Motorcycle Diaries - Chapter Five - Friday 10th April to Friday 17th April

The first thing that strikes you about the bike are its sleek looks, it gives off the impression of just how light and agile it is, and yet you don't feel too far over the handlebars when you ride it. It does take your breath away when you first see it, with its massive back wheel to handle the torque, the huge disc brakes to slow you back down again and the best bit is the three exhausts that come together beautifully under your seat housing. Yeah, "Dizzee" looks the part.

She feels like she has just come off the track, that's it...pure and simple. Not only because of the incredibly light handling and top notch brakes, but mostly because of THAT engine!

Normally when choosing a bike you always have to make the compromise between the immediate grunty torque of a two cylinder, or the top end power of a four cylinder beast, but Triumph have met this problem head on for years now by making a Triple, a three cylindered engine that delivers immediate power right through the rev range in this case up to about 12,000rpm. Sure you don't have the 16,000rpm range of a 4 cylinder racer, but you don't need it simply because the grunt is there without having to wind it up at any revs, and giving a nice low rev range ride too.

Honestly I have been riding bikes now for well over 10 years, and it's rare that a bike can catch me out with its throttle response, but this thing did a lot, in a really pleasant way, but that might have something to do with the sound it makes.....................mmmmmmmmmm.

Everywhere you go people will turn their heads and stare to see what the hell that immense noise is approaching them, especially because you can't help but take it through the revs to get the top end sound. The gearing is spot on too, with the bike easy to handle at low speeds, and after riding the Intruder, it was fun to get back to filtering through the busy Birmingham traffic.

I was unfortunately hampered in my efforts to ride this bike flat out in the way it deserved by the torrential rain we suffered last week, but I managed to get out one night at about 10pm for an hour when it was dry, and wow.......those big semi-slick tyres give so much grip and the torque response just makes you feel like that power could go on for ever.

I've got this far and I haven't even mentioned one of the most amazing things about this bike, what truly makes it feel like it's been ripped from the track onto the road, the quick shifter. Anyone will tell you that riding high powered bikes is all about the gear changes, which if you nail right help you to get so much more out of the engine. When trying to hit the really high rev changes, it can be quite a jerky experience when you get it wrong, so how about having something that does it for you?

Put simply, you don't use the clutch while up shifting.......it's weird to start, very weird, especially as you will still need to use the clutch while downshifting, and if you do accidentally use it while changing up, it can be a bit jerky. When you nail it though, wow is it an amazing feeling, as you don't have to take your wrist off the power at all, just hold the throttle open, get to the rev limiter and bang, kick up and quicker than you could possibly change it, it's in the next gear and the power is straight back down.

It is a truly liberating experience, and if you have the extra cash, worth thinking about getting, especially if you fancy a few track days, because this made me feel like I was on a track the whole time it was so fast off the line, and an inane grin is commonplace. If you look at the stats, it is no way near as quick top end as say the R6 which hits 172mph, but it will get you to its 150 odd top speed so quickly, you won't really care. The power is just so much more immediate than a high revving superbike, although as mentioned, it all depends what you want, as those bikes do have that better high end rev range, so really while this is a top solution to a problem, it is still a compromise.

So yes, my first real experience of a Triumph has been rather enjoyable, and I must admit I like the Triple engine, and the quick shifter, even if they do take a bit of getting used to, the ability to snap your head back at any revs with a twist of the throttle and go through the gears without lifting remains a constant thrill.

Nothing sounds like a Triumph.....FACT! I have converted friends this week to buy one from just turning up outside their house, without them even seeing it because it sounds that good. The low end burble to the scream and pops at the top end, it really does feel like your on the back of a rocket powered spitfire!

So what's next, well I spent a couple of days with a Rocket 3.....and oh my God is all I'm saying about that at the moment.......oh my God....you'll have to wait a while for a full test review as I have just picked a nice shiny Speed Triple 1050 from the guys and gals at Pure Triumph, in fact its actually one of the guys actually new company bike, so I'm gonna help him run it in y keeping it within its 6,000 rpm limit..............yeah of course I am................mwah....ha ha...........mwah ha ha ha hahahahahahahahahaha!