TRIUMPH STREET CUP (2017 - 2020) Review

The Triumph Street Cup isn’t going to blow your socks off with raw speed and racing talent.

The Street Cup is actually the Street Twin in disguise - don’t panic, it’s not just an accessory job – but more on that in a bit. The Street Twin has been hugely popular since its launch a year ago, Triumph even say it’s the best seller in the Bonnie range. And that’s because it’s incredibly easy to ride, unintimidating and minimalist with mod-cons; traits which appeal to both new riders and those taking a step back.

A video posted by MCN - motorcyclenews.com (@motorcyclenews) on Oct 5, 2016 at 3:10am PDT

So of course Triumph are going to take their winning formulae and extend it into new models, which is what we have here, but that’s fine with us because we’ll get all the benefits of the new Street Twin including new liquid-cooled parallel twin engine, frame, suspension and electronics package (ABS and traction control) and all wrapped up in café clothes. Brilliant.

And we’re not just talking about a yellow jumper here either, Triumph has gone to town on the café components.

Triumph’s design department has done a spiffing job of transforming the Street Twin into a café racer – and they’re encouraging customers to carry on their good work with over 120 accessories.

But that’s enough about the trinkets, components aside the Street Cup’s main difference to its Twin sibling is it’s riding position and handling. It has a sportier riding position for a more agile bike.

Sweeping round the Spanish bends on the world launch in Seville quickly impressed. The Cup’s set-up certainly adds an element of sportiness to an otherwise relaxed Street Twin. Railing round corners is easier than it should be on the Street Cup, the ground clearance has also been increased so you can tip it further than you think it should go.

Overall, it’s essentially still the Street Twin and that’s what makes the Cup such a good bike. The tweaked ergonomics add a sharper sensation to the ride, and despite the dropped bars and raised seat the riding position is still all day comfy (my gentle wrists didn’t ache once). The new bar mirrors are well placed and provide a decent rear view and the overall finish, quality of parts and attention to detail is sublime. Like the Street Twin, the Cup will appeal to a wide audience, which basically includes anyone who fancies a café racer that actually works.

From late Spring 2017 the Street Cup was available as an A2-compliant model.

MCN spoke to Stuart Wood, the man behind Triumph's retro range, to find out what the bike is all about.

"If you stop and have a look at the Triumph Street Cup you will see there is far more to it than first impressions suggest, and it is actually something we couldn’t have done with a body kit," says Wood.

"The back end is jacked-up and the ergonomics are different so the bike is a little bit sportier in its focus."

Wood says that when you ride the Street Cup and Street Twin back-to-back the differences are clear, adding: "Going the extra mile makes a real difference."

He says the Street Cup experience starts with the ace bars, the seat with its hump and the bike’s overall look. And then you get the new pegs, the paintjob with its hand pin-striped wheels, which is a different colour depending on the bike’s main colour.

"The exhausts intentionally have a single skin header so it blues up nicely at the top,” he continues. “It’s certainly not simply an inspiration kit on a Street Twin, it’s a step above. But it is not a Thruxton.

"The Thruxton and Thruxton R are very different bikes. They’re full-on sportsbikes in many ways with their geometry and components, which isn’t what the Street Cup is about, it is more of a fun bike. At the moment this means you can’t fit the Thruxton’s dolphin fairing to the Street Cup as its bars are more relaxed and that would interfere with the fairings. That’s not to say there won’t be a dedicated Street Cup dolphin fairing in the future."

After you've read this review and checked out our owners' reviews, you may want to join a community such as The Triumph Forum to contact and interact with owners.

The Triumph Street Cup went off sale in 2020. We're not sure whether it'll be replaced at this point.

Triumph jacked up the rear suspension, increasing the seat height by 20mm and pulling it slightly further back. The bars have been dropped making them lower and further forwards. So it’s bum up, head down, which makes for a sportier riding position and a more agile bike.

The rear twin Kayaba shocks (preload adjustable) do a decent job of soaking up the bumps, but anything too gnarly and they’ll throw a wobbly. The front brake is an evolution of the Street Twin’s Nissin twin-pot caliper, which coupled with the floating brake disc has plenty of bite and does a good job of stopping in a hurry. While it has a sportier riding position and feel, it is still essentially a Street Twin. And that means ultra-smooth, easy going riding. There’s no clunk from the five-speed gearbox, the ride-by-wire throttle pick up is silky and there’s plenty of usable and friendly power from the 54bhp 900cc motor. Add its feather light slip-assist clutch to the mix and you’ve got a sweet blend of slick and smooth riding.

The Triumph Street Cup is the Street Twin in café racer disguise. So it uses the same ‘High Torque’ 900cc, liquid-cooled parallel twin motor. The 900cc parallel-twin pulls away smoothly.  Triumph reckon the new motor produces 28% more power and torque between 2750-4750rpm than the outgoing model and it’s certainly smoother and more refined with a broader spread of power. They also say it’s more fuel efficient and service intervals have been bumped up from 6,000 to 10,000 miles.

The overall finish, quality of parts and attention to detail is sublime. Like the Street Twin, the Cup will appeal to a wide audience, which basically includes anyone who fancies a café racer that actually works.

• Related: Recall for multiple Triumph models in 2019, including Street Cup

We've got a single Triumph Street Cup owners' review on the site, and it's a full five stars. The only negative comment was that the brakes could be better.

At £8,800 it is over £1000 more than the Street Twin, so it totally depends on how much you value the caf racer style. Other rivals include the Kawasaki Z900RS Café, BMW R nineT Racer and Yamaha XSR900.

Triumph has gone to town on the café components. Mimicking the delectable Thruxton range, the Cup gets twin clocks, drop bars, a posh bullet seat and removable seat cowl, fly screen and snazzy bar-end mirrors.

There’s a bunch of other goodies too, such as new pegs, posh headlight mounts, fork protectors and bullet indicators. Exquisite finishing touches like posh decals, badges and two colour options (yellow or black) complete the look and add a further touch of class.  It also gets ABS, traction control and a slip-assist clutch.