Triumph Street Twin: A British classic for the ages

adi_petrolhead · 12th May 2017, 10:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by mobike008

If its Street Twin then I can understand as they have narrowed the seat and even the cushioning is not as good as the old one.
Look for a good gel seat solution to make it comfortable for long rides.

In fact the specs say the seat has 15% or so, more padding as compared to the old one. I've been on a T120 for a good duration and definitely the seat is more comfortable. Street Twin being compact, as you mentioned, it has a low seat. Which is good for people like me, I am about 5'10". But the padding is seriously not as good as the bigger seats.
I tried hunting for Gel seats, but didn't find any good options online.

Regarding heating, engine does heat up when riding in lets say 45 deg summer heat. But heat dissipation is also good. I've not ridden more than 150 kms on a single stretch, so this distance never made it uncomfortable to ride, heating wise.

adi_sun · 1st September 2018, 11:56

Hi !
I am planning to buy a twin as well, been a while since you updated this thread so wanted to know how has your experience been in the last one year. Also what else has been added to the bike recently given that its a delight to modify one, thanks.

gautam99 · 2nd September 2018, 10:10

Adi sun, the street twin is very nice and very easy to ride. The rear suspension is adequate but was hard over road imperfections so I changed mine to Ohlins and now it is just super. Fox which triumph sell should also do the same job. But if you want a very relaxed upright position consider the t100 or the t120, both of which have softer seats and suspension.

Nilesh5417 · 2nd September 2018, 10:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by adi_sun

Hi !
I am planning to buy a twin as well, been a while since you updated this thread so wanted to know how has your experience been in the last one year. Also what else has been added to the bike recently given that its a delight to modify one, thanks.

Do get the T120 - the lack of 6th on T100 will frustrate you no end on highways. At least i was constantly looking/wishing for a 6th on long rides cause the engine would just feel so caged. T100 is perfect in the city though unless you subject it to the bumper to bumper traffic torture. In which case it roasts your legs to let you know its displeasure!

adi_sun · 5th September 2018, 15:51

Hello, well she is home

Oreen · 9th January 2019, 12:39

guys, I own a Dec 2017 Street Twin and have done close to 10000 kms on it. It is a beautiful bike and most of its shortcomings can be addressed. These are the things I observed on my bike:

1. Stupid front fork springs are not progressive, so there's a clunk sound every time you go over a bump. You can put progressive springs and denser fork oil to get over this issue.
2. Low ground clearance, so if you're riding with a pillion, you will be kissing all the speedbreakers. I have put fork risers to lift the bike a little, and now it doesn't scrape. Also remember to put a sump guard the first day you buy the bike.
3. Horrible side stand, that breaks once a year for everybody, and costs a whopping 13000 bucks to replace. It is a spindly aluminum unit that can't take the weight of the bike if you have luggage tied to it. Also there are idiots sitting on the bike taking pics, so you don't know who's adding extra weight on the side stand when you have left the bike unattended. You can go for a Royal Enfield side stand and deactivate the sensor. This is my query, am coming to it.
4. Massive handlebar wobble with the stock tyres after a few thousand kilometers, another thing faced by most owners. If you leave the handlebar at speeds of 50 kmph or above, there's a wobble that can turn into serious tank slapping, resulting in accidents. You may want to argue why one needs to leave the handlebar at high speeds, but that's not how bikes should behave. My ER6n was rock steady. This issue can be addressed with new tyres. The stock Pirellis are long lasting, but probably have uneven wear.
5. The rear shocks are progressive but not piggyback gas shocks. Even Enfield gives you better shocks than these. It is advisable to go for the Fox shocks, but those are forbiddingly expensive. The Paioli shocks from the earlier Continental GT are a good bet, but they raise the height of the bike from the back by about an inch, and also need sleeves to fit properly into the Street Twin. I have tried on my friend's Paiolis on the ST, and the ride became really pliant.
6. Engine runs out of steam after 150 kmph, and you need considerable struggle to reach 180. This can be addressed by putting a decat pipe, probably. I don't know about this much. There's one Tec bike parts video about how to derestrict the engine.

My current issue is about deactivating the side stand sensor because there's no way am spending on spare parts from the Triumph Stealership. Has anybody else done that on this bike?

Jayant06 · 9th January 2019, 18:04

Gosh Oreen; the last time I did those speeds on my Bonnie, I woke up in a cold sweat and couldn't sleep for the rest of the night!

dinu2506 · 9th January 2019, 19:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oreen

guys, I own a Dec 2017 Street Twin and have done close to 10000 kms on it. It is a beautiful bike and most of its shortcomings can be addressed. These are the things I observed on my bike:

1. Stupid front fork springs are not progressive, so there's a clunk sound every time you go over a bump. You can put progressive springs and denser fork oil to get over this issue.
2. Low ground clearance, so if you're riding with a pillion, you will be kissing all the speedbreakers. I have put fork risers to lift the bike a little, and now it doesn't scrape. Also remember to put a sump guard the first day you buy the bike.

The clunk sound can also be addressed using preload adjustable fork caps. Have done that on my Bonnie
The scraping on the speedbreakers is addressed by the paoili shocks from the Continenral GT. Again, worked well for me on the Bonnie

Oreen · 11th January 2019, 16:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jayant06

Gosh Oreen; the last time I did those speeds on my Bonnie, I woke up in a cold sweat and couldn't sleep for the rest of the night!

Hey, I didn't try such speeds at all. I have done all sorts of antics on my ER6n with no ABS (foolish thing to do), but not on this one. Am 47, so a bike for aged folks like me.
I have seen videos of Street Twin touching 180 kph, but I have no desire to try such stunts on my bike. The engine starts running out of breath at 150-160 kph is what I have heard.

Marcus Brutus · 15th January 2019, 18:35

Taken delivery of my Triumph Bonneville Street Twin in cranberry red from Shaman Motors Mumbai on Saturday. Ridden for 130 km. and think that perhaps its one of the best motorcycles one could ride in our cities (I know it is a bit premature to jump to any conclusions but I find that it has far exceeded my expectations). It has all the attributes one would require from a street bike. Extremely happy with it.

1st September 2018, 11:56	#32
adi_sun BHPian Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Delhi NCR Posts: 147 Thanked: 370 Times	Re: Triumph Street Twin: A British classic for the ages Hi ! I am planning to buy a twin as well, been a while since you updated this thread so wanted to know how has your experience been in the last one year. Also what else has been added to the bike recently given that its a delight to modify one, thanks. Last edited by adi_sun : 1st September 2018 at 11:59.
	() Thanks

2nd September 2018, 10:10	#33
gautam99 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Bangalore Posts: 140 Thanked: 61 Times	Re: Triumph Street Twin: A British classic for the ages Adi sun, the street twin is very nice and very easy to ride. The rear suspension is adequate but was hard over road imperfections so I changed mine to Ohlins and now it is just super. Fox which triumph sell should also do the same job. But if you want a very relaxed upright position consider the t100 or the t120, both of which have softer seats and suspension.
	(1) Thanks

5th September 2018, 15:51	#35
adi_sun BHPian Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Delhi NCR Posts: 147 Thanked: 370 Times	Re: Triumph Street Twin: A British classic for the ages Hello, well she is home Attached Thumbnails
	(4) Thanks

9th January 2019, 12:39	#36
Oreen BHPian Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 218 Thanked: 278 Times	Re: Triumph Street Twin: A British classic for the ages guys, I own a Dec 2017 Street Twin and have done close to 10000 kms on it. It is a beautiful bike and most of its shortcomings can be addressed. These are the things I observed on my bike: 1. Stupid front fork springs are not progressive, so there's a clunk sound every time you go over a bump. You can put progressive springs and denser fork oil to get over this issue. 2. Low ground clearance, so if you're riding with a pillion, you will be kissing all the speedbreakers. I have put fork risers to lift the bike a little, and now it doesn't scrape. Also remember to put a sump guard the first day you buy the bike. 3. Horrible side stand, that breaks once a year for everybody, and costs a whopping 13000 bucks to replace. It is a spindly aluminum unit that can't take the weight of the bike if you have luggage tied to it. Also there are idiots sitting on the bike taking pics, so you don't know who's adding extra weight on the side stand when you have left the bike unattended. You can go for a Royal Enfield side stand and deactivate the sensor. This is my query, am coming to it. 4. Massive handlebar wobble with the stock tyres after a few thousand kilometers, another thing faced by most owners. If you leave the handlebar at speeds of 50 kmph or above, there's a wobble that can turn into serious tank slapping, resulting in accidents. You may want to argue why one needs to leave the handlebar at high speeds, but that's not how bikes should behave. My ER6n was rock steady. This issue can be addressed with new tyres. The stock Pirellis are long lasting, but probably have uneven wear. 5. The rear shocks are progressive but not piggyback gas shocks. Even Enfield gives you better shocks than these. It is advisable to go for the Fox shocks, but those are forbiddingly expensive. The Paioli shocks from the earlier Continental GT are a good bet, but they raise the height of the bike from the back by about an inch, and also need sleeves to fit properly into the Street Twin. I have tried on my friend's Paiolis on the ST, and the ride became really pliant. 6. Engine runs out of steam after 150 kmph, and you need considerable struggle to reach 180. This can be addressed by putting a decat pipe, probably. I don't know about this much. There's one Tec bike parts video about how to derestrict the engine. My current issue is about deactivating the side stand sensor because there's no way am spending on spare parts from the Triumph Stealership. Has anybody else done that on this bike?
	(1) Thanks

9th January 2019, 18:04	#37
Jayant06 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 47 Thanked: 43 Times	Re: Triumph Street Twin: A British classic for the ages Gosh Oreen; the last time I did those speeds on my Bonnie, I woke up in a cold sweat and couldn't sleep for the rest of the night!
	(2) Thanks

15th January 2019, 18:35	#40
Marcus Brutus BHPian Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Mumbai; Goa Posts: 29 Thanked: 32 Times	Re: Triumph Street Twin: A British classic for the ages Taken delivery of my Triumph Bonneville Street Twin in cranberry red from Shaman Motors Mumbai on Saturday. Ridden for 130 km. and think that perhaps its one of the best motorcycles one could ride in our cities (I know it is a bit premature to jump to any conclusions but I find that it has far exceeded my expectations). It has all the attributes one would require from a street bike. Extremely happy with it.
	(6) Thanks