‘Like the KTM, the 116bhp 765cc threecylinder Triumph has a wild side’
‘In the Cotswolds these nakeds make perfect sense’
the Street Triple family, ready to go. The R ticks all the boxes for the road. It’s more powerful and higher spec than the S, but not as firm-set or peaky as the track-focused RS. Like the KTM, the 116bhp 765cc three-cylinder Triumph has a wild side. With an extra cylinder in its armoury the triple is more powerful, faster, longer revving and accelerates to 140mph (on our test strip) a massive eight seconds faster than the 790. Out of the two it has genuine trackday potential, but on the foggy run from Oundle to Northampton, with rain on my visor, the R is relaxed, refined and just what I need today.
There’s less low-down power than on the trigger-happy KTM, but that’s a good thing when the sky is a soupy-grey and you’re behind a line of belligerent lorries on the A605. The Triumph has a flatter, more bum-down stance than the KTM. The seat is plusher, there are fewer vibes and being physically smaller it’s easier to manage at town speeds, but the pegs are higher, so the 790 is better if you’re tall. Although the Triumph is fitted with a tiny headlight fairing, there’s little to shield you from the elements, which isn’t pleasant. By the time we hit the M40 the veins in my neck look like exposed wiring in a derelict house. Over on the KTM Paul is having bigger problems hiding from the windblast. “There’s not even any protection from the tank. It’s like riding with an ice cold diner plate on your stomach.”
By the time we’re in the Cotswolds the weather gives us a break and roads arc through the countryside. It’s at moments like this that nakeds make perfect sense.
Exposed to the full force of Mother Nature you get the kind of vivid thrill you’d never feel on a sportsbike without doing silly speeds. Nimble, lightweight machines like these with light throttles and clutches are also great through traffic. Hitting rush hour Milton Keynes, the KTM and Triumph waft through without waking sleepy commuters.
It’s a relief to see dry roads on the B660 – a road so devilishly twisty it should be renamed the 666. The shouty Duke is sensational through here, flicking from turn to turn with the telepathic ease of factory supermoto, dissecting straight bits with the deftest whiff of throttle.
It might not be as dramatic but that bug-eyed Triumph is every inch as quick and sticks with the mad, bad KTM every inch of the way. These small, but perfectly formed midi-nakeds are about as much fun as you’ll ever have on the road. The new 790 is the biggest giggle on a Sunday blast and the one that will satisfy the inner hooligan, especially with all the electronics turned off. It’s as wild as its single-cylinder 690 Duke little brother with an extra dash of practicality, but the Triumph has that brain-frazzling soundtrack and classier build quality. The Street Triple R is just as happy to cruise along, burbling along in top at barely tickover as it is turning your favourite road into a speed-addled blur.
It’s a close call but the Street Triple remains king of the middleweight nakeds. But only just.