Triumph tease range-topping new Street Triple RS model for 2020

Triumph tease new range-topping 128bhp Street Triple RS

Triumph have announced a new range-topping Street Triple RS is on the way that pops a cherry on top of the current bike. All we know officially is that the new bike is set to be fully unveiled next week. But a bit of digital wizardry with their teaser photo gives a pretty good guide to what we can expect. The general gist is small upgrades rather than a groundup overhaul. We’ve always been impressed with the current machine – it won our coveted Bike of Year Award in 2017 – but with naked bike progress marching on, Triumph have given it a little boost to cement its place.

The biggest change is likely to be in the engine. The current RS makes a decent 121bhp near its 12,000rpm redline but Triumph have already shown that its 765cc triple is capable of more. Following extensive development for Moto2, Triumph created a road-going, ‘suped-up’ version for its new special edition Daytona 765 with a 600rpm higher redline and peak power of 128bhp. We’re expecting Triumph to fit

‘We expect Triumph to fit the 128bhp engine’

this engine into the new RS. The rest of the changes appear to be mostly cosmetic. Up front there’s a new ‘face’ in the form of reshaped headlights with a new set of daytime running lights that form a set of angry-looking eyebrows. The fly screen, too, has been slightly restyled but the TFT dash behind appears unchanged. The plastic radiator shroud has been reshaped, as has the rear end of the subframe and the exhaust outlet. But the subframe itself, along with the main frame, all looks rather familiar. The forks have been blacked out but otherwise appear unchanged as is the rear shock. Triumph have already announced that the finished machine will be officially unveiled on October 7 so we’ll bring you the full details next week. We expect it to appear at Motorcycle Live before arriving in dealers early next year.