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Last Saturday I rode to the local BMW shop to visit my brother in law who works there. I was milling around and decided to take a demo ride on a 08 Triumph Speed Triple 1050. I wanted to see how it compares to the great and mighty Z1000. They are the same class of bike and the triple only has 100cc more than the Z. Here is what I thought along with some pics!
I prefer the looks of the Z1000 over the Triple. The headlight particularly is the part about the Triple that I think is but ugly. When it comes to quality components, the Triumph is leaps and bounds ahead of the Kawi. The brake lines are SS from the factory, the handlebar is more rigid, and the details of the bike have a better fit and finish.
The feel of each bike is distincly different. The Z feels very heavy in comparison to the 1050. They both turn very light but the 1050 requires only a feather light imput to steer even at high speed. The 1050 reminded me of riding a dirt bike. It feels very thin at the tank and seat. The Z has more of a muscle bike feel, its like you know you have somthing big between your legs when your on it. Despite the difference in feel, I liked the feel of either one with its unique charactaritics.
Stability feels slightly better on the Z, I think mostly due to it being heavier. At speeds of 100 mph + the 1050 gets real twitchy. Also the on/off throttle transition on the 1050 is much more pronounced and gives a slight loss of confidance and stable feeling.
The Triumph had night and day, hands down, better brakes. The first time I grabbed the front brake I realized the Triumph's brakes are one finger, not three finger like the Z. To be fair I gotta say the demo bike had very nice aftermarket brakes and aftermarket Carrozzeria rims.
The Z is the king on power despite the 100 cc deficit. The power is different though. The Z1000 builds power smooth, gradually, increasing to an overwhelming rush as the RPM reaches the high range up to 11000 RPM. The gears are short on the Z more like a sport bike. The power of the speed triple is a heavy hit on the mid range rpm and a short lived top end rush ending at about 9-9500RPM. The butt dyno indicated that a 0-100mph drag race the 1050 would be SLIGHTLY ahead, but after 100 MPH the Z would spank the 1050. The gears on the 1050 are tall, and the RPM builds slowly in any gear above second.
I definitly prefer the power of the Z over the triumph, with the exception of the Triumph's ability to lift the front wheel in 1st and 2nd gear with out bouncing or clutching at higher RPM. The 1050 in first gear will power wheelie all on its own, no assistance needed. That parts kind of fun! after 120 mph just blink your eye and the Z is at 140... the Triple gains after 120 but its slow and steady. (to the Triumph's defense, there is no need to go that fast on a motorcycle like this anyways right?)
To conclude, when I discovered that the triple would cost about 3 times as much as my Z cost me, I was very content and satisfied with what I have, and would be reluctant to trade even if it were streight accross(not considering the monetary value).
Here are the pics:
I prefer the looks of the Z1000 over the Triple. The headlight particularly is the part about the Triple that I think is but ugly. When it comes to quality components, the Triumph is leaps and bounds ahead of the Kawi. The brake lines are SS from the factory, the handlebar is more rigid, and the details of the bike have a better fit and finish.
The feel of each bike is distincly different. The Z feels very heavy in comparison to the 1050. They both turn very light but the 1050 requires only a feather light imput to steer even at high speed. The 1050 reminded me of riding a dirt bike. It feels very thin at the tank and seat. The Z has more of a muscle bike feel, its like you know you have somthing big between your legs when your on it. Despite the difference in feel, I liked the feel of either one with its unique charactaritics.
Stability feels slightly better on the Z, I think mostly due to it being heavier. At speeds of 100 mph + the 1050 gets real twitchy. Also the on/off throttle transition on the 1050 is much more pronounced and gives a slight loss of confidance and stable feeling.
The Triumph had night and day, hands down, better brakes. The first time I grabbed the front brake I realized the Triumph's brakes are one finger, not three finger like the Z. To be fair I gotta say the demo bike had very nice aftermarket brakes and aftermarket Carrozzeria rims.
The Z is the king on power despite the 100 cc deficit. The power is different though. The Z1000 builds power smooth, gradually, increasing to an overwhelming rush as the RPM reaches the high range up to 11000 RPM. The gears are short on the Z more like a sport bike. The power of the speed triple is a heavy hit on the mid range rpm and a short lived top end rush ending at about 9-9500RPM. The butt dyno indicated that a 0-100mph drag race the 1050 would be SLIGHTLY ahead, but after 100 MPH the Z would spank the 1050. The gears on the 1050 are tall, and the RPM builds slowly in any gear above second.
I definitly prefer the power of the Z over the triumph, with the exception of the Triumph's ability to lift the front wheel in 1st and 2nd gear with out bouncing or clutching at higher RPM. The 1050 in first gear will power wheelie all on its own, no assistance needed. That parts kind of fun! after 120 mph just blink your eye and the Z is at 140... the Triple gains after 120 but its slow and steady. (to the Triumph's defense, there is no need to go that fast on a motorcycle like this anyways right?)
To conclude, when I discovered that the triple would cost about 3 times as much as my Z cost me, I was very content and satisfied with what I have, and would be reluctant to trade even if it were streight accross(not considering the monetary value).
Here are the pics:
