Words: Steve Martin

Once upon a time, somewhere in a pub, there was a bunch of lads downing pints talking about their religious Saturday morning riding session the next day where they would scratch, scrape and sometimes cruise from cafe to cafe. On said rides they would be sinking pots of tea or maybe even coffee to disperse the effects of the previous nights verbalising.

I remember when I first got my licence – I was a cafe racer – probably a wanna be – spending my Saturdays riding through the glorious Adelaide hills from one cafe to the next on unfaired RD 250s. It was a fun period of my life and because of my upbringing I can understand completely why Triumph has given the Street Cup light of day.

Triumphs have been the mode of many a cafe racer throughout time but the fact is Triumph has never built a dedicated bike for that job until now. The Street Cup is a beautiful looking machine from the onset with its striking lines and stunning finish. Like the whole Triumph retro range this year, detail is incredible and the finish is first class.

Image: Dean Walters.

I personally love the lines of the bike which let you dream of a time gone by. At some angles it can look like a SR Yamaha others a Norton and I think that’s the trick behind this bike. It’s aesthetically morphed all the good features from a forgotten era and placed them into one machine with superb touches like the 12-litre fuel tank that curves down at just the right angle to meet the seat and make this thing sleek and cool

Although the Street Cup has the smaller, new, water-cooled 900 engine and is billeted as an entry level machine don’t let that fool you in to believing it’s made of leftover parts from the spares bin. Apart from the all new bodywork there is top-of-the-range Thruxton R footpegs, a very high quality looking front Nissin front caliper and a very nicely finished set of Ace bars to give that cafe racer feel.

It was a striking site waking up in Hobart staring out the window and seeing eleven identical Street Cups waiting and knowing that I would have the chance to sample it for two days up the west coast of Tasmania. Day one was about 350km long with a leisurely ride out through the west of Hobart through what the Tasmanian’s consider peak-hour traffic. The bike passed my attention-grabbing test with everyone straining their necks to try get a good look at the bikes as we rode by.

Sitting astride the Cup and riding through traffic is easy. It feels light at low speeds and has a nice low seat height (780mm) meaning its easy to maneuver and maintain balance. My informed opinion of the Street Cup started before I rode it after spending two days making my way down the east coast of Tasmania on the T100 which in its own right is an amazing bike. But the Street Cup is a completely different feeling and looking machine compared to the Bonnie.

Image: Dean Walters.

After all, the Street Cup’s brother is the Street Twin and not the Bonnie. The Street Cup has different geometry than the T100 and the two bikes don’t even share the same frame. Lighter and sharper through the twisties, it is higher in the rear and also the pegs are significantly higher compared to the T-range giving the rider a much sportier feel. Power is just 40KW but Triumph have worked hard at lowering the weight (now 200kg) and adding torque between 2750rpm and 4750 rpm which to deliver what Triumph claim is a real world riding range.

Just on 40kW doesn’t sound like a lot but there are good reasons for it to be plenty. Firstly, the Triumph ride-by-wire system feeds the power in smoothly and you get a good sense of being able to rev the bike through the gears without doing crazy speeds. I think that is part of the reason I like this bike, the fact I can use all the gears legally something which cant be done on a lot of bikes nowadays. Although not toted as a sportsbike, the handling of the Street Cup is very good and it is a bike that will let you keep up with your mates when the going gets tight.

I found that it can rail a corner wether it be a tight 25km/h one or faster, wide open bends. It handles bumps extremely well even with non-adjustable Kayaba suspension – with the exception of rear preload – which is certainly a massive improvement from the past. The only thing holding it back is the old style retro rim sizes chosen by Triumph. That said, the look of the uber cool Pirelli Phantoms far outweighs any need to enhance this bike to grip like a modern-day racebike.

Image: Dean Walters.

Day two of our Tasmanian jaunt headed from the west coast inland towards Launceston. We had three perfect days and we payed out on the last. The conditions were atrocious and nobody in our group was looking forward to getting onboard for the 250km run home but it had to be done. This is where the modern retro theme came into its own and the traction control worked a treat in the treacherous conditions giving me extra confidence. I could feel it cutting when it needed too on slippery surfaces below and the ABS and single disc front-end also worked great giving a lot of feel.

I mentioned earlier that 40kW was enough and especially on this last day it was the perfect amount of power to have on tap. I always try to pick a fault with any bike I test and it is getting harder with every bike I ride. As an entry-level, cafe racer machine the Street Cup ticks all the boxes even having a USB charge point underneath the seat. The gearbox is smooth, the clutch light the stand is easy to reach and the design, well, the photos tell the story there.

I think this bike is the perfect mix for a 900cc cafe racer. Sure some bikes in its class are cheaper but you pay with lack of credibility. Some bikes are faster, but in essence do they need to be? Some bikes are more sensible but, hey, who wants to be sensible?!

Specifications

Capacity: 900cc
Power: 40kW @ 5900rpm
Torque: 80Nm @ 3230rpm
Dry weight: 200kg
Seat height: 780mm
Price: $15,600 plus orc
Detailed specs: www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au