THE 2008 Street Triple is Triumph’s version of a rock music supergroup. The British manufacturer has taken two of its stars — the Daytona 675 sport bike and the Speed Triple street fighter — and put them on a single stage.

The result is something like Bono fronting the White Stripes. It’s a bold and exciting concept on paper, but it doesn’t entirely succeed.

Triumph’s goal was to harness the best attributes of each bike and create the Velvet Revolver of pedal-to-the-metal motorcycles, but there’s something off about this bike that I can’t quite figure out. In its attempt to make an affordable and fierce middleweight naked bike, Triumph has made a motorcycle that’s light, powerful — and unrefined.

Looks-wise, the Street Triple takes much of its style from its hulking big brother, the 1,050 cc Speed Triple. It has the same Marty Feldman headlights, Miss Prim seating position and dirt bike handlebars.

But pop the hood and it’s pure Daytona. The Street Triple uses the same aluminum twin spar frame, dual-sided swingarm, cast aluminum alloy 17-inch wheels and 3.8-gallon gas tank as its sport-oriented fraternal twin. The 675 cc, in-line three-cylinder power plant is also the same; it’s just been retuned for more grunt off the bottom end and a smooth progression of power that will satisfy riders’ need for speed well before they hit the red. What that means on the street is quick and brutish performance. The Street Triple is a Marlon Brando of a bike that comes off the line with its fists swinging. The throttle is unusually sensitive, which was great when I was accelerating but annoying when I was trying to hold it steady.

The throttle, which works with the same 44 mm throttle body and sequential electronic fuel injection as the Daytona, didn’t just respond to my twisting of the grip but to whatever imperfections I happened to be rolling over on the road; it made for a frustratingly jerky ride on less than pristine pavement.

For straight-up sport riding, the throttle wasn’t an issue because all you do is ride like a lunatic and brake hard, both of which the bike does well, even if the front brakes have been downgraded from the four-piston radial system on the Daytona to a less expensive and more conventional two-piston Nissin. But for casual riding and commuting on streets and freeways, the Street Triple wasn’t as impressive as I wanted it to be.

There was something vaguely cheap feeling about it. The transmission felt a little clunky and the finish wasn’t, well, finished. On a naked bike, it can be difficult to hide and/or route the cables in a way that’s aesthetically appealing. I found the rat’s nest of cables to be particularly unartful on the Street Triple — especially the front brake cable, which ran over the top of the front fender.

Priced at a low $7,999 — the same price as Triumph’s carbureted, retro models — the Street Triple seems to have cut corners with less-than-finessed engineering so Triumph could keep the price low and lure entry-level buyers of exotics away from Ducati and KTM, both of which offer steep competition.

If Triumph was hoping to have another rock with the Street Triple, I’m afraid it’s ended up far afield of Billboard.

This article was taken from: latimes.com

BY MARGARITA BAUZA
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

If you know the differences among a Ulysses, a Blast and a Lightning, we know where you’ll be this weekend.

If you are not familiar, you have more of a reason to be there.

Those are the names of the latest Buells, the sports bike subsidiary of Harley-Davidson. The models will debut at the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi.

It runs today through Sunday.

This is the show’s 13th year in metro Detroit, and last year it drew 40,777 enthusiasts to the area. The 27-year-old event is part of a 16-weekend series across the United States and Canada that attracts about 600,000 enthusiasts a year.

The show will feature hundreds of 2008 street bikes, dirt bikes, cruisers and ATVs from more than 19 manufacturers.

Organizers hope the event whets the appetites of a growing population of riders. Sales have been rising steadily in recent decades, show organizers say.

An estimated 1.19 million new motorcycles were sold in 2006 — worth about $10.7 billion — up from 303,000 in 1990 — or $1.3 billion, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.

“It’s been getting better and better,” said TT Motorcycles owner Robert Leppan of Clinton Township. “We’re the No. 1 Italian dealership in Michigan.”

Leppan said the show attracts hard-core enthusiasts and people who are curious about motorbikes.

“Riding’s becoming more popular among women and with gas prices, mopeds and scooters are definitely getting more popular,” Leppan said. “More people are taking motorcycles to work. It’s a constantly evolving business.”

Women, in particular, are showing more interest.

According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, the number of female motorcycle owners grew 36% between 1998 and 2003.

Manufacturers are catering to the trend, offering feminine bike and scooter designs such as the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, the Honda CRF230L and the Vespa S.

Women’s motorcycle gear is also popular.

Buell is also seeing growing numbers of female customers, said Paul James, a spokesman for Buell Motorcycles.

“We’re finding it to be for the same reasons that men like to ride … the sense of freedom, hitting the open road,” he said.

“People who are already motorcyclists are using their bikes more often, instead of riding in their cars,” said show spokesman Robert Pandya. “It doesn’t look like gas is going to be below $2 again. People are looking for ways to help shave some costs.”

Scooters, which can get 120 miles to the gallon, are becoming hits among the biker crowd, he said.

“The fuel cost savings draw a lot of people in, but after they use scooters for a while, they realize how fun and easy they are and how easy it is to park,” he added.

In Michigan, riders usually search for accessories that will shield them from cold weather, Pandya said.

“People are looking for motorcycles and accessories that help extend the riding season — heated clothing, heated gloves, heated suits, high-tech fabrics that allow people to ride a few extra weeks,” he said.

James said the show is a great way for new riders to get started.

Buell will debut its first liquid-cooled, high-performance motorcycle this year. The 1125R is the first Buell product not to use an air-cooling system.

Harley-Davidson is also debuting a couple of new edgy models — the Rocker and the Fat Bob.

The Rocker is designed so that the rear fender moves and gives it a rocking effect. The Fat Bob is a stocky cruiser.

For James, this is more than about seeing what’s new.

“It’s also a cold winter day out there, and it gives us hope that spring is coming,” James said.

Contact MARGARITA BAUZA at 313-222-6823 or mbauza@freepress.com.
Read the original article at the Detroit Free Press website here.