[AtheK]

Congratulations mate, really enjoyed reading the thread. The bike does look great and i am sure it rides great too. Wish you many safe and happy miles.

[adi_sun]

Since I own a ST let me tell you its a wonderful machine ; it looks like an overpriced interceptor now but live with it for sometime and you will appreciate its a very forgiving machine.

Have been in and out of a few tricky situations when the traction control or the strong brakes silently bailed me out of it. Its not big but can still hold a candle to most big bikes on a highway run.

attaching a few pictures since I don't have a thread yet (not hijacking it in anyway)

wish you miles of safe journey on it.

[D3A]

Congratulations! Great choice!!

I own a 2019 Street Twin and can tell u its a beautiful bike. Powerful yet forgiving. I will have my ownership thread up in a few days.

[GreaseMonkey]

Originally Posted by adi_sun

Since I own a ST let me tell you its a wonderful machine ; it looks like an overpriced interceptor now but live with it for sometime and you will appreciate its a very forgiving machine.

Have been in and out of a few tricky situations when the traction control or the strong brakes silently bailed me out of it. Its not big but can still hold a candle to most big bikes on a highway run.

attaching a few pictures since I don't have a thread yet (not hijacking it in anyway)

wish you miles of safe journey on it.

Thanks for the encouraging words… will be exploring the capabilities and it’s reassuring to read inputs from riders! Quick question are those stock exhausts? If changed could you pls share some details and experience.. thanks

[bf1983]

Congrats on owning a beautiful machine. To be honest its a bit hard to digest its a 10l+ bike which is a little bit faster than an Interceptor but it's a seriously beautiful machine and Triumphs attention to detail and fit and finish are far ahead of Royal Enfield.

Wish you lots of happy mile munching on what is a very beautiful but very practical bike for our roads.

[adi_sun]

Originally Posted by GreaseMonkey

Thanks for the encouraging words… will be exploring the capabilities and it’s reassuring to read inputs from riders! Quick question are those stock exhausts? If changed could you pls share some details and experience.. thanks

These are V&H picked from Triumph dealership only ; the difference is that they make a sweet bass exhaust vs the stock if you take the end caps off. On the performance side the performance bump is slight not exceptional.
Would I go for it again ? I feel so

[mpulztrack3r]

Congratulations on the ST Gold Line! Its a gorgeous looking bike for sure! I recently hired a Street Twin (2019 model) for a day and went on a ride. I immediately fell in love with the sound it makes! Its not loud but has the right amount of bass in it. At the traffic lights, people are often confused as to what it is I suspect they think its an RE but not quite. I had a lot of people turning around and checking it out

I'm in a similar boat as you are. Looking to get back to riding after decades(s). The ST is definitely in my sights. Will look forward to your ownership review

[mugen_pinaki27]

Absolutely breathtaking bike! I had a chance to ride this beauty at Triumph Gurgaon when I went to test ride the Tiger 900. IMHO, I found the Street Twin much better at handling than the Tiger. Maybe due to its lower weight and size, the ST was definitely the bike I would want to buy if I'm out for a classic bike with all the bells and whistles.

[abhi_tjet]

Congratulations GreaseMonkey for a very sensible buy. I was pleasantly surprised when I test drove Street Twin last year. It provides a smooth acceleration and OEM exhaust sound is decent enough. Parts quality are typical Triumph and built to last.

Wishing you thousands of kms on this beauty.

[Reaper666]

Congrats Speed Monkey! She looks gorgeous! Do consider the Triumph Off Road exhaust if you aren't looking for something that isn't too loud. The rumble from it is awesome and I've been able to fly under the radar of cops since they look rather stock.

[fawad0222]

Hearty Congratulations!! I am sure you took the right decision. A dry life without emotions is no life. The bike looks graceful and elegant, the reasons I also plan to buy one,whenever it happens, apart from being a triumph. Happy & Safe Riding!

[achyutaghosh]

Beautiful write-up for an equally beautiful bike! Wish you many many miles of joyful rides.

I am in a similar scenario as you were, and the Street Twin has been my only option till date. I test drive it every year, hoping to take the plunge, but not able to do so because of other committments along with family concerns on the need for another vehicle when the Compass barely doing 200 kms per month in this WFH/lockdown scenario.

My last test drive was in June at the Gurugram Triump dealership. They even offered the demo bike (done 5k kms) for 6.3 lakhs on road.

Still in a quandry though.

[GreaseMonkey]

Updating the 500 kms ownership experience

The post is slightly overdue!! the 500 kms were done exactly in 30 days - 6th August (given the limited rides I could manage due to work / family / weather)

First things first.... The mandatory visit to the workshop for the first service.

Overall experience at Shaman Mumbai was pretty smooth. Called a day in advance and was advised to come around 10 am so as to get the early slot.

Work done was Oil & filter change (as per SOP). A bit of rear brake setting (on my request). No price shocks as such, with the Servicing tab coming to around 6.5k. The time taken was around 3 hours and with some great black coffee

The journey to the first 500 kms was a roller coaster in terms of researching for the accessories!! I have a pact with myself as to not succumb to temptations and randomly order any add ons till I manage to ride at least 1000 kms and in terms of budget not to exceed anything above the EMI amount I am paying for the bike!

With those guiding rails, the mind started rationalizing the 'Need to have' & 'Good to have'! The classic duel

The only item that I could retain in the 'Need To Have' was the 'Centre stand'

I would like to confess at this point is that I prefer 'OEM Accessories' to After market.. just to have that homogeneous look and also the apparent peace of mind! The flipside of owning a marquee brand is that these accessories come at some real premium!!

That's where the 'Need to Have' along with the purpose or function the part delivers on helped me justify the cost. After all for 'Her Majesty' the throne is the 'Centre Stand' and I unabashedly paid a price befitting a throne so to speak But I do sleep peacefully knowing she rests on firm grounds and not leaning on a side stand. Fitting was done during the 1st Service.

My dream of owning a 'Modern Classic' caters to my Old school leanings and me wanting to enjoy the experience & trappings of that school of design. Some may say it comes with age, well I will go along with that.

That's the thought process which primed me as I was looking for 'Luggage' options. I realized I like the look & feel for materials like leather & canvas over the super slick 'High Density' Nylon & Aluminum. As far as form & function goes; the choices you make in either, reflects on the choices in the other.

Again first order of the activity was to look at the Triumph OEM accessories. Realised that while there are some good 'premium' options but nothing 'pulled at the heart'

You Tube to the rescue : Having a long selling classic model means there is a treasure of ownership videos on mods and accessories from across the globe. Spent quite a few nights dozing off with head phones on, while watching & enjoying these videos. Its an amazing journey just to experience & be a part of other owner's stories. The Hits & the misses help you understand what's practical and what works!!

As always so much exposure also teaches you or makes you aware there some other possibilities that you were not aware of ... classic case in point "Air seats" for that cushiony feel (absolutely was not a 'Need to Have') but kya kare... yeh dil hai ke maanta nahi.

So getting back to the point... turns out I was on a leather hunt so to speak. Most common name that was cropping up on international users who had indulged in 'leather bike accessories' was an Indian name.

Leave the rest to FB / Google & Insta algos to take you into their tide and show you the world you like to see!

'Trip Machine' is the name that was intriguing, especially the reviews about the quality of the 'hand made' pieces.

Decided to do a dip stick and ordered a 'leather grip', an old school leather wrap around strip. The entire experience right from ordering to delivery was extremely professional. The quality of the product was top notch. Haven't got around to put it on the bike as yet (waiting for the rains to get over)

This is where things get more interesting. The company is operated by biker enthusiasts and that is obvious from the build & features of their products. On closely examining all their products I was able to shortlist and ordered a 'Saddle bag' & a 'Thigh pouch'

Almost all the reviews I went thru mentioned that the saddle bags are at risk of brushing against the tires. So now one has to plan for 'Saddle stays'. The search again went back the usual route. Could not find an 'OEM saddle stay' for the Street Twin.

But discovered that there's an evolved network of some great websites who manufacture 'Triumph model specific' goods. A few of them were British and couple of Indian ones too. Further research confirmed that the British firms were thorough in their research & design giving references to the OEM part number even at times. Again you tube videos about specific design aspects of accessory (like the 'forged' plug connectors for the saddle stay) proved to be a confidence inspiring deal clincher for me.

'Motone' happens to be the British website. But it was a pleasant discovery to know that we can check the part availability & order at an Indian website "Motousher' and actually inquire / search with the same part number. Advantage : Save the hassles of international shipment. Disadvantage : You may not find all the items from Motone on Motousher

Motousher actually imports it from Motone and stocks in India. One can 'Pre order' too.

During this entire episode, came across 'Zana International' a Delhi based firm which also makes 'Bike specific' accessories too. Searched their listings and found a 'Top Rack' with 'Universal Mounting plate'.

While trying to understand my own luggage requirements. A 'Top Box' was always in contention. Versatile piece no doubt but somehow was not convinced that I would fancy it on 'Her Majesty'. Very 'Plastickey' for my taste (if you get what I mean!!)

But a utilitarian view about having a rack was further strengthened when I saw the 'Military Duffel' (you guessed it.. Trip Machine again!).

At this point I must stress that I was constantly reminding myself of the 'pact' about spending. So 'No' I haven't bought the 'Duffel' as yet. But Yes I did order the 'Top Rack'

A point to highlight here, The Zana Top rack + Cover plate was at a price which was 25% of the OEM accessory. Having seen both... is the quality as good... no, the powder coating finish is not as good. The fit on the anchor points below the seat was good though and did not require any bending or turning and has an additional anchor point on the inside of the rear mudguard. Will try and update how does it fare to the actual loading & usage. The cover plate appears to be pretty useful given the notches to run belts and straps (which I would be using for the leather bags)

Oh yes, BTW almost forgot to mention the most 'Invisible' accessory (I like to tell myself it was in the 'Need to Have'), considering the overall 'Matt Finish' of Her Majesty's cloak!

After considering a lot of options and visiting couple of detailing outfits, got the 'Ceramic Pro' 9H treatment done. Comes with a 5 year warranty and can be exercised at any outlet in the country. Why this particular one? Well to start of with their facility is impeccable. Right from the washing bays to the treatment bay and the 'Curing' light set up.

That was the actually the first thing I got done!! (This was factored in the original buying budget - I tell myself)

Have just got the installation of the guards done and the photos are pending to be done... so will be planning that soon.

Will be happy to share any info should anybody want to know more about any of the accessories!


Till next time... safe rides


P.S. Every time I visit a website to an accessories store now; I have started hearing a voice in the head 'Bulati hai ,magar jaaney ka nahin'!!

[GreaseMonkey]

Vans & Hines sure in my plans mate!!! Has to commemorate some milestone but

[GreaseMonkey]

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

Beautiful write-up for an equally beautiful bike! Wish you many many miles of joyful rides.

I am in a similar scenario as you were, and the Street Twin has been my only option till date. I test drive it every year, hoping to take the plunge, but not able to do so because of other committments along with family concerns on the need for another vehicle when the Compass barely doing 200 kms per month in this WFH/lockdown scenario.

My last test drive was in June at the Gurugram Triump dealership. They even offered the demo bike (done 5k kms) for 6.3 lakhs on road.

Still in a quandry though.

We all have been at that juncture!! It just happens when it has too!!