(Above) Old-school
clocks have minimal
information,
especially given
the plethora of info
you can get out of a
Speed Triple. (Left)
The seat is finished
in a lovely suede.
(Right) Stripped
back good times.
The fit and finish on
the Street Twin is
excellent.
2020 TRIUMPH STREET TWIN
R I D E R E V I E W
P82
The Street Twin's character is from another age,
taken from when the original Triumph Bonneville
lit the biking fuse under a generation growing up
in the hippie times of the 1960s. The first Triumph
Bonneville is one of the most important motor-
cycles ever created and was responsible for a
large portion of sales in the last years of Britain's
motorcycle dominance as the Japanese manufac-
turers slowly gained ground. It's no wonder then
this Street Twin channels the legend of the original
in such a faithful manner. What worked back then
clearly still works now.
That being the case, Triumph isn't just letting the
Street Twin bring in the dosh without going to work on
it. This year sees the fitting of the High Torque 900cc
parallel-twin motor, with power up a claimed 18 per-
cent at 64 horsepower at 7400 rpm, although torque
itself remains the same at 59 lb-ft at 3800 rpm.
That number hints more at what the Street Twin
is all about. The 270° crank layout, mixed with the
beautifully finished twin exhausts that exit under
the twin rear shocks and that abundant low-rpm
torque, offer a casual and thoroughly enjoyable rid-
ing experience.
