Triumphrat

OwenS · 08-23-2007

Ok, to those of you who replied to my previous questions about the 95 speed triple, the confusion has been cleared up, it is actually a 97 t509 (885). The bike has 54k km on it and so i really dont know if that is enough to be concerned about and whether the age of the bike is also a concern? I have been doing some research, though it seems hard to find much info on the t509 (and direction would be had) and from what i have read, there are complaints that the 885 engine is underpowered and lacks low end torque and have found conflicting reviews on the FI system, a few saying it is poor and imprecise and another saying it is a beautiful fuel system.

If i may, i would really like anyone who owns one of these or has ridden one to give me there opinion of the bike. This will be my first BIG bike and its either this or a 2003 suzuki sv650n - same price, just trying to weigh it all up at the moment.

I really like the S3, and would really like to be persuaded to buy it over the suzuki

pippcicle · 08-23-2007

I was in a similar position as you about a year ago - looking to take a step up from the 250cc bikes to something bigger. The SV650 was definitely a front runner as there were plenty of used ones available, tons of after market parts, and an excellent choice for an entry level bike (at least according to a majority of the reviews).

During my search, I came across a 98 t509 and never looked back. The bike had 27k miles on it, but I was assured from the seller that all these miles were put on by an old lady riding to church on Sundays. I have put 4k miles on it this year without a single issue. It really came down to an emotional decision for me. The SV650 looks good on paper, but the design and feel of the bike never did anything for me. The S3 still gives me a chubby every time I look at her. The only major problem I have heard about is a fourth gear issue on some of the earlier t509's. You could do a search on here for what serial numbers to avoid.

I have no complaints on either the 885 engine or the FI system, but I really do not have enough experience with different bikes to offer any valid opinions on this.

Here is one article I found when I was looking at the S3:

http://www.2wf.com/index2.php?option...o_pdf=1&id=146

cave1 · 08-23-2007

I have a '97 T509 that I bought from a buddy who bought it new. It's now at 21,000 miles, and has offered no mechanical problems whatsoever. When I got the bike, it had a stock can and a very old map in it. Not much was happening before 4.5K rpm. I put a triumph high level can on it and the corresponding Triumph map and now the bike will pull ok from idle and pull pretty hard over 4K rpm. I don't weigh very much (maybe 160 lbs soaking wet with gear on), and I virtually never need or even want more power than the bike offers. The times I've been on pure sportbikes recently (most notably GSXR-1000, ZX-12), I have not used a very large fraction of the power available.

I love the T509. It's an absolute kick to ride, handles superbly, has plentiful power, and has lots of torque above about 4K rpm. It's really nice on the eyes, and sounds like nothing else on the road. The SV650 is, what, 50 pounds lighter? And probably down about 30 horsies (at the crank)? And you see one at every other stoplight. I know which bike I prefer...

Stampy · 08-23-2007

As I said in your last post, I had a ball on my 509, I've had the 02 and 06 Speedtriples but will always have a fond place for my first the 509. The fueling on mine was spot on no worries at all. I did around 30.000 trouble free K's and it never let me down. Way fast enough for public roads, Sure a little slower than the updated versions in saying that I found no lacking in power from her at all. Just check your VIN No to see if 4th gear is an issue, Other than that they are great bikes. I don't know how the previous owner has treated her thats always a bit of a worry, But if it's in good nick, Regular services etc buy it.

OwenS · 08-23-2007

The bike is owned buy an older guy (hes been riding for 40 odd years) regular service, it has the triumph high rise race can on it too, only other thing i want to ask about is that is has 54k kms (33.75k miles) on it, is this too much for a bike such as this? Will resale be pretty much impossible once it hits 60k k's? Obviously i dont know much about non jap bikes but i know if it was a jap bike it would be pretty **** hard to sell with this many km's on it.

Hes asking $6500 aussie dollars, US$5336.62 , 2659.77 british pounds...is this a good price? And how undermatched is the 885 engine to the 955? It just seems that the t509 is A LOT less popular than the 955, wondering why this is, is it just because more 955's were made?

cave1 · 08-23-2007

The T509 has considerably less torque than the 955, and the torque doesn't start as low in the rev band. But an sv650 has less torque still than the T509, so I took it initially that you weren't completely focused on torque. by the way, the 955 motor had two iterations, and the later one had both a horsepower and a torque bump, due to higher compression.

That sounds like a LOT to pay for a '97 T509. Maybe a year and a half ago, I got mine absolutely unmolested with 20k miles for US $3K. The kind of dosh you're talking about would buy a lot of different used bikes in the Triumph lineup, at least stateside.

I don't worry much about the T509s becoming unsellable. The older Hinckley Triumphs depreciate to a point and then good running examples kind of level out in price. Because the T509 shares so many parts with the later 955s, the market for used parts, even whole engines, is pretty flush. You can keep one running as long as you want to. And if you're a purely dollars and cents guy, and have no qualms about breaking up a really nice bike, the T509s are worth quite a bit parted out. For these reasons, unless you buy in for too much initially, I myself wouldn't worry about getting stuck with one.