CHARLIE TRIUMPH STREET TRIP PLE RS

THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “Wondering how the hell you can improve on this package...”

Isigned off from my last Triumph duties in February when the all-new Speed Triple R, inherited from the departed Jonny Gawler, had to depart itself back to Hinckley. It did so following a bold statement from myself, proclaiming that I wanted one – that one in fact, and had my roof remained intact I would have had the cash for it. As it is, with the arrival of the all-new Street Triple RS to FB maybe the ineptitude of my ‘sod of a surveyor’ has actually worked to my favour.

The ‘Street’ has been a jewel in Triumph’s crown since it appeared some 10 years ago. With a reputed 50,000 sales of this bike in the last 10 years Triumph appear to be celebrating by giving us four new Streets in a year to savour. The 675 engine is still available for the model compliant to the A2ers among us, then with an all-new 765 engine there is the ‘S’, the ‘R’ and this one, with all the loveliness combined – The Triumph Street Triple RS. All are of differing price points, power delivery and performance grades and there’s even a low seat height option across the range for the vertically challenged.

But enough about the others, this RS has been subject to rave reviews across the press despite piss poor luck with the weather at the launches. It is worth mentioning that the launch was held at Catalonia, a MotoGP track to launch a naked middleweight – you have got to be properly confident in your product to do that. It is confidence well placed by all accounts and all of the upgrades have been welcomed so far. I could not be happier to have this on fleet.

I have probably managed to cover about 18 miles thus far, so my opinion at this stage (and some might say any stage) is laughable. But the upgrades do make a marked difference to the previous model. It’s slimmer, 2kg lighter than its former self and the change in ergonomics are obvious from the start. The pivot on the swingarm has been raised, the headstock relaxed, which all leads to more weight over the front and certainly a much improved feel. Fabulously flickable, its handling even on my short commutes is inspired, all helped via the combination of fully adjustable Showa big piston forks and an Öhlins STX40 monoshock at the rear.

I kind of mentioned in passing the weight loss – this is no mean feat when you consider the increase in engine capacity. The outgoing 675 engine, having been demoted to A2 compliance, now replaced with a 765cc engine, provides a 16% power and 13% torque increase. Overall, the bike has more than 80 brand new components, adapted specifically for the Street, which includes the crank, pistons, balancer shaft, conrods – the list is endless – new airbox, an aesthetically pleasing tucked away exhaust, fly-by-wire throttle and quick-shifter as standard on the RS. All designed to get you going, and if you’re going too fast you have Brembo M50 Calipers to stop you. The package is just insane and has to be designed to retake the naked middleweight crown that some say has wavered in recent times.

So, as an introduction, this bike is just dripping with performance enhancing product, likened to a supersport bike, powered by an all-new, more powerful engine and stopped by a braking system usually found on far heavier litre class superbikes. Detailing all of this I have run out of room without even starting on the trick new changeable dash, numerous rider modes and improved controls. This will have to wait until the next issue, when I will have put more road and track miles on it, but what is for sure is that my initial disappointment of shelling out 7K on my roof as opposed to putting it toward a second-hand Speed Triple-R is now officially over.

As Triumph told us at the launch of this latest addition, “The Street will never be the same again”– and I have no reason to doubt that.