Street Racer

Triumph has done the impossible taking an already capable motorcycle and making it that much better, that too in the transition to stricter emission norms

- Dipayan Dutta

In the world of track-bred middle-weight streetfighters, it doesn’t get much better than the Triumph Street Triple RS. Although if you are Triumph, how do you go back to the drawing board on a motorcycle that hasn’t just worked in the past, but thrived. Back in 2017 when the last Street Triple RS before the Euro 5/BS6 era hit, the only question worth asking with regards to the middleweight RS was as to whether it was maybe a little too track-bred for its own good. Now, this is a valid question, considering at best, most riders can spend two days at the track for every five days they spend on the road. Quite the conundrum for Triumph - take the track-pedigree off the Street RS, and it loses its competitive edge, lean in on the track-bred nature and risk making an unviable road bike.

2020 gave us the new and improved Triumph Street Triple with BS6 compliance. Naturally, there was an all-out RS badged sibling alongside. On first impressions, it’s still very much in line with the Street Triple image only a little sharper this time around. The signature twin headlamps are now slimmer LEDs with sharp DRLs to contour their form. It instantly sets the tone for a sharper motorcycle overall. Add the new belly pan, revised tail section and a more muscular radiator guard to mix, and the 2020 Street significantly raises the bar without really re-inventing the wheel. Equipment quality, like we have come to expect of Triumph over the past few years, is topnotch, all around.