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Triumph's signature hooligan bike is still one of the coolest looking motorcycles ever produced. (Photo: Riles and Nelson) ยป More Photos
Ray Lamontagne’s words are running through my head. His raw, visceral lyrics like a wound exposed to the world igniting the senses that bring me passion, romance and pain. Beneath me, the willing engine is spinning hard through the gears accompanying the soundtrack playing in my mind with a primal roar that burns into the fabric of my soul. Howling, ripping, and exploding through the cold, damp, white morning, I am the machine. Connected without thinking, changing direction with the next verse, accelerating to the rising drumbeat, before exploding into a new mist-shrouded valley, every nerve receptor is firing at red line as we devour the early morning Tennessee tarmac.
Hot breath hits cold face shield; fingers feel the early morning chill, as tires search for grip on the road’s unpredictable surface. But these are nothing more than signals that tell me I’m alive. Tell me once more I’ve chosen life. I’ve chosen motorcycles. I’ve chosen action, adventure and the thrill of a powerful motorcycle. Today I’m riding the new 2008 Triumph Speed Triple through the Smokey Mountains and have found the answer to the question I get asked the most, “What motorcycle would you buy if you could only have one?”
Returning Stateside this year with a few tweaks and changes, the most successful selling naked motorcycle in Europe is for me the best of all worlds. A character filled, powerful three cylinder engine that displaces 1050cc and puts out 131 horsepower at 9,250 rpm with 77 foot pounds of torque at 7,550 rpm. A set of 43mm inverted forks and a pair of radial brakes give close to sport bike level performance, without sacrificing comfort. A somewhat dated, but still competent, chassis contains the power well and allows some seriously manic cornering abilities in the twisties if needed. The standard riding position allows you to throw on a set of soft luggage, pack you shreddies and cover some distance in reasonable comfort if you feel the urge. And, with all of these features, you also get one of the coolest looking motorcycles ever produced.
Like last year, the Speed III tips the scales at 416 pounds dry, and holds a useful 4.6 gallons of gas. It has a 32-inch seat height, and a 56.2-inch wheelbase. With 23.5 degrees of rake and 84mm of trail, you would think the Triumph would feel fairy conservative in the handling department. The big, wide Magura bars make from some manic leverage though and the triple can be thrown around with ease. It can also do it for long periods of time without leaving you in need of a chiropractor. Although without any type of fairing to duck behind, high speeds will quickly take their toll.
So, just what did the boys across the pond do to change their signature hooligan bike this year. Well, they didn’t add any power, and it doesn’t appear they lost any weight, but they did update the braking system. For 2008, the new Speed Triple now gets a pair of Brembo monoblock brake calipers working on the same sized 320mm rotors. Triumph claims a 14% increase in stopping power over the previous Nissin calipers, but
On top of the forks, the new Magura handlebars fall easily to hand, and are a definite improvement over last year’s bars in the looks department. Offering plenty of leverage for pitching the triple into the multitude of tight bends on offer in this region of North Carolina, these tapered, anodized aluminum bars also come with a neat Triumph logo in place. There is no change to the foot pegs, so ride position is unchanged and gives the same aggressive stance that can only come from a naked streetfighter. This means low stress on the knees, back straight and arms out in front in a comfortable stance.
The biggest visual change to the new Speed Triple has to be the wheels. As possibly the sexiest stock wheels to ever grace a production motorcycle, the multi-spoke black alloy units are also said to come with reduced inertia. Although no one from Triumph wanted to say they were lighter, they still come wrapped with sport bike rubber front and rear, and I can’t see anyone wanting to change them unless they were bolting on something a lot lighter.
Other styling changes are to be found at the back end of the motorcycle, with a new sub frame holding a roomier passenger seat this year. Sitting on top of redesigned bodywork, the plastic parts also come with a new LED taillight. Exhaust cans still sit up under the seat and are unchanged this year. There are a couple of options available from Triumph already to replace these. Both under seat and low pipe options were on display during our test, and just make the lusty triple sound even better, if not a tad antisocial on full throttle.
Colors this year are Jet Black, Fusion White and Blazing Orange, with a retail price of $10,399. This is up just $400 from last year, which is very reasonable when you consider how strong the pound is against the weak American dollar at present. You still get your regular Triumph warranty, and there are plenty of tried and tested products to upgrade or enhance your new machine. Slicker, tighter looking and with better brakes, the 2008 Speed Triple is everything it always was and now a little bit more. As one of the most fun machines on the market, it is little wonder that it has risen to near cult status in Europe. We haven’t quite taken to it the same way here in America, but the way gas prices and the economy are going these days, the thought of one bike to do a little of everything might just become a more attractive proposition.
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