As per the title, I have a couple of test rides tomorrow on an 11 and 13 Triumph S3 Speedy, anyone owned one and have an informed opinion of them? I had an 02 955 for a while and whilst it was ok I did miss the sportsbikes. Not expecting it to be a match for the Blade but I want to see if the rave reviews it gets are justified. I've also started removing all my stuff from the Blade so if I don't get one I may well just trade up get a 12 Blade.
I own a 2012 r and love it. Given me the fun factor back on road riding, suspension is lush, brakes amazing and just love the fact it can do EVERYTHING I want from a road bike. All the fun up to 120mph which is just what I wanted tbh. Don't commute or motorway so wind blast not huge issue Short rev range takes a while to get used to it. Abv has the street which is immense - he road a standard speed and said felt very heavy but my r with pvm wheels and arrow system was much better than one he tried. Suspension is bit firm for most UK roads though. So needs a set up Won't sell mine, even if I do fancy a sports bike for the road.... Sounds amazing. And funny as fook sports bike baiting
I had a 2013 Standard (Not R) one last year and did 6k miles on it. Overall it was a good bike but I struggled with the ride quality - really harsh - far worse than the Blade. I had a few issues with mine but they were sorted under warranty. .
Well, I took out the 13 (62) at Bevans this morning and got talking to Drew one of the sales guys after fetching it back, who recommended trying a Street Triple......................what a fecking hoot!! Thats my next bike ( @bash1k ). The Speed had plenty of grunt and a was a little vibey and even though it had Brembos the initial bite was good but it felt like the pads had gone off (the bike did had 17k on it tho) but after living with a litre sports bike you can't hang on to the gears on the 1050, as the limiter kicks in and puts an end to it, whereas the Street let you play a little longer. My fear with going back to a 600 has always been the lack of torque (which the ST has plenty of. Considering most of my riding is 50-100 mile jollies then I reckon the Street will suit me just fine and if I get fed up of it or find it too much of a niche I can alway go back to a litre sports at the end of next year. Got offered £5k for the Blade in PX but was advised that I should stick it up for £6000 private and take offers then call back and sort a deal as it would work more in my favour. Also for a cash deal they would chop £400 off either the ST or the STR list so thats not bad. Never thought I'd get snared again by a sub litre bike!!!
@abv has the r as said and loves it.... I'd say he's quicker on it on the road than he was the blade 80% of the time and mine really isn't much quicker as the Street is so linear and smooth it picks up no fuss.... I was very impressed when I rode his. Not as good at wheelies though He's done more miles on it (without a tour) in a year than any bike he's owned before - says it all really.
I can't stretch to £9k plus mate. They had a 14 S3 R there (which was essentially a late reg'd 12 complete with PVM's) for £9499 which was very nice. They had an 8Ball painted non R there too for £7999 with 5k on it. For the money though even a standard 15 plate Street is a no brainer (£7099 for cash) they are crazy! They even have the lightweight wheels from the Street R on them too now. 800cc Street Triple coming at the end of 16 I believe. That'll be fun.
Try the yamaha mt09 too. I haven't yet but up at P&H the other week apparently all the sales guys are getting them.
Sorry dude, not banging on about r's - it's just what we have so only 'real' feedback I can give...... I think the 1050 r is a huge leap in spec, the 675 not so, it's just sooo good in standard trim. Pound for pound the 675 a better bike for sure. But I like my 1050 for bit of old school grunt factor. I'd agree though the street has got to be just about the best all round bike you can buy
Sorry to add late to this. I had a 2008 and loved it. Don't miss the lack of fairing at all but the bike was great fun I don't personally like what they have done with the front lights and sticking random bits of plastic to the Rad and other areas of the bike. I added a Under tray and Zard Exhaust. But seems the newer Speed triples have a lot of added plastic to them. Not my cup of tea Here is mine old Triple My Zard on the triple and a vid when I went to see it with the standard can back on
My misses has a standard Street so I regularly ride the standard and R versions back to back. Personally I'd go for a low mileage second hand R over a brand new standard one everyday. You can pick up them up for under 7k, you won't lose as much depreciation and they'll be more desirable come resale time. The brakes and suspension really make the difference when you start pushing on a bit.
Cheers fella, I have put a deposit on a 15 plate STR with all the extras (QS, all the plastic bits, TPM, SC Project zorst and other stuff I've forgotten) but just need to sell the Blade now. The guy is in no rush to sell so I don't need to give the Blade away for silly money. It's available at £5500 for anyone that's interested. I'd probably get nearer £6k for it at the start of next season but I'd be happy with £5500 just now.
The Speed I took out (Standard 13 plate) and I managed to hit the limiter where the Blade would have just been coming into it's own, then I took out the Street and it was a blast and where the Speed was like hitting a wall at 10500 revs, the Street just kept on pulling so it was kinda decision made for me. Probably slower than the Speed but the feel was just frantic and very quick steering with fairly precise handling. Can't wait to get the R!
Against ricks street r there really isn't much in it at all, as like you say, picks up and revs higher than the speed. The lil decker is deceptively quick lol.... Speed you have to adjust and rude the torque and the grunt, it's rewarding when right but does take some getting used to....
Couple of lads I ride with have MT09's, they rave about them......worth a try before you pay your cash.
