PB mixed issue sampler - updated Jul18

THE BIG TEST
MIDDLEWIGHT NAKEDS
Oddly enough, this is the
only thing it’s not great at
Any more lean and speed on rippled
tarmac and you’ll soon find its limit
NAKED
MOTO2
FUN
TRIPLE
TREAT, POGO
CHASSIS
SPECIFICATION
TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE RS
YAMAHA MT-09
SPECIFICATION
ENGINE
Type Liquid-cooled, dohc,
12v inline triple
Capacity 765cc
Bore x stroke 77.99mm x 53.38mm
Fuelling Electronic fuel injection
Power 121.2bhp @ 11,700rpm (claimed)
Torque 56.8lb.ft @ 10,800rpm (claimed)
CHASSIS
Frame Aluminium beam twin-spar
Front suspension 41mm Showa USD
BPF forks, fully adjustable.
Rear suspension Öhlins STX40
monoshock, fully adjustable
Front brakes 2 x 310mm discs,
Brembo M50 radial-mount
monoblock calipers, ABS
Rear brake 220mm disc, Brembo
single-piston caliper, ABS
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase 1410mm
Rake/trail 23.9°/100mm
Weight 166kg (dry, claimed)
Seat height 825mm
Fuel capacity 17.4 litres
TECHNOLOGY
Rider aids ABS, five engine modes,
five-stage traction control, quickshifter
BUYING
Price £9900
Contact www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk
W
ITH AN ENGINE that will
power Moto2 bikes from 2019,
the Triumph Street Triple RS
is the obvious peg for the hole
left by the demise of the supersport class.
It has the right motor, a chassis derived
from a supersport bike, and top-quality
running gear – but all this comes at a cost.
If you want the full-fat RS version you
need to fork out nearly £2000 more than
you do for its rivals. But is this value for
money or an unwise investment?
In terms of kerb appeal, you have to
hand it to the Triumph as it is beautifully
finished. From its full colour dash, which
is easy and intuitive to use, to its quality
running gear, it’s light years ahead of its
rivals. Whitey was particularly drawn to
its collector box, commenting on the fact
Triumph have bothered to paint it black
rather than leave a rough metal finish
with exposed welds as on the Yamaha.
The rest of us just oohed and ahhed at the
Brembo brakes, fat Showa forks, and
Öhlins shock, while shaking our heads at
the nasty bar end mirrors.
If you had to give up supersport bikes
and were only allowed to ride a Street
Triple, you wouldn’t be upset. It takes all
that makes supersports so good – track-
Top: Full-colour TFT
dash is satisfyingly
easy to navigate
Middle: Öhlins rear
shock contributes to
sublime chassis feel
Bottom: Monoblocks
provide superior
stopping power
focused chassis, nimble handling and
ferocious stoppers – yet adds a set of flat
bars instead of clip-ons and an over-sized
triple motor. And it works brilliantly.
Hit the bends on the RS and it’s in its
element. As well as feeling really small,
especially in comparison to the Yamaha,
it is every bit a sportsbike in attitude and
agility. It would happily lead a trackday in
its standard form and even comes locked
and loaded with some proper sticky
Pirelli tyres. But it’s not all joyous...
When you brake hard into bends the
Triumph does have an annoying habit of
getting very tail-light, waggling its rear
like an excited dog. This may be due to a
very forward weight bias, but it is a bit of
a nuisance and means you need to be
careful not to fire down too many gears
in one hit. Also, and this is very apparent
when you wheelie it, there is a slight
disconnection between the throttle and
rear wheel. On old, normally-controlled
Street Triples you could bang one up and
hang it there with precision, but despite
its extra grunt the 765 is harder to hold. I
reckon all it would take is a new fuel map
and race can to remove this hesitation. So
while the RS certainly wins the war of the
chassis, its motor isn’t the best triple...
R
IDE A YAMAHA MT-09 and
there is one feature that
dominates the whole
experience – its triple engine.
To be honest, it could look like a dog’s
dinner (which some would argue it does)
and the MT would still win friends as that
powerplant is quite simply staggering.
Which is a very good thing because the
rest of the bike does have a few flaws...
Since its launch, the MT-09 has always
come under fire for its abrupt throttle
response and poor suspension. This year
Yamaha added full adjustability to its
forks, and a new fuel map, but while the
front is now considerably better, the rear
shock is still damped by warm piss and
the initial throttle pick-up is akin to an
on/off switch. The throttle I am prepared
to let off, as selecting B or STD (snigger)
mode does take a bit of the edge off it. But
the shock... Well, as Whitey commented,
the only bike with a worse shock than this
is the Yamaha MT-07...
The issue with the MT is partly its
design. It’s not a true naked, it’s a kind of
big supermoto crossed with a naked bike,
and while it’s lovely and tall and roomy to
ride, it comes with longer than normal
travel suspension. The front is OK,
Top: Triple soundtrack
could be beefed up
with new can
Middle: Dash is a bit
more basic but still
does the job
Bottom: Yamaha’s
front end is now fully
adjustable
especially with its full adjustability, but
the rear is a bit of an issue.
When you hit bumps the back end just
squats down and then pings back up,
ruining the ride over uneven surfaces and
making it all a bit bouncy. You can attack
bends, but if the surface is uneven it’s not
very good at all and feels in desperate
need of an aftermarket shock, and also
has a bit of a tendency to run wide due to
its long travel suspension. In corners, the
MT-09 lags behind its rivals, but when the
road straightens out it all makes sense.
We all fell for the Yamaha’s motor and
despite its chassis’ failings, when push
came to shove it was the sheer hysterical
naughtiness offered by the motor that
drew us to the MT-09. It is just so fast to
rev, punches so hard in the midrange and
is so bloody easy to wheelie that if you
want to ride like a total twat (and who
doesn’t?) there is no better bike on the
market. When it comes to sheer giggles,
at just £8000 the MT-09 is unbelievable
value for money. Could it take the place
of a supersport bike? Not if corners are
your thing; well, until you throw a few
quid at getting its suspension reworked.
But if you want to practice your
celebration wheelies...
ENGINE
Type Liquid-cooled, dohc,
12v inline triple
Capacity 847cc
Bore x stroke 78.0mm x 59.1mm
Fuelling Electronic fuel injection
Power 113.3bhp @ 10,000rpm (claimed)
Torque 64.6lb.ft @ 8500rpm (claimed)
CHASSIS
Frame Aluminium die-cast diamond
Front suspension 41mm USD forks,
fully adjustable.
Rear suspension Monoshock,
adjustable rebound and spring preload
Front brakes 2 x 298mm discs, fourpiston
radial-mount calipers, ABS
Rear brakes 245mm disc, twin-piston
caliper, ABS
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase 1440mm
Rake/trail 25°/103mm
Weight 193kg (wet, claimed)
Seat height 820mm
Fuel capacity 14 litres
TECHNOLOGY
Rider aids ABS, three engine modes,
three-stage traction control, quickshifter
BUYING
Price £7999
Contact www.yamaha-motor.eu/uk
64 PERFORMANCEBIKES.CO.UK | NOVEMBER 2017
NOVEMBER 2017 | PERFORMANCEBIKES.CO.UK 65