The Only Speed Triple

[R100Pilot]

Well, went to my first RAT get-together last night and had a blast. It was quite a mixed bunch, since a local cruiser club was also there. Probably 30 bikes in all. I was kickin' myself for not bringing the camera. Next time I will for sure. Among the highlights:

• The S3 drew a lot of attention. It's the only one around and it was the first time lots of folks had seen one In The Wild.

• Two Daytona 675s were there. One graphite, one scorched yellow. Both sharp looking bikes.

• A Tuono R made up the rest of the naked contingent. Older guy owned it and obviously dropped a lot of $$$ on the thing. Carbon fiber everywhere. And he had one of those heads-up helmet displays, which was kinda cool, but I think I'll stick to gauges.

• One guy brought a 502 CI Boss Hoss. If you haven't seen or heard one of these rolling cartoons, you really oughta. Makes the Rocket III look like a 250LTD Kawasaki. Absolutely amazing bike. But would I want one? Uh... no thanks.

• Lots of Honda and Star cruisers. Personally, they bore the poo outta me, and the more you get in one place, the more they tend to blend into one amorphous Generic Cruiser Blob, but that's only my opinion. Obviously lotsa folks like 'em.

• Several Bonnevilles. Y'know, if retro is your thing, they really are a way cool alternative to the standard-issue Harley thing.

• Lots of women riders, which is a good thing. Most were on cruisers, but one was on a Buell Blast, which looked sorta like a minibike. My girlfriend still can't ride yet on accounta the surgery, but she showed up in the cage and will be there next month on the America.

• One guy showed up on an America with what I thought were aftermarket pipes. Turns out, he'd removed some of the baffles from the stockers and rejetted. That motor sounds GREAT uncorked, so I got him to show me what was involved (hole saw and a home-made hook - l'll spare the details. A lot cheaper than a whole new set o' pipes. Now if I can just talk the woman into lettin' me take a hole saw to her baby...

• The local dealer brought a Scrambler for test rides. I almost didn't, but figured what the hell, why not. It was kinda funny 'cause everybody kept coming back with a smile on their face, and talking about how weird the wide bars felt. I got on it and was right at home with the width, though they are a lot higher than the S3 bars. First thing I noticed, though, was the lack of power. This isn't a slam on the Bonnie engine - it's just that I'm used to the S3's instant hyperdrive. I'd say it felt like what it was - maybe 50 hp or so, slightly less than my old beemer. Handling-wise, though, it was great - very light, great brakes, leans into turns well. It's just that when you're comin' out of the turn and twist the throttle - well, it's just not a Speedy. Also, my legs do not fit the high-mount exhaust. The heat shield is forward of where my knee sits, and even though there's double-wall tubing all the way back, the inside of my thigh was pretty toasty. If I was gonna do the Bonnie thing, I'd probably go for the Thruxton instead.

I'm looking forward to next month and will bring the camera. It would be cool to get a shot of the S3 sandwiched between the Daytonas - and of course the Boss Hoss. Man, that thing is just WRONG - and I mean that in the best way.

[Dobieman]

Nice report R100. The naked sport bike thing is small here in the US. You are part of an exclusive bunch. I would like to try a Tuono. Its the only other naked I like but no dealer near by.
Get used to being the only S3 around, I like it.
You go to a bike night and look at all the Jap bikes and they are cookie cutters. Great bikes but very similar and common.
The S3 always gets some attention and inquiries. I know one other guy in Jax that has a blue one and is doing some nice mods so I keep in touch with him. He recently got a Sargent by the way and said they changed the seat pan to fit better on the new ones. I haven't seen it yet but might in the next day or two.

[cheapbastard]

cool story R100! You need to tell that dealer to bring ya a Rocket to test ride next time! You will feel much more at home with the power delivery!!! :-D That's cool that all kinds of bikes were there. Only Boss Hoss I've ever seen in person was a stink'n trike, and I ain't crazy about trikes. I appreciate the effort put into them, but they just ain't my thang! How do you become a member of your local Rat club? I don't even know where they meet around me? I'd like to join and go hang out a time or two if I can hang on to my speedy!

[R100Pilot]

Funny you should mention that, Cheap - they brought a Rocket III to the last meeting (the one I missed, naturally).

This Hoss was no trike - two wheels, and the rear tire was a bona fide 255/60 R automobile tire.

I like bein' the only Speedy there too. I mean, I can appreciate things like the GSXRs and the R-series Yamahas but it's like the cruisers - after a while, they all sorta blend into the scenery.

And I'm with ya, Dobie, on the Tuono. Our dealer has two - a regular and an R. Very sharp. Me likes.

[KarmaPunk1]

cheapbastard
Posted: 2006-06-21 08:11
How do you become a member of your local Rat club? I don't even know where they meet around me? I'd like to join and go hang out a time or two if I can hang on to my speedy!

Ask your local dealer. When I bought my bike, the dealership told me about it and gave the guy my email address. he sends out tons of email about events and such. (never go thou).

Or you can always check the Triumph website for info.

[cheapbastard]

thanks karmapunk, I'll have to check that out! :-D

[R100Pilot]

Yeah, I got hooked up through the dealer. The guy who runs our local chapter is very good about e-mailing concerning events, ride reports, etc. They also do a lot of cool rides in addition to the weekly breakfast run and monthly meeting.

In the last couple of months, they've gone to Birmingham and rented cabins for a trip to the Barber Museum, done the British in the Blue Ridge, and organized a run with the Pensacola RAT group to the Marianna Caverns, a nice state park here in FL, about midway between here and P-cola.

I'd probably do a lot more o' that stuff if I wasn't working on weekends.