Triumph Street Twin: The British Brute

The Triumph Street Twin is often revered as the 21st century version of the legendary Bonneville nameplate, with the same minimalistic styling and a beautifully balanced engine.

Indian automobile website MotorBeam.com went for a weekend trip to the mesmerising Lonavala on the British brute and came back mighty impressed.

For an average Joe, the look of the Triumph Street Twin won't appeal that much as the simple styling makes it blend with other motorcycles. But the contemporary design with a stripped back styling, which is a specialty for Bonneville motorcycles, actually makes you stand up and take notice.

The curiously minimal bodywork, retro round mirrors, single round headlamp, tastefully brushed aluminium twin-exhausts and the awesome 10-spoke alloy wheels complete the package.

The Triumph Street Twin even after being new to the lot has about 150 customisation options.

The instrument cluster on the bike looks sweet but is conspicuous by the absence of a tachometer.

It displays the speed, twin trip meters, runtime mileage, overall mileage, distance to empty, a fuel gauge, switchable traction control option and a clock.

The speedometer is analog while everything else is displayed trough a digital LCD.

There is no switch on the console to toggle through the information, instead a small button has been provided on the left switchgear. The quality of the switchgear and the console is excellent.

At 750 mm, the low seat height combined with an accessible riding posture makes the Triumph Street Twin a supremely comfortable cruiser.

The handlebar is small while the mirrors are not at all useful. It is easy to move around as the riding posture with the handlebars is pretty much upright while the footpegs are almost centre-set.

Soft cushioning on the seats offers comfort for the pillion too.

But there is no grab-rail and thus, the pillion has to hold-on to the rider while moving.

The Triumph Street Twin has diesel-like torquey nature and hence the parallel-twin liquid-cooled engine has a strong response but with a slight delay. The heart of the bike makes 54 BHP at 5900 RPM and a superb 80 Nm of torque at just 3230 RPM.

The power delivery might be linear but from standstill the bike catches momentum really quick.

Thankfully there is traction control present which comes in and keeps the motorcycle from losing the rear.

The Triumph Street Twin also gets ride-by-wire and hence the response is crisp. The torque assist makes the clutch feel as light as possible and yet has that optimum required feedback.

The refinement from the motor is at a different level altogether. The engine is mated to a 5-speed gearbox which might not be as impressive but what's interesting is the tall gear ratios.

The gears are so tall that the first gear pulls upto 75 km/hr while the second crosses 100 km/hr in no time.

The engine is exceptionally smooth and there is a rich note from the exhaust which can be felt while riding. There is no harshness from the engine at all while there are a bit of vibrations felt only when pushed hard.

The new 900cc unit is a gem and there are no surprising noises from the bike either, except for the beautiful exhaust note.

The Triumph Street Twin has an all new chassis which offers amazing riding dynamics. It feels very stable on the straights and while cornering also the motorbike stays planted at all times.

The Pirelli tyres do boost confidence whilst riding. The power delivery is linear but it's quick. The traction control on the Street Twin works really well as it inspires confidence even on slippery roads.

The suspension setup on the Street Twin is perfect for the city as well as the highway.

The Kayaba 41 mm forks at the front and the twin shocks with preload adjustment are softly sprung. The bike gets disc brakes on both the tyres.

The feedback from the brakes is astonishing and the bike stops even after late braking as the ABS works really well.

The Triumph Street Twin is a splendid motorcycle offering excellent performance and fun dynamics.

It might stay true to the original with its retro styling but is every bit modern, using the latest tech.

This British bike might look simple in appearance but everything else has been worked upon to give a riding experience which is every bit fun and worth your money.