HINCKLEY'S HERO

What's not to love about Triumph's fabulous Street Triple and Street Triple R?

-  JON URRY

2013-2016 TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE AND STREET TRIPLE R

Having already thoroughly rained on the Japanese manufacturers' parade in 2008 with the launch of the original Street Triple models, in 2013 the wet spell turned into a torrential downpour as Triumph released the second generation of its class-defining middleweight. Lighter, more agile, and with a smattering of tech, the new Street Triple and Street Triple R basically ended any hope the Japanese had of fighting back. So, what was new? And is it equally impressive nowadays?

Sharing the same all-new aluminium beam chassis as the Daytona 675, the Street Triple models also gained uprated KYB suspension, a sharper look, a new low-slung exhaust system, a lightly modified motor and the option of ABS and a quickshifter. Far from a small facelift, this was a fairly radical upgrade to the bike, and as soon as you sling a leg over the 2013 model, you know that it is a much more serious prospect. In a good way...

Triumph claimed to have shed 6kg in the transformation and at low speed the second generation instantly feels more eager to respond to rider inputs than the original. Far from overly aggressive (Triumph even added a bit of extra steering lock, which is a big help in congested traffic), the second generation manages to retain the feeling of natural balance that makes the Street Triple so accommodating for riders of any experience level but also inject a bit more urgency. It's not much, but you know that feeling when you get a fresh set of tyres fitted to a bike and its chassis instantly becomes more responsive? That's what the 2013 Street Triple feels like when compared to the older model. And once you let it off its leash, it comes alive in a way that no other middleweight of its era and most of the current crop, to be fair can hope to match.