As we piled on the miles on our long-term test 2016 Triumph Street Triple 675R, we discovered it was entirely possible to change the character of this do-anything middleweight with the addition of a few accessories. But first, a recap.
In our first long-term report, we had just sent in the Street Triple R for its first service, which saw it getting a full sump of fully synthetic, a new oil filter, and some other bits and bobs. At RM450 for the cost of a first service, we didn’t see this as being prohibitive, and well in keeping with what is being charged by other official service places.
When we picked the Street Triple R up at Triumph’s flagship store in Petaling Jaya, we found that the bike had been blinged out, with just about the entire contents of the Triumph accessories catalogue thrown at it. This was a surprise, as we had wanted to ride the bike in its stock form for at least a month before adding on the bits, as it were.
Some of the accessories installed we were familiar with, from our first test of the Street Triple R back in February. At the time, the Triple came installed with a tank bag, fly-screen and quick-shifter, as part of a promotion package that came free with the bike at the time.
Starting with the fly-screen, its diminutive size didn’t impress us much, at first. Right up to the point we started clocking some high-speed mileage on the open highway. We found ourselves being able to hold our head higher in the saddle, instead of crouching down with chin on the tank.
The screen did make a small, but appreciable difference. There is also the option of an add-on clear screen which mounts on top of the fly-screen which will increase the size of the wind shadow around the rider. This will be especially helpful for a rider which does a lot of highway riding.
We had, when riding the Street Triple before its first service, mentioned the vibration we felt in the handlebars. While not being excessive, it was there, and it was a little intrusive. While some might have put it down to the bike bedding in, Triumph presented us with a very elegant solution to the problem.
A pair of bar-end mirrors were installed on the handlebars, taking the place of the standard bar-end weights. The added mass of the mirrors had the effect of calming the vibration down, somewhat. Even better was the mirrors themselves showed no signs on being affected by vibration.
The drawback was, of course, the field of view to the rear is a lot smaller than it was with the original mirrors on stalks. So, a choice has to be made. We can have a good field of vision with vibration, or those very sexy looking bar-end mirrors. Our choice? Let’s just say sex sells.
A set of frame protectors was also installed, and Triumph put some thought into the design of this sometimes essential piece of equipment. While the usual after-market frame protectors are simple nylon cylinders stuck on the end of a post bolted to the frame, the Street Triple’s frame protectors are very elegantly sculpted pieces of ABS high-impact plastic that look like a part of the bike’s bodywork.
More protection was installed in the form of rubber covers for the engine cases. Looking very innocuous, the covers help protect against scratches from small spills. At the front wheel spindle, a pair of crash bungs were installed, which will do the job protecting the brake calipers and forks if the bike slides at high-speed.
On the swingarm, a pair of machined aluminium bobbins were placed to allow the use of a swingarm stand, useful for lubricating the chain and when the rear wheel needs removal. Which brings us to the two biggest changes made to our long-term test Street Triple R.
The first of these was the quick-shifter. The quick-shifter cuts the ignition momentarily when the rider shifts up on the gearshift, allowing for gears to be changed without the throttle having to be closed.
In the case of the Street Triple’s upshifter, an OEM from Triumph, there was no mismatch between the shifter and the bike’s engine and gearbox, giving seamless gearchanges. Working in conjunction with the shift lights on the top of the instrument cluster, we found our quickshifter equipped Triple to be highly entertaining, especially at traffic light drag races, and for very, very quick take-offs and overtaking.
The second of the big changes is actually the biggest, the addition of an Arrow slip-on exhaust. Many riders change the exhaust on their bikes, in a quest to save weight and gain power.
There is also the added benefit of the Schräge Musik that emanates from a less restrictive exhaust, especially on a multi-cylinder motorcycle. In the case of the Street Triple R, its inline three-cylinder engine makes a noise that is very unique.
While V-twins rumble like thunder, and four-cylinders howl, a triple makes this unique bark on the throttle blip. There were times, inside a tunnel, the throttle on the Street Triple was gunned, just for the enjoyment of the that resounding bark.
A side effect of an after-market end-can, like the Arrow, is the liberation of a few extra horsepower. The amount usually isn’t much, and we had no access to a dyno for a empirical test, but, suffice it to say, the Street Triple had a little more urge to it, especially in the mid-range roll-on.
This made overtaking much easier, with the throttle just needing to be snapped open for the revs to build. Even at very low throttle openings and in high gears, there was very little stumbling or bogging in the engine as bells were rung for more speed.
As we spend more time with the 2016 Triumph Street Triple 675R, we are starting to explore all the little niches where it does well, and it performs as demanded despite all we threw at it, and we are riding this middle-weight hard.
For more on what this three-cylinder naked sportsbike has endured at our hands, check in next month for the next instalment in our long-term review of the 2016 Triumph Street Triple 675R.
In the meantime, if you want to check out the Street Triple R for yourself, head over to Triumph Malaysia’s flagship store in Section 13, Petaling Jaya, where Triumph is having its Try-Day weekend.
