[hifisharu]

Towards the end of 2015, also came to an end the ownership of White Knight (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ip-review.html (Triumph Street Triple: Ownership Review)) and with a heavy heart, I sold off the bike to a very discerning owner and packed my bags to start a new phase of my career, in a new country. A big thank you to all the forum members who encouraged me and supported me, be it as online members or as ride partners. It promoted me to constantly update my ownership thread and now, reading it after many years helps bring back all the happy memories. My heartfelt gratitude to forum member srikanthpotluri
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ip-report.html (My Triumph Street Triple S – Ownership Report) and other forum members who found my ownership thread helpful and in turn influenced me to do another ownership thread and also helped me with my decision making process.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so, in about two thousand words, the summary of my ownership is I went from
to

One of my friends upon learning my decision to buy the same bike again excalimed "Wow, you must really like this bike, to have bought it again" In a way, yes some things are the same, but some things have infact improved and even though my decision making process took me 4 years in the making, the result was the same.

But of course, the abridged version is no fun and would be probably the shortest ownership thread on team-bhp, so let's go into the details. Knowing the kind of roads available in the new country, the urge to take my bike along with me was strong and I did even explore the option, but the cost involved to transport the bike, pay the customs duties and registration seemed a bit on the higher side, since buying a used bike of similar vintage was about the same, if not cheaper. Also, I knew I would have to get a European license and procedures do take some time, so having the bike with me but not being able to ride it would have made no sense.

Many months passed by and my wife and I were slowly getting settled in our new place and my wife gave me the good news! We were going to add another biker into the family She sent me this image some time later, on how she imagined our family would be.


Putting money towards a motorcycle was not the right time and I had to shelve my plans of getting a motorcycle for around 3 years, till I had the time to ride around. In the meanwhile, I did what all bikers would do, dream and make a shortlist of the next "Could be". Some of the criteria I layed down for my shortlist were

1) Go Naked again, ( No, I'm not talking about joining the FKK club in Germany )since I knew, I would be using the bike mainly for commuting and weekend rides and the seating posture of Super Sports was not to my liking. My budget for the bike was between 5-7000 euros, which I think is the sweet spot for pre-owned bikes here.

2) I should get something sporty, as Classics can be ridden later as well (Bonneville, Kawa RS900, Speed Twin, R9T)

3) Not so keen on litre class bikes, as they tend to be heavier and the additional power, torque is not something one can really use on a regular basis. ( Yes, even the blasts on the Autobahns are boring after a few times)

Despite the above short list criteria, I would look at the gorgeous Ducati 848 Evo and the likes and would think maybe I can manage a Super Sports for some time. But the commited riding stance, the heavy clutch, the engine heat etc would quickly put me back to my senses.

So, I ended up with the following short list, including new and pre-owned bikes:

Kawasaki Z650
Ducati Monster 696/797
Honda CB650 R
Yamaha MT09
BMW F900R
Kawasaki Z900
KTM Duke 790
Suzuki GSX 750
MV Augusta 675

The only one litre class I considered was the Suzuki GSX S1000, but after some consideration, decided to drop the idea as the extra price was not really justified, for the factors mentioned above. The last time I bought the Street Triple 675, most of my research was only through magazines and videos. This time however, I had the opportunity to actually check out each bike, ride it and make up my decision.

Kawasaki Z650: I had rented this bike for my first European road trip and the bike performed really well. (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...torcycles.html (To the Alps & beyond...on motorcycles!))





The bike is fairly light weight, very useable power on tap and nimble. The following were the positives and negatives for me

+ Nimble, easy to switch directions
+ Ample power for B roads, Autobahns and commuting
+ Very affordable pricing

- Not so great tank range
- Not a fan of the Z styling
- No aural pleasure


Monster 696/797: On the brief test ride I had, I really liked the nimble, sporty nature of the bike. Seating position is sporty, but a little bit cramped, not much space to find a good seating position. Most of the positives and negatives applicable to the Z650 hold good even for the Monster. Only on the Monster 696, the underseat exhaust seemed to be a point of concern for the pillion, though we never really tested out this point
+ Simple, effective styling
+ Ample power for B roads, Autobahns and commuting
+ Very affordable pricing

- Not so great tank range
- Too many vibes for my lking
- Exhaust is only loud, no finesse



Honda CB 650 R: I was already a fan of the retro, Neo Sports Cafe styling and in the flesh, the bike had really good build quality and details. However, in the test ride, the bike felt a bit heavy and not so nimble. Also, with the stock exhaust, the bike didn't sound so good and the engine didn't feel so peppy. The bike was received very well, as by June 2019, all the dealers had run out of stock and said they could deliver only in 2020.



+ Great retro styling, big fan of the round headlight design
+ Ample power for B roads, Autobahns and commuting
+ Honda reliability and low maintenance

- Not so great tank range
- Pretty average exhaust note
- Slow handling
- Very poorly legible instrument cluster, due to the inverted LCD dash

Yamaha MT09: As soon as one thinks of Triple cylinders, the names that come to mind are Street Triple, MT 09 and MV Augusta Brutale 675. With the latest edition of the MT09, Yamaha had improved on the throttle response and brakes. In my observation, following were the highs and lows




+ Great upright seating position
+ Very tractable engine, good amount of low down torque
+ Great brakes, lots of stopping power and feel, progression

- Very poor tank range
- Extremely difficult to read, tiny instrumentation
- Soft, wallowy suspension.


BMW F900 R: The new kid on the block. With the all new styling, revised riding geometry, things seemed very promising. Was pretty impressed after the test ride owing to the following points:



+Bike changes direction very easily and very stable in corners
+Display is very clear and has loads of info and options to connect to BMW app
+Clutch is very light, easy to modulate
+Brakes had very good bite and great feel, with superb stopping power.
+Headlight looks cool, has automatic daylight function
+Keyless ignition is a good option to have, which the test bike did
+Pillion seat and foot pegs seemed better than Striple ( as observed by my wife)

- No intake roar, no drama to the engine performance Exhaust note not exciting, typical twin cylinder sound
- lots of engine vibes, again typical for a twin; was never irritating but also not smooth like the Striple.
- The fully fueled weight is claimed to be 211kg, vs 180kg for the Striple, but bike was heavy to move while parking. Off the stand, was very well balanced, not feeling top heavy.

Kawasaki Z900: In 2015 when the Z800 was introduced in India, I tried it out and it was everything the Street Triple was not: Big, heavy, slow steering etc. With the Z900 though, Kawasaki changed the product in many ways. The Z900 is now lighter, steering is light, though handle bar position wise, it's still wide and feels like a big bike. The clutch is very light and easy to modulate. Off the stand, the bike is very well balanced and riding wise, the bike was easy to ride, taking direction changes very positively, while still maintaining good highway stability.




+Very well balanced, peppy engine with loads of bottom end grunt
+Very light and easy to use clutch, for city traffic
+Engine is very tractable, loads of low end torque
+Good, strong brakes


-Looks too much insect like, alien headlight cluster
-Handle bar and seating position is still too much of a big bike ( for my build atleast )
-Stock exhaust is very muted and no intake roar

While all this testing varied bikes sounds like a lot of fun, it was also very time consuming and pushing my decision making further and further. During this time, the terrible Corona pandemic hit the country and pretty much put a halt to all the activities. This pause gave me some time to sit and contemplate all the bikes I had ridden till now and make an informed choice.


P.S I'm adding my thoughts on some of the bikes that I rode after the purchase of my bike, in the interest of knowing if I had missed out on anything with my decision. One can question what the point of these test rides were, considering I had already made my purchase, but hey, it always helps to check out what latest the market has to offer.

Duke 790/890 This bike was on the shortlist, as most of the reviews compared it to the Street Triple, because of the weight, agility and price. When I went for the test ride, I was pleasantly greeted by the updated brother/sister of the 790, the 890R. The detail post one can read here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ml#post4846838 (2020 KTM 890 Duke R). From the test ride, the following were my thoughts





+Very sharp,quick steering. Bike changed directions immediately, but still remaining very precise
+Brakes packed a lot of power, though bite was lacking
+Loads of low down torque. So much difference, that back on my Triple, I had to re-calibrate my wrist movement to get the same kind of acceleration from the Triple.

-Engine note is just loud, no harmony to the sound
-At low residential area speed limits, engine lugs a lot
-Hard, flat seat, almost no cushioning.
-Absence of pillion seat
-Very cramped instrumentation

Suzuki GSX S750 After riding the CB650R and the Kawa Z900 4 cylinder mills, my interest in four cylinder mills has reduced quite a bit, but still went about test riding the 'Zuki. From the test ride, my reactions were:




+Grunty engine, with loads of low down torque
+Ample seating space, with fairly upswept handle bars
+Gentle, inline 4 hummm with the stock exhaust

-Bike felt heavy, even just taking it off the stand
-Cramped, all lcd instrumentation
-Kind of boring nature of engine performance
-Brakes felt wooden, with not much feedback

Last but not the least

MV Augusta Brutale: Making something visually appealing is what the Italians excel at and the MV Augusta is no different. Loved the simple headlight cluster, the accentuated 3 pipe exhaust, sincle sided swing arm and attention to detail. Sadly, when it came to riding, the Auguats failed to deliver. Maybe it was limited to this bike,but the engine felt rough, with a lot of clattering noise. From the get go, the throttle felt very snatchy. Was very difficult to find the sweet spot of the engine. Suspension was hard, even on the smooth roads here! Particularly, when I went over sewage covers, undulations, the suspension felt really stiff, with very poor damping.



+Beautiful styling, attention to detail
+Intake growl and Triple cylinder engine note were great
+Exclusivity, have seen very few on road

-Very hard suspension, can't imagine riding with a pillion
-Very snatchy throttle, coupled with stiff clutch made city riding difficult
-Bikes are known to have lots of electronic glitches, difficult to maintain
-Dealer network very limited

[hifisharu]

As I was checking out bikes in dealerships and viewing ads online, a few examples of my old love, the Street Triple also kept popping up every now and then. In 2017, I had the pleasure of checking out the then released Street Triple RS (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ml#post4282477 (Triumph Street Triple: Ownership Review)) and was very impressed with the new engine. Also, I had developed a kind of good rapport with the folks at Triumph Stuttgart, which led me to go and check out the Street Triple 765S.


Test ride and purchase I reached the showroom on a lovely sunny Saturday morning and from the moment I laid eyes on the bike, to the moment I sat on the bike, everything had a feel good factor. Everything just fell into place as expected and had a familiar, homely feeling. This example of the bike had only run 8000 ish kms in two years time, had relatively new tires, the extended factory warranty and heated grips as accessory. The experience at the showroom was very professional and pleasant. They showed me around the bike and upon telling them that my previous bike was a Striple 675, they were like " You probably know better than us, what the improvements are over the previous model". The bike was prepared for the test ride with the dealership plates and I was off! The bike felt really nippy to ride and that glorious Triple sound made me feel at home. Also, I was getting back to regular motorcycling after nearly 4 years, so riding on a familiar bike made the whole experience more memorable.



After getting home, my mind was more or less made up. All the aspects of the bike I liked before in the 675, such as the wonderful Triple cylinder symphony, the agile handling were present in the current bike, along with a bigger engine, for better low end grunt, ride by wire, for crisper throttle response and even riding modes.

The showroom sent over the documents for the transfer of ownership and a quick visit to the Zulassungamt ( The registration authority ) and I had the registration plate with me. Talked to the showroom to arrange for a suitable date/time to collect the bike and within a few days, the bike was home.







Another major factor influencing my decision was my son, who kept looking at my previous bike's pictures and kept saying let's get a Street Triple home. He too seemed pleased with the decision, though it'll be a long time before he can really experience the ride



So far, I have covered around 5000kms and given the kind of roads available here, the bike has been a hoot to ride. The bike is very agile on tight twisties and very planted in every corner. The small road undulations, sewage cover kind of disturbances are very well damped and the suspension is stiff enough for hard riding.



Let me focus a little bit on the various aspects of the bike:

Design updates: All the 765 models come with flyscreen and rear hugger as standard. I feel this gives the bike a completed look, unlike the previous model which was more 'naked'. Also, the headlights are more round and less edge-ier than the 2013 model. My family have so far owned about 7-8 cats in the past and my father had a look at the bike and said they kind of resemble the cat's eyes.



The updated DRL/Parking light is nicely integrated, though on the S model, the headlights are always on, as per EU law.



Engine and Gearbox The biggest update on the new Street Triple is the new 765cc engine, which is also the engine, albeit in a different state of tune used in the Moto2 racing series. Bigger displacement, new pistons, crankshaft have improved the tractable nature of the engine and the revised intake, along with the ride-by-wire have made the engine more responsive. Though peak torque is at 9000 rpm, a big chunk of the torque is available from 3-4000 rpm and this makes acceleration very brisk. Compared to the 675, the 765 has a shorter first gear, so with the increased torque and shorter gear, acceleration is good enough to bring the front wheel up under hard acceleration. The 765 seems to have a louder intake roar than the 675 and that makes the whole experience more lively.

The exhaust note is similar to the one on the Striple 675, only a bit louder and still has the trademark 'Sewing Machine' noise and thankfully Triumph haven't messed with it, unlike what they have done with the new Tiger 900. Addition of an Arrow apparently makes no difference to the power or the noise and with the EU laws on aftermarket exhausts becoming more strict, I don't see myself changing over from the stock exhaust



Clutch on the S model is not the slipper clutch and therefore a bit heavy and not so easy to modulate though after some time, the power is built up in the fingers and becomes easier to use. For normal city riding speeds, which range from 20kmph to 50kmph, 2nd and 3rd gear are all that are needed.. Gearbox is very slick and precise. Even without a quickshifter, one can operate the gearbox without the clutch lever, provided one does it correctly. One sore point on the Street 675 in Indian conditions was the coolant reservior being placed very low and prone to speed breaker damage. With the 765, the coolant reservoir is moved higher up. Coming to the point of coolant and radiator, the engine has good heat management designed and even in complete stop and go traffic, the coolant temp never goes beyond 5 bars on the display. Even when the fan kicks in, the heat is not directed towards the rider and I have never once felt the heat from the radiator.

Brakes On the S model, braking duties are handled by pair of dual 310 mm rotors, with Nissin twin-piston callipers. The brakes have plenty of stopping power, though they lack bite and therefore modulation is not very fine. ABS is standard and so far in my riding, have never had the ABS kick in, though knowing there are some safety nets does help.





Suspension and Handling Front suspension is handled by 41mm Showa Separate Function Forks and over small undulations, such as sewage covers, they soak up the bumps very nicely and feel very plush. On the S model, they are non-adjustable, though for my weight, they seem to perfectly setup. Even under hard braking, the dive is very controlled and behave in a very stable manner.




Rear suspension is taken care of by a Showa monoshock, with a piggyback reservoir. The rear is only adjustable for pre-load and for normal road use, works well, absorbing up the bumps well. When the time comes to ride with a pillion, I might try increasing the pre-load to avoid the suspension from bottoming out.

Handling Coming to the handling characteristics, the 765 is very similar to the 675, very stable and due to the low weight, it loves to change directions very quickly. Coupled with the great grip from the Pirelli Angel GTs, the bike feels very planted and encourages the rider to push the limits. The bike comes with standard sport bike tire sizes, Front: 120/70 ZR 17 and Rear: 180/55 ZR 17.




(In the above pic, let me shortly explain the license plate as well: The first two letters are of the city of registration, here BB is for Böblingen. The next letters and numbers can be of the owner's choice or just random combinations that are available. The last numbers are for the registered months, as shown above from March to Nov. This helps reduce the registration cost and insurance as well and generally, people keep their motorcycles in storage during the winter months. The other stickers are for the TÜV certification, which is sort of the fittness/road worthiness approval and one from the state of registration.)

Rider triangle, seats and comfort The rider triangle on the 765 is very similar to the one on the 675 and the seating posture is well suited for all day riding. The riding position is sporty enough, without any pressure on the wrists. The foot rests are well placed , with ample space for adjustments. Gear lever and brake lever are easily available for access.




The seats are well padded and so far, I have no complaints even after a full day of around 600kms of riding. The difference from the 675 is that the seat is now a split seat setup and this makes accessing the storage area a bit more easy. Pillion comfort is yet to be tested, though all the dimensions being the same, I suspect it will be very similar to the 675.



Fuel Tank One of the major points that tilted my decision in the favour of the Striple was the fuel tank capacity. The Striple has a healthy 17 lt tank, which in real world scenario gives a range of around 300kms. Mostof the current crop of bikes are offered as urban roadsters and come with 13-15 lts capacity. While the 17lt might not seem as a big step up from 15 lt, the addition of 40-50 km extra range helps keep the mind at peace out on the highway. My bike MID tells me the bike is delivering an average of 23kmpl, though I have not done a complete tank to tank evaluation.

Lights and lighting: Lighting duties up front are a pair of 55/60W halogen bulbs and do a good job of lighting up the road ahead. So far, I have only ridden in the summer and since the days are long, with sunlight till 21:00 hours, I have so far not ridden much in the night. Throw and spread are quite satisfactory. Lighthing at the rear is an all LED unit, carried over from the 675, as the tail section is the same. Indicators are standard bulbs, though I plan to change them to LED units in the near future.




Instrumentation and accessories: From the previous 675, the instrumentation is more or less the same, save for a few cosmetic changes. The bike has two rider modes, Rain and Road. From my experience, one can manage with keeping the bike in Road mode all of the time. Rain mode only softens the throttle response and probably makes the Traction Control more sensitive, but as an experienced rider, I think one will not need to switch modes. There is dedicated button to turn off the Traction Control and so far I have not felt the need to disable it



Hazard lights come as standard, switchgear for choosing modes and trip computer





The clutch and brake levers are adjustable for reach and one can find a comfortable position, based on their finger size.

Heated gripsThe bike came with Heated grips and I have had to use them in the early April/May, when the morning temps were still around 4 deg C. At first, they felt really good, as they heat up quickly, with two levels of heating. However, I soon found out that while riding, the finger tips are still exposed to the cold air and become numb very soon. So long as one is riding for a very short time, 10-15 min, as is the case with my office commute, things are fine. Longer rides will need proper winter gloves, with really good insulation.



Radiator Guard Just to protect the radiator from bugs, road debri, I have installed an Evotech Radiator Guard.



Tank Bag For the short day rides and commute rides, I added the SW motech tank bag, which comes with an adapter and a tank ring. This ensures that the bag doesn't move at high speeds and no scratches from the tank bag. Only down side is that the bags are on the expensive side, though one can find good deals during season ending.



Service and Warranty At the 10,000kms mark, the bike went in for the regular service. Other than oil change, the only thing recommended was brake fluid replacement. I'm attaching a copy of the service bill just for readers to get an idea of the labour charges involved in Germany.


The bike also came with an extended 4 year guarantee, which is honoured as long as the bike is serviced as per the schedule, even outside of Triumph workshops. The right ride headlamp reflector has developed some kind of cracks in the chrome coating. The headlight replacement costs around 500 euros and because of the extended guarantee, this was replaced with the labour cost of 50 euros.



Things I like

+ Updated bigger engine, with revised gearbox ratios, for better low end acceleration. The new 765 engine has better low end grunt, thanks to the increased volume. While I was happy with the long ratio gearbox on the 675 ( one could do 100-110 kmph in the first gear itself), many owners wanted the rapid acceleration the 2008, 1st gen Street Triple offered. In the 765, the gearbox ratios were changed, for more rapid acceleration and for most cases around town, 2nd and 3rd gear suffice.

+ Glorious intake roar, coupled with instant throttle response. The Triple engine retains it's characteristic intake roar, thanks to the velocity stacks and now, a shorter, more direct air intake, just above the headlights. Throttle response is immediate, thanks to the ride-by-wire

+ Light weight, with stable, reliable steering. The Street Triple has always been known to have a wide turning radius, with very limited steering lock. While quick,short U turns are not so easy to take, the steering is light and effortless at regular riding speeds. Bike changes direction with ease and mid corner corrections are forgiven, without any unpredictable behaviour.

+ Very comfortable, all day riding posture. The longest I have ridden so far is around 600 kms in a day and at the end of it, no body parts were complaining. Upto speeds of 150-160kmph on the Autobahns, the wind blast is tolerable.

Things I dislike

- Relatively heavy clutch on the S model. Sadly, the S model didn't get the slipper assisted clutch as on the R and RS model. It takes some time for the power and muscle memory to set in and while here stop and go traffic is very little, it does become a little difficult to modulate the clutch in prolonged city traffic

- Brakes could have had better bite. The S model misses out on radial mounted calipers which the R and RS models get. While the stopping power is there, the initial bite is poor and I would have preferred sharper brakes.

- Poor visibility mirrors. I had complained about the mirrors in my previous review and since they carried over the same mirrors for the S model, the same issues exist. Very limited visibility and very lmited range of adjustment. I plan to change to the new mirrors on the 2020 R model and see if they make an improvement, as they seem to be wider.

- Expensive accessories. Most of the Triumph factory accessories are expensive, for example the heated grips, 250 euros. The CNC adjustable levers, 120 euros each. Most of the accessories are of high quality but do feel expensive, compared to the aftermarket options from LSL or Rizoma.

From most of my friends I spoke to, the first response was Go for the Triple, but get the RS model. The RS model does have it's appeal, with slightly higher power, best quality,adjustable suspension, brakes, TFT display. My initial thoughts were to get a bike mainly for commuting to office and the occassional weekend/holiday ride. For this, paying a premium of nearly 3-4000 euros more made it feel expensive. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on unnecessary features, like the adjustable suspension, as the stock was well setup for my weight. The R model also would have made perfect sense, but at the time I was searching, there were no R models available. The new R model addresses all my above points, but a new bike was far more expensive than my planned budget and therefore stayed away from it. In hindsight, I should have probably gone for the R/RS model, purely for the lighter slipper clutch and the better brakes, maybe in the next bike.

[hifisharu]

Being close to the Schwarzwald ( Black Forest ), I've had the pleasure of exploring some really fantastic roads nearby and visited some really nice spots. The first one that comes to mind is the known Schwarzwaldhochstrasse, a lovely widing road in the high alpine ranges. One of the most known places where one can see a lot of bikers is MummelSee









One of the other known fantastic routes is from the Triberg waterfalls to lake TitiSee, also a part of the B500 route.
















From one of the first group rides I did, to a place across the French border, known as the Alsace region. We met up with a friend who rode in from Saarbrucken and went on a ride in the National Forest.Lunch was at place called Bitche To and fro, we did about 600kms, including around 50kms inside the national forest. It took us only 8 hours in total, including lunch break, thanks to the unrestricted stretches of the Autobahn











Some pictures from rides to nearby places







I hope to ride out some more exciting places, nearby and also in Switzerland, Austria, France and will keep my thread updated as much as possible. Thank you for reading and wishing the best of health to everyone in these trying times.

[hifisharu]

Riding gear and miscellaneous maintenance stuff: New motorcycle equals opportunity to buy new riding gear and while I retained some stuff from India, I added a lot of new stuff as well. Mainly the helmet and pants needed updating and here is my current list of riding gear.

Helmet: After my previous HJCs and AGV, I was looking for the following points in my next helmet:

i) Should be light, so definitely fibreglass construction, no ABS, thermoplastic stuff. Carbon fibre is good to have, but not if it increases the price point by a lot

ii) Recesses for a communication device included. I had used a comms device with my previous HJC which didn't have dedicated speaker recess and after about 2-3 hours of riding, my ears would hurt a lot.

iii) Integrated Sun visor. For those hot sunny days, having a tinted sun visor/ tinted screen helps a lot, reducing glare on the eys and making the ride more comfortable. Earlier with my AGV, I had tried having two visors, clear and tinted. It is a hassle carrying an extra visor, pulling over to change it and what not.

Based on the above points, I zeroed in on the Shark Spartan Carbon Priona. It was well priced, Glassfiber construction and all the above me ntioned features. The materials used for the cushion are all premium and quite comfortable for all day usage. The visor came with a Pinlock visor included and closes with a nice click. Noise levels are low, thanks to a chin curtain and good sealing visor.



https://www.helmexpress.com/shark-sp...EALw_wcB#29736

Communication: I'm using a Freedconn T-Max, which I had bought in 2017, for the Alps ride and had served us well. The range is really good, between 500-800m and the noise attenuation is also good, allowing clear communication between the riders. The speakers as far as music is concerned are pretty bad and lack quality. Radio reception is also very poor and delivers static many of the times. For receiving calls, it's good and does it's job. If I remeber correctly, I had pain around 80 euros for the device and for the price, it lives up to the expectation very well. Battery life is very good and can easily last 6-8hrs of continuous usage.



https://www.ebay.de/i/174408742673?c...EaAjbeEALw_wcB

Jacket: This is a Dainese Cage Pelle, complete leather construction, with a 3D bubble liner. The jacket is very comfortable and thanks to the 3D bubble, there is no additional cold layer lining and this keeps the weight down. My only complaint is with the main zipper, that doesn't operate easily and could have been better.




https://www.fc-moto.de/en/Dainese-Cage

Riding pant: Currently I'm using a Vanucci riding jeans, with Kevlar lining and Supershield protectors. The jeans have a good fit and comfortable for all day riding. Only in very hot riding conditions, the ventilation is not so great. For rain rides, I carry a rain over-pant from Decathalon.



https://www.louis.de/artikel/vanucci...umber=21110432

Gloves: These are Held Touring Five, which I picked up in a sale. The gloves are comfortable, though they time to break in.



https://www.ebay.de/itm/283743560879?var=585157040854

Lastly, Shoes/Boots: These are Bullson RW2 riding boots. I bought them in 2015 at a sale are no longer in production. They are waterproof, but I'm not so happy with the laces. They are comfortable alright, but being waterproof, ventilation is non existent and I will be changing to something more touring oriented, i.e with a zipper closure very soon.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Porschefire]

Lovely ownership review, Sharu Saar! You have covered everything in great detail.
Rating 5*.

If there was one bike that suited the rider to the 'T' (and vice versa), it has to be you and the Striple. I've had the pleasure of riding with you since your CBR250 days and I feel you really took to the Striple like a knife through hot butter.

Although, it would've been great if you had chosen the RS instead. I remember going for a test ride of the Street Twin at Keerthi Triumph where I was also offered the RS and coming back mighty impressed with it. It sure is expensive but then, I feel it deserves that premium.

All well, on your next upgrade then! For now, I wish you many happy miles with the S and hope to ride with you soon.

PS: We checked out bikes at the BMW museum as well!


Remember this?

[hareshjethwani]

Superb ! A great review,long winding roads look fabulous. Wanted to know if you found it difficult to adjust to the traffic rules there or not much of a difference from here? Ride safe

[amol4184]

I have exact same experience like you with a minor difference. Sold my Streety (2015) in July and I am yet to decide on the next model. It is my favorite bike having come from Ninja 650R, Yamaha FZ09. How different is riding experience of the latest model from your old one?

My pet peeve was weak low end torque. I am glad they seem to have sorted that out. It was a hoot after 6k RPM, going crazier with every passing rev but my daily riding was in suburbs and slow speed riding was nothing compared to absolute bonkers experience once in 6k+ range. I ran on stock exhaust which sounded meek for a long time, then got the Coffman and in the end moved to Scorpion. The Coffman was ear shattering loud even with the baffle but improved top end (unnecessary for me) while Scorpion was much mellow, I didn't feel difference in performance against stock. However it did sound MUCH better than the stock exhaust. Until the end my search for perfect exhaust continued. Are you planning any exhaust upgrade?

You are so right about spares and accessory costs - astronomical. Only a step lower than Ducati's. The mirrors were an insane $150 + tax a pop. Not only parts, official maintenance was a shocker too - US$1100 for valve clearance and rest of the 15000 mile service (Ducati Monster 820's 15k mile service was $1400). I got it done for much less from an ex-Triumph mech who had resigned and opened her own shop.

I could never get my hands on Speed triple but a lot of people told me despite its even bigger, crazy engine the bike is more rideable in the city than Street Triple. I need to check it out once I am back in the states. I think I will stay with Triumph as long as they keep producing these wonderfully quirky looking bikes with that glorious exhaust note.

[hifisharu]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Lovely ownership review, Sharu Saar! You have covered everything in great detail.
Rating 5*.

Although, it would've been great if you had chosen the RS instead. I remember going for a test ride of the Street Twin at Keerthi Triumph where I was also offered the RS and coming back mighty impressed with it. It sure is expensive but then, I feel it deserves that premium.

All well, on your next upgrade then! For now, I wish you many happy miles with the S and hope to ride with you soon.

PS: We checked out bikes at the BMW museum as well!

Attachment 2049032
Remember this?

Thank you for your kind words Porschefire. Of course I remember our time at BMW Welt, discussing the next possible dream machines. When are we going to hear the good news from your side? Upgrade to the Ninja is pending from a very long time

Originally Posted by hareshjethwani

Superb ! A great review,long winding roads look fabulous. Wanted to know if you found it difficult to adjust to the traffic rules there or not much of a difference from here? Ride safe

Thank you Hareshjethwani, the roads are indeed fabulous to ride on. Regarding the license and riding here, I would like to put down some details and my experience:

For tourists and short term residents, the Indian License is valid for 6 months, from the date of entry into the EU. I had even taken the IDP with me, the effectiveness of which is subjective, since most rental places considered the Indian License in English. For long term residents, already holding licenses, one can do what's called an Umschreibung, meaning like a transfer of the Indian License to a German License. The complete procedure is as follows: First register with a driving school, with whom you wish to train. They will compile the documents such as a copy of the existing license with a German translation, First Aid course attended, Eye Test and other personal details and send it over to the Licensing Authority. Once they have done a check on the Indian License, they will give a go ahead to the Driving School and one can start preparing for the Theory Test. With a license transfer, one doesn't have to undertake the mandatory Theory Classes and there is an app where you can train for the Theory Test. The theory exam consists of an electronic test and 30 questions for just a car license and 40 questions for the car+motorcycle license. The questions come from a question bank of over 1000 questions, regarding rules, roadsigns, general upkeep of vehicles, driving in different weather conditions, protocol for accident cases, drug abuse and tons more. The pass criteria is very high, as depending on the weightage of the question, even getting 2 answers wrong can fail you the test.

Once you're done with the Theory, you can start your Practical classes with the driving school. After certain number of hours, which vary from person to person, the driving instructor will determine if you're ready to take up the practical exam. The final driving test varies from 45min to 1hour and the person is required to drive through all the normal traffic scenarios, city, rural, Autobahns etc. Examiners are generally pretty strict and watchful of many things, including how you hold the steering wheel, due consideration for other road users ( cyclists, pedestrians ) etc. For the motorcycle license, it starts out with regular road riding, then about 15-20 min of a test section, where we have to do the Slalom test, emergency braking, obstacle avoidance etc. At the end of all of this, if you've passed, you can go to the License issuing authority, hand over your Indian license and pickup the German license. Approximately, one can consider around 1000-1500 euros for the whole process, if not more.

So, to answer your question, yes, there is a huge difference in the road rules compared to Indian ones and by the end of the process, they make sure you have learnt all that is needed and adapt to it accordingly. Difficult or easy is very subjective.

[VijayAnand1]

Reviewxperience is what comes to my mind right now. Those winding roads, those beautiful vistas, just the biking sentiments are great way to read a thread with fried moon daal and ginger tea on hand. Ride safe, and keep your experiences jotted.

Cheers!
VJ

[shan_ned]

I think this is the first or second dedicated thread on the ownership review of 765 Street Triple. Lovely write up with details which can help a potential buyer.

I am one of the guys who got inspired by your 675 ownership review thread. Over and above that, you patiently offered your time to answer a whole lot of questions asked by me. That really helped me to finalise on getting the 765. I will never mind thanking you again and again for the help.

When many people feel the urge to upgrade to a bigger cc or higher power, it is really refreshing to see a rider sticking to the same motorcycle. It means how good the Street Triple is and how much you still continue to love it even after 7 to 8 years.

Coming to the machine, like to add few more points.
1) As you rightly pointed out, the first gear of 765 is very much shorter in comparison to the one present in 675. Even the second gear is shorter by a small margin. Very good move. I still feel that 765 should have a little more torque in the 1500 to 2200 RPM range for an effortless move from the standstill (Not an issue if one gets used to it though)

2) The other thing which you brought out is the engine heating. Even I am so impressed by the radiator design in 765. In that segment of motorcycles, 765 has a bigger radiator which enables efficient cooling. The best thing is that the heat is thrown downwards with a steep angle.

Just like how you kept updating your 675 Street Triple ownership thread, I am sure you will do the same for this new ownership thread as well.

Wish you many more happy and safe miles with your Street Triple.

[hifisharu]

Originally Posted by shan_ned

I think this is the first or second dedicated thread on the ownership review of 765 Street Triple. Lovely write up with details which can help a potential buyer.

I am one of the guys who got inspired by your 675 ownership review thread. Over and above that, you patiently offered your time to answer a whole lot of questions asked by me. That really helped me to finalise on getting the 765. I will never mind thanking you again and again for the help.

When many people feel the urge to upgrade to a bigger cc or higher power, it is really refreshing to see a rider sticking to the same motorcycle. It means how good the Street Triple is and how much you still continue to love it even after 7 to 8 years.

Just like how you kept updating your 675 Street Triple ownership thread, I am sure you will do the same for this new ownership thread as well.

Wish you many more happy and safe miles with your Street Triple.

Thank you shan_ned for those kind words. From my point of view, such threads serve as great memory banks later in life, when and where we are later is something we don't know. I thank Teambhp once again for this platform, which helps bring together such ideas and people. I'm glad my ownership thread could help you make a decision. I'll maintain this current thread to serve as a comparision between life, maintainance etc in the two different countries. Wishing you many happy miles on your RS @sha_ned

Originally Posted by amol4184

How different is riding experience of the latest model from your old one?
Are you planning any exhaust upgrade?
I could never get my hands on Speed triple but a lot of people told me despite its even bigger, crazy engine the bike is more rideable in the city than Street Triple. I need to check it out once I am back in the states. I think I will stay with Triumph as long as they keep producing these wonderfully quirky looking bikes with that glorious exhaust note.

I can say the riding experience from a bike point of view has been more or less the same, only better in terms of more power etc. Comfort, ease of use has been pretty much the same.

Regarding the exhaust, currently there have been proposals to the Bundesrat ( sort of cabinet of ministers) to have ban on riding motorcycles on weekends, more strict policing of aftermarket exhausts and even travel bans to certain biker hotspots. Since the Arrow exhaust doesn't offer any gains, performance or aural wise, I have no plans to change it.

I haven't ridden the Speed, but for my build, I already feel the Speed is too heavy and big. Plus I've read/heard it's not so nimble compared to the Streety. You're doubly right about the quirky looks andthe exhaust note part, they keep you coming back for more

[Abhi5868]

Congratulations on buying what's essentially known as the "Prabhas wala bike" amongst the aam junta (courtesy:Saaho) and an enthusiasts delight on the streetsclap .

A senior used to own one and our whole college was head over heels for this bike. His only gripe was the exuberating heat generated on the busy Indian streets.

[imp!]

Congratulations on a wonderful bike. You can easily add an after market slipper clutch and Quick Shifter. If you're planning in keeping the bike long term, it may make sense to do so.

[hdus001]

Great writeup

BTW how is it for the pillion? The seat looks quite small?