hdready
Member
I just want to state something that might be obvious to many "experienced" Triumph riders... When my wife got her license, she bought a Kawasaki Zephyr, traded that in for a BMW Scarver later on. I have ridden both bikes, on occasion even more than 400 miles a day. Both were good bikes, but not a pleasure to ride for me. The seats were too low, the ratio between handlebars and ass too short. I never wanted to go on a ride with either of those...
Ten years later, we were looking for a "Unisex" bike... Something I (6") would have as much pleasure riding as my wife (5"4') does. The retiring Kawasaki W800 was a beauty, but technically outdated. The Guzzi V7II might have worked, but the seat was a little too high for her and the weight distribution wasn't perfect either.
Then along came the Street Twin. Our dealer had the Brat Tracker mod as a demo bike. The first ride we took was me with her as a pillion. I didn't expect much from a 55hp bike and what can I say - it performed so well. Then it was my wife's turn (while I tried the new Thruxton R). The Brat Tracker Seat was a little too high for her, but the dealer swapped it for the standard seat - perfect for her.
She loved the bike and after I took another test ride with the T120, I must say it was my pick of the day too. Sure the Thruxton performed great, and the Bonneville is such a comfy bike. But the Street Twin sparked some nostalgia in me. Distant memories from half a lifetime ago, when I was sixteen and inherited the 1958 MZ RT125/2 from my great aunt. That wasn't a 'big bike for touring the continent'. It was something that you're happy to take out of the garage every day to visit a friend or for a short ride across your favorite countryside.
Needless to say that it was exactly what we were looking for - the 'unisex' bike with a classic look and up to date engineering. Of course we could have swapped seats on any other bike. But that doesn't necessarily mean, that with both seats it is still a good ride. Usually you get the standard seat and swap it for a lower one - which screws up the weight distribution and the afore mentioned handlebars-to-ass-ratio, because your bum is in a fixed position in a seat pan.
But on the Street Twin, the higher Brat Tracker seat is the non-standard seat, meaning the bike was developed for the lower seat. So my wife has a comfy position, and I get the different weight distribution & handlebars-to-ass-ratio. The former is no problem, it makes the handling even better since the weight is even lower for me; and the latter doesn't matter either since you can move around freely on the Brat Tracker seat - it has no seat pan.
For those of you who have followed our customization log, you know I'm really fond of this bike - not because I ordered spokes wheels from half a world away or gave it a nice paint job - but because I'm trying to make a good bike even better by tweaking all sorts of small details, even if it is just the position of the horn. Plus: I'm happy to see that the next generation is already growing fond of our "KraaaaKraaaa"...
Ten years later, we were looking for a "Unisex" bike... Something I (6") would have as much pleasure riding as my wife (5"4') does. The retiring Kawasaki W800 was a beauty, but technically outdated. The Guzzi V7II might have worked, but the seat was a little too high for her and the weight distribution wasn't perfect either.
Then along came the Street Twin. Our dealer had the Brat Tracker mod as a demo bike. The first ride we took was me with her as a pillion. I didn't expect much from a 55hp bike and what can I say - it performed so well. Then it was my wife's turn (while I tried the new Thruxton R). The Brat Tracker Seat was a little too high for her, but the dealer swapped it for the standard seat - perfect for her.
She loved the bike and after I took another test ride with the T120, I must say it was my pick of the day too. Sure the Thruxton performed great, and the Bonneville is such a comfy bike. But the Street Twin sparked some nostalgia in me. Distant memories from half a lifetime ago, when I was sixteen and inherited the 1958 MZ RT125/2 from my great aunt. That wasn't a 'big bike for touring the continent'. It was something that you're happy to take out of the garage every day to visit a friend or for a short ride across your favorite countryside.
Needless to say that it was exactly what we were looking for - the 'unisex' bike with a classic look and up to date engineering. Of course we could have swapped seats on any other bike. But that doesn't necessarily mean, that with both seats it is still a good ride. Usually you get the standard seat and swap it for a lower one - which screws up the weight distribution and the afore mentioned handlebars-to-ass-ratio, because your bum is in a fixed position in a seat pan.
But on the Street Twin, the higher Brat Tracker seat is the non-standard seat, meaning the bike was developed for the lower seat. So my wife has a comfy position, and I get the different weight distribution & handlebars-to-ass-ratio. The former is no problem, it makes the handling even better since the weight is even lower for me; and the latter doesn't matter either since you can move around freely on the Brat Tracker seat - it has no seat pan.
For those of you who have followed our customization log, you know I'm really fond of this bike - not because I ordered spokes wheels from half a world away or gave it a nice paint job - but because I'm trying to make a good bike even better by tweaking all sorts of small details, even if it is just the position of the horn. Plus: I'm happy to see that the next generation is already growing fond of our "KraaaaKraaaa"...
