Triumph Speed Triple

The Triumph Speed Triple is best bike I have owned overall, and i've had a few - GSXR 1000, ZX6R 636, CBR 600, SV650 etc etc.

Over all the Triumph Speed Triple 955 is a great bike, the power to weight ratio is excellent and makes for demanding and enjoyable riding; it never fails to make me smile.. I suffer from back pain if riding an upright bike consequently, I sold my VStrom 650 for the Speed Triple and have not looked back! (excuse the pun!). I agree with other reviews, there are easier bikes to ride, but they often lack the seat-of-pants thrill of the Triumph, I once read that it is the nearest you can get to flying a Spitfire. As an engineer, I place great importance on the build quality and Triumph hits the mark in almost every respect, although I wish Triumph had designed their own switch gear instead of buying cheap of the shelf design. Much has been said about the wind buffeting, I have found that if you wear quality gear and stick largely to the speed limits you will not be unduly effected, I really enjoy the feel of the wind pressure although, for touring I use my Honda ST1100. Go buy a great bike, Buy a Speed Triple.

The Triumph Speed is just a fanastically gentle bike till you get angry, then noting comes close to the howl of those 3 cylinders.

When you own a Speed Triple it instantly becomes a conversation piece anywhere you choose to park. Complete strangers tell you how they used to own a Triumph with a glint in their eye and I had to fight my way through the crowd to get to my bike a few times. There were also occasions when I came to the parking lot only to find complete strangers around my bike and one of them proprietarily leaning on it as if it was his :).

For them the fun stops when you drive away, but for you it's just beginning. The handling is razor sharp and steel braided brake hoses and nissin brakes are incredible. I have test driven many bikes for a local newspaper but I can't remember more than one that actually had better brakes.

The engine just pulls. I have managed to do an unplanned wheelie on a local racetrack in fifth gear out of a corner! It's just amazing. And the three cylinder engine note is somewhat... different.

The bike is not the most comfortable motorcycle I have ever ridden, but that is somewhat understandable since the suspension is sport-bike tight.

My average mileage is around 4,9 l / 100 km, which translates into a gallon per 60 miles. Not bad at all! Even on a racetrack I got around 5.3 l / 100 km.

It is possible to get the belly pan dragging on a racetrack, so you might want to take it off if you're serious about racing.

You'll have to change rear tires pretty often, but you should look at this in a different perspective - at least you'll learn how to say "I need a new rear tire" in many European languages, if you're from Europe, of course.

The S3 is not the cheapest of the naked bikes, but you certainly get what you pay for. Great suspension, aluminium frame, great brakes and a good engine never come cheap.

As many of the readers know, the S3 is essentially a slightly retuned daytona without plastics. The engine is a little less powerful, but starts pulling in low rpm (the highest torque is at 5.000 rpm). Triumph didn't cut any corners with other components, as many of the other manufacturers do (Honda Hornet 900 for instance has a budget suspension and a steel frame, although it has a fireblade 919 brakes and engine. Fazer 1000 has an R1 engine, but a steel frame and weighs a ton and so on...). And because the S3 is essentially a Daytona it also has turning circle of the Daytona, which means that at slow speeds other naked bikes are running in circles around you. Even an R1(01)has a tighter turning circle than the S3. At speed this means nothing, of course, but riding a slow slalom around cones on a training ground is a real pain.

The clutch is really heavy, so you might want to pass on driving in city traffic or do some fitness exercises for the wrists.

I wouldn't exactly recommend the S3 to the novice riders, since it would cheerfully bite your head off if not ridden properly, but the ride for a more experienced rider is nothing short of amazing. It's a bike you simply have to test ride if given the opportunity and you will probably want to take the bug-master home with you.

This fantastic Triumph Speed Triple brings fun to sports bikes like few others. More power, better brakes and better handling than the M900 monster.

Personally I ignored the Bug-Eyed monster stance of the machine and concentrated on the ride delivery, but it's looks will put some people off.

It feels like riding a 110 bhp bicycle, so precise that you can choose which millimeter to put the front tyre. Brakes are Nissin and are massively powerful. They surprised me many times and saved me and an insurance claim at least twice.

Commuting to London (250 mile round trip) cost £15 GBP per day in rear tyre alone. So don't do that.