 If you want your bike to rank in the “great” category, then it must have incredible stopping power. The OEM brakes on the Triumph were good, but after a few modifications, they now rank among the greats. The front master cylinder acts as the heart of the braking system, and for the upgrade I went with a Magura 195 radial unit. They are available in a range of piston diameters from 13mm to 20mm depending on your application. For mine, I went with the 20mm unit (up from the stocker at 14mm). For the rotors, I went with Braking Wave Rotors front and rear. With these new rotors I was able to achieve improvements in braking, handling, and aesthetics. The Wave Rotor design is such that it dissipates heat more quickly and efficiently than a standard rotor, thus reducing the chances of warpage even under the most extreme racing conditions. The bonus benefit of the new rotors is that they reduce weight as much as 1lb per rotor compared to stock. For this application, I saved .75/lb on each individual rotor. Not only did they add to the performance, they look very cool and add a bit of attitude. The stock brake lines had to go as well, so I custom-made a black 2-line kit from Goodridge USA. Regardless of the application, Goodridge makes all of the individual components available so you can mix and match as necessary. Since the custom brake modifications included trading out the stock brake calipers for those off of a 2006 GSXR1000 (direct bolt-on!), I knew that I would need to change up the fittings a bit compared to stock. After all was said and done, I topped it off with a new set of high-friction HH+ pads from DP Brakes. After changing every braking component on the front end, the brakes were stellar! When testing at Mid Ohio, I found myself seriously out-braking full-blown sportbikes that had a 50lb weight advantage on me…and I still had room to brake even later than I was.  Although there are a lot of great tires on the market today, I decided to roll with the just-released Pirelli Diablo Corsa III’s. I had previous experience both on the street and track with the standard Diablo Corsas, so I had to check out their newest version. There’s no question that these tires are going to be killer at the racetrack because they are the same tires being used by the World Supersport series. And these are street tires! What’s most impressive is that you can take advantage of this same level of performance you get on the track, and apply it to the street. These tires rock on both the street and the track. They were very neutral handling, warmed up quickly, and inspired a tremendous amount of confidence. For sprockets, I turned to the experts at Renthal. By switching from the stock steel sprocket to the 7075-T6 aluminum on the rear, I was able to reduce another 1.5lbs off the bike, and add a much nicer look. In order to gain quicker acceleration out of the turns, I went down one tooth on the countershaft sprocket. Although Triumph had already done a great job of engineering “auto-wheelie” into the bike, I merely improved upon their design. To top off the new gears, I went with the new D.I.D. ZVM2 Specialty Series Chain. It retains all of the low friction and high performance characteristics of the standard X-ring chain while providing 40% greater wear resistance and better overall chain life. This is the longest lasting chain offered by D.I.D., and is designed for superbikes. It looks very trick too, with bright gold outer plates and black inner plates.
 CRG (Constructors Racing Group) is making some of the slickest controls on the market, and the new Supersport Clutch Perch/Lever assembly is no exception. Designed specifically with sportbikes in mind, the CRG Supersport Clutch Lever brings together key features from Supersport/Superstock racing and custom sportbikes. The Speed Triple had an OEM clutch/starter safety switch, but that was no problem…I simply installed a Yamaha unit that fit right into the CRG unit (P/N 4XV-82917-01-00). The CRG has a six-position lever adjuster, as well as a variable leverage ratio. It is Teflon-sleeved, capable of on the fly cable adjustments, and accepts a wide variety of cable anchor diameters. Yet another slick product from CRG is their Hindsight LS (lane split) billet aluminum mirrors. The Hindsight LS Bar End Mirror was created by adding the folding/retractable feature to the original Hindsight mirror. There are two major benefits of the retracting bar end mirror–added clearance during tight riding conditions, and reduced width for bike storage. There are a variety of ways to mount these mirrors, and the end result is a mirror that looks great, and works even better…no more viewing your elbows! I also swapped the stock steel bars for a set of Renthal’s lightweight aluminum 7/8” street bars. These are almost 2 pounds lighter than stock, and come in a variety of bends and colors. I went with the Ultra Low bend, since they are almost identical to the shape of the OEM ones that I took off. The gold color looks great, and adds more bling to the cockpit!  For the exhaust system upgrade, I went with the LeoVince SBK half system. Based in Italy, LeoVince is the largest exhaust manufacturer in Europe, and brings over 50 years experience to the design and manufacturing of high performance motorcycle exhaust systems. This system is a slip-on design that connects just behind the O2 sensor in the stock exhaust. It is made from brushed stainless steel tubing with a carbon fiber muffler body. The kit came complete with everything I needed and the fit and finish were first-class. By removing the stock exhaust in favor of the LeoVince, we dropped an amazing 8.5 lbs. from the bike! The exhaust sound now has a tone that goes with the attitude of the mighty Speed Triple…mean! In order to take full advantage of the additional flow of the LeoVince exhaust, I installed a Power Commander PCIII USB for fuel-management purposes. Although I could have achieved respectable results simply by downloading a (free) map from Dynojet’s website, I decided to put it on the dyno so that I could maximize the results by making my own map. Additionally, I needed hard performance numbers that I could only get by using the dyno. So it was time to pack up and head over to American Made Cycles in Dayton, OH to use their Dynojet model 250 Load-Control Dynamometer with real-time air/fuel module and Tuning Link software package. Tuning Link is a semi-automated add-on function that allows for greater accuracy and a reduction in tuning time. Whether you’re just making custom maps, or are involved in engine building/race tuning/testing, Tuning Link is the way to go! After doing a few warm-up runs, we installed the 513-003 map (LeoVince map from DJ). For peak hp, we went from 113.70 to 118.31 (4.61 gain), and from 70.94ft/lbs to 73.71ft/lbs of torque (2.77 gain). The max increase though was at 7,200rpm…we went from 95.64 to 101.21 (5.57 gain) in hp, and from 69.38 to 73.42 (4.04gain) in torque. Not bad for a slip-on, and without doing any of my own mapping yet. Now is when the fun started. We proceeded to use the 003 map as a base, and tweak it from there to fit the bike/fuel/weather/etc. We found that we needed to richen it up a bit more on bottom, and lean it out more on top. When all was said and done, and we compared our new map to the 003 map, we found that: at peak hp, we went from 118.31 to 121.83 (3.52 more gain), and from 73.71 to 77.02(3.31 more gain) in torque. At 7,200 rpm, we went from 101.21 to 106.06 (4.85 more gain) hp, and from 73.42 to 76.94 (3.52 more gain) in torque. Impressive!
 After I finished up with the major modifications, I took a look at some other areas for improvement to achieve greater performance and/or looks. Seats aren’t an area that most of us consider as having upgrade potential, but once we do, we wonder how we ever lived without them. I swapped out the stock seat for a World Sport Seat from Sargent. Not only is it much more comfortable than stock, it also allowed for easier transition from side to side during more aggressive riding. Since I cleaned up the looks of the back of the bike by making my own fender eliminator kit, I no longer had a place to mount turn signals. With a Clear Alternatives integrated taillight however, that was not a problem. Their replacement LED taillight simply bolts right into the stock location, and has the turn signals built right into the taillight. This is a very nice alternative when going for the custom look. After making a considerable investment in a brand new bike, and a lot of accessories to go along with it, I needed a way to protect it all. Thanks to the Scorpio SR-i500SW alarm system, security is no longer a concern. Installation was a snap with the factory connector kit, and the alarm came complete with an innovative handheld LCD transceiver that offers both pager and remote functions. After many hours modifying and using the finest aftermarket products available, I turned this good sportbike into a fully customized machine that not only turns heads at the local bike nights, but also puts a spanking on some full-blown sportbikes both on the back roads and at track days. When all was said and done, I reduced the weight of the Project Streetfighter by 18.5 lbs., while gaining maximum increases of horsepower by 10.42 and torque by 7.56ft/lbs. The braking system has been significantly upgraded, handling has been improved, and ergonomics and aesthetics have been improved upon as well. And what about the increase in fun-factor now that all these modifications have been made? If it weren’t for the tinted screen on my helmet, you’d clearly be able to see the big, silly grin on my face every time I ride this crazy machine! Have fun, and ride safe! Special Thanks To: Cycra Racing American Made Cycles Editor’s Note: |
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hat exactly makes a sportbike good? Is it quarter mile times, or top speed capability, or perhaps is it determined by the best peak horsepower readings on the dyno? I guess that ultimately it comes down to personal preference, as well as how you plan on using the bike. But, if we’re talking about all around performance, I think that many times we tend to overlook the most important element of the machine…the “fun” factor!
Magura’s 195 Radial Master Cylinder with 20mm piston and separate fluid reservoir looks and works great. The bleeder on the master cylinder itself made bleeding of the brakes a snap. The Renthal Ultra Low handlebars are a nice touch too.
Here’s some big league additions: Pirelli Diablo Corsa III rubber with stopping power from Braking Wave rotors, Goodridge brake lines and DP Sport HH+ pads.
CRG’s adjustable Supersport Clutch Perch/Lever assembly. The functionality is great, but the bling is even greater! Check out the attached CRG LS Bar End mirror.
