I bought the Bonneville because it looked like the bikes I remembered as a kid. In fact it looks like a bike should and it's British.
I remember in college seeing in the papers that the Triumph brand had been reborn and thinking one day I will ride one of those. I was riding a Suzuki TS50ER back then! As I got older, the bikes gradually got bigger and I always had the mindset of 'one day when I can afford it I will have a proper bike'. Then last year, I realised I was older, and a tad richer, and that the day was nigh. I research the Street Triple as a good city bike, then looked at 2nd hand bikes and there was a Speed Triple Special Edition that just ticked all the boxes, the sound from the pipes on the YouTube videos, the name on the tank and the amazing top reviews. A big part is that it is British though. Its individual, its not an out of the box same as the other bikes from Japan, its just...something I cant quite distinguish, but it just is something that I can one day say to my kids or grand kids "I rode a Triumph", they will look it up on t'internet and see what an awesome British bike it was that I rode and maybe think of me as a cool grandad! Then I can take them to the garage, pull back the canvas and there she would be with 200k miles on the clock and still ready to be ridden down the road.
The looks,soul,character & pure triple sound I love tinkering with it & even cleaning it - it makes so much sense of how it goes together and comes apart. The quality of the fixings, the quality of the build. I think its the perfect bike for me, I don't care if its the lightest,quickest or has the most gadgets, its just how it makes me feel when I ride it or wander into the garage and I can't 'just' walk away when I've parked up without looking back more than once... best of all its British and I'm proud of it.
I pick my street triple up next Thursday, wanted one for quite a while so will let you know once I've had it for a few weeks. Hope it's as good as my Blade which still makes me smile everytime I ride it and it's been totally reliable like all the Hondas I've owned! Biggest plus must be its British though!
I think Red Thunder sums it up pretty well......although I still have to wait until I finish work on 1st September to pick mine up :0( I took a Speed out for a very brief ride at Triumph Live last year (having always thought I'd replace my current bike with a GS/GS Adventure - as I have always liked them and watch the Long Way Round at least once a year - would LOVE to do that trip!), and have been lusting after one ever since. I have to say the thought of riding something British (and decent - considering the rubbish we used to put out in the Car industry when we last had a proper one - although I'd still quite like to own a lot of that rubbish too!) is very satisfying. The fact they are not everywhere and it's a bit 'away from the crowd' and let's not forget THE NOISE!!! 4 days to go......then I'm sure I'll be adding to my reasons.....right now the sheer anticipation probably just adds to the love :0)
Personally I've loved every motorcycle I've bought, when I've first bought it. I love touching it, cleaning it, polishing it, personalising it and most importantly riding it...... the feeling of freedom and the excitement of just heading out on the road purely just for the pleasure of riding. Certainly loved my Speed Triple, all of the above was true and I only sold it because my knees hurt too much after long rides.
