It Came From eBay Hell: Triumph TR3 with an Italian Body and an American Heart

Much like Christine in the Stephen King novel of the same name, this 1957 Triumph TR3 Special began life as nothing more than a…car. Since then it’s mutated into this thing that sports a faux-Ferrari body and a Chevy 350 V8 under the hood. Read more »

Silverstone Organisers Ask: What is the Best British Sports Car of All Time?

The fifteen finalists in the Silverstone Classic’s, “Best British Sports Car of All Time” vote-in have been announced, and boy is there some choice picks. Before we get to that though, can I just point out a misnomer in using the, “of All Time” qualifier?

This assumes (prophetically?) that Britain will not be making any more sports cars in the future, whereas, “Best British Sports Car So Far” would be a far more accurate description. But enough with semantics: who are our lucky finalists? Read on….

Read more »

2012 Triumph Street Triple

Updated versions of the Triumph Street Triple and Street Triple R are on their way.

Changes to the middleweight streetfighter are purely cosmetic, with the most obvious being the new headlights. Aping those already seen on the larger Speed Triple, the move away from circular units is bound to divide opinion.



To go with the new lighting are new handlebar clamps and revised instruments, while various components are now finished in brushed steel to add to a de-chromed look. Both versions will feature aluminium handlebars, which previously were only standard on the R spec bike.

Mechanically things remain unaltered, which means the same 675 cc three-cylinder engine as before producing 105 bhp (78 kW / 106PS) and 68 Nm (50 lb/ft) of torque.



The standard model will be available in white, black or - for the more daring - purple, with a price tag in the UK of £6,649.



Alternatively, the higher specification R is going to cost £7,349, and buyers will get a choice of white, black or red paintwork.



Related post:

2011 Triumph Speed Triple

2012 Triumph Street Triple

Updated versions of the Triumph Street Triple and Street Triple R are on their way.

Changes to the middleweight streetfighter are purely cosmetic, with the most obvious being the new headlights. Aping those already seen on the larger Speed Triple, the move away from circular units is bound to divide opinion.



To go with the new lighting are new handlebar clamps and revised instruments, while various components are now finished in brushed steel to add to a de-chromed look. Both versions will feature aluminium handlebars, which previously were only standard on the R spec bike.

Mechanically things remain unaltered, which means the same 675 cc three-cylinder engine as before producing 105 bhp (78 kW / 106PS) and 68 Nm (50 lb/ft) of torque.



The standard model will be available in white, black or - for the more daring - purple, with a price tag in the UK of £6,649.



Alternatively, the higher specification R is going to cost £7,349, and buyers will get a choice of white, black or red paintwork.



Related post:

2011 Triumph Speed Triple

2011 Kawasaki W800 price

Following a debut at 2010’s Cologne Intermot motorcycle show, Kawasaki has now confirmed pricing for its new W800.

In the UK it’s £6,649 which includes VAT at the new rate of 20%, but excludes on the road charges.



By comparison Triumph’s Bonneville - the obvious main rival - costs £6,149 in standard trim. The higher spec Bonneville SE is slightly more at £6,549, while the very retro Bonneville T100 model with its wire wheels, peashooter exhaust, fork gaiters and lots of chrome is £6,949.



However, an important difference to note is that those Triumph prices are all ‘on the road’.

Elsewhere, Australian buyers will have to pay $11,999 (plus on the road charges) for a Kawasaki W800, while in Germany the suggested list price is €8,190 plus freight and other costs.



Admirers of the W800 in the United States and Canada are going to be disappointed, though, as it seems that for now Kawasaki won’t be importing the bike into those markets.



Related posts:

Kawasaki W800 revealed

Retro Kawasaki W800

2011 Kawasaki W800 price

Following a debut at 2010’s Cologne Intermot motorcycle show, Kawasaki has now confirmed pricing for its new W800.

In the UK it’s £6,649 which includes VAT at the new rate of 20%, but excludes on the road charges.



By comparison Triumph’s Bonneville - the obvious main rival - costs £6,149 in standard trim. The higher spec Bonneville SE is slightly more at £6,549, while the very retro Bonneville T100 model with its wire wheels, peashooter exhaust, fork gaiters and lots of chrome is £6,949.



However, an important difference to note is that those Triumph prices are all ‘on the road’.

Elsewhere, Australian buyers will have to pay $11,999 (plus on the road charges) for a Kawasaki W800, while in Germany the suggested list price is €8,190 plus freight and other costs.



Admirers of the W800 in the United States and Canada are going to be disappointed, though, as it seems that for now Kawasaki won’t be importing the bike into those markets.



Related posts:

Kawasaki W800 revealed

Retro Kawasaki W800

Kawasaki W800 revealed

19 January 2011 Update:

For confirmed Kawasaki W800 pricing, please click here.

Kawasaki has unveiled its retro W800 at the Cologne Intermot motorcycle show.

There are a few differences between this production-ready version and first image of the W800, which was released last month. The most obvious is that the limey-green paint has been ditched, replaced by a much more attractive dark green and silver metallic colour scheme.



Other changes include the seat unit, which looks a bit plusher but loses its contrast piping around the edge. There are now knee pads on each side of the fuel tank, too, that sit just behind very large chrome ‘W’ emblems.

No surprises in the engine department - it’s an air-cooled twin with a capacity of 773 cc, driving through a five-speed gearbox. Unfortunately Kawasaki hasn’t released any power or torque figures yet, but given that its W650 predecessor managed to get 49 bhp (37 kW / 50 PS) from its 675 cc, somewhere approaching 60 bhp (44 kW / 60 PS) shouldn’t be an unreasonable estimate for the W800.



Front suspension is taken care of by a 39 mm telescopic fork unit, which comes complete with rubber gaiters. Meanwhile, at the rear, there are twin shocks and five preload settings for the springs. The frame is a double-cradle item, made from high tensile steel.

Although the W800 gets a single 300 mm disc brake with twin-piston caliper at the front, the arrangement for the back wheel remains very old fashioned - it only has a 160 mm drum.



Ready to ride with all fluids and a full fuel tank, the W800 tips the scales at 216 kg, which is not bad considering that Kawasaki has tried to manufacture as many of the components as possible out of metal, rather than plastic. Seat height is 790 mm (31.1 inches).

Probably the one thing that most potential customers want to know about is the price but, in the UK at least, Kawasaki is keeping quiet about that for now. Seeing as the main rival for the W800, the Triumph Bonneville, costs £5,899 (or £6,699 in even more retro T100 guise), that surely has to be the kind of price that Kawasaki is aiming to sell the W800 for?

Kawasaki W800 revealed

19 January 2011 Update:

For confirmed Kawasaki W800 pricing, please click here.

Kawasaki has unveiled its retro W800 at the Cologne Intermot motorcycle show.

There are a few differences between this production-ready version and first image of the W800, which was released last month. The most obvious is that the limey-green paint has been ditched, replaced by a much more attractive dark green and silver metallic colour scheme.



Other changes include the seat unit, which looks a bit plusher but loses its contrast piping around the edge. There are now knee pads on each side of the fuel tank, too, that sit just behind very large chrome ‘W’ emblems.

No surprises in the engine department - it’s an air-cooled twin with a capacity of 773 cc, driving through a five-speed gearbox. Unfortunately Kawasaki hasn’t released any power or torque figures yet, but given that its W650 predecessor managed to get 49 bhp (37 kW / 50 PS) from its 675 cc, somewhere approaching 60 bhp (44 kW / 60 PS) shouldn’t be an unreasonable estimate for the W800.



Front suspension is taken care of by a 39 mm telescopic fork unit, which comes complete with rubber gaiters. Meanwhile, at the rear, there are twin shocks and five preload settings for the springs. The frame is a double-cradle item, made from high tensile steel.

Although the W800 gets a single 300 mm disc brake with twin-piston caliper at the front, the arrangement for the back wheel remains very old fashioned - it only has a 160 mm drum.



Ready to ride with all fluids and a full fuel tank, the W800 tips the scales at 216 kg, which is not bad considering that Kawasaki has tried to manufacture as many of the components as possible out of metal, rather than plastic. Seat height is 790 mm (31.1 inches).

Probably the one thing that most potential customers want to know about is the price but, in the UK at least, Kawasaki is keeping quiet about that for now. Seeing as the main rival for the W800, the Triumph Bonneville, costs £5,899 (or £6,699 in even more retro T100 guise), that surely has to be the kind of price that Kawasaki is aiming to sell the W800 for?

2011 Triumph Speed Triple

Triumph has unveiled an updated version of its Speed Triple at the Intermot Cologne motorcycle show.

The most obvious visual change is that the trademark twin circular headlights have been ditched in favour of more angular items. They make the bike look like it used to have a full sports fairing, which could be the effect Triumph is aiming for. It is a streetfighter after all, but the new arrangement might prove to be controversial among Speed Triple fans.

That’s not the only difference, though. The frame, swingarm and wheels are all new too, and are reckoned to make the bike around 3 kg lighter than the previous model, which weighed 217 kg ready to ride.



The engine is a development of the familiar 1050 cc triple-cylinder unit, and power output has been increased slightly over the 128bhp (96 kW / 130PS) that the 2010 version produced. More importantly, perhaps, maximum torque has also risen, up from 103 Nm to 111 Nm.



Pricing has yet to be confirmed.

2011 Triumph Speed Triple

Triumph has unveiled an updated version of its Speed Triple at the Intermot Cologne motorcycle show.

The most obvious visual change is that the trademark twin circular headlights have been ditched in favour of more angular items. They make the bike look like it used to have a full sports fairing, which could be the effect Triumph is aiming for. It is a streetfighter after all, but the new arrangement might prove to be controversial among Speed Triple fans.

That’s not the only difference, though. The frame, swingarm and wheels are all new too, and are reckoned to make the bike around 3 kg lighter than the previous model, which weighed 217 kg ready to ride.



The engine is a development of the familiar 1050 cc triple-cylinder unit, and power output has been increased slightly over the 128bhp (96 kW / 130PS) that the 2010 version produced. More importantly, perhaps, maximum torque has also risen, up from 103 Nm to 111 Nm.



Pricing has yet to be confirmed.