Simply Astounding

And you thought the old Street Triple was good…

Michael Neevs

On the face of it, Triumph’s new £9900 Street Triple RS is all about its 765cc triple engine. Bored and stroked from the old machine’s 675cc, the breathed-on 121bhp ride-by-wire motor features over 80 revised parts, including a new crank, con rods, balancer shaft and Nikasil-plated aluminium barrels replacing the 675’s iron liners.

Powering the Street Triple since its launch a decade ago (and in that time Triumph have sold over 50,000 of them), the old revvy, grunt-laden 675cc lump is rightly regarded as one of the most evocative engines of all time. Slim and compact to please Triumph’s chassis engineers, it was packed with performance, character and a gnarly three-cylinder soundtrack.

After a day spent riding Triumph’s hot new Street Triple RS at its world launch in Barcelona, it’s clear the new 765cc motor is another absolute gem and has comfortably taken this iconic engine to another, unrivalled, level.

The new triple hits harder, spins-up faster and belts out its shrieking, bassladen soundtrack higher up the decibel range, through its (1.7kg) lighter new airbox and exhaust.

But despite producing 13% more torque and 16% more power and having some of the 675’s raw edges smoothed off (but not too many) it’s not actually the new Street Triple RS’s best bit. No, what makes this new Triumph so spellbindingly brilliant is how light and easy it is to manage. I can’t think of a bike – even top-level sportsbikes or super-nakeds – that offers such balance, composure and completeness.