Forgive my near complete ignorance of Triumph. I'm across the pond in the States where it's all Japanese bikes and those loud, obnoxious Harley abominations. Triumph sightings are few and far between. I'm currently looking for my second bike. I started riding back in 2019 on a CB650F. It's a great beginner bike and has given me 22,000ish trouble free miles. I've learned so much in my short time with it. Sadly, I'm at the point where I find myself always wanting a bit more out of it. The low end torque is enough to get around town, but not enough to enjoy. The high end is better, but I don't want to keep her between 8 and 10k around town. I also want a bit more umph when I've got a clear road ahead of me and can't remember what the speed limit is. I've already changed the sprockets and chain, which helped a bit though not nearly enough. That leaves me with upgrading the bike as my only real option. I'm very seriously considering the 765 Street Triple as that replacement. It seems to tick all the boxes that matter for me, except for one big one: Touring comfort! I'm a member of the Iron Butt Association and dabble in long distance endurance riding. About twice a year, I'll take the bike out for a long 1,000 to 2,000 mile ride over two to three days. Granted, no bike will as comfortable as a car on such a long ride, but if you were insane enough to do something like that, would the Street Triple be a decent choice or unbearably uncomfortable? Bear in mind that I'm fine doing it on the naked CB, so as long as the Street Triple is similar, it will be fine. Other than that, how is maintenance and reliability? Similar to the Hondas, or as bad as Harleys? Are there any issues that I should look out for when buying a used one? Thanks in advance!
The best suggestion I can make is to first arrange a test ride with a dealer. There is no substitute for riding a bike to know whether or not it is going to be right for you. Compared with your Hornet, the 765 puts out a fair bit more power (87v116bhp) and a lot less weight (200v166kg). Together those differences mean it will get off the mark a lot, lot faster. Both are naked bikes and you are the fly screen and you will be cleaning a lot of dead bugs from your riding gear. Neither bike was designed for serious touring but as you say no bike will be comfortable after 1,000+ miles in a day, hence you might be better off considering a faired bike and for longer trips full OEM luggage can make life a lot easier especially if riding two up. It is important to remember that for Triumph, the Street Triple range is their entry level offer - so it is not too far away from your CB650f. If you are seriously doing 1000 mile days, then their faired models which can come with full luggage like the Trophy or Daytona may be a better choice, or from Honda consider the VFR sport touring models. As for used bikes - do not dismiss the 675 Street Triple bikes which earned a well deserved reputation of being great fun - which over in the UK sadly means they still get stolen far too often. However the underseat exhaust means you need care heaping luggage across the pillion seat. Have fun shopping.
For my riding position, 5-11 height / 32 in inseam the street triple fly screen is sheer perfection and pure bliss up to wind velocities of 115 mph without buffeting. On my old sv650 wind speeds above 80 mph where tiring. Many others have found the fly screen ineffective, even with accessory windscreen. With the fuel range of less than 150 highway miles in the USA, seat time rarely exceeds 2 hours, before you get to get off and stretch. The 12,000 mile valve adjustment costs for the street triple may factor into your decisions. Commuting on a street triple maybe costly. I have been riding naked bikes for 51 years, and clip on handlebars and associated riding position would not be comfortable for me anymore. Ride the street triple and see how it works for you.
Thanks everyone. Test rides on bikes here in the states don't happen often. For some reason, motorcycle dealers are extremely cautious about letting people test ride. You can test drive pretty much any car, just not bikes. How big is the difference between the 675 and 765 out in the real world? I can easily look at the specs on paper, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Is the TFT and rider modes, etc worth the extra cost, or not really?
Itchytoe Welcome to the family. No stupid questions here in the asylum. The 765's have had all the early problems sorted and is one hell of a bike it will even show up some of the bigger bikes with ease and tours in any gear comfortably. Joe.
Hi Itchytoe I hope the following information helps you. The Triumph Street Triple 765 is a great bike, as you are aware they have a few different models and power output varies, they do a low ride height model, an S and R, at the top of the range is the RS, this puts out around 122 BHP, the 765 is a significant step up from the 675, the 675 comes in a range of models from standard to the R and RX, the suspension is different on the 675 R and RX (more refined with preload etc etc), the RX has the 675 Daytona rear subframe, the earlier ones had underseat exhausts, the later has a side exiting exhaust, power is around 110 BHP, top speed 145 MPH, the seat is comfy and good ride position. I have owned different 675 Street Triple models and found the 2014 onwards R model to be a great machine. I bought a new 765RS in 2019, the machine produces more torque and mid range power, it accelerates quicker and handles like it's on rails, it has fully adjustable Showa forks and Ohlins rear suspension, also fully adjustable, it came with a quickshifter as standard, it has rider modes, these alter the mapping depending on the mode you select, you can also customise the settings, it has ride by wire throttle, unlike the 675 with cables. I traded it in for a new 2020 model, it's gained a step up from the 2019 model and includes the quickshifter with auto blipper. The Street Triple 765 is however not Triumphs entry level machine, expecialy the RS, they use this engine in Moto2, albeit more tuned for racing. look up how the press describe the RS, as do Triumph themselves, it's only marginally slower than the Speed Triple RS, I have also owned a Speed Triple, the 765RS is a lot lighter and revs harder and a ride on one made my mind up, exit Speed Triple and in came the 765RS. I have attached a couple of photos of both the 675R and 765RS, I gave the 675R to my son. The seat on the 765RS is a little harder than that of the 675, that had a gel seat though, I can manage 200 miles (with a couple of comfort/fuel stops with no real problems. The service costs are not to bad, compared to say a recent service my other son had on his Panigale1299s, or my previous sports bikes. Ride safe all.
I have an update for everyone. I found a 2018 765 RS for $7,500 USD. She has 13,000 miles and what looks like a minor parking lot drop. Very small scuff that don't really matter to me. They are small enough to not even see unless you already know they are there. I could tell within seconds of getting on it that it needed the brakes flushed. That's an easy job that I've already taken care of. The rear tire still has plenty of tread left, but the front is need of replacement. They are Supercorsas which are wonderful tires, but I'm likely to replace them with something that will last longer. The grip is great, but I'm 38. I'm not setting lap records and don't push the bike anywhere near hard enough to warrant needing such high traction tires. Sadly, it didn't have tank grips. I'm very surprised by that. I love tank grips. Does Triumph have a 765 specific set of grips, or do people normally just go with a generic pad?
Hi Itchytoe, excuse the late reply, Triumph don't do tank grips you will have to get a pair of generic ones. Regarding the brake fluid renewal you completed, don't forget that the ABS pump retains fluid if you don't use the bleed kit, the main issue is the pump will retain those microscopic water particles along with the original brake fluid, this fluid just gets recirculated around the system. Tyre wise the Pirelli Rosso 3s are great, they offer good mileage and perform well enough, myself I tend to stick with the Supercorsa's, they suit both the bike and myself, and despite what you may hear they are ok in the wet. Ride safe.
