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Repair And RestorationStreet Triple RX Salvage (Cat C)
Buying The Bent Bike
By Stephen Latchford
December 2015
In 2013 I bought a Triumph Street Triple 675 from new and have owned it for just over two years now. I have been so overwhelmed by the performance, handling and the sound of the bike when ridden hard that I often wondered what the flagship model would be like to ride. The bike I am referring to is the R model which has a higher spec with its fully adjustable front and rear suspension and superior brakes up front.
In 2015 Triumph went one further with the Street Triple RX that had everything the R model has plus a nice matt silver paint job and the sportier rear end from the Daytona. It also came with lighter wheels, quick shifter, belly pan and screen all as standard - oh and lots more red paint than the R model.
In September this year Triumph pulled the plug on the RX because the other two versions of the Street Triple were not selling well enough, so could the RX be a limited model?
Flicking through Ebay for an indicator lens (my white Street Triple needed one from a spill) I came across a very poorly RX at RS Motorcycles. This must have played on my mind because I kept on going back to have a look at the advert over the next couple of weeks. The price started at £3950, two weeks later it was down to £3650 then on the 21st of November it was reduced to to £3495. My heart was now ruling my head and I headed out for a look at the bike at RS Motorcycles.
This is what I was presented with.
The owner recognised me as a repeat offender (his words) (CBF 250 Cat C Project). He offered me a brew then dragged out a dozen bikes to get to the RX and left me to it. Mmm now I must take my time and have a really good look. No mirrors, no indicators, no bar ends, strange but the bars look straight but ah the mudguard has a large crack on the right hand side. Then to the other side and the red panel has been ripped off and the tank has been slightly damaged near the decal, tricky.
The real damage was at the back end, it looked like a huge weight had been dropped on it from above and completely smashed everything. The only things left were wiring and some parts of the broken subframe which were still attached by the four bolts. I tried the front brake and the lever came all the way in to the handlebar and would not stiffen up.
"It'll polish out that will."
"So then" said the owner "what dya think?"
"I think it's more than I dare take on,"
"Okay let me start it up for you, I'll get the jump leads it sounds really good."
"Ok" I say.
So it does indeed start up just fine and sounds as it should but flashing away were the abs light and oh dear the dreaded engine management light.
"Ok boss" he says "£3400 that's as low as I can go" and shows me all the paperwork. He paid £2850 for it at auction plus a man's wage and fuel to go and get it from Cardiff. I said no, apologised and returned home. Sunday morning had me in doubt with my decision so I rang RS and paid them for it over the phone, the cost, £3445 including delivery, oh no what have I done!
Well...I can't argue over the mileage.
Buying The Bent Bike
Stephen receives his broken and bent Striple RX and starts the process of fixing that which can be fixed and replacing the rest. It's not all plain sailing.
Sorting The Rear End
Stephen does battle with the rear end of the Street Triple RX. There's drills, there's new and used parts and there's a steep learning curve about how it all fits together
Panels And Paint
Stephen's attention has now turned to sorting out the pretty bits. The mudgaurd needs a repair and paint, the Daytona rear panels are the wrong colour and no-one stocks the right colour!
Bent Wheel And Discs
Stephen is absolutely mortified to find out the front wheel and left hand disc are bent due to the accident. This could get expensive, REAL expensive. Luckily Stephen found expert help.
The Finishing Touches
Stephen's on the home stretch now with the Street Triple RX salvage operation. There's some images of the completed bike looking pristine and perfect.
Reader's Comments
said :-
17/01/2022 21:57:22 UTC
js676 said :-
Would have made an interesting bobber.
17/01/2022 21:59:38 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
It's a fair point js676 although it would have gone against Latchy's style to create such a machine. He went on to use this bike for a while before getting an excellent trade in price, in spite of the Cat C status against it.
18/01/2022 18:26:41 UTC
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Repair And RestorationStreet Triple RX Salvage (Cat C)