The pool of great-looking alternative sports machines continues to grow, welcome then, to the Shiver and Street Triple
Standing in the crisp winter air I couldn’t help but admire the looks of these two bikes. Both Aprilia’s Shiver and Triumph’s Street Triple stand out from the crowd. Neither is particularly overstated, although the Aprilia’s gold frame is a bit excessive, but they both cut a clear and defined line from the normal. And by normal I mean a Japanese middleweight streetbike.
But can any of the Japanese bikes really be called normal? The likes of Honda’s Hornet and Kawasaki’s Z750 are desperately trying to not fall into this category by having sharp, angular looks, and quirky lines. But they are trying too hard and over-egging the pudding. Cool style isn’t really something that the Japanese do well, they tend to err on the side of the wacky rather than the effortlessly eye pleasing. Which is probably why their bikes look out of date so quickly. Wacky has a limited shelf life.
The Japanese also have a common consensus when it comes to middleweights – inline four is best. But why is this, is there something particularly special about the inline four engine that lends itself to this class? It wouldn’t seem so. Middleweights tend to be aimed at newer riders, commuters or just those who want cheap, light and hassle-free riding. While an inline four might offer a softer power delivery and a faster top end, is this really the ideal blend? What about the real alternatives...
This is where the Shiver and Street Triple come in. Although the Shiver isn’t alone in offering V-twin power it’s bigger in capacity than its closest rival, the SV650, and has a far fresher look, more power and the added kudos of an Italian badge on the tank. You pay the extra, SVs retail at £4,399 while the Shiver costs £5,899, but with the Shiver you get radial brakes, ride-by-wire throttle, inverted forks and a whole host of less than budget components.
In many ways it’s unfair to compare the two bikes. Think of the Shiver as a rival to the similarly priced Hornet or Z750 as the specs are more comparable. And it’s the same with the Street Triple. With a £5,349 price the Triumph appears to be one if the best value bikes around, which is probably why buyers have snapped them up, creating a nationwide shortage until June 2008. In offering something different it would appear Triumph provided what the market was looking for. Aprilia’s Shiver is looking for a similar success.
Continue Aprilia SL750 Shiver vs. Triumph Street Triple
