As some of you would already know, the R1 is now gone, and has been replaced by a Triumph Speed Triple. After having ridden it for 200 miles in the last two and a half weeks, I think I can now write a review. Since I've had only in-line four-cylinder road bikes, with the R1 being the bike I've owned the longest and the most recent, this is going to be mainly a comparison between the two bikes.
First and foremost, it's definitely more comfortable doing long rides on it than on the R1. I mentioned this first as one of the main reasons I sold the R1 was because of my bad back and knees.
On the Trumpet, I can do a non-stop run of 50 miles without having to stop, or to stretch my legs/shake my hands when on 30 or 40 mph roads. The farthest I can do on the R1 was 20 miles, after which I'd be resting my legs on the R&G crash bungs at every opportunity, and shaking my right hand to get some feel back in it.
However, the standard/current suspension settings are too hard for me. When going over cats eyes whilst filtering on the motorway, the sensation is like the wheel, not the tyre, is hitting the cats eyes.
Also, when going over rippled tarmac, specially when off the throttle, the vibration is transmitted all the way up that I get the same annoying 'whug-whug-whug' sound in my ear-plugged ears that I get when I'm walking on tarmac/concrete with earplugs on. This is not a minus point for me, as suspension settings can be dialled in. I plan to reduce compression damping on the rear shock 1 click at a time to find the best setting.
Next is the sound of the exhaust, and what a lovely sound it is
, specially on the overrun! Of course it is helped no doubt by the baffle-less Arrow exhaust cans, but the bike I did a test ride on still sounded great even with the standard cans. I can't help blipping the throttle every time I shift down, even when I'm not using engine braking. Car drivers move over earlier now as they hear me approaching earlier. The R1 also had a great sounding exhaust as it had un-baffled Arrow cans, too, but it's higher pitched and gets annoying when you run at a steady speed for more than a few miles.
Now I get to the torque and the power. I gave up over 40bhp at the rear wheel when I swapped the R1 for the Speed Triple, and max torque is almost the same, but it peaks lower down the rev range. Result? It wheelies off the throttle in first and second gear without having to try hard.
I also have to be very gentle with the throttle when I rest my left hand on my waist, as it pulls very hard with the slightest of twists. On the Yamaha I can ride around just using my right hand (as long as I don't have to change gears) but I don't think I can do that comfortably on the Triumph, yet.
No doubt the Triumph is not as fast as the R1, but I'm enjoying my rides more now. Besides, the other reason I changed bikes is because since I don't ride on track anymore, the R1 is too much for the road. Make no mistake though, double the national speed limit is achievable on the Speed Triple, if your neck muscles can take it.
Which brings me to handling. With the wide bars and more upright riding position, the Speed Triple is easy to throw around corners, and low speed maneouvering is a doddle compared to the R1. However, when accelerating hard exiting a roundabout on a dual carriageway I had a mild tank slapper
, which luckily sorted itself out very quickly. The low-end torque and the absence of a steering damper, and possibly the stiff suspension settings, make tank slappers a higher probability. Hopefully suspension adjustments will help minimise it, and I just need to control my right wrist better.
The R1 gave me more confidence on sweeping, high speed bends, but then again, it has a full fairing, low clip-ons, and sorted suspension. But on the twisties the Speed Triple can hold its own, and I find myself carrying more corner speed now.
I can't feel any difference between the Yamaha and the Triumph in terms of braking. Yes, the Speed Triple has radial Brembo calipers and braided brake lines (albeit a single line from the m/c then splitting to either caliper), but the Nissin m/c is not powerful enough. I think my set-up on the R1 of a 19x18 Brembo m/c, Hel braided lines, Braking Wavy discs, and the OEM monobloc calipers matches the Triumph's set-up. I wonder how much it'll improve if I fit a Brembo 19x18 m/c?
I'm still not sure about fuel economy/tank range. When I first rode the bike I filled it up and reset the trip meter to zero. The tank capacity is 18 litres (same as the R1), but I only got to put in 13 litres. I did 50 miles on that ride, no problem. The next day I went out again, and had to stop at a petrol station as one of my mirrors was folding in at speed. When I started the bike again the fuel warning light came on, with just 87.3 miles on the trip meter. I kept saying to myself, "Really? 87 miles to a tank? Really?" I couldn't believe it. On the R1 I could do 120 miles of hard riding before the fuel warning light comes on. And I get 27.5% less miles on a bike with less power? "Really?"
The only explanation I can think of is that I've been riding the Speed Triple like the R1, keeping it high in the rev range and shifting up just before the redline. On the next tank full I did 113 miles before the fuel light came on, wth a combination of hard riding and town riding. On my next tank full I will ride it like a V-twin, using the torque and keeping the revs below 9000 rpm as much as possible (6000 rpm at 6th gear is an indicated 90mph), and I will see if my range will improve.
Other things to note - the flyscreen may look small and useless, but it really works! The standard bike that I tested did not have a flyscreen, and helmet noise was as loud as on the R1. I'm not talking about exhaust noise, but wind noise. I can ride my Speed Triple without any earplugs and it's quieter than the R1 even with earplugs on.
Also, because there's no windscreen or fairings, more of my jacket now gets splatted by insects. Even my trousers have dead insects on it now. I never had dead bugs on my trousers when riding the R1. But at least there's less to clean!
Anyway, I hope somebody will find this review useful. Thanks to Paul Mac for the Speed triple insight, and to Tarmac Terrorist for leading the way when I did the test ride, great roads, and for lending me a ramp when I collected the bike.
I won't comment on the looks, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
