[TheBobMan46]

I haven't found a good comparison anywhere on the internet, so I came to the best place for such a question. Which one is better? A friend of mine has the Triumph and I took it for a ride, thought it was awesome, but I've never ridden a 696. That ride is what got me interested in the 696, I like the styling better of it, and the lure of "Ducati" also helped drag me in. Obviously I've been stuck on the 696 but once I looked at the HP numbers they kind of scared me. I know the Triumph has 107hp and the 696 numbers range from 67-85, depending on what site you look at. Is the 696 that much slower than the triple? Has anyone ridden both? Really any comparison would help.

 

[DrGonzo]

yeah as far as sport riding goes, i cant image the 696 being able to keep up with the street triple...let alone the R version

 

[woodyracing]

kinda depends on your definition of "better"
I prefer the chassis of the Ducati but the Street triple R does have better suspension components (adjustability is the key here).
The Street Triple is also faster (by a healthy margin)

The Triumph is also more reliable and cheaper to maintain (again, by a healthy margin). Parts are a lot cheaper. For example, if you want an exhaust for your 696 the only good way to get it to run "okay" is to buy the ~$1500 "kit" so that you get the DP ECU. With a triumph a dealer just has to plug in their Actia diagnostic tool and load a tune into the ECU. To get this tune it might cost you one hour of labor for your dealer to do it. What does a DP ECU alone cost these days? $1,000? ouch
With the new tune, the street triple will actually run really damn good. Unfortunately I can't say that definitively for the DP ECU in a 696. The Seimens system in the new monsters is just crap IMO.

So yeah, by most normal indicators it is a "better" bike BUT the Ducati is still a Ducati. It has more of a "soul" imo than any triumph. More character. The Triumph rides like its built out of meticulous engineering. The Ducati rides like its built out of pure passion.

My general theory on Ducati vs Triumph is that I'd rather own a triumph but I'd rather ride a Ducati.

 

[whippersnapper]

You are probably struggling to find a comparison because there is no comparison. The 696 is a fine entry level bike and will even put a smile on the face of an expert but a Street Triple R will keep even an expert happy. I've ridden a Street Triple and was tremendously impressed but I don't really like the styling that much especially the twin headlights

 

[bmonty72]

If anything ever happened to my S2R...I would have a hard time not buying the Street Triple R...

 

[arai_speed]

If anything ever happened to my S2R...I would have a hard time not buying the Street Triple R...

If anything ever happened to my S4R...I would have a hard time not buying the Street Triple R...

 

[jestor00]

It would be better to compare it to an 1100. The 696 are way to slow!! That and the engine looks so small in the frame. 1100 FTW!!

 

[oalvarez]

i'd agree. a better comparison might be the 1100S versus the Street Triple. i rode a ST, and personally enjoy the styling, but everything was so smooth about the bike that it felt almost lifeless.

v-twins FTW!

 

[arai_speed]

Funny thread, I asked a similar question on the Triumph forum after a buddy of mine left me his Striple for about 2 months while he travels the world.

Got some good honest feedback from the members there but then I got a weird PM from one of the mods asking me NOT to quote messages directly above my posts. Getting a PM from a mod on my 3rd post on that forum struck me as odd. I sarcastically thanked him for the lesson in forum etiquette.

A post or two later I answered a question about the differences in riding position between my current bike and the striple and noticed that my post was edited for foul language as I used words "nut squashing"

I ignore this and later reply to a message w/out quoting and get another PM from the same mod asking me how my reply made any sense? WTF! I was in awe at this gestapo bs attitude. Long story short I got banned with 4 posts to my name...lol...good times.

I'll keep my Duc for now as it's got components that I can't even get w/the Striple R and will continue to support this forum.

http://www.triumphrat.net/street-triple-forum/117687-noob-needing-feedback-on-str.html

 

[TheBobMan46]

well, I guess in that case, let's compare the 1100 to the Striple.


Monster 1100 vs. Triumph Street Triple R. Which is faster? Which is nicer? Better quality? etc...

 

[whippersnapper]

well, I guess in that case, let's compare the 1100 to the Striple.


Monster 1100 vs. Triumph Street Triple R. Which is faster? Which is nicer? Better quality? etc...

Triumph's faster
Nicer depends on your perspective. I think the Monster is quite pretty after not liking the looks of the new bike at first. I like the Triumph but find the front end ugly and don't like twin headlights
They both have reasonable build quality probably with the Ducati getting the nod.
I have a review of the Ducati Monster 1100S available here

 

[K1W1]

If you know someone that subscribes to Motor Cyclist magazine, see if they still have the December 08 issue as it has an article on the Street Triple R as well as the Monster 1100. It also has a comparison article on the 696 versus the Aprilia Shiver 750.

I can xerox you the articles if you want also - just shoot me a PM.

 

[phantomfighter]

Hello,
Ha thats so funny! I thought it was just me... I usually post on gixerjunkies.com and decided to post on that triumph site.... I had done exactly the same as you and at my 2-3 post I had admin tell me that I had not quoted! I mean come on!!! And as you I really did not continue on the site after that...

Did it look something like this!

Oh yeah the 1100s is around 1/3 more-ish as much as the R... Also the 1100 has a dry clutch (sounds like a bag of spanners, sorry) as opposed to the R that has lets say a wet clutch, which is alot quieter. I think the general go would be, get the R first, then when you are bored of it or want something with a little more style get the 1100s or (1100)...

The 696 has a slipper clutch that the R does not...
The new to be released 696 will come with ABS in 2010...

Funny thread, I asked a similar question on the Triumph forum after a buddy of mine left me his Striple for about 2 months while he travels the world.

Got some good honest feedback from the members there but then I got a weird PM from one of the mods asking me NOT to quote messages directly above my posts. Getting a PM from a mod on my 3rd post on that forum struck me as odd. I sarcastically thanked him for the lesson in forum etiquette.

A post or two later I answered a question about the differences in riding position between my current bike and the striple and noticed that my post was edited for foul language as I used words "nut squashing"

I ignore this and later reply to a message w/out quoting and get another PM from the same mod asking me how my reply made any sense? WTF! I was in awe at this gestapo bs attitude. Long story short I got banned with 4 posts to my name...lol...good times.

I'll keep my Duc for now as it's got components that I can't even get w/the Striple R and will continue to support this forum.

http://www.triumphrat.net/street-triple-forum/117687-noob-needing-feedback-on-str.html

 

[arai_speed]

Hello,
Ha thats so funny! I thought it was just me... I usually post on gixerjunkies.com and decided to post on that triumph site.... I had done exactly the same as you and at my 2-3 post I had admin tell me that I had not quoted! I mean come on!!! And as you I really did not continue on the site after that...

Did it look something like this!

...

Yes it did

I did find another forum with lots of useful info and no mod-PMs for quoting people:

http://www.triumph675.net