STREET SAVVY

THE NEW CAFE RACER- STYLE THRUXTON IS, WELL, A TRIUMPH, WRITE MATHIEU DAY- GILLETT AND PAUL LANCE

While the Thruxton is the benchmark cafe racer not only in the Triumph line- up but arguably in the class, the new Triumph Street Cup offers Kiwi riders something a little different.

Since the rebirth of Triumph in 1984, the brand is doing well to leverage its long heritage, while also catering to the demands of modern consumers.

The latest addition to the classic range is no different, with the Street Cup not only taking its styling cues from yesteryear, but also being a truly usable modern motorcycle.

Casual bike aficionados will immediately look at the cafe racer styling and think the Street Cup is just a smaller capacity version of the bike that cemented the factory cafe racer segment in our collective psyche, the Triumph Thruxton.

However, in reality the Street Cup is definitely not a Thruxton offshoot.

While the new Thruxton is a powerful 1200cc machine with a stonking top- end pull, the Street Cup, as its name suggests, is all about day- to- day usability on the street and as such runs the smaller 900cc High Torque parallel twin that originally debuted in the Street Twin.

That engine was the perfect companion to the Street Twin, offering tons of torque at low RPM and allowing the rider to drag off nearly anyone at the lights.

The same can be said for the Street Cup, which also shares in the Street Twin’s switchable traction control system and ABS as standard, yet when it came to the open road the two models felt distinctly different.

When we tried the Street Twin, we couldn’t help but feel the bike was lacking when it came to the top end, and distinctly remember the bike running out of puff when pulling out to make overtaking manoeuvres.

Considering the Street Cup shares the same engine, we were surprised to find the SOHC 8- valve engine pulling far higher into the rev range while giving it “the beans”.

Once the surge of torque recedes, you glide your way to the redline before clicking up another cog on the five- speed ’ box.

While you could take it to the track and have a blast hitting apexes, the Street Cup has only modest suspension and brakes, and while perfectly up to the task