Triumph Speed Triple (2010)
September 2010 - March 2011
Triumph Speed Triple - 2010
With the Fazer Thou now having over 36000 miles up (like the second 600, only requiring routine servicing, brakes and tyres, and with a touring Scottoiler, the original chain lasted 25,000 miles...), it was time to think about replacement. The credit crunch, combined with the fact that the Tiger was going out once a year to Europe, meant it was time to re-think the two bike strategy. A neighbour had recently passed the Direct Access test and was very keen on my Fazer as his first bike. So, I decided to let it go, a sad day to be honest. The Tiger was going to be the bike to get me through the 2010/11 winter with a view to replacement just before its third birthday in March 2011. However, my local Triumph dealer encouraged me onto a new Speed Triple in September 2010 with a fantastic p/ex offer and a great deal on accessories. So, from the sublime to the ridiculous! Two practical, all round bikes to one very focused street bike! As you can see elsewhere, the Speed Triple can carry lots of luggage too, so the 2011 tour is not in doubt - a long ride to the Alps might not be on the cards though! I collected the new bike on 24 September 2010 and it's awesome! Watch this space for more...
Part II - after a few more months
So, being one of the last of the first 1050 models, if that makes sense, it came equipped with the new style clocks (which bizarrely had graphics for a fuel gauge but no gauge installed) and the latest Brembo monobloc front brakes. I added Arrow cans, heated grips, fly screen, tail pack and tank bag, bar end mirrors, hugger and Scottoiler. I also invested in Ventura soft luggage which my dealer, On Yer Triumph of Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, kindly fitted foc. The bike looked stunning and sounded fantastic.
Initial positive impressions on my daily commute where of a mildly aggressive riding position, loads of torque, amazing sound and good all round vision. Not so good were the hopeless bar end mirrors that looked great but showed virtually nothing of what was going on behind, lights that seemed to dazzle everyone, a very poor rear brake and having been used to hard top boxes, the soft Ventura luggage wasn't so great for my work bag either, although hardly Triumph's fault. Further disappointments became evident after more miles, the fuel consumption of 41mpg compared badly to the 50 or so I achieved on both the Tiger and Fazer, the front brakes seemed to be very grabby, especially once the cold weather arrived and the salt went down, and despite the heated grips, even mildly long rides in the cold were very unpleasant. That's what you get with a naked bike I guess. I also noticed that one exhaust can was fairly hot after any sort of run whilst the other was fairly cool, which made me wonder if that was in some way a symptom of poor running and thus the disappointing fuel consumption. The bar end mirrors didn't last long and were soon replaced with the standard "stalk" mirrors that were vastly superior - they also allowed easier filtering, a key requirement on a daily commute into central London, being higher than most car mirrors, something that also couldn't be said for the bar enders. I was also finding the bike very difficult to ride on the capital's very uneven roads, cornering was particularly difficult. Over time, the Ventura luggage was showing extreme signs of wear, suggesting that it is great for occasional trips but not really built for daily use. All in all, although not all Triumph's fault, I was far from convinced that I'd made a good decision in buying the bike.
In late January 2011, with just over 4,000 miles showing, I was convinced I have most definitely made a bad decision in buying the bike. I experienced an unfortunate mishap, crashing the bike due to a significant brake issue. Triumph were fantastic and once they had inspected the bike, agreed that the crash was a result of the brake issue, paid for its repair and replaced my damaged kit. I decided however that despite looking as good as new, and with new brakes that were definitely not grabby (although even with free running brakes, fuel consumption remained poor, in the low 40s) it was time to move the Speed Triple on. Triumph agreed to replace it with a new Tiger 800 which arrived in March. It's a shame that I didn't really get on with the bike, I still look at pictures of it and marvel at what a stunning looking bike it was, and I do wonder what it might have been like without what I consider to be a number of faults (including the dodgy brakes of course) - perhaps I was just unlucky and ended up with a Friday afternoon job…
With the Fazer Thou now having over 36000 miles up (like the second 600, only requiring routine servicing, brakes and tyres, and with a touring Scottoiler, the original chain lasted 25,000 miles...), it was time to think about replacement. The credit crunch, combined with the fact that the Tiger was going out once a year to Europe, meant it was time to re-think the two bike strategy. A neighbour had recently passed the Direct Access test and was very keen on my Fazer as his first bike. So, I decided to let it go, a sad day to be honest. The Tiger was going to be the bike to get me through the 2010/11 winter with a view to replacement just before its third birthday in March 2011. However, my local Triumph dealer encouraged me onto a new Speed Triple in September 2010 with a fantastic p/ex offer and a great deal on accessories. So, from the sublime to the ridiculous! Two practical, all round bikes to one very focused street bike! As you can see elsewhere, the Speed Triple can carry lots of luggage too, so the 2011 tour is not in doubt - a long ride to the Alps might not be on the cards though! I collected the new bike on 24 September 2010 and it's awesome! Watch this space for more...
Part II - after a few more months
So, being one of the last of the first 1050 models, if that makes sense, it came equipped with the new style clocks (which bizarrely had graphics for a fuel gauge but no gauge installed) and the latest Brembo monobloc front brakes. I added Arrow cans, heated grips, fly screen, tail pack and tank bag, bar end mirrors, hugger and Scottoiler. I also invested in Ventura soft luggage which my dealer, On Yer Triumph of Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, kindly fitted foc. The bike looked stunning and sounded fantastic.
Initial positive impressions on my daily commute where of a mildly aggressive riding position, loads of torque, amazing sound and good all round vision. Not so good were the hopeless bar end mirrors that looked great but showed virtually nothing of what was going on behind, lights that seemed to dazzle everyone, a very poor rear brake and having been used to hard top boxes, the soft Ventura luggage wasn't so great for my work bag either, although hardly Triumph's fault. Further disappointments became evident after more miles, the fuel consumption of 41mpg compared badly to the 50 or so I achieved on both the Tiger and Fazer, the front brakes seemed to be very grabby, especially once the cold weather arrived and the salt went down, and despite the heated grips, even mildly long rides in the cold were very unpleasant. That's what you get with a naked bike I guess. I also noticed that one exhaust can was fairly hot after any sort of run whilst the other was fairly cool, which made me wonder if that was in some way a symptom of poor running and thus the disappointing fuel consumption. The bar end mirrors didn't last long and were soon replaced with the standard "stalk" mirrors that were vastly superior - they also allowed easier filtering, a key requirement on a daily commute into central London, being higher than most car mirrors, something that also couldn't be said for the bar enders. I was also finding the bike very difficult to ride on the capital's very uneven roads, cornering was particularly difficult. Over time, the Ventura luggage was showing extreme signs of wear, suggesting that it is great for occasional trips but not really built for daily use. All in all, although not all Triumph's fault, I was far from convinced that I'd made a good decision in buying the bike.
In late January 2011, with just over 4,000 miles showing, I was convinced I have most definitely made a bad decision in buying the bike. I experienced an unfortunate mishap, crashing the bike due to a significant brake issue. Triumph were fantastic and once they had inspected the bike, agreed that the crash was a result of the brake issue, paid for its repair and replaced my damaged kit. I decided however that despite looking as good as new, and with new brakes that were definitely not grabby (although even with free running brakes, fuel consumption remained poor, in the low 40s) it was time to move the Speed Triple on. Triumph agreed to replace it with a new Tiger 800 which arrived in March. It's a shame that I didn't really get on with the bike, I still look at pictures of it and marvel at what a stunning looking bike it was, and I do wonder what it might have been like without what I consider to be a number of faults (including the dodgy brakes of course) - perhaps I was just unlucky and ended up with a Friday afternoon job…
