Street Triple R - It's Official

[Thirdway]

Originally Posted by davidlee79

Hi.

I've now got a slightly urgent question. I can potentially swap my deposit on a black Street Triple which should turn up pretty soon, with an R available (according to Triumph) around xmas time (note this may mean April next year ...) - the thing is, I'll have to move on this pretty much now if I'm going to do it.

I prefer the black finish of the stock bike, and was planning on upgrading the stock shock and perhaps forks / brakes (if reasonable) as well down the line, depending on how much track use it sees.

I'm curious how much I'd likely have to spend (Australian dollars) to bring the stock bike in line with the official R version or to surpass it. {etc}

The stock R forks and shock will offer little more than the standard ST. If you are using the bike for mostly track use then it might be a slight advantage to have the radial brakes.

The work on my forks cost me £395.00 + VAT and I could have saved £100 if I had not wanted the extra bling of fork top adjustment. This makes the forks a ****ed sight better than the R is likely to be. The advantage that the R has (and I dont know for certain that this is the case without opening up the forks) is that it is likely to be less expensive to re-valve as the cartridges are rebuildable. So that might cut the cost of fork mods to around £120.00 + VAT

The rear is likely to benefit from an upgrade the same as the ST (its rumoured by several Daytona owners that the existing unit has a short life span) and remember that many Daytona shocks find their way onto Ebay which gives some idea. The Maxton unit is 395.00 + VAT and I got a £25.00 discount on top of that.

Nitron are soon to do a rear shock that looks great and will cost even less and looks a fantastic bit of kit.

[Jekyll]

Thanks all, and especially thirdway - your input has been really helpful. I think I've made my decision.

If I take the stock bike, I get the colour I want, I can upgrade the shock (most importantly) and forks (if necessary) if, when and to the level of performance that suits me, and end up with a machine which performs better than the R if that's what I decide I need - and most importantly, I don't have to sit around chewing my elbows off for a year.

I'm still not clear on whether upgrading the brakes is likely to be straightforward or affordable (and the brakes were one of the things I *really* liked about the Speed), but without knowing how much time I'll be spending on the track I don't know if this is important yet. If it develops into an obsession I'm sure I can work something out.

I've heard of people doing a complete front-end replacement (http://www.triumph675.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20870) - I'm assuming a replacement front end would supply both fork + brake upgrades at the same time? If I'm patient perhaps I could find one for cheaps from a Daytona salvage ...

[Diego]

Originally Posted by davidlee79

...and end up with a machine which performs better than the R if that's what I decide I need...

Maybe if money is no object. Otherwise, how do you figure, since we don't know with any certainty yet what the R does come with, suspension wise? And while Triumph's news release says nothing about the engine, most of the "leaks" have it pepped up a little relative to the plain Street.

- and most importantly, I don't have to sit around chewing my elbows off for a year.

Well, maybe six months, but who's counting. Still, the point is well taken.

[Jekyll]

Curse your rational debate, Diego - now I'm conflicted again! Gahh!

Originally Posted by Diego

Maybe if money is no object. Otherwise, how do you figure, since we don't know with any certainty yet what the R does come with, suspension wise?

My reading of the available material leads me to expect roughly Daytona-equivalent components; I just can't see them showing up the Daytona here, and its shock is a pretty common upgrade target. I can't see myself ever needing or wanting to improve on the standard forks or brakes though, so that's a moot point.

Originally Posted by Diego

And while Triumph's news release says nothing about the engine, most of the "leaks" have it pepped up a little relative to the plain Street.

Well, though it's presumably open for debate whether the Daytona tuning / gearing would be an improvement on the Street's for off-track use, this would really be a major consideration if it were true - since there's no real way to change a stock Street to match - but I don't really expect this.

from mcnews.com.au:

The highly acclaimed Street Triple has been joined by a hotter sibling dubbed the Street Triple R.

More performance is promised due to the addition of higher specification inverted 41mm forks fully adjustable for preload, rebound and compression and a more sporting oriented piggyback shock absorber also offering the full gamut of adjustment.

Also borrowed from the fully faired Daytona 675 machine are radially mounted four-piston calipers and 308mm disc rotors.

A 5mm higher seat height and Magura handlebars change the rider angle of attach.

This info seems more definite and credible than anything else I've yet read on the topic, and makes no mention of the engine (in fact, mention of Daytona cams, etc. seems to correlate with a speculative tone and dubious track record from what I can tell).

Flipping the question: how much could I expect to pay to have the R resprayed in black (with white Triumph logo)?

[Shakey]

I doubt the 'R' will have Daytona like performance. Remember, they are having to pump up the Daytona in order to make it more attractive performance wise over the Street as it is. I still think modifying a stock Street Triple to suit your own needs makes more sense than buying a factory set up that may, or may not do what you expect it to.

[Diego]

Originally Posted by Shakey

Remember, they are having to pump up the Daytona in order to make it more attractive performance wise over the Street as it is.

What? I think my eyes must be deceiving me.

You're surely not saying it's the Street they've tweaked the Daytona to remain competitive with?

[Diego]

My reading of the available material leads me to expect roughly Daytona-equivalent components; I just can't see them showing up the Daytona here, and its shock is a pretty common upgrade target.

I expect you're pretty much correct in that assessment. The R is likely to give us some of what the Daytona already offered, while the Daytona steps ahead in a few areas.

I can't see myself ever needing or wanting to improve on the standard forks or brakes though, so that's a moot point.

The brakes are plenty good from my standpoint too, although I wouldn't be one to turn down better stopping power if it's really available--and not something done just to be trendy, as the first Speed Triple radial brakes turned out to be for a while.

But the forks... there I differ somewhat. Were I to get into modding heavily, I'd look into the front end early on.

See, I didn't grow up on sportbikes. My first rides were standards, and old school at that, because that's all there was back then. I've had fancier rides since, of course, but the Street's lack of adjustments doesn't bother me in the slightest. Despite a few elitists decrying its response as not being up to the way they expect a bike to feel , the rear suspension on the Street WORKS in the real world! Lots of professional riders also seem to agree, usually to their great surprise. The feel of this bike's rear suspension is something I understand and respect, and am happy to work with on its own terms.

(On the other hand, those who don't and aren't, have several options to choose from. It's a blank canvas, guys. If you want this thrifty machine to be something more than the standard it was created as, you're free to do as some of our most respected members have already done with great success, and make it more to your liking. We've got lots of threads on this already. <begin soapbox mode> All I ask is that, within my hearing, don't pontificate about any bike being "inadequate" based solely on it not meeting all your personal expectations right out of the crate. Let's face it: nothing else in this price range does, either, or presumably you would have bought it instead. <end soapbox mode>)

Back to the forks: while the rear doesn't bother me, as time goes by, I do find myself not as thrilled with the front end. Not bothered by it... it is what it is, and does OK... but if it employed a tad better compromise of damping characteristics, I believe the overall handling would feel more modern even with the stock rear. Guys who've replaced the rear suspension have been happy with the result, re: making it feel more like what they want for the riding they do, but I have to think those who upgrade both would be downright ecstatic.

Just something to think about as you plan your dream machine, from someone who doesn't dream quite as big. For my part, I'll be delighted if we can get more confirmed details about the R soon, so I can make up my mind whether to begin saving up for one of those, or just remain happy with what I've got.

I'll definitely pass on the new big twin, though. Unless I happen to see one in the flesh and it speaks to me the way the Rocket did, that is. I'm not expecting that to happen. But then, I didn't expect it with the Rocket, either.

[Jekyll]

Thanks for the feedback, Diego.

I'm stepping up from a banged up Honda Spada (AUD $2300), and under no illusions I need world class kit to enjoy myself either - but this bike is a big extravagance for me, and will be many things to me over the next few years. I just wanted to make sure I'm not painting myself into a corner by missing out on the R given that it's just around the corner.

I'm not by any means ragging on the stock bike: just making sure I've covered my bases. I could end up racking up most of my km at the track, making the suspension & brakes (and upgrade options) particularly relevant; or, more likely, it'll do just fine as a modern standard with a luggage rack and a flyscreen.

That's one of the great things about this class of bike

Anyway, I think I'll stick with the standard. It'll be black, and it'll be mine. And soon, I hope.

[Thirdway]

Originally Posted by davidlee79

Thanks all, and especially thirdway - your input has been really helpful. I think I've made my decision.

If I take the stock bike, I get the colour I want, I can upgrade the shock (most importantly) and forks (if necessary) if, when and to the level of performance that suits me, and end up with a machine which performs better than the R if that's what I decide I need - and most importantly, I don't have to sit around chewing my elbows off for a year.

I'm still not clear on whether upgrading the brakes is likely to be straightforward or affordable (and the brakes were one of the things I *really* liked about the Speed), but without knowing how much time I'll be spending on the track I don't know if this is important yet. If it develops into an obsession I'm sure I can work something out.

I've heard of people doing a complete front-end replacement (http://www.triumph675.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20870) - I'm assuming a replacement front end would supply both fork + brake upgrades at the same time? If I'm patient perhaps I could find one for cheaps from a Daytona salvage ...

It depends if you think radial brakes are really an upgrade. Once the fork mods are completed I found it has made the brakes feel a lot sharper. Everyone goes on about wanting stronger brakes, but in reality most riders hardly use the OEM braking power available, its more about the initial bite in most cases (something the Speed Triple had a lot of). Pretech do a 6 pot billet brake for the Street which runs a much stiffer caliper and low friction pistons which bolts straight on to the ST. The thing is that the ST is an unfaired bike that is really not suitable for huge velocities into turns, the wind pressure alone provides an enormous braking effect compared with a faired bike.

You could fit a Daytona front end, but you would still need to mod the forks (as I mentioned it would be far less expensive because the cartridges of the current Daytona are not sealed.....but remenber that when you come to sell the bike it would be clear that it was none-standard which can have an effect on the resale value).

The forks and shock should really be replaced at the same time if you are contemplating this path. The forks might be considered even more important.


One thing to bear in mind is that the cost of my bike modded was £788.00 (or would have been if I hadnt decided to go the extra mile for fork top adjusters that I did not really need). Thats around $1570.00.

Over the course of my 3 year ownership this equates to around $500.00 per year. The replacement bits have a longer lifespan than the OEM items and are totally rebuildable should you keep the bike for longer or do higher than average mileages. You get three years of riding around on a bike that is custom designed for your weight and riding style.

[Jamie]

I suppose we should be prepared for:

* a 12 to 15% price premium over the regular Street Triple (that's based on expected 2009 list prices)
* Unchanged engine torque and horsepower (I, for, one, would NOT want more power at the expense of torque)
* A wider range of "R"-specific accessories (which would be quite responsive to some of our "wish lists" here)



Jamie