comments advice from big block owners...the 100 hp bikes..

[lucydad]

All,

Ok I have about 300 miles on the new Triumph STRX 675 Triple.  It is my first 100 hp motorcycle, ever.  And I know this forum is populated by some really, really experienced big block owners (Griso, others).  The Triple is its own jet-like beastie, but clearly as I explore the above 6000 rpm realm soon, the bike is seriously fast.  It spools up instantaneously...

So, may I ask for any advice, opinions, comments on riding the warp-speed capable bike please?  Don't worry, ===>, I am mature enough to handle various thoughts.  Last ride, about ten days ago I briefly whipped the triple to around 8000 rpm in third gear.  She lifted off the front wheel and yep got me grinning and a puckering at the same time.  Throttle control baby, and situational awareness.  Never ridden a bike like this....but want to learn to do it right.  I have been pushing the cornering as the tires/brakes scrub in...but not too hard, but I know that will be an envelope push also.  Got a 3 day, or maybe 4 day weekend coming.  Got to do income tax, but in between TTAX...first a V7R ride, and fitting bags, and then the STRX...

[Chuck in Indiana]

You've probably figured this out already, but power is addictive. .

[LowRyter]

too much is never enough   ~; ~; ~; ~; ~; ~; ~;

[drums4money]

I'm getting acquainted with the new bike, too.  My triple feels like it has twin torque, but spools up as quikly as a 4.  It's mind- alteringly quick compared to anything ive ever owned.  370# & 125hp. 

I realized my arms & shoulders are sore from feeling like i have to hold on.  I havent yet learned how to relax the grip.  It's a 100% different experence from the 1200s.

[rboe]

I've been scared by the Griso, more by the legal (illegal!) aspects than pushing the envelope. I'm too much of a girly man to push the limits or come close to the limits of the Griso. Frankly, the guys that hand out Man Cards, if they had known, would never have let me take the machine home.

Still, I have my moments, like yesterday on 260 between Payson and Prescott. I was so close to being a teenager again.  ;D

Not sure if I'll ever get my  chicken strips down to zip, but they are pretty narrow - if that is a measure. In any event, I do enjoy the motor.

[Nic in Western NYS]

Nothing quite like lifting the front tire. My 105 hp Bandit used to do it at high rpms even without cracking open the throttle.

[Chuck in Indiana]

too much is never enough   ~; ~; ~; ~; ~; ~; ~;

Oh, I agree.. you've never heard me say "that would be a good motorcycle if it had a little less power." That said, I bought the Commie Thumper project bike so I could ride a slow bike fast out here in the SoCal hills, rather than a fast bike slow. Hopefully, I'll see in a couple of years if the old saw is true. I know that I seldom use more than 1/4 throttle on the Mighty Scura out in the canyons.
To add fuel to the fire..
One day, out here in SoCal, I was sitting above the Snake lookout talking to a guy on a green Japanese motorcycle of some kind.  ~; He was not a squid.  ~; He said, "You really ought to try out the modern technology. Just stand on the brakes. Whack the throttle open. It will only let it do what traction is capable of letting it do."
Not interested...

[rodekyll]

All that being true, and having had some very good times on bikes that could accelerate faster than a human body could, I'm still a big fan of riding a slow bike fast.  I could have anything I want in a bike, and my choice is an overloaded, undersuspended, full-bag Convert.  The VW Beetle of bikes.

[bad Chad]

I'm a big block owner, have been for 17 years, what's so special about the Griso?

Anyway, never had a bike as light as yours with so much hp, enjoy, but I would look else where for advice.  Big block owners by and large don't know what 100 hp is like.

[guzziboy66]

So I suggest the following,

YMMV.  I'm no expert and I know that others here on this board can ride faster than me if they want to.

Think about how you're going to measure your performance. - i ride with a friend who is usually much faster than me.  If I lose less ground, than usual - well then I'm going faster.
(He rides a VFR 1200 and I'm on a GRiSO)
To be fast you need to find the gear / speed / rpm ranges that get the most torque out of the corners.
Bikes tend to be UNDER ridden by mostly all riders. - When in doubt lean more and get on the power earlier.
Smooth is fast.
Don't over-use your brakes - remember the gearing think from earlier.
Anyone can twist the throttle and go real fast in a strait line from corner to corner.
Assuming you ride with someone else and you don't pass each other in corners then...
You'll know your fast when you start having to check-up before the corner, ride the corner at speed and THEN pass on the EXIT simply by finishing the corner at a higher rate of speed at he same time as your adversary (friend)

Good Luck.  Have Fun.  Be Safe.

Eric

[brenwin]

Like Chuck said , power is addictive and having an addictive personality doesn't help . I rode a triumph Sprint 955 for a few years , long enough to get some outrageous tickets and scare the hell out of myself more than once . It always demanded to go faster and I'd find myself cruising around town at 75 mph . Crazy fact is it didn't feel like 75 mph or 140 mph .
I'm riding a Stelvio now and the bike doesn't fool you when it comes to how fast your going like the Triumph did . It's a different ride all together . I still get the adrenalin rush but my wallet isn't getting thinner and my chances of staying alive are probably better . I still gush over those speed triples at the bike shows but know those days are over for me . Enjoy it while you can , keep the rubber on the road and watch out for those damn ditch pigs  :+=copcar

[rocker59]

So, may I ask for any advice, opinions, comments on riding the warp-speed capable bike please? 

Never ridden a bike like this....but want to learn to do it right. 

I have been pushing the cornering as the tires/brakes scrub in...but not too hard, but I know that will be an envelope push also.  

You really want to learn your limits and the bike's limits safely?  Take it to a track school.

If you're serious about wanting "to learn to do it right" on a bike like the Street Triple 675, you need to be somewhere that you can focus on you and the bike instead of police, oncoming traffic, kids, dogs, sand, gravel, etc.

These guys have an event in Houston:

http://www.ridesmart.info/

[Chuck in Indiana]

Rocker's right again...

[fotoguzzi]

I've been scared by the Buell, more by the legal (illegal!) aspects than pushing the envelope. I'm too much of a girly man to push the limits or come close to the limits of the Uly. Frankly, the guys that hand out Man Cards, if they had known, would never have let me take the machine home.

what you said!

[rocker59]

I was 31 years old and riding a Triumph Sprint when I attended my first Pridmore STAR School in 1998.

More was learned at that one school about me and about my bike than I had learned in 15-years of riding on the street up until that time.

It was well worth a day of my time and a few hundred dollars.  

In subsequent years, I attended another STAR School and several track days, including one at Barber's in Birmingham Alabama in 2004.

In Birmingham, I was riding the Sport 1100.  Damn!  That bike loved that track!

[Das]

I am alternating between riding a 2013 V7 Stone and a 1998 110hp Honda VTR.  Love them both but the VTR gets my blood moving in a way the V7 does not.  In the fullness of time I expect the V7 will carry the day, but for now so long as I am able (approaching  62 yrs) I am revelling in the committed riding position, the thunder, the surge and the swoop of the VTR. I can imagine how much fun the triple must be. All i can say is ride, ride, ride.  The longer you can stay the course on an open road the more you get into the groove and pushing the envelope little by little starts to happen automatically. Your bike looks fabulous.  Enjoy.

Das

[Perazzimx14]

99% of riders can't use the power a V50 puts out to its full potential. I think triple digit hp bike on the street is a waste. This is one of the reasons I sold my 848. While the power and acceleration was neato and being able to hit triple digits in seconds was fun it was only fun for a few seconds and the rest of the time 90% of the motors potential was wasted. Riding at anywhere near the posted speed limits 4th, 5th and 6th were wasted gears. I traded the 848 on the V7R in 2012 and never looked back. Now my highest hp bike is an old air cooled Ducati 900ss and its tons more fun to ride compared to 848. YMMV.

[twodogs]

Going fast is easy, learning to brake fast not so easy :bike

[mjptexas]

You might as go ahead and pre-pay for a defensive driving class. :D

[redrider]

The Benelli has taught me the fine art of throttle control, especially on corner exits. Nothing quite like leaned over and lofting the front. ~;

[Rough Edge racing]

 Riding a 100 HP bike to near it's limit or riding my 50 HP vintage Triumph  near it's limit are both thrilling...Except the Triumph is slower ... And some riders consider 100 hp to be entry level...

[Perazzimx14]

And some riders consider 100 hp to be entry level...

and most of these "rider" think flip flops, hair gel, shorts and sunglasses are all the safety gear you need ;D

[lucian]

A freind of mine who rides mostly harley's decided he wanted more hp. So he buy's a boss hoss with a 327 blueprinted chevy putting out 270+ hp. Within two weeks he got a ticket going 158 mph in a 55mph stretch of I 95. By by license, by by boss hoss,(wife insisted), my point, if it has it, you're probably going to use it. Be sane, be safe.   Dave

[Rough Edge racing]

and most of these "rider" think flip flops, hair gel, shorts and sunglasses are all the safety gear you need ;D

 Or the legions of riders on custom or cruiser bikes in t shirts and ill fitting beanie helmets.I used to ride fast with just a t shirt and open face helmet and never paid the stupidity penalty...Any bike can go down..Sometimes it's just bad luck..

[Kev m]

99% of riders can't use the power a V50 puts out to its full potential. I think triple digit hp bike on the street is a waste. This is one of the reasons I sold my 848. While the power and acceleration was neato and being able to hit triple digits in seconds was fun it was only fun for a few seconds and the rest of the time 90% of the motors potential was wasted. Riding at anywhere near the posted speed limits 4th, 5th and 6th were wasted gears. I traded the 848 on the V7R in 2012 and never looked back. Now my highest hp bike is an old air cooled Ducati 900ss and its tons more fun to ride compared to 848. YMMV.

Precisely the epiphany I had recently when I finally decided I was wasting my time trying to find happiness on a Buell when I preferred to ride my V7 or Sporty.

[Tobit]

I got a short ride on a friend's Honda Super Hawk once.  Could not keep the front wheel on the ground throttling it like I do the Guzzi.

The only other bike I had a unicycle problem with was a Kawi KDX 250.  Never had anything more powerful than a GPz750 or the LeMans IV.  Thought I wanted a Concours 14, but got over it.

Funny how I hear guys on superbikes ripping on to the highway or avenues.  WOT in 1st, 2nd, then hit 3rd and close the throttle.

Track day sounds like a good idea.

Tobit

[nick949]

Yesterday I rode my Breva 1100: 80 hp on a good day.  Compared to the Eldorado and the Nuovo Falcone, what a rocket!  It's easy to forget just how much go modern bikes have. Even the Breva can reach absurd speeds rather quickly.

Then I got on the NF. With 20 something HP, a cruising speed of 60mph as long as there's no wind or slope and 0-60 times approaching a minute (I jest, of course - but not by much) ................... and guess which I preferred riding!

Speed and power aren't everything.  Not much at all, actually (IMHO).

Nick

[Dilliw]

Looking at dyno's posted out there the powerband on that rocket ship is from 7k to about 11.5k.  Second gear @8k puts you around 80mph, so the first words of advice are don't get caught!  :+=copcar

I had possession of GSX-R 1000 for a few years and it came with a 170hp dyno slip while weighing around 400lbs.  It was a very streetable motorcycle but between 8k and 12k there were not many positive outcomes.  I would occasionally visit the warp zone just because I could but that was really the only reason.  You are truly riding a fish out of water unless it's on a track.

[Petrus Rocks]

I had an Aprilia Falco-17 hp V twin, 411 lbs.  That bike hated going slow-80+ and you were in heaven.Between the ergos and the poor social skills  I sold it.  My buell is tons easier to ride slow but it likes to go fast too.  The Guzzi lopes along and is great at 80.  the Triumph's happiest at 50-60


I think I'll get tickets on most anything I have

[Chuck in Indiana]

That's the reason I bought the Commie Thumper project. I think it'll be fine out here in the canyons of Socal. *Maybe* more fun than the Mighty Scura..the Scura absolutely demands precise throttle control, and it's not in the same league as modern superbikes. (100 hp probably content)