Bertie rides some 'best of British' beef!
First, an apology... the 2000/2001 Triumph Speed Triple you see in the opening shot alongside its late 2019 offspring is a dulllooking bike in black, but the reality is far from it as historically she can come in some seriously funky colours. After all, how does Nuclear Red, Roulette Green and Lucifer Orange sound? Ok, Nuclear Red looks pink and Roulette Green is more of a Neon Bogey Crush, but if you ignore Triumph's poncey, pretentious palette these bikes are cracking machines to buy and ride, and the models from around two decades ago are perhaps the best of the breed, even better than the 2005 1050cc update... Firstly, even in dull old black, this is one helluva great British bike! Now, I don't do Brexit or jingoism, but I love my country and the people and machines that make it a special place and, in my opinion, the Triumph Speed Triple is all British beef and bloody marvellous because of it. Think Mick Mcmanus, think Saturday evening wrestling, think of a big unit that can throw itself around the ring - that's the mighty and marvellous Triumph Speed Triple, and this model is one of the best. It's now 25 years since I first rode a Mark 1 Speed Triple and 20 years since I first rode this model - and I still want one. Here's why. Firstly, it's a great street bike and each subsequent model from that first 1994 885cc triple has gotten better and better, although it has been a (sometimes) two steps forward, one back kinda route. This model on test is the 2000-2001 model, so you've got the three analogue clock set up. This gave you some decent wind-blast resistance compared to the digital speedo/tacho set up of the late 2001 (2002 year model) version, without the need for the cute Iittle cowling over the clocks that this model has. I found this version comfier than the later version too (see timeline for differences), even if this model is about lobhp down. Which brings me on to the engine ... it's a peach in all its guises. This one
comes it at around 108bhp (or did back in the day) so we're looking at around loobhp at the back wheel - who needs more, even today? What is impressive is the way that 12-valve triple makes its motive gumption. There's plenty of oomph low down for urban sprawl/town work, so you can trickle along at 3-4Ooorpm if you so desire, but then from around 5-6Ooorpm things begin to get interesting and it positively grunts and howls to around 9Ooorpm when the fun begins to ta ii off.
With the original Triumph carbon end-can (careful, they can leak) it is a noise which is one of the best in motorcycling. I do rate the Triumph triple from the late 199Os as one of my favourite powerplants of the decade - it really is that good. You have to see, hear and feel it to experience it in all its glory. Just don't expect brilliant mpg.
With the bike almost being a stripped Daytona sports machine of the same vintage, it's not surprising that the running gear and overall chassis is pretty good, too. Now, way back when, those brakes were awesome. Triumph-badged four-pot Nissins grasped two 320mm discs and they did a formidable job. At the time and from new they were brilliant, but I've since ridden a few where the brakes have clearly suffered over the decades. Like the six-pot Tokicos of similar vintage, reports were that the pistons inside the calipers would lose their coating and deteriorate so much that the feel and power at the lever was much diminished. You really
need to take care of the brakes and give them regular strip-downs because - when you do - they are still plenty good enough and were on the last few examples I tried. If you want experts to strip the brakes, then go no further than www.powerhouse.uk and tell Lawson Smith and Dave Cattell we sent ya ... Suspension was always on the firm side. While this made it a pretty useable proposition on track (I've done a few track days on Tripehounds of this vintage) it can make things a bit choppy out on the road, and the years may well not have been kind to suspension front and rear. We've heard good things about Hyperpro front fork kits for those fully adjustable 45mm forks, and replacement rear shocks from the likes of Nitron, Hagon and YSS. You can sort the suspension on one of these for just a few hundred quid and it'll be worth it. It'll be worth it because that 1440mm wheelbase and 24-degree head angle mean this bike can really turn, despite that fat, 190-section rear tyre and it often belies its 220-kilo-or-so weight. The very early 1997/98 T509s had low clip-ons which made the bike a pain (literally) at slow speeds in the city. If I recall you could specify high bars and by 1998 on this was all you got. These do help, but ~
you've still got a pretty limited steering lock so 'rider beware' if you're trying a tricky feet-up U-turn.
Looks are love or loathe, and I've always loved them. It's an evocative mix of bug-eyed stare, naked, stripped-to-the-waist muscle on display (that triple) and some quirky, almost 'not quite finished' bits. The Speed Triple looked more refined as time went on, but early T509s and the 70cc bigger version you see here still looked a tad 'Friday afternoon' with hoses and wires here, there and everywhere. Triumph has come on leaps and bounds in the respect of overall finish and 'polish'.
Prices hold up pretty well on this era of Triple - all things considered - but do beware of stripped-down T595s/daytonas pretending to be something they're not. Like F-model Powervalves, it seems that, for many, they wanted the naked version, especially post-crash.
For me, there's little more evocative as a visceral, seat-of-the-pants ride than a well sorted Triumph Speed Triple. Try one ...