1996 Triumph Speed Triple T309
Miles: 9,116
Clean California Title
Listed Price: $3,495
Triumph’s Speed Triple has become a mainstay of the brand’s modern lineup, their big-bore naked flagship, with dual bug-eyed headlights that harken back to the streetfighter era where actual hooligans were crashing their sportbikes and, instead of repairing or replacing the expensive plastics, they simply stripped them of bodywork, removing the racy clip-ons, replacing them with motocross bars that added comfort and, more importantly, made stonking wheelies much easier. Naturally, with the fairings went the original sleek headlights, and all manner of unusual lighting solutions were fitted to replace them. But the original Triumph Speed Triple T309 seen here was a bit more of a classic cafe racer affair, with a single round lamp. Born when John Bloor first attempted to resurrect the company in the mid 1990s around a modular range of bikes, it used the company’s carbureted 885cc triple and five-speed gearbox, fitted to their versatile, but somewhat heavy spine frame, along with quality components and decent suspension. The resulting bike was a bit top heavy, but power was good, and the bike had plenty of character. The new machine was a hit, and helped pave the way for the newly resurrected company’s present day success.
1996 Triumph Speed Triple (T309)
VIN: SMT390DF4TJ036775
liquid cooled, 12-valve, dohc, in-line triple
2 person (removable orange cowling)
Factory Paint: Fireball Orange
Clean Title
9,116 MilesStarts right up and runs great!
Comes with the Triumph Cover. A beautifully kept and very clean classic bike. The T309 is powered by an 885cc, big-bore, 3 cylinder. It sports a single headlight and pumps out right around 100hp. It revs to 9000rpm and the Fireball orange captures the attention of all who see it.
I’m a huge fan of these cafe racer Triumph Speed Triple T309s, if that wasn’t obvious, and the $3,495 asking price here is hard to beat. The bike looks particularly great in the “Fireball Orange” color seen here. Miles are low and the bike is very original. Overall condition is good, although there is that unfortunate blemish on the right side transmission/clutch case. It looks like something that could easily be removed and repainted without too much trouble, or just call it “patina” and enjoy the bike as-is. This generation of the Speed Triple is a bit of a brute, and handling really isn’t the best, but should be plenty good enough for a back road rip or a blast through city traffic. Track down a nice vintage exhaust, put the original in a box and stash it in the garage, start saving for a set of flat-slide carbs, and enjoy!
-tad
