Triumphrat

05-09-2005

I've been following the S3 through this forum. It appears to compete with the Ducati S4R (which is too pricey to even think about; $3500 more US).

I like the Duc's (and the S3) but am not sure the S3 is for me. It has (just a hair) of the UJM look with the inline engine. Anyone care to talk me out of a Duc? I'm looking for objective opinions. I know about the power difference.

Does the slipper clutch on the 2005 S3 have greatly reduced lever effort? The S2R clutch is 1/3 the pull of the other Duc's without the slipper. This is important (got a bad grip from an old bike crash).

How well does the small accessory fairing protect on the highway?

They both have a 2 year warranty. Gotta love that.

I've got a 2003 Yamaha Warrior now. Nice bike, but the feet-forward torque cruiser is not me I guess. I had an SV650 before that. Nice fun bike, but kinda of a cheap kids toy. All my other bikes were large on HP. I've been there and don't know if I need that kind of power anymore (ZL1000A1 Eliminator, GS1100E -1350cc, VFR1000RR, V65 Magna). I know the S3 has power in spades.

BTW, is it just me or are the Jap bikes getting more and more generic and soul-less every year?

05-09-2005

I've been following the S3 through this forum. It appears to compete with the Ducati S4R (which is too pricey to even think about; $3500 more US).

I like the Duc's (and the S3) but am not sure the S3 is for me. It has (just a hair) of the UJM look with the inline engine. Anyone care to talk me out of a Duc? I'm looking for objective opinions. I know about the power difference.

Does the slipper clutch on the 2005 S3 have greatly reduced lever effort? The S2R clutch is 1/3 the pull of the other Duc's without the slipper. This is important (got a bad grip from an old bike crash).

How well does the small accessory fairing protect on the highway?

They both have a 2 year warranty. Gotta love that.

I've got a 2003 Yamaha Warrior now. Nice bike, but the feet-forward torque cruiser is not me I guess. I had an SV650 before that. Nice fun bike, but kinda of a cheap kids toy. All my other bikes were large on HP. I've been there and don't know if I need that kind of power anymore (ZL1000A1 Eliminator, GS1100E -1350cc, VFR1000RR, V65 Magna). I know the S3 has power in spades.

BTW, is it just me or are the Jap bikes getting more and more generic and soul-less every year?

05-09-2005

Well as a proud owner of an 05 S3, I could say that bang for the buck hands down for the S3. I have several friends with Ducatis and well all they talk about is how much parts cost and things they need to do to get their bikes running right. If you want to have a Ducati as a status symbol then by all means get the Ducati. But if you want street respect then I would recommend the S3. I have put 1500 miles on the S3 and every time I go out with it I seem to push my bike further each time I ride. This is by far the most enjoyable bike I have ever ridden in my life and I have been riding for over19 years.

Get the S3, its much more unique the the DUC.

05-09-2005

Well as a proud owner of an 05 S3, I could say that bang for the buck hands down for the S3. I have several friends with Ducatis and well all they talk about is how much parts cost and things they need to do to get their bikes running right. If you want to have a Ducati as a status symbol then by all means get the Ducati. But if you want street respect then I would recommend the S3. I have put 1500 miles on the S3 and every time I go out with it I seem to push my bike further each time I ride. This is by far the most enjoyable bike I have ever ridden in my life and I have been riding for over19 years.

Get the S3, its much more unique the the DUC.

crashmasterd · 05-09-2005

If you gotta' have a Duc you gotta', and nobody is going to talk you out of it. However the S3 outperforms it in almost every way. The only inherent flaws with the Ducati are the frequent expensive maintenance and the equally expensive initial price. Both of these are not issues with the Speed Triple.

Motorcyclenews.com rated the 2005 Speed Triple #1 in a recent test of naked sportbikes, and rated the S4R #6 out of 8. The only ones they rated worse were the Buell XB-12S Lightning and the Kawasaki Z1000. Actually, they liked all the bikes but this is the order they liked them in.

#1 Triumph Speed Triple
#2 KTM Super Duke
#3 MV Agusta Brutale S
#4 Benelli TNT
#5 Aprilia Tuono
#6 Ducati Monster S4R
#7 Buell XB-12S Lightning
#8 Kawasaki Z1000

The Ducati is a sweet ride, with a few flaws and a basically fairly old design. Nothing new here.

Your choice, of course. I don't think you can go wrong either way but I know what I would choose. Oh yeah, I did.

It's not just you. Most Japanese bikes are getting a little boring these days. The notable exceptions are the SV650 and the SV1000 as far as I'm concerned. But with so many great other choices, who cares?

crashmasterd · 05-09-2005

If you gotta' have a Duc you gotta', and nobody is going to talk you out of it. However the S3 outperforms it in almost every way. The only inherent flaws with the Ducati are the frequent expensive maintenance and the equally expensive initial price. Both of these are not issues with the Speed Triple.

Motorcyclenews.com rated the 2005 Speed Triple #1 in a recent test of naked sportbikes, and rated the S4R #6 out of 8. The only ones they rated worse were the Buell XB-12S Lightning and the Kawasaki Z1000. Actually, they liked all the bikes but this is the order they liked them in.

#1 Triumph Speed Triple
#2 KTM Super Duke
#3 MV Agusta Brutale S
#4 Benelli TNT
#5 Aprilia Tuono
#6 Ducati Monster S4R
#7 Buell XB-12S Lightning
#8 Kawasaki Z1000

The Ducati is a sweet ride, with a few flaws and a basically fairly old design. Nothing new here.

Your choice, of course. I don't think you can go wrong either way but I know what I would choose. Oh yeah, I did.

It's not just you. Most Japanese bikes are getting a little boring these days. The notable exceptions are the SV650 and the SV1000 as far as I'm concerned. But with so many great other choices, who cares?

kuhlka · 05-10-2005

If you're looking for a rock bottom pricetag and ball-wrenching torque, get a Suzuki SV1000. I'm not going to push that bike too much though because I'm a lot more comfortable ergonomically on the Speed Triple, though the SV has a bit more grunt and a higher redline. Let your arse be your guide and go with what just feels right and makes you smile when you look at it. Also take into consideration parts availability and repair histories for your choices. My Triumph has been dead reliable beyond replacing an old battery and the SV is just an all-around fun bike...

kuhlka · 05-10-2005

If you're looking for a rock bottom pricetag and ball-wrenching torque, get a Suzuki SV1000. I'm not going to push that bike too much though because I'm a lot more comfortable ergonomically on the Speed Triple, though the SV has a bit more grunt and a higher redline. Let your arse be your guide and go with what just feels right and makes you smile when you look at it. Also take into consideration parts availability and repair histories for your choices. My Triumph has been dead reliable beyond replacing an old battery and the SV is just an all-around fun bike...

Sir_Loin · 05-10-2005

I did some research when going for a naked sportbike this year. I realized the 2005 S3 beats the Italians in price and hp. (although I just found out about a Tuono R for sale under 2000 miles and 9 grand :evil: )

I believe the Triumph wins in the reliability and ease of service catagory vs the Italians.

As Kuhlka mentioned, the SV1000 is a great bike. I had a 99 TLS which shared the same engine (as did the TLR). This engine has undergone a change in it's state of tune after it's 97 TLS debut when 2 motorjournalists wadded them, one fatally if I remember correctly. I think the tuning has been tweaked again when the bike turned from a TLS to a SV1000. But make no mistake, the motor is a peach and alot more hp can be released with the usual aspirational mods, and more hp if you are willing to get into cams and compression.

What made me choose the Triumph over the SV is the frame, suspension and braking systems of the S3. All three of these components seem stronger and more dedicated to performance riding than the Suzuki setup, and less likely to be overwhelmed by a strong engine.

All in all, I'm glad I went with the 05 S3.

Now it's off to work I go, practicing a few monos on the way

[ This message was edited by: Sir_Loin on 2005-05-10 06:02 ]

Sir_Loin · 05-10-2005

I did some research when going for a naked sportbike this year. I realized the 2005 S3 beats the Italians in price and hp. (although I just found out about a Tuono R for sale under 2000 miles and 9 grand :evil: )

I believe the Triumph wins in the reliability and ease of service catagory vs the Italians.

As Kuhlka mentioned, the SV1000 is a great bike. I had a 99 TLS which shared the same engine (as did the TLR). This engine has undergone a change in it's state of tune after it's 97 TLS debut when 2 motorjournalists wadded them, one fatally if I remember correctly. I think the tuning has been tweaked again when the bike turned from a TLS to a SV1000. But make no mistake, the motor is a peach and alot more hp can be released with the usual aspirational mods, and more hp if you are willing to get into cams and compression.

What made me choose the Triumph over the SV is the frame, suspension and braking systems of the S3. All three of these components seem stronger and more dedicated to performance riding than the Suzuki setup, and less likely to be overwhelmed by a strong engine.

All in all, I'm glad I went with the 05 S3.

Now it's off to work I go, practicing a few monos on the way

[ This message was edited by: Sir_Loin on 2005-05-10 06:02 ]