[premier]

I was reading naked bike shootout on the Bike magazine. Speedy was competing against BMW K1200R, Kawasaki Z1000 and Yamaha FZ1. Each bike was given scores in different categories like Engine, Transmission, Chassis, Safety, Comfortability, and Road use. Here's the total scores:

BMW 397p
Kawasaki 399p
Triumph 390p
Yamaha 401p

So speedy lost But check out the comments:

Pros: Awesome engine, nice exhaust sound, good riding posture and great driveability on the road. Real streetfighter styling.

Cons: Gear box operation. Front forks bottom. Awful pillion seat. Bad side stand and limited steering angle.

Here's some quotes from the article:

"Triumph Speed Triple quickly becomes the favourite of the testers. In reality the brit is so horrible only mother could love it, but still there's something appealing about it."

"In acceleration tests Speed Triple's front wheel is the hardest to keep on the ground. This could be however seen as a welcome characteristic for a hooligan bike."

And then comments from the test riders:

"FZ1 is a sensible choise, but a streetfighter isn't supposed to be sensible. That's why my choise is either Z1000 or Speed Triple. The brit wins this duel because of its style and sound"

"Kawasaki is a bit jumpy to my taste and Speed Triple a bit too wild. So my choise is FZ1" :gayaway: :gtfo:

"BMW rocks! ..... For fun riding the Speed Triple is the best"

"Speed Triple has the best sounds and most fun engine, but the worst gear box of the four. FZ1 is the best all around bike." :loser:




So they all seem to like speedy one way or another, but still it finished last. I actually agreed with all the negative points they raised about the bike. Technologically this bike isn't on the same level with those, but like the comments show, it's shit loads more fun ;D

 

[dfib]

WTF is wrong with the side stand? :slap:

 

[premier]

It's hard to get it down with your foot if you're not used to it.

 

[SKINNY]

It's hard to get it down if you use your right foot. FS :violent1:

 

[StuckInKansas]

I use my heel. Easy, WTF!!?

 

[Golfinc]

The problem with reviews like this is that they never take into account the majority of the riding that the owner will do northe owners personality.

I wouldn't buy a 1098 to travel from NC to Cali but I would ride a H-D Ultra Classic or a BMW GS1200.

Then again I wouldn't want an Ultra to bang around town on or hit the twisties.

Same goes for the rider's, shall we say, attitude. Motorcycles tell something about a person's soul. An S3 says "I have a streak of non-conformity and I want to piss you off a little". A '74 Shovel head with straight fishtails says I want to piss you off a lot (and I like to work on bikes ) A Beemer says I like to hit the start button go from point A to B, then smoke a pipe while regailing ervyone of tales from my bike trip through Austria.

"Bad side stand" who freakin cares????!!!!

 

[BillT]

It's hard to get it down with your foot if you're not used to it.

It took a little practice, but I've got no problem catching that little tit with my heel. I've seen people put a couple inches of rubber hose on that little tit. That way, there's more tit to kick, and less chance of marking your boot. If you ride barefoot, the rubber is easier on your big toe, too.

All those bike reviews say the same thing. The (Aprilia, MV, KTM, Ducati) outscores the Speed Triple, but they all say the Speed Triple is the most fun to ride, best daily driver, least tiring, cheapest.

If each reviewer actually had to buy these bikes and maintain them, only the Japanese would give Triumph a real run.

 

[kartstar]

Since I got Speedy back in Feb, I've gotten into the bad habit of grabbing whichever rag I don't currently have when on line at the grocery store.

Today I realized they all print the same stupid crap. Last month they tested middleweights in one - the Daytona 675 was fastest around the track, yet scored lowest in the "Track" section of the test...WTF??

One mag says Tiger is better than Multistrada, the other says vice-versa.

They're all full of crap, and we're all biased toward the S3, or we wouldn't be here...

 

[Guest]

Biggest bang for your buck the speed triple wins every time. :d:

 

[cheapbastard]

nice analogy golf. I like how ya said we like to piss people off a little. :finger: :smitty:

;D

 

[prizontatt]

piss people off? Not us little angels.. :laugh: :laugh:

 

[scrannel]

Biggest bang for your buck the speed triple wins every time. :d:

Just to say... when I went shopping I had no budget limits, just wanted the bike that was both kick-ass fun and comfortable to drive... and looked on the edge. Fell in love with the S3 and it's "broke bike" looks. Only thing I've changed is the front calipers.

 

[cwb4tx]

the only thing I think i worth really pushing with anyone who gives feedback to triumph on is the gearbox. I find missed shifts and a false neutral between 5/6 way too many times for only 500 miles on the bike. I know I'll "get used" to it and end up not having it happen much in the future but it feels like I'm shifting a box of rocks..

 

[Guest]

the only thing I think i worth really pushing with anyone who gives feedback to triumph on is the gearbox. I find missed shifts and a false neutral between 5/6 way too many times for only 500 miles on the bike. I know I'll "get used" to it and end up not having it happen much in the future but it feels like I'm shifting a box of rocks..

Try adjusting the gear change linkage :slap: :wave:

 

[cwb4tx]

worth a try. I'll wait till I have a few hundred more miles before puttering with it. In the end, I can live with it but I think the gearbox is still the weak link in a VERY good bike. Maybe patent/IP is what is preventing them from getting it more tight and snappy...

 

[crashmasterd]

Only 500 miles? Your gearbox isn't broken in yet. It will get significantly better after about 1000 miles, and better yet after 5000 miles. Good oil makes a difference too.

 

[scrannel]

the only thing I think i worth really pushing with anyone who gives feedback to triumph on is the gearbox. I find missed shifts and a false neutral between 5/6 way too many times for only 500 miles on the bike. I know I'll "get used" to it and end up not having it happen much in the future but it feels like I'm shifting a box of rocks..

Never had this problem. Had bike for a year.

 

[milq]

the only thing I think i worth really pushing with anyone who gives feedback to triumph on is the gearbox. I find missed shifts and a false neutral between 5/6 way too many times for only 500 miles on the bike. I know I'll "get used" to it and end up not having it happen much in the future but it feels like I'm shifting a box of rocks..

Try adjusting the gear change linkage :slap: :wave:

+1 on the adjustment. Mine was too high when I brought the bike home, lowered it down a little bit and it's golden (well, as good as can be hoped for). I have also noticed that if am a bit lazy on shifting (2 a.m. trying not to wake up the cop next door) the bike doesn't like it, so I always attempt to be purposeful with shifts. I won't deny that the trans could use some work...those japanese bikes shift so damned smoothly.

 

[premier]

Yeah. But "luckily" it seems I'm the first one who's gear box has actually failed. So it's always a POS but at least it's consistent with its crappy level of performance.

 

[kuhlka]

I wouldn't buy a 1098 to travel from NC to Cali but I would ride a H-D Ultra Classic or a BMW GS1200.

Eh? I'm gonna be taking my 1098 to Ohio and back (2,000+ miles total). But then again, I'm thinking I want to get there fast...