FIRST RIDE: STREET TRIPLE RS
Triumph rework the banzai Street Triple RS to make it easier to ride. And the hardcore edge? Yep, still there
Triumph continue to win hearts and minds with latest Street Triple.
MAKE NO MISTAKE, the Street Triple RS is a naked sportsbike. Chassis feel, grip and confidence are up there with the best race replicas, it’s loaded with high-spec components and gadgetry, and the 765cc three-cylinder engine craves a caning – this is the motor that provides the power and soundtrack for Moto2. Thing is, we found the RS was a bit much for the road when it arrived in 2017, lacking the playful torque of the original 2007 Street Triple, and it was set-up so that RS could stand for Really Stiff. Good news for 2020, however, as Triumph have given the range-topping Street Triple extra grunt that makes it more flexible and thrilling on the road. Peak power remains at a claimed 121bhp, but with a new exhaust cam, lighter crank, revised balancer, different intakes and a new exhaust there’s a 7% reduction in inertia and a healthy 7% increase in peak torque (and emissions that meet the new Euro 5 regs).
There’s a similar increase in midrange horsepower, too. From the saddle it feels similar to before, but there’s definitely improved flexibility that makes the RS easier to ride (and it’s still beautifully fuelled). The gearbox now uses precision machining techniques to
reduce backlash, making gearshifts crisper, and the unchanged ratios remain perfect for the road – but now with so much torque you only need to stir the ’box if you want to get a proper move on. When you do there’s now a quickshifter with autoblipper, which works perfectly on road and track. And when you spin the motor hard you’re still rewarded with supersport bliss, all maniacal revs, speed and blood-curdling soundtrack. With the exception of the latest generation ‘Version 3’ Pirelli Diablo Super Corsa SP rubber, the chassis is left unchanged, though that’s no bad thing if you’re after a sports-focused naked. The
‘As sharp on track as it is friendly on road, it’s a phenomenal machine’
Brembo one-piece calipers, a front brake lever adjustable for span and ratio, the Öhlins shock and Showa fork are still bolted to one of the finest, best-balanced chassis set-ups around. It’s only on track where you can begin to push its limits, but you need to have the kahunas of a racer to get anywhere near them. All five rider modes (Road, Rain, Sport, Track and Rider) have been tweaked to suit the motor’s new character, and there’s still anti-wheelie, cornering ABS and traction control (not leansensitive). During normal riding the RS’S electronic whatnots wait in the wings, just in case, but in Track or customisable Rider mode they let you wheelie and reduce TC meddling (you can turn it off). Even on the raciest of its two settings the ABS is a bit too intrusive on track, affecting very hard braking. The colour TFT dash is updated with kaleidoscopic graphics, Bluetooth connectivity, Gopro interaction and an inbuilt sat-nav. Bodywork looks similar at first glance, but there’s a new fly screen, air intake, side panels, tail section, seat cowl and bellypan – and more pillion legroom. LED headlights have been given the Persil treatment (whiter and brighter) and the daytime running lights are more in your face. There are two colours to choose from: matt black with silver/yellow stripes, or silver with red/silver stripes. Triumph are masters of the middleweight sporty naked, having flogged over 90,000 since the Street Triple’s 2007 inception. The new RS isn’t a quantum leap forward over the old model, but the extra grunt serves to make it friendlier and more exciting on the road, like the current R version we all know and love. Beautifully built, refined, well equipped and as sharp on a race track as it is friendly on the road, it’s a phenomenal machine. Best of all, the price stays the same when it reaches showrooms in November, at £10,300 – or just £115 a month on Triumph’s PCP deal.
Street Triple RS still not crackers enough for you? Turn to page 50 for some Grade A headcases going toe-to-toe