Jon Urry reports back live from the launch of the Street Triple with extra GRR..
First on-bike vid of the new Street Triple R
To be fair we haven’t had the best day’s riding on Triumph’s new Street Triple R. Triumph decided that the Isle of Man in September would be a good spot to launch their new bike, and obviously it has pissed down with rain.
So what’s new? Well the Triumph Street Triple R is basically a Street Triple with fancy suspension from the 675 Daytona. The engine is the same 675 unit as in the stock Street Triple, but the shock and forks are slightly tweaked fully-adjustable Daytona units. In addition it also gets new bars and radial brakes, also from the 2008 Daytona.
To ride the Street Triple feels much more solid on the road than the stock bike. I’ve done nearly 8,000 miles on my Street Triple, so know them fairly well, and if you get a bit excitable it can feel wobbly, especially over bumps. As the forks aren’t adjustable you just have to grin and bear it, not so with the R. A bit more damping here and there and the vagueness is removed, giving a much more planted and secure feeling ride.
Although I’ve never found need to complain about the stock bike’s brakes the Rs are certainly far sharper. The beauty of the Street Triple is its easy of use, nothing feels like it will bite you, it’s just easy to get on with. While the brakes on the R might have slightly lost this comforting feel I have to say I prefer them as they are more powerful and direct, something that experienced riders will appreciate, especially if they are planning to take the bike on track.
And I reckon the R would be totally happy on track. Unlike the stock bike, which I found can get a bit bouncy, I’m sure the R would surprise a fair few sportsbike riders thanks to its higher quality running gear.
So down to the crunch, how much more is it? Well at £6099 the R is only £500 more than the stock bike. Considering this is basically £500 for a suspension upgrade and new brakes that’s not too bad in my book. Stick an order in now (and 192 people already have) and you should get yours by January 2009, which, coincidently, is when you would also get a stock bike if you asked for one today due to the backlog in orders. Can you save £500 in four months? Of course you can…
