Triumph Street Triple 765 RS
In this company Triumph’s RS is the grown-up option. Yet while it’s slightly softer than the previous incarnation it remains pure sportsbike…
Think Street Triple 765 R, turned up to 11. That’s the RS. More poke, more bling, more tech. It certainly goes like the clappers. Triumph have squeezed an extra 10bhp and 500rpm out of the motor, with a host of parts from the firm’s Moto2 engine programme, taking peak power to 128bhp at 12,000rpm. There’s no lack of punch from the 765cc motor and acceleration is crisper too. This is thanks to shorter gearing and a welcome boost in torque from 7500rpm upwards, although you’re still a gear lower than either the KTM or Ducati for the same thrust.
But as I snick through the gears towards a clear horizon I’m relying purely on my ears to know when to change up, because I can’t make head nor tale of the ludicrously over-complicated TFT screen in front of me. This is a high-end sportsbike and yet Triumph have saddled it with the worst instruments ever devised.
Harsh? No. I want to know engine rpm at a glance, not have to decipher what looks like a quantum physics graph that’s a mirrorimaged for maximum confusion. The Street Triple R comes with clear clocks, so why not the RS?
That aside, the new RS is a belter. Triumph’s multiple changes to the model have resulted in a far more compliant and effective road bike than before. The previous RS was a tad too serious, too focused and not as enjoyable as the R in most situations. And while the new bike’s been nipped and tucked to make it that bit sharper, keener and livelier than the stock R, it’s also less aggressive and spikey than before yet without losing the advantage of its extra spec.
As a result it feels the most grown up of this bunch – admittedly not hard next to the brain-out KTM and fidgety, blinged-up Monster. But still, the refinement and sophistication that make the R such a formidable road bike are also immediately tangible in the RS. ‘It doesn’t really shout RS though, does it?’ says occasional Bike tester Jon Urry of the almost apologetic grey finish. ‘It looks better in yellow or red, but even those options fade into the background next to the Duke 890 R.’ Quick to balance his critique, Jon immediately switches to the Triumph’s defence. ‘But it is the easiest bike here to ride quickly A to B.’ That it is, although the KTM is never far behind. There’s an assuredness to the RS’S ride coupled with a solidity and balance of the overall package that encourages me to push that bit harder and faster than I would on the Monster. Damping from the Showa forks and Öhlins shock is firm, but not spit-you-out-of-the-seat hard like the Ducati.
‘It’s definitely more grown up that the others,’ says Simon Hargreaves, previously of this parish. ‘Roomier, almost like it belongs to the next class up, yet still a banzai weapon when you want it to be. It feels like a proper sportsbike – a comfy one – whereas the Ducati
‘The RS is more focused … and a properly engaging tool as a result’
and KTM are tricked-up street bikes.’
Minor differences compared with the Street Triple R, like a 10mm higher seat, 3mm less wheelbase and a marginally racier rake and trail nudge you that bit further over the front end, but you barely notice the change unless you’re really on it and plugged into the immense feedback on offer. It’s stable too, although the trade-off is slightly less responsive steering than the other two here. The steering lock is also limited, so feet-up U-turns are out of the question, even on wide A-roads.
As a package the Street Triple 765 RS is much improved. It’s sharper, faster, more focused than its less specified R stablemate, and a properly engaging sports tool as a result. But through this upgrade Triumph have managed to dial back in some civility and usability into the package. The stock R is a belter of a bike and more than enough for most road riders. But if you like to turn up the wick a little every now and then, and perhaps pen a trackday or two on the calendar each summer, the £1700 extra you’ll have to pay for the RS is an investment well worth making.