I have a special treat for y’all today, as Stacey has graciously provided a review of her Triumph Street Triple. I know some of you have been waiting for this one! So without further adieu, on to the review!

To some degree, I find reviews of motorcycles helpful (given the right source). However, one shortfall about motorcycle reviews is that the writer often has only rode the bike for a short period of time, such as an afternoon or weekend. Granted, the writer’s deadline is probably short, but getting to know a motorcycle can be a lot like dating. The first date or ride can sometimes tell you whether to love it or leave it, but there are those that fall somewhere in between.

Types of Motorcycle “First Dates” or Rides

• Ride from the Flames of Hades: Your first ride cannot end soon enough- heat from the engine sears the hairs off your inner legs, shifting and accelerating feels more like a rollercoaster ride on old wooden tracks, and the geometry of the bike does not match the way the body was meant to bend and move. This bike will be listed often on Craigslist in its near future.
• It Seems Nice Ride: First ride goes well and there seems to be potential. Yet, after a few weeks or months settle in, you feel like there is something missing and its quirks are now annoyances. You decide it’s time to see other bikes.
• Where Have You Been All My Life Ride: And finally there is the first ride where everything just clicks, and the smile on your face doesn’t seem to ever disappear. Your decision to take the plunge with the bike doesn’t disappoint as you ride your now vintage bike to rallies and shows many decades later.

I had the experience of purchasing a 2007 BMW F650GS as my first bike. I did my research on the bike beforehand, reading motorcycle reviews and BMW-related message board comments related to the Thumper. The first ride home went fairly well, minus the pounding rain and cold from Portland to Corvallis. Yet, as the months floated by, I found nuances about the bike that did not necessarily gel with the experience I wanted to have as a rider. I had problems with my right hand going numb due to handlebar vibration; I felt uncomfortable in downhill curves due to the more upright riding position; and I absolutely loathed the times when I needed to change the oil, knowing that it would take at least an hour because of the fairing and bash plate I had to remove just to get to the three different points where I needed to drain the oil and remove the filter. It easily fell into the “It Seems Nice Ride” category. The Thumper was and is a great bike; we just weren’t meant to be together.

The bike I decided to get in replacement of the F650 was the 2009 Triumph Street Triple 675. Since putting over 2,400 miles on my bike these past three months, I feel certain that I can put the Triple in the last category listed above. It has been a joy to ride and was not intimidating to ride as initially expected when I transitioned from a dual-sport to a street bike with no fairing or windshield. And unlike the comparable Ducati Monster 696 that I test rode, the Street Triple does not sacrifice smooth shifting or rider comfort in an effort to achieve the distinction of looking and feeling badass. Though the Street Triple looks just as menacing as the Monster, the bike handles better and has a better clutch and speedometer/odometer display in my opinion. I also appreciate the fact that I don’t have to stretch out over the gas tank to steer the bike, which makes longer trips possible and keeps the chiropractor out of my daily schedule. I also appreciate that changing the oil and filter on the Triple is a one beer job (one beer= fifteen minutes). And while I miss having a center stand, which makes cleaning the chain easier, the rear wheel lift Stacy has is adequate for getting the wheel up to do the job.

A drawback about the Triple that I did not read in any motorcycle review or message board prior to purchase is that the steering radius is shorter than any other bike I have been on. This makes backing up or pushing the bike forward into tight angled spaces challenging- taking at least two back-and-forths to get the angle right. The other drawback I found is that the MPG is terrible in the city and for short commuting. I get under forty miles to the gallon in the city, commuting to and from work. On longer rides, the bike averages around forty-five MPG. This means that I have to gas up every 140 miles or so to prevent running out of fuel since the tank is under four gallons. However, what did I expect with a 675cc street bike that can put out around 107hp? In light of this, the tradeoff doesn’t seem too severe. Perhaps we’ll talk again when gas goes up to four dollars a gallon. Until then, I hope to be riding it until the Triple becomes vintage in the decades to come.

Thanks for your time in writing this review, Stace!

I’d love to have more voices contribute to this humble blog! It adds a little variety and mixes things up. Do you have something you’d like to say? Send me a proposal!

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Tagged as: Motorcycling, review, street triple, triumph