Triumph Street Triple 675By Thierry WeylandBased on the Daytona 675 superbike, this new Street Triple enables Triumph to assert itself in the medium-capacity street bike segment in resounding fashion. The devilishly engaging character of the original 3-cylinder engine alone would suffice to make the competition quake. The very well situated price (£5,349) could make it topple... From the moment that the Daytona 675 was designed, Triumph intended to use it as a base for a medium-capacity street bike capable of poaching on the territory of the Kawasaki Z 750, Suzuki GSR 600 and Honda Hornet 600 – in other words, take a place at the heart of the European market, brazenly hogged by the four major Japanese manufacturers. The small British manufacturer has the means to achieve its ends: a three-cylinder engine with a delightful character in a fun, easy chassis, an inimitable look taken from the Speed Triple 1050, and a competitive price... The future looks good for the Street Triple 675!  © Triumph A small Speed TripleYou need an expert eye to tell the “high-powered” Speed Triple 1050 apart from this new Street Triple 675, so similar are they in appearance. Triumph has deliberately used the same visual elements, in particular the two protruding headlamps that scan the road and the pair of silencers hugging the passenger seat. It is just as tricky to discern things that the Street Triple and Daytona 675 have in common, since the engineers from Hinckley have not hesitated to redefine the entire geometry of the chassis, without merely settling for the traditional exercise of reworking the engine to offer maximum torque across the whole rev range, to the detriment of maximum power output. In short, it was not a question of simply removing the Daytona’s fairing to turn it into a street bike!  © Triumph Ultra lightIn fact, a first spin on the bike shows that the highly exclusive aspect of the sports bike has disappeared to the benefit of a remarkable accessibility, good news for both novices and all those who will use this motorcycle on a daily basis. The riding position is perfectly natural and the seat height low enough for everyone to easily put their feet on the ground at a standstill. When riding, the legs are not too bent. But it is, above all, the lightness of the Street Triple that is immediately striking. Indeed, weighing in at just 190 kg with a full fuel tank, it is the lightest mid-size street bike. A valuable asset, marred only in town by a turning circle that is a little too long.  © Triumph Charismatic engineIt is impossible to resist the charms of the Triumph 3-cylinder! This has been true of the marque’s powerful motorcycles ever since its revival in 1992, and likewise for this new 675 cc model. Its snarling, growling brazenness gets you in the guts! In the face of so much expressiveness, it’s hard for rival 4-cylinder machines to compete... This extremely engaging engine is also particularly high-performance. Of the Daytona’s 125 bhp, the Street Triple nonetheless retains 107 bhp at 11,700 rpm. But there’s no need to aim for high engine speeds to get your thrills, since the rev range is particularly vast here, with considerable torque of 59 Nm available from 6,500 rpm. This omnipresent smoothness and power also contribute towards the Street Triple’s great ease of riding, on the open road and in town, especially since the gearbox has well-spaced ratios and the clutch is very smooth. Except for slight jolts at 5,000 rpm on one of our test bikes (easily corrected by adjustment), the electronic injection seemed accomplished. Average practicality The trim of the Triumph Street Triple is on a par with the Honda Hornet. The British bike’s instrument panel is, however, less rational. It takes the shape of a compact unit with digital speedometer and trip computer providing useful information, such as average fuel consumption and current gear...Also of note, a nice series of blue LED lights reminding you, at very high engine speeds, to change gear. It’s a shame that there is no fuel gauge or electronic immobiliser on such a tempting machine. There is space for a very small anti-theft device under the seat.  © Triumph Sharp, but not exclusive, handlingWe found the Street Triple’s front axle a little more nervy than that of the Honda Hornet, which remains the benchmark in terms of ease of riding. Once mastered – which doesn’t take long – you can take full advantage of very marked agility that is properly channelled by highly reassuring stability, even at high speed, and even when accelerating hard over bumpy ground. Precision is still the order of the day, but the Triumph is best enjoyed on good quality (and winding, of course) asphalt because the original seat and suspension are very – perhaps overly – firm. In this respect, the Japanese win points back. A gel seat (optional) should improve matters, as should a grab rail, essential for trips a deux... The brake system should satisfy seasoned riders on account of its power and feel. Novices could, however, find fault with twin front discs that are a little too sharp, particularly on wet surfaces. ABS is not available, at least for the time being. Technical dataEngine: liquid-cooled, 12-valve, in-line 3-cylinder Capacity: 675 cc Fuel system: electronic injection Maximum power: 107 bhp at 11,700 rpm Maximum torque: 69 Nm at 9,100 rpm Gearbox: 6-speed Final drive: chain Frame: aluminium beam twin spar Suspension: Front: 41 mm upside down forks; Rear: monoshock Brakes: Front: twin 308 mm floating discs, 2-piston calipers; Rear: single 220 mm disc, single-piston caliper. Front tyre: 120/70 ZR 17; Rear: 180/55 ZR 17 Fuel tank capacity: 17.4 litres Seat height: 800 mm Practical: Colours: green, white and black Web site: www.triumph.co.uk Price: £5,349 Performance: Average fuel consumption: 6 l/100 km Average fuel range: 220 km (136 miles) before reserve |
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