SPEED REDEFINED

Surprises come in all shapes and sizes, including clip-on clad, carbon-kitted supernakeds with 180bhp on tap. Say hello to the limited-edition Speed Triple 1200 RX...

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I'd just about had time to wash my pants, remind my kids what their dad looks like, and make my excuses, before I jet off again, finding myself back at the exact same place I'd been six days earlier. The difference this time was I had absolutely no idea what I was set to test at Portimao racetrack.

In 20 years of doing this job, never before have I experienced such a scenario. The secrecy was up there with the Stasi, and the speculation was on another level.

I'd made three predictions of what it was most likely to be that we were testing: a Daytona 765 for the masses. On paper, it figured, what with the brand's wealth of success with its Street Triple-derived 765 in World Supersport and British Supersport alike.

And that's also without forgetting the Daytona 200 win and TT successes, plus the huge impact of Triumph's laudable Moto2 programme. Surely, this had to be the time to cash in on the hard work.

A faired Speed Triple 1200 would've also made sense. What with the RR being dropped last year, maybe they'd gone back to the drawing board and developed something in parallel with the 2025 Speed Triple?

Perhaps, finally, we were set to see a big capacity Daytona back on the cards.

Guess number three was arguably my wildcard, but I'd figured the possibility of a Daytona 660R wasn't exactly ludicrous. The 'R' acronym has been a proven hit for the Hinckley massive on numerous occasions and models before, so a firmer, meaner and lighter 660 also made sense... at least, in my book.