new here...

[LS6Sdime]

Hey everyone! I have been riding for a few years now, and looking for a really nice bike now.

I have always been a fan of naked/streetfighter bikes. One of my favorites has to be a Buell Lightning XB12s. Now I really don’t want to get anything over 1000cc because of the insurance prices.

So now I have recently discovered the Street Triple, and I think it’s an amazing looking bike.

I would mainly ride it to college and work, only on the nice days, because I also have a few vehicles at my disposal.

The bikes on my list are...

Buell Lightning XB12s
Kawasaki Z1000
Triumph Speed Triple
Triumph Street Triple

The cool thing about the Buell is that it gets insane gas mileage, like 60+ on the highway.

Anyways, how is the maintenance and reliability of the Street Triple? I don’t really know much about Triumph's, so any information would be awesome. Plus from where I’m located, I don’t know any dealers even remotely close to me who sell Triumph's.

[Ken M1]

Im biased towards the Street Triple (hey ...I am on this site!). It's a lightweight power house that will surely give the Buell a run for it's money (and it's a LOT more for the money might I add, since the Buell XB12 starts at around $10,500 usd). The Buell does get AWESOME gas milage per power. However, comparing the two is like comparing "apples to oranges". They are different breeds. The twin on the Buell is a low revving powerhouse of a torque monster....and the inline fours of Japanese bikes are high revving Horsepower machines. The Triumph Street (and Speed, for that matter) are in between. They (Street and Speed) are a beautiful compromise that accomplishes both Torque AND Horsepower. Although the Triumph will never match the 80+ lb/lbs of torque the Buell XB12 makes...it's happy being revved OR just pulling along. The Buell is a torque monster that the Triumph dare not mess with (on congested/city type streets)....but the Triumphs are more versitile. BOTH are fantastic bikes and hit their mark with bulls eye accuracy...but they are two different animals. You would be better off trying to understand YOUR riding style and needs before deciding which you should be looking at.

[Triumphant600]

Very well put.

[CrazyCam]

As Ken so rightly said, it's about what you want from a bike.

It is also, a bit, dependent on you.

You'll need to find a Triumph dealer, and sit on, and test ride both the Speed and Street Triples.

ditto for the Buell and Kwaka.

I tried the Speed triple, and, had I been 3" taller, and twenty five years younger, fitter (and sillier?) I'd have bought it, but, as I am, I am happy with it's little brother the Street Triple.

Actually, that's not really true....25 years ago, I went out and bought a Kwaka 750 Turbo!

I don't know what you ride at the moment, but, from your comments about insurance costs and fuel economy, I think you might like to investigate the cost of tyres for all the bikes that you have mentioned.

Any of them will eat tyres with gay abandon if you are remotely enjoying yourself and will cost quite a bit to keep properly shod.

[LS6Sdime]

Thanks for the advice guys.

And CrazyCam,

The only one of those that I have sat/rode it the buell. It fits me like a glove and I'm only 5'6" 160lbs. I located a dealer in about 1.5 hours away and I emailed them about the Street Triple, apparently they have no 07, or 08's and you can put a deposit down on a 09.

I went to about 6 different dealers around me looking for a Z1000, and none of them have one. Apparently they dont sell well up here, so they rarely order them anymore. Naked bikes really dont sell at all in the states, I dont know how it is in other countries.

To me I am really leaning toward the Street Triple because of the lowest MSRP of the bunch, and only have 675cc and "probably" the cheapest to insure, plus it has all the power I would really need. I really need to go and ride one to see if it fits me.

Anyways, are there any other bikes/brands you guys suggest I look at also?

[Jamie]

Welcome to this forum.

Just test ride whatever mount you can get your butt on... and, like the vast majority of motorcycle mags world-wide, you'll inevitably conclude that the Street Triple is THE BEST in the middle-weight roadster or "naked bike " class.

Or you can do without such testing chores and procrastinations and order one right away, i.e. IF you can get hold of one.

Best. Jamie