Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia Archives

Triumph Street Triple 2018 Model Media Ride

Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia has launched the 2018 Triumph Street Triple family.
The three Street Triple models – RS, R, and S are intended for riders with specific needs.
The Street Triple is now powered by a new 765cc engine – the basis of the engine supplied to Moto2 teams beginning 2019.

I’ve often wondered if shopping at IKEA is stressful for others too.

It invariably starts off well; seeing charmingly designed sets of furniture is somehow calming. Even the smaller stuff are mightily tempting (and realistically affordable), hence I’ve never once returned without at least one item. I remembered buying scented candles when I was first married and now soft toys for my infant. Wink wink.

But it gets more complex when choosing something bigger.

We were looking for a wardrobe. I’ve picked one out and scribbled the model number in that little piece of paper. I walked away toward the kitchen section, feeling content that I’ve solved a problem. Right about then, the Mrs. saw her reflection in the mirror of another wardrobe and started to adjust her hair and clothing, “Oooh, this one is much better.”

What?! Contentment turned to contention, voices started to rise, neck veins started to taut. The President, CEO, CFO and Home Minister (positions held by The Wife) suddenly went quiet, so I decided it’s best to accept her choice. I don’t love hugging dust mites on the old couch.

I grudgingly scratched off my choice, and wrote down the one she chose, while mumbling to myself, “Fine, don’t complain later that the mirror makes you look like Tyrion Lannister.”

She turned away and smacked into a third wardrobe. “Wait, this one is the best! Thank goodness, there must be a reason I bumped into it,” she said. To me it looked uncannily like the outhouse destroyed by the bandits in P. Ramlee’s Ali Baba Bujang Lapok.

When Triumph released the Street Triple 675 in 2007, it hailed a new chapter in the history of the middleweight naked sportbike class.

Most manufacturers had preferred the safer route of producing motorcycles that were compromised in many ways, in order to lower the cost and ultimately, price. However, those concessions translated into goofy riding dynamics and more importantly, lack of two-wheeled entertainment. The Street Triple 675, on the other hand, stuck two fingers in the face of convention by exuding an unmistakably mischievous attitude. The middleweight streetfighter was born.

Although it’s true that its bigger 1050cc brother is the ultimate hooligan bike, the 674.8cc Street Triple offered the same kind of entertainment to a larger group among the masses. It was so good that Triumph didn’t even replace the engine from 2007 to 2016, freeing themselves to focus on chassis and electronic updates. In fact, the Street Triple 675’s engine was given a longer stroke and became the powerplant of another great Triumph – the Tiger 800.

Triumph has the clever habit of building motorcycles that are well-rounded in character despite the niches they fill, and the Street Triple 675 was no different. It was famous for its low-down and midrange torque, unparalleled handling, practicality and overall fun factor. All in one go.

But competitors have since caught up, at least in promoting bigger cubic capacity and power, if not handling.

So now, 10 years after the first Street Triple took to the streets, Triumph has released the 765cc Street Triple S, R and RS.

Due to the arrival of the R variant, Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia formally launched the new 2018 Street Triple family to the media on 30^th August 2017. Called the Triumph Street Triple Media Ride, Triumph Malaysia did the righteous thing of holding it at the Sepang International Circuit. Testing motorcycles in a controlled environment is the best way, which only the racetrack could offer.

The event started with a briefing by Rek (FB handle: Reksaksa Kuat) of Motoqoo. Motoqoo was the trackday organizer of the day. Rek presented slides on track safety and “etiquette.” He told us time and again to not cross the white line when exiting the pit lane.

Malaysia’s racing legend, Shahrol Yuzy, followed with his tips on riding fast and gearing around SIC. While we were ordered to have fun, there’s no overriding safety concerns. We shared the same space on the track with almost a hundred other riders as it was open trackday, so Shahrol told us to be careful around these “Rossis,” “Marquezs,” “Reas,” et al. “Lorenzos” was never mentioned, though.

Lastly, Chief Operations Officer of Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia, Dato’ Razak Al-Malique Hussein presented his speech and welcomed us to the launch of the 2018 Triumph Speed Triple’s family.

We headed down to the paddock, to see Street Triples parked on either side. My pulse rate shot up, I could feel the throbbing in my… er… temples as a certain “high” took over.

First up, the new Street Triple is powered by a new 765cc inline-Triple and offers three different states of tune: 111 bhp for the S, 116 bhp for the R, and 121 bhp for the RS. The power spread may seem negligible on paper, but all three models offer different features and components, hence character, respectively.

The range-topping RS is equipped with Showa BPF forks and Ohlins STX40 shock, radially mounted Brembo M50 monobloc front brake calipers, Brembo rear caliper, speedshifter, and a multifunction 5-inch TFT full-colour display, which includes a lap timer. Additionally, the RS has 5 ride modes, including TRACK.

The middle-rung R variant uses Showa fully adjustable forks and a Showa RSU shock, Brembo 4.32 monobloc front calipers, no speedshifter, the TFT display sans lap timer, and 4 ride modes without the track mode.

The entry S model uses standard Showa forks, preload-adjustable only Showa RSU shock, Nissin 2-piston front brake calipers, and an updated instrument cluster based on the previous Street Triple. However, there are only two ride modes, ROAD and RAIN.

There were five units of the RS and S each, plus one R Low for a total of eleven bikes for eleven hacks. Were given two 30-minute(!) sessions to have the biggest fun of our lives.

An Asian Talent Cup rider (the headiness caused me to forget his name) will lead us out for two initial laps, with all bikes set to RAIN mode. We will then pit and Triumph’s technical crew will switch it to TRACK on the RS, SPORT on the R, and ROAD on the S.

TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE RS
Sep and I were assigned to the RS (yippee!), and we pulled out onto to pit road. We were stopped by the marshals at the end of the pit road to wait for large groups of riders to pass before we were allowed on track. So we sat there sweltering in our suits for about 5 minutes.

We were soon on our way, and headed into Turn One at a steady speed to scrub the oily new Pirellis. But as I left Turn Two, four open-class sportbikes blasted past me on the inside into Turn Three. I decided to give them a careful chase and twacked the throttle open. The RS responded instantly and increased speed quickly past Turn Three.

We ran right into a large pack of riders braking hard for Turn Four. I decided to back it off on new, cold tyres but the RS dropped onto its side as soon as I aimed for the apex. I gave it as much throttle as I dared. Here, from a state of fully off, the throttle came back on smoothly, but more importantly, there was no delay unlike other Ride-by-Wire throttle systems found on other bikes despite the RAIN setting. It was as if you were turning the throttle bodies’ butterflies directly with your hand.

Heading into Turn Five, again, the RS just peels over into a lean at the mere tap of the handlebar. Picking the bike up after the apex, I switched to my right side into Turn Six without backing out and just kept rolling on the throttle. I suddenly realized something about the Street Triple RS.

The Street Triple RS weighs 166kg, dry. Coupled to a “quick” steering geometry, top-notch suspension, and superb frame, it’s a bike that you could flick around like a butterfly knife. Heck, it felt like riding the KTM 390 Duke (with three times more power), despite the RS weighing 29kgs more.

Conventional thought holds that if a short-wheelbase and lightweight motorcycle is super agile as the RS is, it shouldn’t be stable in long, high-speed corners especially when you’re hard on the gas, what more on slippery new tyres. That usually calls for a steering damper to calm things down.

The RS on the other hand, just flew in, through and out absolutely stable without shaking its head like a junkie on E, even without a steering damper. The combination of the Showa BPF forks, Ohlins rear shock and acutely-tune frame sure plays a big part here.

You may argue that the RAIN setting’s traction control must’ve kept chassis dynamics in check hence the stability, but I’d swear on all the “gods” and “deities” if I wasn’t a Muslim that it wasn’t due to the particular ride mode, because other faster journos reported the same observation when they rode in TRACK mode in the later session.

The Street RS hit close to 200 km/h down the back straight, only because there were so many other bikes around and I had to be extra careful. That’s still fast, especially in RAIN mode.

Now for the famous Turn Fifteen. There were like 8 riders up front and over the place. I braked hard at the 200m board to avoid torpedoing them, and found that I’ve braked way too early. Those M50.2 Brembo calipers had amazing braking power, coupled with a great feel at the lever.

Then suddenly, red lights and red flags flew up like a monthly thing all over the trackside as I rounded the corner.

Oh no! Someone had crashed. I’ll honestly say that I was irritated rather than thinking about the rider. We had only completed one out-lap and another to tour around. Let’s be honest, if you’ve watched the movie, The Beach, you might understand how selfish we could be when there’s great fun to be had.

And riding the Triumph Street Triple RS was more super fun than partying on a remote island in Thailand!

TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE S
The first session was stopped longer than expected as the marshals assisted the downed rider and recover this bike. He was okay, although his bike was trash. Triumph Malaysia’s plan of switching the bikes to more exciting riding modes was suddenly in limbo.

Soon, it was announced that the remainder of the first session has been abandoned and we will all switch bikes for the next outing. Can’t blame Triumph for the decision, things like this happen all the time during open trackdays.

Sep and I were now assigned to a Street Triple S.

First of all, let me be clear that this isn’t a model comparison, but I still need to highlight the differences in the different models.

The first thing I noticed about the S variant was its slightly lower seat height compared to the RS. Being the entry level Street Triple, the model was simpler, without the “luxuries” of the R and RS, such as the stitched seat, fully adjustable suspension, TFT display and Brembo brakes.

But no matter, it’s still very much the new Street Triple as soon as we passed Turn Three on the out-lap. Still taking it easy, the Street Triple S had plenty of grunt off the corners.

The suspension was setup for all-round riding comfort and was therefore supple. It didn’t bottom out but the rear got quite heavily loaded in high-speed turns and grounded the footpegs early. We rode all the Street Triples in standard settings, and I’m sure increasing two turns of preload will be enough to get more ride height for spirited riding.

However, the suspension’s damping rates were well set up, make no mistake, giving the bike a light footing through the ultra-sharp Turns 2 and 9. Getting the bike turned was easy – you’d think you were riding a 250cc machine. It was through the long sweepers that the rear suspension got loaded, yet the bike continued to track on your chosen line.

Blasting down the back and front straights, the S had enough steam to get up to 200+ km/h (I didn’t stare at the speedo all the time) although it did run out of breath a little earlier than the RS.

I was soon on the tail of a ZX-6R. Comparing the sub-111-bhp Street Triple S with a 160-bhp sportbike isn’t fair, but then I managed to get inside him on a few occasions, only to be out-dragged a few metres into SIC’s long straights after the corner exits.

The Street Triple S may be meant for street riding, but in capable hands, it will outmaneuver sloppily ridden sportbikes, especially at Ulu Yam, up Genting Highlands and Bukit Tinggi.

The Nissin brakes certainly looked simple (every other brake caliper looks simple next to a Brembo monobloc!), but a tug on the lever scrubbed off speed quickly, especially into Turns Nine and Fifteen. Besides, since the S doesn’t feature a slipper clutch, the engine’s back torque assisted in getting the bike slowed.

It only took three laps to settle into a rhythm. From then on it was just the case of letting faster bikes through and swerving past those I could overtake. It’s just another Sunday ride.

But, oh how time flies. The red lights flashed on and red flags came out to end the fun. The first thing I thought was, “Another crash? Or where did the 30 minutes go?” I got off the bike in the pits and I could still go on riding for the entire day, I kid you not.

I’ll stick my neck out and promise you that the Triumph Street Triple won’t tire you out.

CONCLUSION

The 2018 Street Triple lineup has certainly moved goalposts in the middleweight market so wide, the goalmouth needs five goalkeepers.

The Street Triple RS is a performance machine able to deliver the speed, type of handling and excitement for speed-minded riders, including track junkies.

The Street Triple R, although we didn’t ride it, is slightly “softer” than the RS, but still has the DNA of the family in terms of fun. How I see it is that the R is for riders who like to ride fast on the roads and very occasionally or never on the track.

And lastly, the Street Triple S. Don’t slag if off because it’s basic. To repeat, it’s meant for the public roads with the combination of speed, handling, practicality, fun, and pretty much of what you’re up to. The softer suspension and slightly lower power will hardly be noticeable to the majority of street riders.

So, if these three bikes were compared to the case of the IKEA wardrobes, how would it pan out? Truth is, I couldn’t decide on which Street Triple, all three go beyond their intended goals and deliver something other bikes just couldn’t. Just like how the Mrs. couldn’t decide on which cabinet.

It finally dawned on me: I’d get the RS for myself, the S for the Mrs., and the R for my kid when he grows up! And what if the Mrs. sends me to the couch for deciding without consent? I’ll just head to IKEA for a new one.

Gone riding – The long weekend is here!

It’s finally here, everyone. The long weekend has finally arrived. Thanks to Malaysia’s love for public holidays and efficiency in timing those holidays right before AND after weekends, we’ve been blessed with multiple three to four day weekends this year so far. (more…)

Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia Dengan Rasminya Melancarkan 3 Varian Terbaru Street Triple Bagi 2018!

Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia (Fast Bikes Sdn. Bhd.), pengedar rasmi Triumph di Malaysia, telah melancarkn tiga varian Triumph Street Triple terbaru; Street Triple S, Street Triple R, dan Street Triple RS.
Menggunakan enjin DOHC, 12-injap, sejukan cecair,tiga silinder 765cc yang diilhamkan dari enjin 675cc mereka yang digemari ramai.
Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia telah meletakkan harga bagi rangkaian Street Triple terbaru ini bermula dari RM52,900 (harga asas beserta GST).

(more…)

Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia officially launches 2018 Triumph Street Triple series – From RM52,900

Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia (Fast Bikes Sdn Bhd) has officially launched three new 2018 Triumph Street Triple models which are the S, R Low Ride Height (LRH) and the RS.

The latest generation high-performance naked motorcycles by Triumph cater to all sorts of riders from beginners to the most hardcore track day riders.

The 2018 Triumph Street Triple S, R and RS are priced at RM52,900, RM59,900 and RM66,900 respectively (basic prices with GST).

Fast Bikes Sdn Bhd (Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia) has officially launched the highly-awaited 2018 Triumph Street Triple 765 series earlier today. The latest Street Triple range series consists of three new exciting models; the Street Triple Low Ride Height (LRH), Street Triple S and the top of the range Street Triple RS. (more…)

TESTED: Triumph Street Scrambler – “Escapism”

TRIUMPH STREET SCRAMBLER
HOW TO ESCAPE THE DAILY DROLL

There are many war movies. There are also many motorcycle movies. Likewise, there are war movies with motorcycles in them.

But there is one particular movie which immortalized the motorcycle in a war setting. Not so much as an implement of war, but rather as a symbol of freedom, defiance, rebellion against insurmountable odds, way before a copywriter thought up Adidas’ Impossible Is Nothing tagline.

No, not Born To Ride starring duck-face-king Jon Stamos, ‘though it was a fun movie. And not Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi either.

We are talking about that 1963 classic, The Great Escape. You probably saw it coming.

The movie was an adaptation of Paul Brickhill’s book of the same name, which told of the first-hand account of a mass escape of POWs from the Nazi Stalag Luft III camp during WWII.

Entertainment values aside, we saw how much each man gave in the pursuit of freedom from oppression, with many ultimately paying the ultimate price. It’s a demonstration man’s indomitable spirit to be free – vanquishing walls, armed guards, machine guns, and barbed wires.

The most iconic scene was none other than of Steve McQueen’s character (stunt performed by Bud Ekins) jumping over the barbed wire fences on a Triumph TR6 Trophy, which was disguised as a BMW R75 for the movie.

I had just been bitten by the Street Triple RS bug. Fast was just a by-word for this naked sportbike. It was as agile as a 250cc, braked like it had retro rockets, flew through corners like a 125cc two-stroke racer, gripped as if the tyres were made of bubblegum. Out there, in the real world, it absolutely blew everything away. I’ve never had so much fun on a motorcycle before. And I never got over it.

Then just last week, Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia announced that their Penang branch was moving to a different location, hence an official launching was in store. Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia offered a few bikes for the ride up north, along with the RATPack (Riders Association of Triumph Motorcycles).

Still smarting from a broken heart after parting with the RS, I didn’t give much attention to which motorcycle I was assigned (Shhh… I was secretly hoping for the RS again). It turned out to be the Street Scrambler.

Arie handed over the key and said, “You’ll love this one, Bro!”

It sure looked pretty. But those two exhausts sticking out the side like cannons exuded attitude. Additionally, unlike the Street Twin, it had a 19-inch spoked front wheel, and knobbies (Metzeler Tourance adventure tyres, actually), fuel tank respendent in flaming Korosi Red. Instinct told me that although it was basically aStreet Twin, this one’s going to be naughty.

Interestingly, the Scrambler harks back to the TR6 Trophy, on which our intrepid hero jumped over the fences.

Anyway, I climbed on and the ribbed seat was truly comfortable. The handblebar felt higher and wider than the Street Twin’s. The footpegs were placed in a natural position. The ergonomics is definitely friendly to newer riders too.

The exhaust pipes were right beneath my right thigh. Keeping my machismo, I didn’t ask Arie if it gets hot.

I looked at the instrument cluster and it was the familiar face on the Street Twin’s. It may look simple but the LCD screen provided plenty of useful info, including fuel range (yay!).

The engine fired up without hesitation to the familiar irregular throb of a 270-degree crank. Just the right amount of vibration was allowed through but the bike felt alive.

First gear engaged with a clack but the action was positive, the hallmark of Triumph’s transmissions. I let out the clutch, gave it throttle and BROOOOAR it took off down the road! Whoa, boy!

Its handling was instantly apparent. The 19-inch wheel may need slightly more effort (due to the centrifugal force) to get it turned but it was flick-flick-flick once you’re committed. The suspension was well-sorted as it soaked up bumps and the “knobbies” didn’t induce vibrations. Triumph had reduced the swingarm by 50mm over its sibling, resulting in a fast turning bike.

We were supposed to congregate at the Rawang R&R at 6.30am on Saturday for the ride but I couldn’t make the time and left an hour later, planning to catch up at Sungai Perak before the convoy resumed.

While filling up at the Rawang R&R, I met a gentleman who was smitten by the Scrambler. As a pattern of what was to come, the questions were, “How does it handle?” “How fast can it do?” “How many cc’s?” and most of all, “Is that exhaust hot?” Everywhere I went, people would walk up and ask questions with, “That’s a nice bike,” as the prelude while ignoring the flashier, faster, modern bikes in the vicinity. They somehow looked disappointed when told it belongs to Triumph as a demo bike.

Having slept for only two hours, I decided to take it easy and droned along at the speed limit. It was during this time I discovered many things I’ve never noticed.

Over to my right was a mountain range. The early morning sunlight had just started kissing its slopes. Thick clouds caressed the tops intimately, as if jealous of the sunlight. On the left, well, it was just oil palm estates but it was only then I discovered that Dato’ Lee Chong Wei is the “Eco Ambassador” for a building materials company called Pentens. The morning air was cool and fresh, with which I filled lungsful of. I even flashed the “peace” sign at an AES camera (it didn’t fire).

I was in a state of zen. A huge group of Suzuki Belang 150 blew past on either side. I smiled. Solutions to deep-rooted problems started to filter in through the air, as I sang Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head to myself.

Remember the “nice bike routine”? It happened even riding! As I readied to overtake a car, my peripheral vision caught sight of this black MPV next to me in the right lane. I backed off to let it pass but it stayed put and matched my speed. I looked over to see two kids and a teenager snapping pictures on their phones. Their Mum gave me a thumbs up.

I kept on cruising, thighs far apart, arms stretched straight out. The engine was humming along, the wheels tracked perfectly over the bumps, until I passed Ipoh and started up the twisty section to the tunnel. Still minding my own business, Uncle Camry swept past two lanes directly into my path to round a curve, and braked 20 metres in front of me! He must’ve thought he was going wide.

A blast of throttle awoken the bike’s fat midrange and I slingshot past him. Speed picked up so quickly I had to push my buttocks back and crouch onto the tank. The bike charged through every turn like a naked sportbike (I kid you not!). A few corners up and I came across a group Triumph Tiger riders. I passed them on the outside of a turn and waved. Sorry guys, wasn’t trying to show off. To be fair, they had passengers and were being careful.

If the bike had felt stable when cruising straight up and down, it was disconcertingly stable when leaned fully over. Eh?

I split both lanes in the tunnel, horn blasting away. Traffic was backed up when I exited the tunnel, due to two trailers up ahead going I think I can, I think I can, side-by-side. Slicing in and out of the traffic, the brakes were super strong, despite having only a single 310mm disc gripped by a two-piston caliper up front. The forks didn’t dive all the way down when I gave the brake lever the grip of death, either.

I was now singing Turbo Love to the roar of the engine. Suddenly, there they were, those Belang riders. They stood no chance.

We fueled up at Sungai Perak R&R and continued on the trip. Man, those Tiger 800s were fast! I had to ride almost prone on the tank all the way to Juru just to keep up. Now all my misgivings about “classics” were blown away into the slipstream as the engine obliged without feeling like it wanted to go IED. Five speeds were enough, never needing me to row for the non-existent sixth gear. Windblast was surprisingly acceptable even at those speeds. I’m a highway starrrrr!!!

Reaching Prai, I gunned for the first Penang Bridge, when I should’ve turned onto the new one. All along the way, the locals thought they could teach an uncle on a “classic bike” some lessons. Hah! Hooligan mode on! Welcome to the jungle, we got fun and games!

Everywhere around Penang, other motorcyclists would crane their necks over for a good look of the Street Scrambler, and many asked the same set of questions.

Riding around Penang and later back in Kuala Lumpur also revealed how well the Street Scrambler is suited for the daily commute. There’s just power everywhere, allowing you to zap traffic with so much ease. No wonder, because maximum torque arrives at a low 2850 RPM while maximum horsepower is produced at 6000 RPM. That’s a mountain range of 3150 RPM separation between maximum torque and maximum horsepower, ensuring a flexible power delivery. It means you didn’t have to keep shifting gears while tackling the traffic. The exhausts made enough music to alert drivers, despite being stock.

Oh, before I forget, the Street Scrambler is equipped with Triumph Traction Control (TTC) and ABS that you could turn wither or both off for offroading. Triumph Malaysia had brought one for an offroad event at Mat Daling and it passed with flying colours.

And no, the high-level exhaust didn’t flambé my right thigh. It felt hot of course, but it wasn’t like touching an unprotected section of the exhaust pipe. In fact, the hot air from the radiator was hotter.

In conclusion, there are days or instances when a certain switch is flicked on and we want to go out and ride a certain way. On one day, we just want to carve canyons as Joe Rocket. The next day we just want to cruise and soak up the environment. Or camp in the jungle by riding offroad the next week. Commuting on a motorcycle on a daily basis, in the meantime. You certainly want a bike that’s pretty but not kitschy. Heck, you could even be Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus (God forbid!) just for a day to cheese people off (God forbid X2). Or how about dressing up dapper? Or just go out there and get away for a while?

However, super-segmented machines could do only the one thing, two max, that it had been designed for. You can’t go offroad on an R1, can you? A cruiser can’t corner like a naked sportbike, can it?

What the Street Scrambler stands for is freedom. The freedom of choice on who you want to be, how you want to be, what you want to be. Free from constrictions, free from conventions, free from barbed wires. Escapism. Or rather, The Great Escape.

And you don’t have to be Steve McQueen.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE
Engine type	Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, 8-valves, 270-degree crank, parallel-Twin
Compression ratio	10.55 : 1
Bore X Stroke	84.6 mm X 80.0 mm
Displacement	900 cc
Fuel system	Multipoint sequential electronic fuel injection
Maximum power	54 bhp (40.5 kW) @ 6000 RPM
Maximum torque	80 Nm @ 2850 RPM

TRANSMISSION
Clutch	Wet, multiplate, assist
Gearbox	5-speed

CHASSIS
Front suspension	KYB 41mm telescopic forks, 120 mm travel
Rear suspension	KYB twin shocks, adjustable for preload, 120 mm travel
Front brakes	Single 310 mm disc, Nission two-piston caliper, ABS
Rear brake	Single 255 mm disc, Nissin two-piston floating caliper, ABS
ABS	Switchable on/off
Front tyre	100/90-19
Rear tyre	150/70-R17

FRAME & DIMENSIONS
Frame	Tubular steel cradle
Swingarm	Two-sided, tubular steel
Trail	109 mm
Rake	25.6 degrees
Wheelbase	1446 mm
Seat height	790 mm
Dry weight	206 kg
Fuel capacity	12 litres

TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES PENANG LAUNCH DINNER PARTY

We reported earlier that Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia has launched the new Triumph Motorcycles Penang’s showroom on Saturday, 5^th August 2017.

Here’s a quick rehash.

The day saw the arrival of the members of the RATPack (Riders Association of Triumph Motorcycles). The riders came from different locations and have congregated at a single location before arriving in a large convoy.

Activities included the Triumph Try-Days motorcycle test ride event, in which the members of the RATPack, riders of other makes, and the general public signed up to take the Triumph of their dreams out for a spin.

The Shell Advance “Outride Anything” roadshow was also running during the daytime. Lucky visitors stood the chance to win tickets to the 2017 Malaysian MotoGP, besides other great prizes such as Shark helmets, and the opportunity to test their skills on a MotoGP simulator and elbow down standee.

The RATPack members were given the free time to roam as they wished. Many went around the beautiful island of Penang to enjoy the sights and especially the food. Everyone regrouped at hotel afterwards to check in at 3pm. From then on, it was still more Free & Easy time until 7pm when they rode back to the showroom for dinner and entertainment.

The sight of lambs being roasted and white smoke tinged with the spicy-sweet aroma of satay greeted the riders as they pulled into the compound. Everyone was hungry from their long rides earlier in the day.

Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia served BBQ lamb, satay, nasi dalca, specialty mi goreng and ais kacang. No one went back hungry, to put it mildly. We overheard funny conversations such as … I need to look for a 7-Eleven to buy Eno; …Oh my poor bike’s suspension; …Cholesterol? Who cares?!

Attendees were entertained by an amazing blues band consisting of a father and his daughter.

It was wonderful to see people mixing together, having a great time, forming new acquaintances or catching up with long-time-no-see buddies; transcending walks of life, gender, religious and racial background.

Non-Triumph motorcycle groups and the general public, including big wigs of the Penang motorcycle industry also made their way to the dinner. They were visibly enthralled at not only seeing Triumph motorcycles up close for the first time, but also how the RATPack riders conducted themselves as a friendly, peaceful, self-respecting, yet fun-loving family.

Two sessions of lucky draws were held for the public and RATPack. Some amazing prizes were handed out. To makes things fun, Triumph Malaysia threw in a plot twist to the usual affair. First, three to four names were picked out from a box. Next, they had to answer a few Triumph-related questions. And finally, the winner was decided via an “aural vote” through the cheers of the crowd.

Grand prize for the public category was the unique opportunity to “own” a Triumph of the winner’s picking for a week. As the aural vote was deemed as equal for two final contestants, it went to the tried and true tie-breaker: Paper, rocks and scissors. The winner finally emerged and he wishes for a “sport model.” It turned out that he is currently riding a Kawasaki ZX-9R.

The prizes for the RATPack included major, minor and oil service packages, but the Grand Prize had everyone salivating as it was an Arrow exhaust slip-on canister.

Among the prize givers was Keith Scully, the boisterous and happy-go-lucky representative of the Northern RATPack, and Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia’s Managing Director, Dato’ Razak Malique Al-Hussein.

In his speech, Dato’ Malique thanked Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia’s supporters for the tremendous growth. Triumph’s business as a group had been growing year-upon-year, racking up successive record breaking sales figures, including a 100% increase in 2015. Dato’ Malique is confident that they will still grow by a further 10%, in spite of the current soft economy.

However, exponential growth is of no use if it couldn’t be backed up by a comprehensive and meaningful aftersales support.

He also mentioned that Triumph Malaysia had been looking to move the Penang showroom to a bigger premise for some time but couldn’t locate a suitable spot or the rest were just too expensive to be of effective use. In the end, it was through Michael Sak, a popular figure among the RATPack who found the premises, because his house was just a kilometre away.

With the new premise up and running, Dato’ Malique assured Triumph’s owners that it was done to provide better facilities to them. The new showroom features a new workshop, spaces for bikers to lepak (chillax) and large compound for parking.

So although the exhaust note of the last motorcycle had faded into the night yesterday, we are confident that this new showroom will continue to reverberate to the roar of the English Twins and Triples for many generations to come.