Hi there, I am a newbie to both, owning a Triumph and this Forum. I hope I can learn lots from listening ("reading") the more experienced riders/forum users and hopefully you can also answer some questions I am already having. I am relatively new to the motorcycle world in the UK, although I have some years of riding experience in Spain many years ago. After many years living in the UK and controlling my inner instincts by listening to those ones saying that riding in the UK is crazy because of the weather and tarmac, I have finally decided to block those "common sensers" and follow my heart.... So here I am: I have decided to buy the new StreetTriple RS! . To be honest, I still ask myself whether it is the right decision or not, considering I don't have much riding experience - absolutely no riding experience in the UK (apart from the very useful A License training), and no riding experience with something bigger than a 125cc when I was 19 years old (now I am 41). To balance those "fears" I keep telling to myself that I am a "sensible" person, that I am not anymore 18yo and therefore I am not in a race to be the faster out there, and that the bike will only go as fast as my right wrist turns the throttle... Hopefully, you can help me find more reasons to control those devils that want to keep my riding just a bicycle. Initially I considered getting the Trident 660 - she is beautiful!!, and probably a more "sensible" option. However, I am not planning to be changing bike every couple of years, so I wanted something more "future proof" and I am worried that the Trident will soon become too "tamed". Also, someone once said to me that in terms of motorbikes "you need to follow your heart and not your head, because only your heart will convince you to get out on your bike those cold and rainy days". So, here I am, with a deposit down for the new Street Triple RS... Probably, the very first thing I have realised after adventuring in the "proper" motorcycle world (not the 18years old world) is how "f...." expensive this is! Gear, insurance, and garage safety tools.... there it goes some savings! I don't want to even think about dropping it and the repairs....! At the moment, I have more or less decided the "accessories" I want for it: "inspiration pack" (i.e. frame protectors, swing arm protection kit, CNC machined fork protectors, tail tidy, front and rear break reservoir, and engine cover protectors), heated handgrips and tank pad. However, I have a couple of questions about other "accessories": - is it worth to get the "Triumph Protect+" and "Triumph Track+" if I am planning to spend good money on a front disk lock, and rear D-ring (LiteLok, HipLok, or similar)?. At home, the bike will sleep in the garage where I will install a ground anchor (BikeTrac or similar) with a chain. I will use the bike to commute and at work she will be waiting in the staff car park, which is relatively safe. - what about the "connectivity module"?. I normally use Google maps or Waze, and I will probably be thinking about getting the QuadLock arm, as I already have the phone cover I use for the bike. - and last.y, what about the "tyre pressure monitoring" kit? is it really worth to spend £240? I am very sorry for the long and boring post. Thank you very much for your help and time! Cheers! XNC
Hi and welcome! I started at the age of 44 after just about 4000 miles or so on a 125cc on a Street Triple R (appreciate yours is the 2023 RS so not quite the same) - you can use "rain mode" to take away some of the liveliness for a while if needed until you feel more comfortable. That said, I do find it easier to ride out of rain mode as that introduces a bit of a lag and I haven't used it since - even in the rain, mostly because I forget I have it!!! For me, although it is a lot of bike it is also light and easy to manage at low speed as it is so smooth and it gives the rider incredible feedback at any speed. Not so forgiving by far as the Gladius and SV650 I did my DAS on but I have had an awful lot of fun on mine so far and felt very comfortable on it very quickly. I don't know whether the connectivity module is worth it as I have to admit it is something I wouldn't want (just personal preference, not anything negative I have heard) and also know nothing of the Triumph security options you mention. To me, TPMS isn't worth it simply as I check my own tyre pressures with a gauge at home regularly and would hope that I'd notice any significant change when riding from the handling of the bike. One accessory you don't mention which I do think is worth it is a radiator guard - mine is Evotech as is my tail tidy (the Triumph tail tidy is longer than some after market ones and my personal preference is for shorter). I have added a photo just so you can see the length of the tail tidy (I also have a Powerbronze screen on as I prefer it to the OEM screen and a Scorpion Redpower exhaust).
Hi XNC my first bit of advice would be to lose your postcode from your user info I possibly would have gone for the R in your position but outside of that I would shy away from the Triumph packs and just buy the things you actually want
Welcome aboard! My two pen'orth: I only started biking 3 years ago aged 58. Had a RE Himalayan which was great but slightly under-powered for my needs. Recently got a Tiger 900GT - I worry about the weight but it's not enormous and I can handle that fine (I'm only 5'9" and 10st). I'm sure you'll be the same with the Street Triple (nice bike btw!), take a month or two to get used to how it handles. Can't comment on security as it's a very personal thing - depends on paranoia levels, where you tend to leave the bike unattended and even which geographical area you live in. Forget TPMS - expensive and unnecessary. Tyre maintenance (condition, tread and pressures) should be part of looking after your bike on a weekly basis in any case and if you're anything like me even if you had TPMS you'd still check manually as you wouldn't trust the system! I don't bother with a connectivity module either. If it displayed the full Google Maps on the TFT I might be interested (I could tuck my phone into the holder under the seat in that case) but the turn-by turn nav doesn't look that great to me and I like more visual info so I use a phone holder on the handlebar (and bluetooth my phone directly to my Sena headset for voice instructions). Heated grips are a must in this country - why manufacturers don't fit them as standard on EVERY bike sold here is beyond me. Hope that helps. Enjoy your new ride!
Thank you very much guys!!!! Yes, you were totally right, I will be definitely riding in rain mode for a while... Great advices about the specs - clearly I was going to fall into too many mistakes already. I will look into those after market accessories outside Triumph. Do you recommend any webpage/brand? Thanks again for your replies! cheers
Welcome. There are several things to unpack here. and believe it or not they have all come up in conversation from time to time. 1. UK riding 2 . Returning to Riding in Middle Age 3. Security 1. UK riding. On the spectrum of my experience UK riding is in the positive. I have never ridden in Spain but driven extensively North and South. Overall my experience was positive, I would say a bit better than the UK. As with all things it's relative. My European riding experience is between France and Italy which is like comparing the sublime with the ridiculous (Paris Chaos not withstanding). However I have many years riding in the Middle East and that is definitely on the opposite side of the UK in the not-so-safe category. I've also ridden in the US, mostly in the South but some in Colorado around Boulder. I can never understand given the speed restrictions and width of the roads there how anyone has an accident in the US, it takes special skills I think. 2. Middle age men revisiting riding after a twenty year gap is one of the most dangerous demographics. Second to surviving your teen years, (to absent friends!). I have never had more than a couple of years without a bike since I was 12, but I am guessing that the majority of the members on this forum would fall in the previous category as, 1. most of the riders, my age, I meet are in this category 2. it's a ripe demographic for Triumphs and the retro-classic type of motorcycle. I dont think its a bad thing but the reason it is risky is because we over estimate our skill level without the intervening years of experience. For the same reason you cannot rely on high school karate in a bar fight. If anyone was to ask my advice it would be this. "Choose your bike type with this in mind". Any sport bike with a prone riding stance wants to be ridden fast. it's in the DNA of the bike and it is next to impossible not to succumb to it. Therefor consider a bike that has a more upright sitting position. A cruiser, tourer or adventure bike. Frankly as your joints age they will thank you. 3. Security. Just about anything you buy is defined by the time that a determined thief WILL get through. The trick is make someone else's less secure bike more tempting. Much like the old joke of the 2 men running from a lion. One says to the other, "you will never outrun a lion", the other replied, "i don't need to, I just need to outrun you!". You should always check the reviews. The main tools of choice are bolt cutters or battery angle grinder. Other than a decent disk lock, I would go alarmed. D lock I have gone for is the LITELOK and the Chain from ALAMAX. Both of which are not cheap but have the longest resistance to cutting than most others.
Security wise I would have a look at the options available on this site https://securityforbikes.com/index.php
I like Evotech for a tail tidy and radiator guard - great quality and easy to fit: https://evotech-performance.com/ The screens I like are Powerbronze , again great quality (but fitting one will depend if you have ordered the fly screen that it fits to if you have the 2023 model as it comes without any screen I think, unless they are going to do something different). https://www.powerbronze.co.uk/ Most Striple owners I see out and about seem to choose the two brands above for screens and tail tidies if they don't go OEM. If you intend to change the stock exhaust that is obviously very much your personal preference with looks and sound. I have the Scorpion Redpower which I do think looks good and it adds a lovely deeper note too (there are recordings on the Scorpion website). It is loud but not obnoxiously so and much louder with the baffle out. https://www.scorpion-exhausts.com/index.php?route=common/home