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2011–2012 · Naked Bike · Buyer's Guide
Triple That Bites Back
The Street Triple builds its whole personality around a 675 cc inline-three that makes 105 hp at 11,750 rpm and 50 lb-ft at 9,100 rpm. It's a free-revving engine with a rising torque curve and a hard intake howl, wrapped in an aluminum beam frame lifted straight off the Daytona 675 supersport. That chassis is what made this the middleweight naked to beat: light, sharp, and endlessly willing to lean. The bug-eye twin headlights and compact proportions give it a streetfighter look that still reads as modern rather than nostalgic British.
On the road it rewards a rider who likes to work, rolling from town traffic to a favorite set of corners and holding its character long after the odometer climbs. It suits riders who want feedback and agility over sheer horsepower, and the 31.5 in (800 mm) seat works for average and taller frames. The honest caveat: this is a stripped-back sporting naked with no ABS and a fork you can't tune, so you ride within its analog limits. Watch for a cold-start engine rattle and the occasional bike that pops out of gear under hard use.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 105 hp (78 kW) @ 11,750 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 50 lb-ft (68 Nm) @ 9,100 rpm |
| Displacement | 675 cc |
| Engine | Inline-three |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 308 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 180/55-17 |
| Wheelbase | 55.5 in (1410 mm) |
| Seat height | 31.5 in (800 mm) |
| Wet weight | 417 lb (189 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.6 gal (17.4 L) |
| Fuel economy | 41 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Swing a leg over and the first thing you notice is how small and light it feels underneath you, the tank narrow between your knees and the bars falling to hand in an upright, ready stance. Get moving and the triple fills in with a smooth, buzzy thrum that sharpens into a hard mechanical wail as the revs climb. There's no fairing to hide behind, so the wind piles onto your chest and shoulders and makes 60 mph feel like genuine speed, which is exactly the point on a machine like this. The front end feeds a constant stream of information up through the bars, and at 417 lb (189 kg) the whole bike tips into a corner with a thought rather than a shove. At real road pace it never feels frantic, just alert, egging you toward the next set of bends.
What follows isn't from one ride of mine. It's what I've gathered over years of listening: threads I've read, talk at the paddock, and notes owners send me directly. Put it together and the Street Triple settles in a clear place, with warm words for its motor and chassis and two grievances that resurface across nearly every account.
The 675 triple comes up first in most reports. Owners describe strong pull from down low building into a top end that begs for revs, and an induction note that keeps drawing them back to the throttle. The chassis earns the same warmth: precise in the corners, quick to change line, and light enough that it asks little muscle of the rider in town or out on a back road. Its bare, aggressive streetfighter shape still pulls compliments too.
Two problems dog the reports. Owners say the factory shock and brake pads fade after moderate use, leaving the rear loose and the brakes short on bite. The other is buzz: hold high rpm outside town and a fine vibration works into the bars that many riders find tiring on a longer ride.
Cam chain tensioner rattle
A rattle from the right side of the engine on cold starts may indicate a slack cam chain tensioner. If left unaddressed, potential engine damage can occur.
Gearbox jumps out of gear under hard acceleration
Some bikes exhibit a tendency to pop out of gear when ridden aggressively without the clutch, often a result of previous owner abuse.
Where this Triumph Street Triple pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Street Triple is actually built for.
This is your Angeles Crest tool. Light, sharp, and endlessly willing to lean, it chases canyon apexes all day, and the wind on your chest keeps your speed honest enough to protect your license.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
Made for the technical, low-speed corner work the Dragon and Blue Ridge demand. Quick steering and honest feedback reward precision over horsepower, which is how you actually get faster on roads like these.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2007–2012
Triple Soul, Razor Handling
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Triumph Street Triple. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
