Triumph Tiger Motorcycles in Austin, page #26

Moto blog

New Stuff: Bridgestone BT-016 Pro's

Well it was inevitable really, the gloriously sticky and not very durable Metzler Racetec K3's had seen their last mile on the Triumph. After being ripped through 2500 miles by the Speeds thumping 1050 Triple motor the rear had all but squared off. To replace them I’ve opted for Bridgestones new BT-16 Pro's because their previous incarnation had proved to offer supersport grip in the corners but also offer high mileage rates.

Big magnetic bags

Gone are the days of tank bags held down with flapping Velcro straps and frayed bungee ropes. This is Triumph’s official expandable 30ltr tank bag. It’s designed specifically to fit the 2011 Speed Triple and attaches by a simple strong integrated magnetic base.

Create My Triumph

As you would expect we rarely get a minute to ourselves at Visordown HQ but at lunch time we had a quick play with Triumph's virtual bike creator. You can choose your desired model and colour, then load it to the hilt with all the accessories your heart desires. At the end you can view your masterpiece, print or email it or save it as your desk top image.

2011 Triumph Speed Triple - Long term test bike

The 2011 Speed Triple is Triumph's latest overhaul of this iconic bike. It has a new frame, new suspension, new swingarm, wheels, bodywork, tank, new clocks, new headlights, in fact pretty much everything is new, everything except the engine that is! Many look at a bike's engine as its heart and soul.

Nicked by a horse

I've done some pretty strange things on motorcycles over the years. The less said the better, really. But getting nicked by a horse mounted copper was a first for me.

Street Triple gets a Yoshi boost

Yoshimura, the purveyors of fine aftermarket exhausts have put the heads together for these fine looking high-level cans for the Triumph Street Triple. According to the PR; the exhausts offer a considerable gain in performance over the stock items (dyno results below), with a significant weight reduction. The stock exhausts top the scales at 7.2kg and with the top-of-the-range carbon slip-ons, the weight is shaved down to 3.5kg.

New Triumph Touring Bike Spied!

The lucrative touring segment will soon get a jolt when Triumph enters the market with a flourish. Spy photos from England’s Motor Cycle News show what looks to be a replacement for the Trophy touring model that bit the dust back in 2003. The bike is much larger than Triumph’s Sprint GT sport-tourer, promising a bigger, more powerful three-cylinder engine.

How well does a Triumph Tiger 800 crash?

I've just come back to the hotel after our first day riding the Tiger 800 with the other Brit journos. One of the journos (who shall remain nameless, but alas, it wasn't me) crashed at low speed. Pictured here is his bike.

First Look: Alpinestars Bionic Neck Support

I'm predominantly a road rider, so I haven't had much to do with neck braces, until now. I'm heading on the launch of the new Triumph Tiger 800 and there will be a session of light off-roading so I thought this would be a chance to try the Alpinestars Bionic Neck Support, mainly to see what it was like for day-to-day use. I hope I don't crash hard enough to test its protection qualities and I don't expect to be clearing any table tops either, but I'm curious to know how I get on with the BNS and whether it feels claustrophobic.

Speed Triple gets mean

I headed up the M1 this week to the Triumph Factory in Hinckley. The Speed Triple was due its 12000 mile major service and the workshop also had some new shiny bits to add to the bike for me. Service intervals are every 6000 miles which is more than bearable but the major service will cost you around £450.