Triumph Street Twin

Reviews

First, bit of background. I’ve been riding for 50 years, starting with a 250 Royal Enfield Continental GT, and in that time, I’ve owned and ridden everything from Japanese commuter bikes and Italian exotica up to Formula 1 race bikes. I currently have a Triumph 900 Sprint as my year-round daily ride and was looking for a retro style naked summer fun bike when Triumph announced the new liquid cooled Bonneville range.

I tried the new Street Twin and the T120 back to back, and while the 1200 was impressive, I fell in love with the stripped-back look, nimble feel and eager torquey engine of the Street Twin. With the money I saved by not having the bigger motor I was able to specify some factory options when I ordered the new bike. So, I ended up with a Jet Black Street Twin with leather panniers, bar end mirrors, barrel grips, knee pads, short fly screen, luggage rack and tank pad.

Since I got the bike in November 2016 I’ve done 3,500 miles and it has exceeded my expectations. From the test ride it was quite clear the standard mirrors were inadequate, and the bar-ends I had fitted are a huge improvement. The panniers are disappointing as there’s no means of carrying them when they’re off the bike, and the shape severely limits the amount of stuff I can get in them. If only someone made a parallelogram-shaped laptop!

I like the light(ish) weight which the bike seems to carry low, giving great manoeuvrability. It tips into corners eagerly with its sharp steering head angle, and the ABS helps make it a confidence inspiring ride. The standard Pirelli tyres seem perfectly adequate and allow footpeg-scraping cornering without dramas.

Things I’m not keen on are the limited colour range, childish graphics, lack of rev counter and the fiddly locking filler cap (since replaced with a Monza type). The standard exhaust was a little quiet and tinny for my taste, so I’ve fitted a pair of Tec slip-on cans which have given it a deeper note more in keeping with how a 900cc twin should sound. One other thing I’ve done is replace the cheap looking standard levers with a pair of shorty black ones.

Nothing’s broken or fallen off since I got it, but it did develop a tendency to stall when engaging 1st gear from stationary, followed by a slight hiccup when accelerating. The problem was quickly diagnosed by my Triumph dealer as being caused by faulty plug caps. These were replaced and she’s running sweetly again now.

I love my Street Twin, and when I’m not riding it I’m thinking about riding it!

- Andy B, 2018

After nearly 12,000 trouble free miles in just over a year I had my first problem yesterday, nail in the back tyre! The bike has run faultlessly throughout sun, rain, snow without missing a beat and returning nearly 70 mpg.

I placed my order in November 2016 for delivery in March for a 17 plate which left me four months to keep revisiting the options list ending up with centre stand, heated grips, fender extender, engine badges, CNC master cylinder reservoir, US Vance & Hines cans, bar end mirrors and LED indicators. Total cost about the same as a stock Bonneville with a two tone tank.

Since then I have added TEC brake levers, clutch bracket, oil filler cap, rear shocks, progressive springs and pre-load adjusters. I changed the tyres at 5,800 as the Pirelli Phantoms seemed to have become tricky in the wet and I lost confidence in them, still about 2mm left on the rear. I went for the Avon Storm 3D XM as they were recommended as an option for the Street Cup and have been delighted with the improvement, especially combined with the suspension upgrade, compliant over potholes and planted on the twisties, rear still had over 3mm after 6,000 miles.

Overall an easy, grunty, agile machine with enough performance to exhilarate without terrifying.

- Richard C, 2018

I qualified 18 months ago and started on a Kawasaki Vulcan, great for a novice but not great for the A and B roads. I bought my 2016 Street Twin in February after trying to find a great classic that would fit my small frame and handle corners easily with confidence.

My silver fox is all that and more. She handles well, sounds amazing, looks classy, is great in all weathers and she has given me so much confidence as a novice. The only thing I would change is the stand, it isn’t easy to find with your foot otherwise perfect.

- Carolyne F, 2018

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