Rolling Thunder High Performance Toys: Test Rides

Past Months Archives:

		Honda RC-51
		Triumph Speed Triple
		The Harley's Buell Cyclone vs. Triumph Speed Triple
		Honda VFR 800 Interceptor
		Suzuki SV650

		Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter

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Spotlight This Month: Triumph Speed Triple

by Ray Cannefax

At the recent Park City Motorcycle Week, Triumph, along with Ducati, BMW and Buell had their factory trailers with all their demo bikes present for public evaluation. It was my good fortune that I was able to take a couple of these machines into the mountains surrounding the Park City Ski Resort. Following all the test rides on the various marques, the one that is permanently etched in my memory is the ride on the Triumph Speed Triple - a true hooligan bike. Though I have never been a fan of the dual headlamp front end styling of the Speed Triple, the rest of the bike has nice, clean, unencumbered lines with the frame clearly visible. I miss the little fairing the 1999 model used to clean up the area in front of the gauges and dash. All in all though, the bike offers a very nice blend of metal, rubber and fiberglass to make it an attractive 432 lb. package.

    Now, lets move on to the important stuff - performance. Or, in this case, PERFORMANCE!!! Never in my thirty-plus years in motorsports have I experienced the sort of acceleration provided by the Speed Triple on that nice sunny September morning in Park City. (For further clarification, one needs to know that I've competed in race cars ranging from dragsters to Indy Cars, a great number of motorcycles and everything in between). After making the turn from State Road 224 onto the Winter Sports Park Road, and rolling at about 10 mph, I gave the Triple full throttle. What happened next I'm not really sure other than I flashed back to an episode of Star Trek where the Enterprise reached warp speed and the stars go from little dots to white streaks. I actually got dizzy and backed off the throttle. As I looked back toward the intersection, I was astonished at the amount of distance I had covered in just about two seconds. I began to wonder if it had scared me, but realized that I had been severely enlightened. A new experience, a new rush, and a new love affair. The rest of the Triple's performance was equally enjoyable. At about 125 mph on S.R. 224 I was still in fifth gear and not yet at red line. The bike seemed so stable and solid that I felt as though I could take my hands off the grips and it would continue going exactly in the direction it was pointed. No, I didn't do it. The suspension was a bit on the stiff side, but just right for a quick run on the road course where the HMRA ran the vintage street races later that day. The Triple was easy to set up for a turn with a great deal of late braking available. The raw power to the rear wheel coming from the 108 bhp, 955 cc triple, helps the bike accelerated briskly out of the turns. As I experienced on the race course as well as on the winding road that leads to the Winter Sports Park, the Triple is very manageable and a lot of fun to on both the tight turns, sweepers and straights.

    Prior to leaving the Triumph compound I had been advised by Triumph's Manager of Consumer Events, Myrrh Davis that the front brakes on the Speed Triple were "a beautiful thing". How right she was about those two 320 mm disks and the 4 piston calipers.. As an unexpected Stop sign popped out from behind recent brush growth I quickly remembered her words as I began to get a death grip on the brake lever. After riding a Harley most the summer I've become conditioned to applying a hard squeeze to bring my ride to a stop. The Triple required nothing more than a very light squeeze to bring me from approximately 50 mph to a complete stop. On the other end, the rear brake really isn't much to write about. It's actually a bit on the weak side. But, with the front brakes being what they are, the rear is adequate.

    The conclusion after riding all those bikes I during the Park City Motorcycle Week is that I now need to add a Triumph to my garage. The Speed Triple would be the perfect bike for blasting around town and up and down our local canyons. With the performance and weight of Triumph's Sprint ST being virtually the same as the Triple, and with a fairing and optional bags, I think the Sprint ST may be the bike for me. I don't know where to put her yet, but I'm sure I can find a spot. In closing, just let me say that the one thing you need to do, as soon as you finish this article is go to your nearest Triumph dealer and take a ride on that bad boy, hooligan bike they've called the Speed Triple.

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