Featured What you been doing with your TRIUMPH today??

@Sandi T: I had to whole time there an unpleasant feeling in my stomach. I don't like snakes either.

 

Brilliant photo mate…

 

@Markus - assuming you have a T120 with OEM engine bars, can you just confirm that they're no wider from one side to the other than the handlebars? It would actually be brilliant if you could measure the width of the engine bars as fitted when you get a minute

 

Local ride for me yesterday and commute today, both on the Street Triple. Was going to swap the bikes over but couldn't be bothered to rearrange the garage to put the Blade at the front when I got back yesterday (or today ).

 

@learningtofly: I just had a look at my Bonnie.
The original handle bar is 78 cm wide.
The engine bars/crash bars are about 59-60 cm wide.
They are not original Triumph ones. I bought them in Germany at www.motea.com. The price was around €62.- (Euro/pair). You can get them in black or chrome.
Best regards from Austria.

 

@Mrs Visor: I can really understand you! I have the same problem in my garage. Due to my every day usage of my Honda to get to the office and back home at the actual temperatures the Honda is parking in front of my T120. During the upcoming warmer months I will have to decide to my mood daily.

 

I am pretty good about swapping usually....the Street Triple can be nicer for an early shift though if I have to go through town when it is busy as it is milder mannered in traffic, less work for the clutch hand . Most of my commute is fast, flowing roads though so enjoyable on either. It's a very nice "problem" to have.

 

A day off work today so prioritised some bike time.
A trip out on my faithful Explorer and been down to the Brecon Beacons. The bike is great and still feels as good to ride as when it was new. An enjoyable 350+miles and temperatures up to 19 degrees down there, not expected and a bit too warm for my winter jacket!

 

Wonderful pictures of your ride!

 

I seem to be in the same boat as you regarding your garage configuration, @Mrs Visor. Most of the time I select my bike based on the type of ride I plan to do and also my mood. But sometimes I just can’t be bothered to move bikes around and so I go with the easiest bike to get out of the garage.

 

That’s great, Markus, thank you.

 

I know the feeling Mrs V. I haven't used the Husaberg in a while now. It lives at the back of the garage, the ZZR is kept on the Skylift so I can move it round easily and the Triumph sits right at the front so tends to be the first choice (plus she's my favourite anyway but don't tell the other two!).

 

So it being a glorious, if slightly cool day, and given that I had an afternoon meeting in a village just outside Chester, I had to take the bike.

The new Avon RR2s are breaking in nicely, really confidence inspiring, so much better than the OEM Pirellis. Does it make sense that the braking seems improved as well as the handling? Vital, given Chester and Cheshire West Council's failure to deal with the plague of potholes on our roads.

And of course the return journey had to include a Flat White and Chocolate Brownie at the Four Ways café on the way home (essential post meeting sustenance).

It being home time, pulling out from the side road that serves T4Ws I had to use a little more revs than usual to get up to speed with the traffic. The TEC cam has really "unrestricted" the bike. The same torque, but it doesn't disappear at ~4k and the engine is so much smoother up to the redline.

Now I'm not a boy racer (never really have been), I have the understandable self-preservation instinct of a 62yr old with 45yrs road experience under me (~3/4 million miles). I know when and where to use performance, and the bike now has the right amount of go for my riding style.

My 2018 Street Cup is no T120 or Truxton, but now its got all the performance that the 2016-2018 T100 / Street Twin series should have had. Why would I want more?

Even better, sitting gleaming in the J&S / 4Ws car park, the SC attracted very +ve comments on how right it looks from several of the customers. I'm so vain, but it means my subtle mods (and last week's spit and polish) have lifted it from being just another SC.

Only about 40 miles round trip, but I'm so glad Mrs RevPaul let me get that bike.

Enjoy your rides.

 

Commute today; eventful and very time - consuming way home.

I was about to leave but someone said the route I usually take was possibly blocked, so I decided just for once to do the motorway just to get back. I got the 20 miles down the M5 needed to join the M50…and the M50 was being closed for an incident, so I got waved on round the roundabout. Unable to stomach the 20 miles back up the M50 in rush hour as it is noisy, stinking, boring, full of lunatics etc etc I decided to do one more junction and come off at Tewkesbury, heading home via Evesham etc as the evening was nice. However it was still rush hour so pretty congested and slow - and added 46 miles to my usual route home . I would usually enjoy it, but have to admit I was pleased to finally get home…in hindsight repeating 20 miles back towards work on the M5 might have been better but I still would have had to find a way around the nightmare that end too . Still it was better than sitting in a car in traffic…

 

@FellZebra that looks lovely; it was surprisingly mild today - I was even driven to shed a layer for my journey home from work .

 

I'd have made the same call, the Tewkesbury - Evesham run would be preferable to a rush hour M5. But then I'm basing that on 40 years old knowledge of the area. At least the roads are more interesting even if full.

The only advantage of the M5 (which I frequent regularly keeping an eye on my mum in South Gloucestershire) would have been if it was locked solid, then the Loony Tunes 4+ wheels brigade are immobilised and you could safely filter.

Glad you got home safe.

 

I used that A46 run many times as a delivery driver when the M5 was out of action. Always enjoyed the run along there and there are some nice faster bits of it too, within the speed limits of course Officer.

 

I fitted a new cam chain tensioner spring to my 865.
What a pig to get back in but got there in the end. The adds for them say replace if under 73mm. The new spring was 76mm and the old one was 69mm.
I was getting a funny noise when not fully up to temperature seemed more off throttle. Haven't been for a run yet so don't know if it is/was the issue, will update sometime in the future.

 

I booked a day’s leave today to generally get excited about my (now cancelled) little mini tour I had planned for myself this weekend. There was a small window of sunny / light showery weather this morning so I went on the bike to drop some new gloves I got free with my Roadskin jeans to their new owner (nice to pay things forward) and then just went for coffee. Only 30 or so miles but a nice little outing all the same. I took the Triumph because it was still at the front of the garage mainly .

Poor little Striple was lonely in the car park on it's own for a few minutes until a few more bikes turned up.

 

A few hours in the garage yesterday led to a new tail tidy being produced for the Street Twin .

2nd pic is a quick mock-up with the bits hand nipped into place.





This will be satin black powdercoated to fit in with the rest of the bike.