Triumph Street Triple R

TO BE HONEST,’ says Gary before heading out on track on the £9200 Street Triple R. ‘I’m really looking forward to riding this one. I rode the RS on the road at the launch and I thought it was a bit too firm for the road, even on those smooth Spanish roads let alone here in the United Kingdom with all the potholes we have to deal with. Whereas this is a bit softer. Also the engine on the R is tuned to give a bit more mid-range than the RS which I like.’ As planned he brings it in after a few laps. The first session was about checking tyre pressures and getting used to trackday traffic. With hot tyre pressures adjusted to 34psi front and rear he’s back out for a proper go. It’s always a joy to watch a really good rider at work close-up. And on Mallory’s 1.39 mile lap you only have to wait a minute for Gary to whistle down the straight again, breezing past fellow riders at the entry to Gerards. His brake light isn’t coming on until he’s well into the corner and then, out of sight behind the pit garages he must be getting back on the throttle sharpish, because when he emerges into view on the back straight he’s passed more people. Back at the van after the session it transpires that things weren’t quite as serene as they looked. ‘It’s nice and comfy, and it’s got easy power. This hairpin is really hard on the brakes, but they cope, but it’s too much like an armchair for Mallory. When you get on the gas it squats down at the back and starts to push wide, so it won’t hold the line. At Gerards it’s drifting off line, I never had to back off, but it’s close. Any corner, hard on the gas and it wants to wheelie. Makes the front go light and you can’t steer. But that’s track antics, obviously. On a bumpy lane it’d be great.’

‘Any corner, hard on the gas and it wants to wheelie… But that’s track antics. On a bumpy lane it’d be great’