Warren
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Motorcycle #5

Where does the time go, this must have been taken 20 years ago. My 1998 Triumph Speed Triple.

Such a fresh bike from Triumph at a time way before naked bikes started to regain popularity. Triumph’s 885 engine had about 90hp but the three cylinder had great delivery in the mid range which was more versatile than a inline four. Returning to road bikes from moto-x I used to delight in using the punchy triple to spin up the rear climbing Springbrook Mountain often bouncing the engine off the rev limiter forgetting I was not riding a two stroke anymore. The sound of a triple was not common then and I had Triumphs sports muffler to share the auditory bliss and cared less about what others thought of me. Good times.

Being a British bike it had the odd electrical glitch, the headlight bulbs would blow frequently, the valves needed shims every service and it emptied the tank rather quick but that was more down to my heavy throttle application, this being near the end of a golden period of low policing in my home state. That changed dramatically once we got past the world not ending with the millennium bug and sadly subsequent politicians have demonised bikers and supported anti motorcycle sentiment in the police force.

Looking at this photo I note when young enough to wear my shirt out I had it tucked in, and now of a age that my shirt should be tucked in I try wear it out. As we grow older we grow more foolish and more wise at the same time.

A radical bike in 1998 when nobody was riding nakeds

2 Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing the old picture. It is fun to reminisce about older bikes. Have fun in Nepal. Looking forward to your trip report.

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