2007 Triumph Speed Triple Comparo Photo Gallery

The Triumph Speed Triple is back for more after placing last in our '06 comparo. The distinctive dual lamps up front return, but this year's limited-edition test model was adorned with a whole host of aftermarket goodies, like the carbon fiber flyscreen.

We gathered five of the sexiest naked sportbikes available and tested them on street and track, just in time for our second annual Streetfighter Comparo.

All five of our streetfighter test bikes were good, but we had to rank them against one another. Our scorecard consisted of ten 10-point questions, with each tester's rating adding up to a 100-point scale.

The 1050cc Triple was still the torquey, sweet-sounding motor we've grown to love in past tests, with the aftermarket thunder just improving the power production and exhaust note.

The S3's optional 3-into-1 Arrow exhaust rocketed the Triumph up toward the top of the dyno sheets, with aftermarket pipe costing an extra $1299.

Nothing changed on the Speed Triple's spec sheet, with dual 320mm rotors and four-piston Nissin radial calipers up front still teamed with a 220mm rear disc and two-piston caliper out back. The secret to the improvement is internal, with the caliper pistons now Teflon-coated.

The Trumpet's single-sided swingarm is a visual treat, with our test bike sporting the aftermarket axle covers.

The Triple benefits from wide bars, which provide added leverage in the slower turns.

The instrument cluster features an analog tach with an electronic speedo inlayed, which made it easy to glance down and get the vital rpm and mph stats. A left-side LCD display gave you all the extra bits, dominated by a digital clock and engine temp gauge.

Would you shell out $349 for a carbon fiber flyscreen? It does look pretty trick.

Our Speed Triple test unit was one of 50 special editions the British manufacturer released this summer, sporting almost $3000 of accessory components including a host of carbon fiber bolt-ons along with the Arrow exhaust.

Tossing the S3 around the hilly Horsethief Mile, the Triumph pulled hard from top to bottom, with the Trumpet producing class-leading torque figures.

While it sports the steepest rake angle at 23.5 degrees and second-shortest wheelbase at 56.2 inches the Triple couldn't match the nimble Monster, much less the swift Tuono.

While the Triumph wasn't the most nimble of handlers, no other bike in this year's test delivered the smiles like this hopped up Speed Triple.

The aftermarket mods make the grunty Triple even gruntier, with the British beauty a real pub brawler in the engine category because of its copious torque teetering on the edge of sanity right from the get go.

Although it looks like that pool of greenish liquid is being expelled by the fella in the blue jacket, the true source was the Z1000's cracked radiator - one of the surprises in store for us in this year's streetfighter test.

"The highlight of the Triumph is the motor," says BC. "While deceptively smooth and docile in delivery, the Triple makes good power and lots of torque. A strong grunt down low, a very linear power delivery and a smooth throttle makes the Triumph a great bike for doing wheelies."

The brakes on this year's Speed Triple were a dramatic improvement over last year's test bike. The difference from '06 to '07 is this year's Nissin calipers are Teflon-coated.

The Trumpet benefits from the dramatic 23-pound weight loss compared to last year.

The Triumph had some of the most aggressive steering geometry in the test, but it wasn't the quickest handler.

The Triumph also gained 5 lb-ft of torque, with its 73.2 lb-ft at 7700 rpm peak and high dyno torque curve dilly-dallying around in a lb-footage world all its own.

We were flabbergasted when we compared dyno numbers from last year and noticed the Speed Triple had jumped up 13.5 horsepower!

Our testing ringer, Jimmy Filice, also enjoyed the Triple saying, "It has good throttle response and sounds really cool."

This year's Speed Triple may have been a cheater, but we loved breaking the rules with this British brawler.

Once the modified Triple rolled into our garage we were surprised by how delicious the 3-into-1 aftermarket Arrow exhaust looks and sounds.