[MADMXXD]

New member here, looking for some friendly conversation with fellow Triumph enthusiasts. Sadly, I don't currently own any Triumphs at the moment, but over the past 20 years I did have a 2001 Speed Triple (had to have one after seeing Mission Impossible 2), a 2002 Triumph Thunderbird (a fantastic all around bike), a 2003 Speed Triple (not as comfortable as my 2001, so it didn't last long), and then finally a 2012 Street Triple in the rare Imperial Purple color. Purple wasn't my first choice but after seeing it in person, I was sold.

I bought the Street Triple used in 2014, and rode it until April 2020. It was a great bike in the standard form, but I like to commute on it & go on longer rides, so ultimately I set it up for touring. Added 1" risers to the handlebars for a more upright seating position, and replaced the stock seat with a Corbin, then a Sargent. The Corbin was thick & comfy, while the Sargent was thinner and made it easier for my feet to touch at a stop. I also added saddlebags, a tank bag, and my favorite option, a center stand! Threw in some engine guards, radiator guard, and a cruise control knob. Some other odds & ends as well.

I also picked up as many color matching accessories as I could along they way....Imperial Purple flyscreen, belly pan, radiator covers, and rear seat cowl. And because I like to cover my bases, I ended up with some duplicates/spares just in case (2 belly pans, 2 rear seat cowls, and 2 flyscreens. Sadly, I ended up selling the bike before I could purple it out all the way.....only installed one of the flyscreens & occasionally used the rear seat cowl. Problem was, the center stand wouldn't accommodate the belly pan (without some cutting), and I had a rear seat bag zipped to the seat most of the time.

Ended up selling the bike before I could use all the purple goodies, so they've just been in storage the past few years....looking as new/good as the day I bought them. The bike's been gone for a couple years now, so think it's time to let all the purple parts go, along with the various seats & other things I collected along the way (TOR exhaust cans/mufflers, unused crash bars, and a DART Manta flyscreen that came with the bike)

I'll tell ya, that Imperial Purple was actually a pretty cool color....especially if you wanted a unique bike....In the past 10 years, since 2012, my bike was the only Imperial Purple bike I had ever seen on the road. Never saw one before, never saw one while I owned it, and have never seen another one since.

Just curious, has anyone else ever seen one that color in the wild? If so, where were you?...what part of the country/world. I'm in Southern California where bikes are easily ridden year round, and I never ran across another one.

All in all, the Street Triple was a great bike and I'd love to have another one some day. I was fast, smooth, reliable, got good gas mileage, and was really comfortable to ride (even more so after my additions). All my Triumphs have been good, reliable bikes as well. I was strictly a Triumph guy for many years.....then I branched out a little.....got into some 80's Suzukis. Had a killer 1982 Suzuki GS1100 Touring bike for a few years (think Honda Goldwing)....then a 1980 GS 550.....finally the bike I have today, 1982 GS 450T....modified cafe/rat bike....but it does have a Daytona 675 seat on it, so there's still some British love in it.

Anyway, I'd love to hear about any other Imperial Purple bike owners....so few & far between.....be interesting to hear how you came across your bikes and why you decided to go with the purple (even though friends probably called you crazy, right).

 

[AlexandarBel]

I recently bought a street triple imperial purple 2012, gotta say, a bit biased. Love it and hate it at the same time , also - text me I want to ask you for the parts mate!

 

[MADMXXD]

I recently bought a street triple imperial purple 2012, gotta say, a bit biased. Love it and hate it at the same time , also - text me I want to ask you for the parts mate!

Love AND hate huh....ha! Let me guess, the color draws too much attention some times? I'd either get, wow cool lookin bike or what is that, your wife's bike....ha. Pure jealously

Funny, back in the day I had an SUV that was way ahead of it's time, stylistically. It was a 2001 Isuzu Vehicross....looked like a concept car or even a Hot Wheel come to life. They only imported them to the states for 3 years (99-2001), for a total of 5,000 or so. Anyway, it was bright yellow with black accents and everywhere I went, people stopped me to ask about it. Took me 20 minutes to get gas or just to get out of the supermarket parking lot. At the time it looked so different, people couldn't handle it.

I only had it for a couple years and part of the reason why I got rid of it was because I wanted something a little more inconspicuous....so I went for the dullest thing I could find.....2005 Honda Civic 4-door in dark gray. NOBODY ever bothered to ask about that car....ha!

Anyway, I'll send you you a message about the Street Triple.

 

[MADMXXD]

Running into some resistance....apparently more hoops need to be jumped through, mountains need to be moved, and miracles need to be performed before one can send a message to another member directly.

As the Joker might say.... why so serious?.....ha.

In the meantime, I posted photos of some of my various bikes over the years....including the 2012 Street Triple....so it IS real...ha.

 

[Far Canal]

Running into some resistance....apparently more hoops need to be jumped through, mountains need to be moved, and miracles need to be performed before one can send a message to another member directly.

As the Joker might say.... why so serious?.....ha.

In the meantime, I posted photos of some of my various bikes over the years....including the 2012 Street Triple....so it IS real...ha.

I think you only require one more post to be able to message. Scammers, spammers and bots have ruined forums for everyone.

 

[AlexandarBel]

Love AND hate huh....ha! Let me guess, the color draws too much attention some times? I'd either get, wow cool lookin bike or what is that, your wife's bike....ha. Pure jealously

Funny, back in the day I had an SUV that was way ahead of it's time, stylistically. It was a 2001 Isuzu Vehicross....looked like a concept car or even a Hot Wheel come to life. They only imported them to the states for 3 years (99-2001), for a total of 5,000 or so. Anyway, it was bright yellow with black accents and everywhere I went, people stopped me to ask about it. Took me 20 minutes to get gas or just to get out of the supermarket parking lot. At the time it looked so different, people couldn't handle it.

I only had it for a couple years and part of the reason why I got rid of it was because I wanted something a little more inconspicuous....so I went for the dullest thing I could find.....2005 Honda Civic 4-door in dark gray. NOBODY ever bothered to ask about that car....ha!

Anyway, I'll send you you a message about the Street Triple.

Exactly, colour is turbo rare and tbh im having doubts if I should repaint it, got it with black forks though, that are working but they are just ever so slightly bent, looking to get a new pair in a year or 2, if I decide that it's the bike for me. Bike's currently at the repairman for a quick spark plug change and fuel injector cleaning, since I had some problems with the cold start. Hopefully it all goes away after that. Cheers!

 

[MADMXXD]

Exactly, colour is turbo rare and tbh im having doubts if I should repaint it, got it with black forks though, that are working but they are just ever so slightly bent, looking to get a new pair in a year or 2, if I decide that it's the bike for me. Bike's currently at the repairman for a quick spark plug change and fuel injector cleaning, since I had some problems with the cold start. Hopefully it all goes away after that. Cheers!

Unless the bike/paint is in terrible shape, I'd hate to see it get painted another color. There are just so few of them out there....could be one of those decisions that's deeply regretted down the line....they made so many other colors, I'd say just sell this one if you don't really like it and pick up another color. You could even pick up parts from another color bike & just swap them out. There aren't that many colored body panels really....2 on either side in the rear & then the gas tank....everything else stock is black plastic.

But I get it....I wasn't sure about the color at first. Initially I just saw photos and it wasn't until I saw the color in person that I changed my mind. I like having unique bikes/cars, but I'm not in it for the attention....but when you stand out, that's what happens. I also always wanted a Roulette Green or the Orange.....but I tend to be attracted to the unique cars/bikes.

Hope you decide to keep it and stick with the purple. I wish I had fully outfitted mine with all the purple parts before I sold it, but again, my mods would have required some cutting. Kind of why I picked up a second belly pan...I'd have a back up if I messed it up.....but it never happened anyway.

I'll keep trying to send you a message....hopefully I'll be able to complete the 12 Labors of Hercules soon so I can message you.

 

[MADMXXD]

Still curious, are there any other Imperial Purple owners out there? Current, former? They appear to be rarer than hens teeth.

 

[AlexandarBel]

I was just thinking @MADMXXD , is it possible to 3d scan some fairings and then print them? Any idea?

 

[MADMXXD]

Other than watching some videos on YouTube, I don't have any practical knowledge of scanning & 3D printing....but I'm sure there is equipment out there that could do it. The question would be would it be worth it...ya know. What would it cost in materials, scanning, printing....I have no idea. But the day when you can just download the plans for a fee & print out your own parts, are coming I'm sure.....Why not, it's all just painted plastic.