Story by Kenn Stamp

Static photos by him too.

Action photos by Mark Frankenfield

Let's get one thing out of the way first; this is not a bike "test" in the traditional sense. This is a bike "review". What is the difference, you may ask? Well for one thing, you won't see any top speed numbers, or 0-60 times, or even dragstrip results. "But aren't those numbers important things to have when you test a bike" you ask (man, you are full of questions!)? Yes and no depending upon what kind of bike it is. Traditional bike tests have been the standard for moto-journalists for years (and years and years) but do they really tell you anything about the bike? Are they actually a fair representation of how a certain bike performs in it's niche? Sure, if you're testing a Hyabusa then top speed and 1/4 mile times are important; and lap times might be important during a sportbike test, but do any of those kinds of numbers really help your bike buying decision on a bike like the Street Triple? Not really, because a bike like the Street Triple, or FZ1, or Versys, etc. isn't about raw numbers.

Bikes like the Street are about how they interact with you on a level far deeper than how fast they can get you between one stoplight and the next or how fast they can take that curvy road. Some bikes appeal to us not with their raw data but because they speak to our souls; that little part of us that refuses to grow up and drive a mini-van. The part that laughs at suggested corner speed signs, and loves to pretend that the front wheel (and sometimes the back wheel) is filled with helium and won't stay on the ground. So did Triumph succeed in creating a bike that will speak to your soul and make you want to keep riding long after all your friends have gone home for the evening? Let's find out.

First thing you notice looking at the bike is the uncanny resemblance to it's big brother the Speed Triple which, depending on whether you like the look of the Speed Triple, can be a good or bad thing. To me the look is stereotypical British quirky, which is not a bad thing by any means as it makes the world less boring. Unless you know motorcycles (which of course you all do, right?) then you may be hard pressed to tell the difference between the Street and the Speed as most of the visuals are the same (right down to the "eyes"). The biggest visual clue comes from the swingarm; single-sided on the Speed and traditional on the Street. The swingarm on the Street is the same as the swingarm on the Daytona 675 but without the adjustable pivot position. The next difference you will see, if you are really sharp, is the brakes. While the Speed wears twin 320mm floating rotors squeezed by 4 piston radial calipers on the front wheel, the Street "only" has twin 308mm rotors being squeezed by 2 piston sliding-pin calipers. While they are certainly not cutting-edge tech they do a great job of bringing the bike to a halt and offer good feel as well.

Triumph took the frame of the Daytona 675, changed the swingarm pivot point and moved the rake out from 23.5 degrees to 24.3 degrees to allow the use of wider handlebars without the bike becoming twitchy. The first time you sit on the bike you notice that the seating position is about perfect for all different types of riding, from highway blasts to commuting on surface roads to strafing your favorite corners. The instrument cluster shows all kinds of information, if you know how to access it that is. Unfortunately, I was never able to figure out how to use some of the features. It took a local computer guru and bike nut just to figure out how to reset the trip-meters (it involves holding in two buttons at the same time for approx 3-5 seconds). I'm sure that when you buy a Street the owners manual will tell you how to access and change some of the other features but trying to figure them out on your own is not easy.

The one thing that the owners manual won't help with is the physical act of pushing the buttons which are located at the bottom of the instrument cluster, uncomfortably close to the handlebars and near the clutch cable as well. I could reach them with no real effort but it wasn't the most comfortable of positions to contort my hand into and hold it there for 5 seconds or so.

We all know that naked bikes are NOT meant to be ridden for long-distances on the highways so that is the first thing I did. Yep, I picked up the bike and rode it 250 miles down the interstate to Jennings, FL......at night......in 40 degree (and colder) weather.....without heated gear or even really thick winter gear. I have never been so cold in all my life (or so stupid) and I grew up in the northeast.

The bike was surprisingly comfortable even at speeds of 90+ mph (did I mention I was in a hurry because I was cold?). While not providing a ton of wind protection the little fly-screen did direct some airflow around and over me. The good news is that they make a tinted shield that mounts to the fly-screen to provide even better protection; the bad news is that unless you bought one of the first 50 bikes you'll be buying both the fly screen and the additional tinted shield as the fly-screen is an optional accessory on every bike past number 50.

As a matter of fact the bike was so comfortable that even after I spent all day at the Jennings GP racetrack on a different bike, I still rode the Triple another 200 highway miles that evening. Crazy right? You want to know something even crazier? After I got home that night I was still ready to ride some more. You can't ask for much more from a standard style bike, especially one that has "only" 675cc's.