Demo Ride

[Motley]

I took a vacation day today to go along to the local Triumph demo. I'm thinkin' I'd like to try the Sprint GT/ST an' maybe the Daytona. I'm looking forward to this.

 

[Gretsch]

Don't ride the Street Triple R unless you want to come home with it.

 

[curezee]

Don't ride the Street Triple R unless you want to come home with it.

That is a great statement and would have to agree. You have been warned.

 

[Motley]

Don't ride the Street Triple R unless you want to come home with it.

That is a great statement and would have to agree. You have been warned.

Well, they had a limited number of bikes there to try. A Thunderbird, a couples of Bonnevilles, a Scrambler, a Street Triple and a Street Triple R, and a Tiger.

I rode the Tiger and the Street Triple R.

I kinda liked the Tiger, although I found it quite tall. I found the gear spacing to be a little wider than my Thruxton (I really had to move the shifter to avoid false neutrals). I liked the big comfy seat and the upright seating position, although the fairing offered little in the way of reducing the wind on my upper body.

I had a close look at the Thunderbird, some of the fasteners already had rust on them! The thing looked like a poor copy of a Japanese cruiser. I looked at a Rocket 3 in a parking lot recently and also saw a lot of rust and had the same thought about it's lack of build quality.

So then I tried the Street Triple R.

I friggin' hated, HATED, the Street Triple R. The seat slopes forward so much, the boys were crushed up against the tank. The seat hump behind the rider prevented me from moving back along the seat to avoid sitting on the boys. After only five minutes my wrists/hands were hurting because the seat position forces my weight forward (and I ride a Thruxton with clip-ons) onto my hands. Some of the ride was on city streets and everytime we stopped at traffic lights the heat coming off the motor nearly caused me to get off the bike, it was brutal. Again I found the gear spacing to be very wide. It seemed like it could have used a seventh cog, I kept trying to shift up after I was in top, but that could be because I'm not used to something that revs so high. The Thruxton's gearbox is much tidier, in my opinion. It's not a very attractive looking machine. Mind you, the things goes like a scared cat, the sound and rush of power from the motor were lovely. All in all though, I hated it, the end of the demo ride couldn't come quickly enough for me.

The most attractive bike there was my yellow Thruxton, and I received many compliments on it (even though a new Thruxton special edition was on display). Even though I had just stepped off modern machinery with powerful motors and good suspension the best ride of the day was on my Thruxton!

 

[Gretsch]

Well, they had a limited number of bikes there to try. A Thunderbird, a couples of Bonnevilles, a Scrambler, a Street Triple and a Street Triple R, and a Tiger.

I rode the Tiger and the Street Triple R.

I kinda liked the Tiger, although I found it quite tall. I found the gear spacing to be a little wider than my Thruxton (I really had to move the shifter to avoid false neutrals). I liked the big comfy seat and the upright seating position, although the fairing offered little in the way of reducing the wind on my upper body.

I had a close look at the Thunderbird, some of the fasteners already had rust on them! The thing looked like a poor copy of a Japanese cruiser. I looked at a Rocket 3 in a parking lot recently and also saw a lot of rust and had the same thought about it's lack of build quality.

So then I tried the Street Triple R.

I friggin' hated, HATED, the Street Triple R. The seat slopes forward so much, the boys were crushed up against the tank. The seat hump behind the rider prevented me from moving back along the seat to avoid sitting on the boys. After only five minutes my wrists/hands were hurting because the seat position forces my weight forward (and I ride a Thruxton with clip-ons) onto my hands. Some of the ride was on city streets and everytime we stopped at traffic lights the heat coming off the motor nearly caused me to get off the bike, it was brutal. Again I found the gear spacing to be very wide. It seemed like it could have used a seventh cog, I kept trying to shift up after I was in top, but that could be because I'm not used to something that revs so high. The Thruxton's gearbox is much tidier, in my opinion. It's not a very attractive looking machine. Mind you, the things goes like a scared cat, the sound and rush of power from the motor were lovely. All in all though, I hated it, the end of the demo ride couldn't come quickly enough for me.

The most attractive bike there was my yellow Thruxton, and I received many compliments on it (even though a new Thruxton special edition was on display). Even though I had just stepped off modern machinery with powerful motors and good suspension the best ride of the day was on my Thruxton!

I love the Thruxton and even thought about "Thruxton-ing" my Bonnie. When it came down to it I had to choose between a Thrux and the STR. For me the Street was a big change from the Bonnie and I figured if I was going to get a new bike I might as well venture out a bit. The scalded cat power, and the quick handling sold it for me. I hear what you're saying about the heat coming from the pipes under the seat. It's not noticeable at speed but putting around the city on a hot day warms the butt and nuts. The STR does have a forward lean that is more pronounced than the Bonneville, and from the sound of it, the Thruxton. Once your core muscles adapt it's not a problem. The seat hump is actually where you sit so I can see how your boys were getting pinched in the riding position you described. Anyway, sorry to hear you didn't like it. In any case you don't have to worry about a new bike payment.