I read a lot of posts about power and speed, but the real soul of this light bike is the sweet handling. My 2010 STR really impressed me in the corners when I first bought it. Now it amazes me after two mods; I installed the Ohlins TR805 shock with 115Nm spring and lengthened it by 2 full turns on the eyelet end which raised the rear slightly. I installed a 520 sprocket conversion with a 49T rear (2 teeth more than the stock 47T) which shortened the wheelbase almost a half inch. The result is even quicker handling in the corners; corrections and transitions are effortless. - Wayne (oh yeah about power and speed; get the QuickShifter it's awesome!)
I've had the intention of posting about my last track day but have not found the time to do it properly. I too bought the bike based on a mix of comfort and handling and reliability.
I have been to the track twice now with the bike. On street tires I am pushing B+ pace around Thunderhill. My favorite session of the day was chasing a 2009 Daytona. He passed me on the strait when I was still warming up the tires. So I stuck on his tail (10' at most) for quite a few laps until I got him braking into turn 10 at which point he got stuck in traffic and fell behind. It was a blast because we were so evenly matched. He couldn't pull me down the straits and We were about even in the corners. He admitted to being on stock pads and not ever changing his fluid in 4 years. So he was getting a high amount of fade and I could easily rail on my brakes all day with no fade.
I have to admit that I was grinning quite wide when I passed the guy on a brand new Panigale for the second time (again late braking into turn 10) on a naked 675.
I couldn't be happier! Although a D675R wouldn't hurt.
I installed a 520 sprocket conversion with a 49T rear (2 teeth more than the stock 47T) which shortened the wheelbase almost a half inch. The result is even quicker handling in the corners; corrections and transitions are effortless
When I did the same I had a couple of links taken out of the new chain too for added hilarity. Throw in a set of very road friendly ferrodo pads at the front and a slightly tweaked TOR tune (on stock cans) and I'm having a very fun summer on what feels like a different bike.
I've dabbled with the chain size with other bikes . No real difference .. Sprocket size however ......... :GoodLookin
I will eventually go down 1 in the front and up 2 in the rear .. Would certainly help with the getup and go all around . Even maybe up the top speed where my Striple can lag at times . No saying I routinely break any speed limits or other illegal activity.... :YellowWink
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums
3.9M posts
167.7K members
Since 2002
A forum community dedicated to Triumph Motorcycle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, racing, cafe racers, bobbers, riding, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!