Barring the evergreen Bonneville motorcycle, the Street Triple is easily Triumph’s most important bike yet in India. It’s also among the best priced models from the British bike specialist here, with almost all its other bikes burning quite a deep hole in your pockets. So, the Street Triple is aimed straight at buyers who don’t subscribe to the classic bike theme and want a modern motorcycle with cutting edge technology and performance.
The Street Triple is a stylish bike, only recently updated by Triumph. It’s a compact street naked motorcycle that comes with an instantly recognisable headlight cluster. The instruments are large and well laid out, making them easy to read even when riding at high speeds. There’s a quality feel to every inch of the Street Triple, its flat handlebar providing easily mastered switches, excellent, premium-feeling palm grips and a set of solid feeling mirrors that provide vibe-free visibility behind you when riding. The Street Triple also comes with top drawer, reach adjustable control levers for the clutch and front brake that will fit every hand. Its fuel-tank provides nice inner thigh support, behind which is a broad, lightly stepped seat. This smart Triumph bike openly displays its engine as a styling highlight, with minimal clutter of body panels.
The Street Triple is powered by a 675cc, four-stroke, fuel-injected and liquid-cooled engine. These new breed of Triumphs are the only bikes in India today drawing upon in-line, three-cylinder technology and maximum power output is a healthy 104.5bhp, output at 11850rpm.
You can’t mistake the Street Triple for any other motorcycle when riding, its novel engine configuration making for a unique engine sound, accompanied by a thrilling low hum and likewise, singular power delivery. While a Street Triple may lack the trademark, smooth revving and sound nature of an in-line four, it does offer an extra helping of exciting new character, and a gruff exhaust tone that makes an in-line four engine suddenly relatively mundane and common.
The powerband is broad and easy to master, the Street Triple effortlessly drawing on its ample 6.9kgm torque spread to trundle away swiftly from low speed. Throttle response is snappy enough on the new Triumph, all six gear ratios perfectly engineered to keep the Street Triple a relaxed bike to ride, which never feels frantic or overly stressed.
Clutch feel is excellent, progressive and light for this big a bike, and the Street Triple gearbox, likewise, shifts with fine feel in a one-down and five-up pattern. Performance is snappy, the engine always a delight to control thanks to its refined, vibe-free nature, as the Street Triple outputs more than adequate acceleration to keep up with the fastest moving traffic on Indian roads.
Supported by an alloy spar frame, the Street Triple comes with upside down front forks and a monoshock suspension setup at rear, supported by an alloy swingarm.
Given its compact looking profile, the Street Triple feels surprisingly accommodating for taller riders, still low enough for a shorter person. Its riding position is neither too aggressive nor out of place for a quick bike such as this. The Street Triple seat feels comfortable, and everything falls in place well, the handlebar controls taking no time to get comfortable with and rear brake pedal being placed in exactly the right position. Ride quality is good on the Street Triple, a touch on the firm, sporty side helping the Triumph feel sure footed, light and agile at all times. The Street Triple comes with excellent brakes, offering just the right feel, with strong bite and a flawlessly functioning ABS system. Pirelli Corsa tyres work to impart excellent grip, making the Street Triple a planted motorcycle to cleave through corners on, whether fast or tight.
We’re left impressed after this early, brief ride astride the Street Triple. Here’s a stylish and top quality motorcycle with just the right amount of performance, delivered with such a nice and character rich nature. Never overly intimidating to pilot in India, the Street Triple is a segment topping bike sure to win Triumph many an Indian biker’s vote.
Rishad Cooper
Azaman Chothia
Ved Janve
Rishaad Mody
