A tweak here and a tweak there
Suspension twiddling is a mystery to most folk, including us…
WHAT AN ENGINE. When Triumph launched the first 1050cc Speed Triple I chuntered about how they’d made the triple their own, how it defined road motor. With our new Speed Triple RS long-term test bike it’s like 2005 all over again. There’s 4% more torque and a claimed 148bhp, but it’s the way it surges from idle and builds revs regardless of load that impresses. Power-to-weight is about the same as the smaller Street Triple RS, but
the 1050 has lashings of fat, bulging, old-fashioned oomph – the way it strides from 30mph limits and romps out of turns is utterly fabulous. Being the RS means whizzbang colour dash, light-up switches, umpteen modes, cruise, cornering ABS and traction. It also means Öhlins, which is causing me issues. Or rather the set-up does – the RS is built to go very fast, meaning sporty settings at odds with busy, bumpy roads. Thankfully posh suspension means adjusters that work, so I’m tweaking to try and make the chassis match the engine’s on-road excellence (not easy as Triumph have hidden the front adjusters behind cables and brackets). Backing compression damping virtually all
the way off, front and rear, stops the RS banging off bumps, but makes it feel like its tip-toeing on top of its hard springs. Putting a click or two of compression back on while removing a few clicks of rebound gives a more settled ride, helped
further by a sniff less front preload – the suspension sits further into its stroke in normal riding and feels plusher. I want to knock rear preload back a tad, but can’t get a C-spanner in due to the hefty swingarm. I’m no suspension genius and have doubtless reduced outright handling potential. But on normal roads the Speed’s more comfy and is less likely to ricochet off things, yet still has more handling than I’ll use. Hurrah for quality components.