BUT GO FOR A FAIRING IF YOU'RE SNOWBALLING

+ Click to Enlarge Triumph Street Triple R

July 24, 2009
By Denis Droppa

Triumph's recently launched Street Triple R was my ride for the recent Star Motoring Snowball Run and, apart from freezing my cahoonies off, I really enjoyed the agile, sweet-sounding British machine.

The Street Triple is the marque's naked middle-weight bike and shows more of its underbits than Paris Hilton and Britney Spears combined, with not a fairing to be seen anywhere.

There's not even a fairing for the twin headlamps (though our test bike was fitted with an optional mini windscreen) which gave the bike a simultaneously aggressive yet comical bug-eyed look, like some giant robotic insect.

The R, unlike the standard Speed Triple, has adjustable suspension, so you can tune the bike's handling if you want to go dicing or track-day riding - or Snowball Running.

The triple-cylinder 675cc engine is the same unit as is used in the standard Street Triple, which redlines at lower rpm than the Daytona sports bike it's derived from. The power, at 80kW is some 15kW lower and the gearing is different to the Daytona's to make the delivery less peaky.

All three bikes use essentially the same frame, but the Daytona and the R both offer more aggressive rake and trail than the standard Street Triple, as well as the ability to adjust the rear swingarm pivot angle and the firmness of the front and rear shocks.

The Street Triple 675 R comes with a two-tone black and graphite seat mounted 5mm higher than of the standard version. All yours for R93 500, which is ten grand more than the standard Street Triple.

All round the R's a very likeable, easy to ride bike with lots of vocal charisma, especially with the optional Arrow pipes fitted. If this really were a giant robotic insect its deep-throated roar would cause even the Terminator's bowels (if he had any) to loosen.

It's very sprightly and easy to chuck around - a brisk-turning, quick-accelerating commuter that I suspect will also make a fun track bike. Though it's not superbike-fast its power delivery's very quick-revving and accessible, delivering spirited acceleration in urban riding and a broad torque wave for overtaking.

The six-speed gearshift is notably smooth, with one of the slickest actions in the business.

The bike's a bit limited in its appeal and won't make a great touring machine but for cafe racing, commuting and occasional track riding there's little to fault it.