Review: Monster 695 vs Street Triple

[Scootaboy]

Hi,

As some of you know I sold my monster 695 a month or so back after 14 months of ownership to buy a Triumph Street Triple. I thought I'd do a mini review of both bikes comparing them in order to help out anybody who happens to be thinking of doing the same thing or are deciding which one to get if you are currently choosing your next/first? bike.

Firstly - why did I get rid of the monster? Well I do 34 miles per day commuting from one side of london to another, taking in 10 miles of dual carriageway and 7 and a half miles of city roads (one way) occasionally in light traffic but often in very heavy traffic, especially in winter and to be honest, the forward leaning 'sports' riding position was killing my neck/shoulders and forearm, leaving me in a lot of pain and ruining my enjoyment of the bike to the point that I would make excuses not to use it - not a good thing. On the open road and in lighter traffic it was fantastic, and 100% trouble free in all weathers. I still dont regret having it.

Why get the triple? Beautiful, distinctive machine, like the monster its a bike that doesn't get lost in a crowd of jap bikes, and it has truely amazing reviews from just about every bike mag around. And - it has a more upright riding position.

A few pics of both are attached.

Looks/desirability/blah blah blah etc etc

Make your own mind up, I love them both, and naturally prefer the new one after 14 months of the monster. I did get far more positive comments from the people at work when I got the monster though - also to do with the 'coolness' or exotica that the Ducati brand undoubtably has. The street triple forum peeps are always going on about people coming up to them to talk about theirs, though I havent parked up anywhere yet for that to happen!

Verdict: Draw ;)

Engine

The street triple hands down - no question at all. While you need to push the monster engine into the highish revs to get real good acceleration, the triple has it pretty much everywhere (so far - I'm still running in, though people tell me its the same in all revs and gears). The monster has a very good engine though and I have no complaints whatsoever about its performance or feel.

Verdict: Street Triple

Noise

The monster wins by a long margin - its a v twin and sounds great, with a wonderful bassy growl that sounds like a real motorcycle should and 'feels' great. The triple is pretty whiney in comparison until you get past 6000 revs or so when it wakes up, but it still dont compare.

These are standard exhausts i'm comparing by the way.

Verdict: Monster

Brakes

Not much in it, but the Triple feels slightly better to be honest...may be my imagination.

Verdict: Street Triple

Handling

I never pushed the monster anywhere its limits...and I'll probably never push the Triple either. The triple does feel lighter and more flickable in traffic though (despite feeling heavier when I push it to the shed!) but taking into account the differing riding positions I dont think theres much in it to be honest.

Verdict: Draw)

[Scootaboy]

Commuting...

:) The triple wins - its sooooo much more comfortable for me, and has solved my neck/shoulder problems despite most of my rides so far being in very heavy traffic in bad rainy weather - conditions which would've killed me on the monster. You wont have the same problem of course if your commute is different/lighter to mine, you're younger/shorter/etc/etc - we're all different, I can only comment on my experience.

Funnily enough I also feel more confident in the rain for some reason.

Verdict: Street Triple

Reliability

The monster was 100% reliable in the 14 months/9000 miles I had it. It was used in all weathers apart from snow/ice, for mainly commuting and was kept in a shed at home and in a garage at work. Too soon to talk about the triple, though they're meant to be good.

Dash

The monster is basic, the triple has average/current mpg, lap time, disco lights that go off at certain revs you program it to and a digital bit as well as a proper rev counter. I much prefer it espeically the digital speedo as it makes things much easier. Havent explored most of the functions if I'm honest.

Verdict: Street Triple

Underseat storage

:)

Seriously.

:)

The triple has space for a big disk lock and probably another big disk lock...the monster has space for 2 credit cards if you try hard.

Both sh*t, but:

Verdict: Street Triple (due to disk lock storage - never liked carrying it in my bag in case I fell off onto it)

Steering lock

As above. Both sh*t. triumph possibly better, or not.

Verdict: Draw)

What to choose if you like the look of both of them equally

Street Triple. Technically it is a better bike, and is a hell of a lot of fun.

What to choose if you prefer the look of the ducati

Get the ducati. You dont buy them for the stats compared to the latest jap/euro bikes, you buy them cos of the way they make you feel. The triple is a stunning bike, very, very much fun and I love it. I'm so glad I got it but in truth, theres not so much in it as the mags would have you believe, especially on the open road (though the triumph will whip yer arse, naturally ;) ) I dont regret getting the monster and if I had the money and space I'd get one again. The 696 will be even better, and looks great in white too (saw one today)

Thats it for the time being. I've forgetten certain things I was gonna put in here but nevermind, its overlong anyhow.

:P

[dunlop0_1]

Great reading that, thanks. Last year I worked in a Triumph dealership (Youles in Blackburn)on the parts and warranty side. The street was the most popular seller and the only issue you might have is with the build quality. All the Triumph's seemed to suffer corrosion of some sort on fastners, oil cooler pipes, casings etc quite badly in some cases and as early as the bike being one month old.

If triumph had recognised the issue they covered it on warranty. However, in many cases I delt with, Triumph said it was down to poor customer care. One guy had rusty oil cooler pipes on his Tiger after two weeks and Triumph would not replace them.

Like any bike keep your eye on it and buy some ACF 50.


Neil

[Pomp1]

Nice write up. Only one thing: I did try the Street Triple and the Daytona, and their CV claims they seem to be a bit on the optimistic side (especially for the Daytona)

[uksurfer]

good write up, not much in them then?
Quick question:
would you swap back?

I think the street triples are lovely bikes, and i'm sure that if i didn't have my monster, i would be looking in that direction!

[Scootaboy]

Great reading that, thanks. Last year I worked in Triumph dealership (Youles in Blackburn)on the parts and warranty side. The street was the most popular seller and the only issue you might have is with the build quality. All the Triumph's seemed to suffer corrosion of some sort on fastners, oil cooler pipes, casings etc quite badly in some cases and as early as the bike being one month old.

If triumph had recognised the issue they covered it on warranty. However, in many cases I delt with, Triumph said it was down to poor customer care. One guy had rusty oil cooler pipes on his Tiger after two weeks and Triumph would not replace them.

Like any bike keep your eye on it and buy some ACF 50.


Neil

cheers, I'll keep an eye out and use the 2 year warranty if need be!! Had it professionally sprayed with acf 50 yesterday at bensons house, so hopefully that'll help

[Scootaboy]

good write up, not much in them then?
Quick question:
would you swap back?

I think the street triples are lovely bikes, and i'm sure that if i didn't have my monster, i would be looking in that direction!

the six million dollar question...no, at he moment I definately wouldn't :)

given the space and money I would get another ducati though - a streetfighter or monster 1100, hypermotard...yeah they make nice bikes :)

[BluprintZ]

....... All the Triumph's seemed to suffer corrosion of some sort on fasteners, oil cooler pipes, casings etc quite badly in some cases and as early as the bike being one month old.
....One guy had rusty oil cooler pipes on his Tiger after two weeks and Triumph would not replace them.

Neil

I bought the Thruxton on 1st October, it had 8k on the clock and was in mint condition.
The guy who i bought it off stated that the rear shocks (Taiwanese probably), had been replaced under warranty, due to them rusting quite badly, he gave me the paperwork from the dealer confirming it.
So, i had a couple of rides out on it before the weather became too bad and it's now been resting outside, under an Oxford cover since i last rode it, about three weeks ago.
I noticed last week, that the spokes are starting to rust pretty badly, it seem that the nipples are stainless but the spokes obviously aren't.
I'll get the bike up to my mates workshop in the next few days and give it a good going over, although it's looking like the wheels may have to be re-spoked later on next year, god bless alloy wheels.

Ironically, when i stripped the Monster down this time last year, the intention was to make the bike as waterproof as possible, by way of powdercoating the frame, suspension hoop and footrest hangers.
All of the fasteners were replaced with stainless ones, plus the top and bottom fork yokes and suspension rocker were de-seamed, polished and then clear lacquered.
The exhaust was replaced with a Quat-D Ex Box system.
And as expected, the bike was pretty much rust-proof, so the fact that it too was living outside under the Oxford as is the Triumph now, didn't matter as much as it does with the Thruxton.
So now i have the added quandary of having to start waterproofing the Triumph, although it's not likely to receive the same amount of attention as i gave to the Monster, not with only 10k on the clock...surely!

Monster quality: 10/10.

Triumph quality: 7/10.

G ; )

[dunlop0_1]

I bought the Thruxton on 1st October, it had 8k on the clock and was in mint condition.
The guy who i bought it off stated that the rear shocks (Taiwanese probably), had been replaced under warranty, due to them rusting quite badly, he gave me the paperwork from the dealer confirming it.
So, i had a couple of rides out on it before the weather became too bad and it's now been resting outside, under an Oxford cover since i last rode it, about three weeks ago.
I noticed last week, that the spokes are starting to rust pretty badly, it seem that the nipples are stainless but the spokes obviously aren't.
I'll get the bike up to my mates workshop in the next few days and give it a good going over, although it's looking like the wheels may have to be re-spoked later on next year, god bless alloy wheels.

Ironically, when i stripped the Monster down this time last year, the intention was to make the bike as waterproof as possible, by way of powdercoating the frame, suspension hoop and footrest hangers.
All of the fasteners were replaced with stainless ones, plus the top and bottom fork yokes and suspension rocker were de-seamed, polished and then clear lacquered.
The exhaust was replaced with a Quat-D Ex Box system.
And as expected, the bike was pretty much rust-proof, so the fact that it too was living outside under the Oxford as is the Triumph now, didn't matter as much as it does with the Thruxton.
So now i have the added quandary of having to start waterproofing the Triumph, although it's not likely to receive the same amount of attention as i gave to the Monster, not with only 10k on the clock...surely!

Monster quality: 10/10.

Triumph quality: 7/10.

G ; )


Thruxton eh? You might like my other "non ducati" bike then.


http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q289/dunlop0_1/IM001454.jpg

[BluprintZ]

Nice bike Neil.
Ok, it's an Enfield, what about some info, did you build it from scratch?, any mods to the engine?
I had an original 1962 500 Enfield Bullet in the early 70's, i actually bought it from a guy in Accy, he had a swastika on his forehead, nice guy!
I'm fairly pleased with the Thruxton, as i've mentioned on a couple of threads, the Monster had to go due to hip problems, the riding position didn't help.
The Triumph has a much easier riding position and it's a lot less manic to ride, although once i get the Hagon stainless dampers and the progressive front springs fitted, it should be a bit more interesting in the handling department.
It's just a case of getting the bike how you want it, just like you have done with the Enfield, I've already fitted TORS.
The rear light and indicators are coming off, too much bling, i'm fitting a retro numberplate bracket similar to the `69 unit Triumphs.

13460

G ; ):flag:

[Scootaboy]

I'm definately more 'mod' than rocker (and had/currently have the scooters to prove it) , but those are two great looking old school bikes there!

[dunlop0_1]

Nice bike Neil.
Ok, it's an Enfield, what about some info, did you build it from scratch?, any mods to the engine?
I had an original 1962 500 Enfield Bullet in the early 70's, i actually bought it from a guy in Accy, he had a swastika on his forehead, nice guy!
I'm fairly pleased with the Thruxton, as i've mentioned on a couple of threads, the Monster had to go due to hip problems, the riding position didn't help.
The Triumph has a much easier riding position and it's a lot less manic to ride, although once i get the Hagon stainless dampers and the progressive front springs fitted, it should be a bit more interesting in the handling department.
It's just a case of getting the bike how you want it, just like you have done with the Enfield, I've already fitted TORS.
The rear light and indicators are coming off, too much bling, i'm fitting a retro numberplate bracket similar to the `69 unit Triumphs.

13460

G ; ):flag:

Thanks.
I bought it in 2004 in standard clubman trim. Then spent loads of money and time making and replacing all the parts (to many to list) i did'nt like. In a moment of madness I sold it in 2006 (to buy a Ducati. LOL) and spent the next year regreting it. Long story short, I wrote to the guy up in South Shields who bought it and asked if he still had it and would like to sell it back to me. Amazingly he did have it and even better had never used it just kept it in his porch said I could have it for what he paid me for it. So I got it back and for now it lives in the house.

No power (22HP).
Handles worse than an Asda trolly.
Worst build quality ever.
Nightmare to clean and polish all that unprotected aluminium.

LOVE IT.................

On the plus side, parts are insanely cheap, maintenance is a doddle and insurance is peanuts.