It might seem remiss on Triumph’s part to only give the bike five gears, but the spacing is such that fourth will do just about any in-town work, with fifth reserved for the open road. First gear is perhaps just a touch high, but you learn to deal with that. With this bike you do not have to wait until it warms up before you get a smooth gearchange. The clutch is pleasantly light, and gears snick into place audibly but easily, a notable improvement over some older Hinckley Triumph gearboxes. Triumph has listened to owner feedback from the previous model and has adjusted the Street Twin’s ergonomics for a roomier rider triangle. Ergonomics are good, and this is one of the rare bikes where I am not tempted to fit handlebar risers.

The marginally more padded seat is fairly comfortable and still low at 760mm, and the weight of 198kg dry is lower than a Bonneville’s. I prefer to have the speed in numerals and the revs indicated on a circular dial, which is the opposite of Street Twin’s setup, but you can’t have everything.

Both brake and clutch lever are adjustable.

Triumph t120 studio photos