Triumph Street Triple (2008) - Review - Test By, Trevor Hedge Page 1 (Engine)   /   Page 2 (Touring)   /   Page 3 (Performance)   /   Page 4 (Summary/Specs)  /  Page 5 (Wallpaper)

Street Triple Treat - Page 1 (Engine) By, Trevor Hedge Triumph have made the triple cylinder configuration their own in recent years. In-line three cylinder engines have been the signature engineering layout for the brand since the company reinvented itself in 1990. A brief foray into big bore four-cylinder machines with the TT600 and 1200 Daytona and Trophy machines met with limited success but by and large all modern sporting Triumphs have been powered by a triple. Of course Triumph pioneered the triple cylinder layout with the model recognised as the world’s first multi-cylinder production bike, the 1968 Trident. Forty years later what is perhaps the best triple cylinder engine ever has emerged from the Triumph factory. While the original triple displaced 750cc and more recent variations included 750, 885, 955; 1050cc in the current Speed Triple, Sprint ST and Tiger and a gargantuan 2294cc monster in the Rocket III, to my mind the best of all is the smallest on offer and it measures only 675cc in capacity. Good things often come in small packages and the new Street Triple 675 is one great little package. Powering the Street Triple is essentially the same 675 triple treat that first saw duty in the much heralded Daytona 675 sportsbike introduced in 2006. For naked duty in the Street Triple the engine has been modestly retuned for better bottom end response through milder cam profiles. However it has not been strangled and still runs the heady 12.65:1 compression ratio and boasts short gearing that makes the bike a hoot around town. A gorgeous resonance from the air-box when winding the throttle on provides even more aural pleasure than the note from the 3-1-2 exhaust system. The Street Triple redlines at 12,650rpm. Power has tailed off a little by then but the machine still pulls well all the way to an indicated 14,000rpm on the tachometer. The engine is a ripper and is only some Daytona 675 race-kit parts away from unleashing more top end if you simply must do so. But unless you were going racing, I can’t really see the need. A handy feature for track-day punters is a tilt sensor in the engine management system that stops the engine if the bike is dropped. Triumph state that more than 60Nm of torque is available from 3500rpm right through to 12,300rpm with a peak figure of 69 arriving at 9,100rpm and I have no reason to doubt that claim. Around town the Street Triple jumps away from the lights with a surprising eagerness thanks to quite short gearing and a slick gearbox and clutch make shuffling up and down the cogs a joy. Continue to Page 2...

Triumph Street Triple (2008) - Review - Test
By, Trevor Hedge
Page 1 (Engine)   /   Page 2 (Touring)   /   Page 3 (Performance)   /   Page 4 (Summary/Specs)  /  Page 5 (Wallpaper)