So misunderstood
Contributor Chris thinks Triumph’s big sports triple is a gem of a bike
THE SPEED TRIPLE RR hasn’t been the success Triumph hoped it to be. Have you seen one on the road? I haven’t. And 30 seconds of searching finds brand-new unregistered examples being offered for £12,999 – almost £5000 less than list price. For a 178bhp bike with semi-active Öhlins, Brembo Stylemas and incredible fit, finish and detail, that’s outrageous value for money. Interested now? Thought you might be…
I think I know why they’ve been a hard sell. It’s not the way they ride – I rode one when it was launched in 2022 and thought it was wonderful. My heart lies with sportsbikes of the 1990s/early-2000s, when they were still decent road bikes and able to boogie on track. For me, this is the same formula applied to a modern platform.
The chassis too is happy at cheeky, but not inappropriate speeds. It stops well, and the electronic suspension can do magic-carpet comfort or B-road precision at the touch of a button. It’s much more refined than the awkward naked RS model for my tastes, too.
The issue, I think, is its reason for being: the fairing. Triumph reckons it’s a nod to the 1994 Speed Triple. Perhaps. But to some it looks like a Thruxton RS, and the retro touch is at odds with the mechanical offering. It’s also very small, offering no more protection than the RS.
Dealers also report that prospective buyers fear the clip-ons are likely to be uncomfortable. I haven’t found that to be the case, though.
The RR has joined the RIDE fleet to get to the bottom of the matter and see if we can tune out some of its foibles to make it an exhilarating, yet versatile sports machine for the modern road rider.