Bike Of The Month

Bike Of The Month: 2014 Triumph 675 Street Triple R

You know how every parent likes to pretend it doesn't have an extra soft spot for one of their children? That's how we feel about this very unique Triumph 675 Street Triple R.

This motorcycle and its owner arrived in our shop in late 2014 and what followed was one of the largest boxes of parts we've ever received and needless to say it was every motorcycle owners fantasy list packed into one box.

We immediately commenced the project and it quickly became one of Justin's favourite bikes, I encourage you to ask him about it when you visit next and you'll physically see his heart skip a beat.

This Triumph 675 Street Triple R is nothing short of spectacular. One of our favourite things about doing this job in general? The owner has become a friend for life. Below is a Q&A we ran with him.

Modification List

Dynojet Power Commander V & Ignition Module

Dynojet Quickshifter

Pro Twin Australia Dyno Tuned

Motocorse Clip-Ons

Brembo RCV Master Cylinder

Brembo Clutch Perch & Lever

Triumph Billet Brake Fluid Reservoirs

Driven Grips

Brembo M4 Calipers

BST Carbon Fibre Wheels

Rizoma Spy Mirrors

Matris Road/Race Fork Cartridges

Nitron Road/Race Shock

Proshift Auto-Blipper

RobbyMoto Quick-Action Throttle (FTL Modified)

Sigma Slipper Clutch

Shorai Lithium Ion Battery

Driven Rearsets With GP Shift Set-Up

Driven Filler Cap

Samco Coolant Hoses

RG Racing & Light-Tech Crash Protectors

Racefit slip-on can and connector pipe

Ceramic Coated Exhaust Headers

Talon Sprockets & Three-D Chain

Daytona Rear Sub-Frame & Seat Assembly

Custom Paint

A Whole Bunch Of Other Stuff That I Can't Remember

How long have you been riding Motorcycles? 28 years.

How did your love of Motorcycles begin? Watching spellbound as Gardner, Doohan & Co piloted the unrideables around GP circuits back in the day. That then translated into dreams of glory and my first bike, which was a Kawasaki GPZ 250R. After riding for some years in the 90s (and now being completely baffled as to how I survived it), I took a long break from bike ownership, mostly because of work. Anyway, after unfortunately falling seriously ill in 2011, my brother-in-law, who has been into bikes since man could walk upright, told me that I should get back into them if I made it through – which I did. It was good motivation and the 675 was my first bike after all that. As a result, I put a lot of time and dollars into it.

What have you ridden/owned previously/currently? I was a Kawasaki guy. GPZs. My last bike before I took the long break was a GPZ 750. When I think about the tyres on those things though….the gods must have loved a lunatic. That was the big thing to get used to when I got back on bikes – how much better the tyres were. For the first year or so, I was still riding around like I was still on square-edged petrified bicycle tyres. Apart from the 675, I also owned a Panigale 1199 for a while – which was fucking great but ultimately got the boot for terrible road manners and the thermonuclear heat it transmitted into vulnerable nether-regions. I couldn’t afford to track it - and one minor prang on it avoiding a dickhead cager taught me what it costs to repair a Ducati. I’ve now got a 2015 BMW S1000RR. Fell in love with the wonky-eyed teutonic bastards after thrashing them around Sydney GP circuit and Phillip Island. Fantastic all-rounder. Somewhere I’ve also got a R6 track-bike which is being subjected to periodic scientific experiments by Justin ‘Oppenheimer’ Klashorst and some hacker genius on the east coast who periodically turns up missing when he’s not mainlining caffeine. That will either end in glory or an explosion. Only time will tell.

What attracted you to the Triumph 675 Street Triple R? I’d always liked the look of it, and it wasn’t too outrageous as a get-back-into it bike. I love the sound of the triple as well, particularly when you’re running a…..perfectly legal modified exhaust…..cough.

Tell us a bit about the modifications and how you found yourself at Pro Twin Australia? I can’t resist fiddling with perfectly good kit, and wanted to turn the 675 into a project bike. I’ve spent way too much money on it and if I talked about all the listed mods it would send your readers to sleep. Suffice to say, I wanted to turn it into a small-bore Streetfighter and seem to have succeeded. It’s got all the usable power it needs, doesn’t weigh much and the CF wheels and suspension set-up means it handles…really well. I ended up at Pro Twin because the shop has an excellent reputation and Justin is known as a bike whisperer. It turned out to be a piece of brilliant good luck to find a dude who could build bikes at WSB or MotoGP level operating locally. He’s also a great guy and if you do the right thing as a customer, he and Kristen will bend over backwards to help you.

What’s next? No more upgrades to the Triumph. I’m now watching with interest how the new Ducati V4 Panigale turns out. I’m sure it’ll have it’s teething issues like all new bikes but Ducati seem to increasingly have their shit together. In 2019 I’ll be looking for a new bike and I suspect it’ll either be either the Panigale V4 or another BMW S1000RR – I think they’ll be doing an upgrade in 2019 that will merit a hard look. If I end up with the Panigale, I’ll probably drop the coin on a Speciale and get Justin to dyno-tune it. Other than that, I’ll ride it as is. Every time I hear that engine with the race system on it I start getting all glassy-eyed and drooly.

Dream bike? Currently, I’d have to say if someone gave me a BMW HP4 race, I wouldn’t be ungrateful. Is it so much to ask?

A massive thank you to the owner of this beautiful bike for allowing us to be a part of this awesome project and others. Not too mention the countless laughs and friendship provided.

Watch this space for January's Feature Bike. You never know when your bike might become our next feature bike.