc is a great bike, great components but didn’t feel significantly better than the SV. I think if you ran the Duc hard, it would really shine. The only negative I had with the Striple was the suspension. It was really bouncing me around. But it wasn’t adjusted for my weight. The clear winner was the Street Triple for me.