Had some serious fun today!!! posted this in Street too.

[kens97sto171]

This is not China bike related.. but thought I would share..

Well, I had a great time today riding lots of different bikes.. My day started with a ride on my 78 Honda CX500 from Cincinnati Ohio to Louisville KY. The Triumph Demo ride was held at Commonwealth Motorsports Triumph brought 2 of every bike they make.. some were different variants of the same. Here is what I rode in the order i rode them.. I will give some basic stats on the bike, and what i thought about it.



First the bike I missed riding last year..

The Street Triple. This is a 675cc Triple cyl bike.. it weighs 367lbs, makes 107HP at 11,700 RPM. It has a nice low seat, and an almost standard riding position.. I like this bike very much, the riding position is a little to forward for me, but a inch or two up on the bars would fix it.. Really I could live with it as is.. bike retails for $8699





The Tiger 1050, This bike is my favorite, Price is $11,599, $12,399 ABS model. It is an amazing do it all bike. It has a 1050cc triple cyl, weighs 436lbs, and makes 113HP at 9400RPM. The riding position is very much upright.... it is a little tall for me.. I was on the balls of my feet, but once up on the pegs, it was perfect.... and INCREDIBLY light feeling... power was great, not a good as the Street Triple, but still great.. I like the seat on this bike.. it is curved up behind the rider, so when your into that thottle it keeps you in the seat... not holding onto the bars. This would be my choice, overall.






Street Triple "R" Pretty much the same bike, but has adjustable forks, and rear shock/spring, and upgraded Brembo brakes. Price is $9499 I can tell you that the ride was actually a little softer on this bike, and the brakes were definatly stronger... but really all the Triumph's have very strong brakes.. this bike was almost TOO much brakes.





The Rocket III This bike is a FREAKING MONSTER!!! It weights 704lbs, Shaft drive, and is powered by an inline 3cyl thats 2300cc, yes thats 2.3LITERS!!!, 140HP at 6,000 RPM and 147 ft Lbt @ 2500RPM!!!!!!!! priced at $15399 base.. The touring model is $17,200 If your thinking about a Harley or some other cruiser.. definaetly check this bike out.
This is not really my kind of bike, but I just has to ride it... It is very heavy, and I had just come off the street triple.. so that made it feel even weirder.. it has forward foot controls.. I had never ridden a bike with those so that also made it weird.. slow speed turns felt heavy, and high speed curves required more push on the bars than I had ever experienced.. The good things are that it is pretty comfortable to ride... I actually liked the forward controls.. but the bars were a bit of a reach for me.. prbably easy to fix that. This thing accelerates like nothing I have ever felt in my life.. I never got out of 2nd gear.. it has SO MUCH TORQUE!!!! I never cracked the throttle past 1/4 turn... It is truly a monster engine... but really felt good on the road.. not to overwhelming really.. just gotta watch that throttle. I have seen a video with Kyle Woods, doing STUNTS and WHEELIES on this bike!!! .




The Sprint ST 1050 Is powered by a Triple cyl 1050cc making 125HP @9,250RPM. Price is $11,599, and $12,399ABS model. It is between the Tiger 1050 and the Daytona 675 as far as riding position.. I found the bars to be much to low and forward to be comfortable. I have issues with my wrists, and elbows.. so any weight on my arms... starts to hurt pretty quick.. The bike is certainly faster than the Tiger1050 and made a great noise doing it.. the exhaust is completly different.. exiting under the seat. This is a full fairing bike.. and I noticed the heat coming up fron under it.. making the legs pretty hot. I did not notice this on the Street Triple or Tiger.. but they are more naked bikes. The one I rode was missing the bags, so I cant comment on that.




Then I rode the Tiger 1050 again... and loved it even more... really the perfect bike for me of all of these... the Street triple would be a close second.. if the bars could be made to be comfy for me it would be a toss up.. The Street Triple is a Hooligan machine to be sure.. and hauls some serious butt... The Tiger just feels more refined, and comfy.. also its quieter.

[AZ200cc]

All of them look great, I doubt I could afford the turn signals much less the bikes

[kmoore]

if money was no object i think i might just have the rocket in my driveway i love the looks of that bike...

[SpeedSouth]

I would consider any of those, except the Rocket.

The Tiger has had my attention for quite a while, with the Sprint a close second.

[kens97sto171]

These bike are really not priced badly at all.. The fit nicely between the japanese stuff, and the BMW's

The Rocket III runs from $15K to 17K. A Harley would cost more, and be FAR LESS machine.

My pick would be the Tiger $11K - 12K, or the street triple $8700.. If you compare them to the jap stuff.. I think they really got it right. Every bike they makes fits into a nice spot. and they don't overlap that much... Honda. has howmany differnt crotch rockets, how many cruisers?? Triumph builds less models..but really got each one almost perfect. If you get the chance you chould check out the Demo rides if they are near where you live..

Here is the schedule.
http://www.triumph.co.uk/usa/11197.aspx

Thanks for the relies..

Ken

[culcune]

Since my commuting is done on a Honda Ascot VT500 twin, I think the Street Triple would be my first choice as I like the naked styling, and the bump up in power would suit me just fine.

[SpudRider]

Thanks for the great report, Ken!

I moved this thread to the "Other Stuff" forum where readers interested in this topic can find the information more easily.

Spud

[pimptron]

Who wants to ride a 700 pound leviton i would poo bricks