Triumph Speed Triple: A Love Affair Years in the Making

2000 Speed TripleThe first time that I sat on a Triumph Speed Triple at the 2000 Cycle World bike show in New York, I pretty much knew that one day I would own one. The idea of the Speed Triple sat simmering on the back burner of my brain for 5 years.

I Love You But This Just Isn’t Working Out

2001 Ducati 996 in Vermont I had been struggling to deal with riding my Ducati 996 as my jack of all trades bike. As much as I may have desired this bike, as much as it may have been what I thought was the motorcycle of my dreams, it just wasn’t working out in reality. Its focus made it beautiful and raw.  That same focus kept it from being a friendly real world, all-day bike. It was silly of me to think that I could put up with the pain the care and the expense that was required to make it do a job it wasn’t designed for. Coming to terms with such realizations was difficult. It was an admission to myself that my dream wasn’t all it was cracked up to be or that I was misguided in my thinking. There was some guilt involved in that. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

13 Miles

The final straw in my exclusive relationship with the 996 came during a long weekend trip to Vermont.  Though I had long since replaced the clutch slave cylinder and put adjustable levers on the bike I still suffered from having tired hands when riding. Kenny was often kind enough to trade bikes with me to give my wimpy mitts a rest. Just before heading east on freshly paved route 118 in New Hampshire, I swung a leg over his Triple. The next 13 miles made up my mind for me. Finding a delicious balance of speed, handling AND comfort all in one place was a real eye opener. I was sold. I went home from that long weekend in September of 2005 and bought the Speed Triple the next day.

My Speed Triple the first day i brought it home - September 2005

Can’t Judge a Book Just by Looking at the Cover

Initially I didn’t want the yellow S3. I didn’t really care for the color. As it turned out it, it was all there was to be had save for a blue one which I liked even less. So I bought it anyway. In the last 4 years I’ve really grown to love its funky gold-ness – it’s become “my” color.

I love this bike as much as I did the day I brought it home. Maybe even more. I have a deep appreciation for the way that it feels, the way it sounds. It feels like home. We’re kind of peas in a pod: funny looking and a little bit odd but people like us anyway.  If you give a not so pretty girl a chance, maybe she’ll surprise you. 😉 Though I may casually date other bikes, she’s the apple of my eye.

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

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8 Responses

  1. fuzzygalore says:

    Triumph Speed Triple: A Love Affair Years in the Making: The first time that I sat on a Triumph Spe.. http://bit.ly/163TCm
    #motorcycle

  2. biker ted says:

    Some bikes just feel right straight away. It was like that for Ian and Guzzisue. Within 5 miles they knew that the Cali was the bike for them. Fourteen years and 50,000 miles later the relationship is still going strong, even if there is the occassional temper tantrum from the Cali. Ian’s sure it must be female :o)

  3. fuzzygalore says:

    Triumph Speed Triple: A Love Affair Years in the making. http://bit.ly/4w29fR

  4. Pimmie says:

    The S3 really surprised me, to a point that during my KY trip I was considering selling the Tuono once I got home and getting an S3 myself… 🙁

  5. Pinto says:

    Comfort is overrated. Burning wrists and aching backs be damned – Long live the torture racks!!!

    Although, I don’t think I’d protest much if a Sprint ST turned up in the garage…

  6. FuzzyGalore says:

    A blog post from the archive- Triumph Speed Triple: A Love Affair Years in the Making http://ow.ly/1i0z0

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