I returned to motorcycling this year after 26 years away. No real reason to be away. I just sold my bike and quit. I flirted with it again for the past 15 years or so, then this year bought a new 2014 Triumph Bonneville. My thoughts thus far follow.*
Good things:*
I am really glad that I started riding again. I enjoy it more than I remember.*
I love the Bonne. It may not be the right bike for me long term (more later), but it's nice. It gets more looks than the other bikes nearly everywhere I go, and that is fun for me.*
The Bonne does everything reasonably well. Nothing great, but everything well.*
It is an easy ride. It's just easy to ride around anywhere. (Unless you're on the freeway at 75+ with lots of large traffic. More on that later also.)*
Room for improvement:*
At 75 mph and up, with lots of large traffic on the freeway, it is a bit of work on the Bonne. I can do it (did it today),*but there is a better tool for that job. (That is with the Dart Classic windscreen, which helps A LOT. Previously it felt that way at about 60.)*
Upgrade the suspension. It isn't that terrible, but it could be a lot nicer.*
Upgrade the seat. It really needs that if you ride far often.*
What I want:*
Speed Triple. Years with round headlights and 1050 engine.*
Why:*
Because the Speed Triple is the reason that I first seriously started considering getting back into motorcycles. The first time I saw one, it had me, and that has not changed. I think it is the coolest looking motorcycle that I have ever seen, and it is nearly universally lauded as pretty fantastic to ride.*
I've considered getting a Street Triple. Looked at one this week. I still may do that, but I don't know if that will do it for me. I'm pretty sure I need a Speedy. (Probably cross-posting)*
Get one. I cured a 15 year itch when I finally bought mine. I too wanted the "proper" round headlamp model, and bought a 2010 SE. That said, by all accounts the later models are better bikes, and have certainly grown on me. Not sure that comfort over distance is their strong suit though. Take a good long test ride first, but the motor is sublime. Gearing is real world, no "200mph in top" B/S here. Post 2008 model has slightly longer seat, and the Brembo monoblocs are a leg up in the braking department, but there's no such thing as a bad Speedie. The end. :smile2:
Just do it! I too was away for a long time, and became hooked because my son has one. Best thing I have done for myself. I bought a 2012 Speed Triple R. At first I wasn't into the headlights but I wanted the other stuff. Now, I love the headlights.
I've owned about 30 bikes over the years. Sold my bike at 21 years old because I was going to kill myself. KZ1000, pretty sweet back in the day. Didn't buy another till I was 38, another KZ1000. Then I started going through bikes like socks, not wrecking them, just changing, buying selling, Gixxers, KZs, R1, then I almost bought an S1000RR, put money down and then saw a Speed Triple, I was sold. Bought an 09 new, a couple years later it was stolen so I bought a 2011 SE because there was no other bike for me. Then I found my 09... long story. Gave the 09 to my wife and modded the 2011 the same as the 09. Sorry to go on and on, but the bottom line is it is by far the best bike I have ever owned for my riding style. Twisties, wheelies and long rides. If you buy one the gel seat is a must, the stock seat is a torcher device after an hour. I take mine on two week rides every year, 6000km no problem. Buy one, you'll love it.
Thank you for the story. I know I want one, so I have to have one. Nothing else makes me stop and stare like that, though I hardly ever see one here on the street. And like you said about going through bikes - if I decide that I really want a Street, I can sell it and buy one. Plenty of them out there
So yeah, that's what I'm probably doing. There is a place in town with a speed and street used that I can arrange test rides, per one of their sales guys. Unless I buy something sooner, I need to do that next week when I have time.
I was out of riding for 40 years and then bought a Speed. That was an eye opener. After two years, two months, and 38,000 miles on it I just love this thing. In my eyes, the looks are better than any other naked. It gets up and moves as good as I could ever want it to. It's comfortable for long distance riding. The engine characteristics are just fantastic.
There are times when the siren song if more power is alluring, but I seriously doubt that if I had more power I'd ride it any differently. In the real world, there's only so fast you can go and not get arrested. This thing just suits my riding style.
If I wear this one out, I'll probably get an updated version.
So do it. At the end of the day, when you look in your garage each morning you should smile because you're happy with your choice.
I had a 2013 SE and sold it b/c I was going back to my roots on a Harley...what a joke. I sold the HD 5 months later and am now on a Ducati Multistrada which I absolutely love, but that isn't the point of this post. Now that the new Speedy is out, I'm working on making it possible to have that as a 2nd bike in the garage because you just can't beat them.
I Bought the 2013 S3 SE because I thought it was the best looking bike i'd ever seen, I never got used to it and traded it after 6500 miles, nice bike, I found out bikes aren't a one size fits all so if you're on the fence between 2 do yourself a favor and ride them both, and if you're still on the fence buy used, the resale down the road won't hurt so bad .
A fair point well made Steve. The other bike I was looking at when I bought mine was an Aprilia Tuono-the V twin model. Seriously good shove from a smooth motor, same Brembo brakes, and (subjective) a good looking bike, at least the Gen II is. It's a bit bigger all round than the Trumpet so suits a bigger rider. I'd be more than happy to own one. :smile2:
The tuono V4 with a proper bike sounds like sex on wheels to me, but the terrible fuel consumption turned me off. I bought a 12 S3 after many years of being away from bikes and it does EVERYTHING I ask it to no matter the circumstances or surface! Each time I think I need a new bike, it reminds me that the S3 is PLENTY bike for what I need a bike for!
"Each time I think I need a new bike, it reminds me that the S3 is PLENTY bike for what I need a bike for!"
^This. That is the answer to one of the questions I asked myself finally before I bought the Speed Triple. What do I need a bike for? What am I going to do with it? What kind of riding do I actually enjoy?
Ask yourself those questions and you'll be able to eliminate a lot of bikes from your want list.
Man, what a thread! I have also been "looking" at the speed triple. I haven't ridden one yet, but what a beautiful bike. I'm thinking that it would be a great commute bike because of the size and the seating position, a little upright. Seems like it would be a nice lane splitter to get through freeway and city traffic. I have a Bonneville T-100 that I've been messing around with for a couple of years. It has been a great bike and easy to maneuver through idiots on the freeway during rush hour, but my most recent mods are changing it to a less comfortable long commute vehicle. The other dilemma I have that's preventing me from an immediate purchase is I just bought a 2016 R3R, this is a great bike but a little hectic weaving in and around the cagers. Plus the power house of the rocket may have ruined me in the power of other bikes. Like i mentioned, haven't ridden the speed triple but does it have pretty good power? I know that comparing it to the rocket is unfair but I'm at 210 lbs and I still want to be able to dodge a squirrel or a tire flying off a truck.
We aren't aloud to lane split here. Would save a ton of time in traffic...then again I'd be chitting my pants thinking some cager is going to pinch me off or open their door. :surprise:
I had a r3 2006 pipes filter and off-road tune.band I bought a 2013 S3 Se and the R 3 ruined me. I think in a drag race the s3 would win but for hwy riding and roll on power nothing beats the rocket, but if you want to do a track day once in awhile the s3.
OK so I cheated on you guys and bought the superduke, I still love triumphs
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