First Ride: 2008 Triumph Street Triple

There is no doubt that Triumph Motorcycles, Ltd. is on a roll. Exciting new products have been jumping out of its factory like never before. The Daytona 675 took the middleweight sportbike market by storm a year and a half ago, while this year it was the new Tiger 1050. Triumph isn't even close to finished pumping out new products; in May the Street Triple was recently announced as a new 2008 model. This little brother to the Speed Triple steals that bike's styling and then grabs the powerplant and chassis from the Cycle World Ten Best-winning Daytona 675 and rolls it all into a new middleweight hooligan monster.

We recently had the opportunity to sample the new Street Triple on the tight twisting mountain roads surrounding Lago di Garda (Lake Garda) in northeastern Italy. The bike shares the same liquid-cooled, 675cc, 12-valve Triple as the Li’l Daytona. Cam profiles have been changed to provide more low-end torque, while the rev ceiling has been lowered to a 12,650-rpm redline. Triumph claims that in this form the bike produces 107 horsepower and 51 foot-pounds of torque at the crankshaft.

The chassis is almost identical to the Daytona 675’s with some key component changes to help keep the bike’s price in check. The same frame and swingarm are used, but the swingarm-pivot point has been lowered by 2mm to give the bike more conservative geometry. Rake and trail measure 24.3 degrees and 3.75 inches. The fork is a Kayaba 41mm inverted unit sans adjustability, while the shock only has provisions for preload adjustment. The rear bouncer is a shorter unit, reducing seat height to 32 inches, and the spring rate is touch softer than the sportier 675’s. The Street T uses dual twin-piston sliding-pin brake calipers up front with conventional mounting in place of the Daytona’s radial mounts.

Don’t for a second think that the Street Triple is an entry-level budget-oriented bike. It may price out at a grand cheaper than the Daytona 675 at $7999, but this bike is packed with performance and a total blast. With a power-to-weight ratio approaching that of the Speed Triple—Triumph claims 368 pounds for dry weight—this bike just plain rips. The lightweight chassis, torquey engine and attack riding position made this bike perfect for that asphalt around Garda.

Everything on this bike is well thought out and of good quality. The controls, dash and rider interface, including footpegs and handlebars all seem to be in the right location for all sorts of riding, from flogging the curves to commuting. Other accessories such as Triumph’s flyscreen visor kit are capable of making it even more versatile.

With excellent Dunlop Qualifier rubber skinning the rims, the Street Triple carves apexes with amazing ease. Light, neutral steering allows the bike to be flicked into corners hard and fast, while good stability provided by the trustworthy front end make high-speed sweepers drama free. As for those more budget-minded components; they’re never an issue. The fork and shock do a good job of handling all sorts of surface conditions, while the seemingly old-school brakes are more than capable of throwing the bike into rolling stoppies all day long.

We always worry when manufacturers make the statement that a bike has been "retuned for torque." This almost always just means detuned; not something that the sportbike enthusiast ever likes to hear. But like the chassis, the Street Triple's engine seems a perfect fit. Excellent throttle response and a meaty powerband make the bike feel lively and not lacking. It may not rev-out in as aggressive a manner as the 675, but the available torque more than makes up for it. If it's still not enough for you, Triumph has two different Arrow exhaust systems available in the accessory catalog that not only reduce weight but increase power.

The Street Triple completely redefines what the middleweight naked class is all about, with a strong dose of performance, a reasonable price and nice styling. Hopefully, U.S. consumers will embrace this bike with the same enthusiasm as the Speed Triple, because it may very well prove to be an even more entertaining ride.

Sound Off! Did Triumph build another winner?