TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE 675 (2013 - 2016) Review

The 2013 Street Triple had a lighter chassis and swingarm than the previous model, which resulted in a bike that handled incredibly well and almost floated over bumps. The suspension isn't fully adjustable but it doesn't matter as it's set up so well out of the box. Triumph gave the Street Triple a more generous steering lock and the side-mounted exhaust was claimed to improve the handling.

Common modifications: lowering your Triumph Street Triple 675

Unlike the Daytona 675, which received a totally new engine for 2013, the Street Triple’s motor is essentially the same as the previous model with subtle modifications aimed at responding to customer feedback. The new fuel-injection bodies, ECU settings and higher first gear were claimed by Triumph to give a 30% boost in fuel efficiency under urban conditions, a notorious annoyance of owners. With little else changed on the engine it remains as good as the original with a strong midrange and howling soundtrack.

From launch there were no question marks over the reliability or build quality of the Street Triple and the attention to detail was excellent.

Owners reckoned the finish was either excellent or rubbish. If you look after it (and many owners do), you can keep it looking good, but it won’t tolerate neglect. Engine paint, nuts and bolts and exhaust headers all look tatty quickly if ignored in bad weather.

It’s worth removing, greasing and refitting as many minor fittings as possible — they can seize remarkably quickly. One important check is to look carefully at the headstock-to-frame welded joints — these are prone to cracking in front-end impacts, so look for cracked paint and if in any doubt at all, walk away.

How reliable is the 2013 Triumph Street Triple 675 engine and gearbox?

Usually reliable but they don’t like being thrashed from cold and can end up smokey, rattly and use oil. Make sure you see a bike started from cold — a bit of smoke is ok but should clear. Cam chain noise is very common. Early ones had a mechanical ratchet adjuster and they can sometimes be noisy when cold if between clicks on the adjuster. You can sometimes fix it by accelerating hard in second and then throttling off just as hard - this puts all the slack in the camchain in one place, so the tensioner can sometimes take up the slack by picking up the next notch in the ratchet.

Beware other ‘advice’ from the internet though, says marque specialist Clive Wood: "One thing I’ve seen on the forums which scares me is people recommending loosening the CCT fixing bolts, letting the ratchet take up the play then tightening again. That means the ratchet’s jumped four or five teeth and the chain will be far too tight."

The Street Triple was excellent value when it was introduced - it really was that good. Even today on the used market they're good value if you're patient and willing to shop around. Its main rivals are:

• 2014-2018 Yamaha MT-07 - Light, flickable and with an engine that loves to rev, it’s much more the hooligan’s choice and a good post-test machine. Considerably cheaper when new and that’s reflected in used values too — you can pick up a 2014 MT for the price of a good 2008 Street. Suspension is the weak point but that’s easily fixed  without spending too much.
• 2008-2014 Ducati Monster 696 - Not as versatile as the Street Triple but thumpy V-twin power and iconic styling tick the right boxes. Turning circle is better than earlier models which, with the semi-servo clutch, makes town use easier. It’s handling is sharp and it loves being catapulted down a twisty backroad, where the grunty motor is great at driving out of bends (you’ll need more revs than you expect to really push on). Slaughtered on acceleration and top-end by the other bikes here, though.
• 2012-2016 MV Agusta Brutale 675 - A natural competitor for the Street Triple, with an equally excellent three-cylinder engine (from the F3 Supersport bike), a great chassis and tough looks. It also has switchable engine mapping (which you can custom-programme for anything from power delivery to engine-braking effect), quickshifter and eight-way traction control. Plenty of power too — even in Rain mode it’s got more peak power than the Street Triple and in full-power mode, it’s up over the 100bhp mark. Handling is excellent, brakes very good (ABS as standard from 2014) and it’ll attract attention wherever you go. Parts supply and aftersales backup is a worry though.

Is the Triumph Street Triple 675 expensive to maintain?

It's no more complicated than any other modern bike to work on and easier than most, as everything’s pretty easy to get to. The service schedule’s pretty simple — 6000-mile intervals, with oil and filter changed at every service along with full chassis/body fixing check, head bearings adjusted, ECU fault codes checked and cleared, throttle bodies balanced, spark plugs checked and controls adjusted.

Every other service sees valve-clearance checking — important as valves can tighten alarmingly between services — along with air filter, spark plugs, coolant and brake fluid changes. Fork oil’s changed every 24k but we’d do it with each 12,000-mile service. It’s also worth cleaning and re-greasing head bearings and suspension pivots at the same time.

As motorcycles go the Triumph Street Triple 675 specs are pretty basic but for 2013 Hinckley added optional ABS. That's your lot when it comes to electronics. No rider modes, no wheelie control, no quickshifter. But the Street Triple is so good you never notice all these things - which are almost standard on similar bikes now - are missing.

The standard Street Triple was £700 less than the Street Triple R, with most of that premium attributed to the quickshifter on the R.

There are also myriad optional extras available out there for you to personalise your bike or make it go quicker/handle better/sound fruitier.