Well guys, I have finally run 25,000 miles on my Speed Triple. I purchased my 2006 Triumph Speed Triple 06/10/08 with 3,000 miles. Yesterday marked 28,000 miles on my speedo, so I thought I would write the long term test review on my baby.
I purchased my Speed Triple for $6800 and it came with the Arrow 3-1 Full System exhaust, belly pan, seat cowl, flyscreen, K&N air filter, and a couple of bits powdercoated black. The moment I took it for the first ride, I knew I was in love. I plopped down the dough to the previous owner in Chattanooga, TN and promptly rode it home. Midway back home, I knew that the stock seat had to go. It is an instrument of torture. I also found that this bike was not the Honda CB900 Custom that I came from. The Speed Triple was an indescribable leap in technology for me. I no longer had to pull a choke, the brakes were scary powerful, and the engine... Oh the engine. This bike has power everywhere! Instant go juice no matter how low the revs, no matter what gear, it just leaps forward with a twist of the wrist. The tone of the Arrow exhaust was much more muted than my old 900 with debaffled Hooker headers but still sounded respectable. I was infatuated with the intake noise, the ride quality, and the shear beauty of my bike.
Almost immediately after purchasing the bike, I ordered my Sargent Seat ($410). This was by far one of the best mods I have purchased! I no longer needed to wear a cup to protect the family jewels and I could finally ride all day without any discomfort. I also ordered some SAI blockoff plates ($60) similar to the PAIR bock off plates for the 919 to help eliminate some popping on decel. Also ordered was the Tuneboy Engine Management system ($450). This program is quite useful as it directly programs the ECU without having to have a box on the bike like PCIII and it allows me to read engine codes, turn off O2 sensor, adjust idle speed, and much more. Following that, I ordered two sets of sliders from a fellow Triple owner who works at his own machine shop for a very reasonable $60. I thought I was done modding for a bit and started to really explore what this machine could do. During this time, I found that the belly pan would touch the ground before the pegs or my knee so I removed it...
Getting more comfortable with the bike, I started to understand some things regarding the nature of the bike. It has an extremely short wheelbase. It is slightly shorter than a Super Duke but not because the rake angle is tight but because the rear swing-arm is so short. This makes wheelies happen without thought but also affects the way the bike handles. It drops into turns quite easily but to get passed the 28 degree drop requires a bit more effort than a sport-bike would. The upright handlebars make this easy and it holds a line very well. The monstrous torque from the inline triple makes cornering so much fun as it launches out of corners with an angry howl.
Within six months of ownership, I was finally tired of always keeping the revs high to hear the sweet sound of the exhaust and consequently purchased the Trident Carbon Fibre Half System exhaust. I also had the header ceramic coated to match the black half system. During the process, the header was ported to match the profile of the exhaust valve off the engine and the "pre-cat" was removed from the header. Installing this system on my bike not only transformed the look but also drastically improved performance and sound. The system is quite light for a high mount and added a a lot of bass to the exhaust sound. The stock mirrors also got replaced as I had to turn my body to see behind me, thus I went with some CRG knockoffs from ebay for $20.
Last year, I bought some soft luggage and went for a long trip with my father-in-law who owns a Tiger 1050. During the trip, I found out that the heat resistant material really didn't work well when sitting on a hot carbon fibre exhaust! Down in Birmingham, I was able to have the bike professionally tuned to make 128 hp at the rear wheel and also had the headlight buckets powdercoated. Having the bike tuned made an enormous difference especially at part throttle applications and took care of some fueling issues I had such as jerking forward suddenly when applying the throttle. It was so smooth. The trip also confirmed in my mind that this bike makes an exceptional sport touring bike for me. I love naked bikes and this one was so comfortable over a long 3500 mile trip.
Then last September I had an accident. As far as I can figure, I came around a 90 degree turn and started losing the rear due to cold tires and road. I continued with the throttle when the tire suddenly hooked up into a massive wheelie. The wheelie carried me well passed the 12 oclock position where I scuffed up the rear of the bike, fell off and lost half my buttcheek as the bike slid on the left side until it came to a stop... Full coverage insurance paid for my damages and the bike is now whole again. This time, I went with a Comp Werkes slip on exhaust instead of the high mount for ease of using throw over luggage. It is even louder than my Trident exhaust and is a very nice looking piece.
The Speed Triple is a very capable bike for just about any situation. It is incredibly uncomfortable for a pillion but the rider can ride in complete comfort for hours with the seat upgrade. It has so much usable power. No, it won't win any highspeed runs or even do very well at the drag strip but it is just so much fun on the street. I cannot say enough about the character this bike emanates. It has its little quirks which remind me of the 900 in some ways. The growl of the exhaust, and the engine noise, and so many other things that I love about her. Sure it has a few weaknesses such as the spark plugs can start to rust at the top unless you put dialectic grease in the coil boot. Also, the paint seems to be fairly soft as my tank has a couple of small chips in it. But small niggles aside, I can tell you that this bike could make almost anyone grin when they get off. The Speed Triple has never left me stranded and seems to be pretty well built. I just checked my valve clearances and not a single one was out of spec after 25,000 miles. Triumph hit this one out of the ball park and I can't wait to ride another 25,000 miles!
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