Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021

Table of contents

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021

28 pictures

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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In the top test with the Triumph Street Triple 1200 RS, the testers clearly had fun.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Stoppies only go in “Track” ABS mode. Experts create spectacular views or even shorter braking distances.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Few motors push the front wheel into the sky as easily as the big triple from UK.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Handling course with light barrier. The handling advantage of the new Speed ​​Triple is undoubtedly there, but not as big as the engine upgrade.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Biggest horse’s foot: the hypersporting Metzeler Racetec K3 rubbers, which this time only reach a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius. Once they’re warm, the tester has fun.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Apart from that, the Speedy impresses with its neutral steering behavior, full stability in an inclined position and little righting moment when braking.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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This is how further development works.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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The rear is unusually slim, not only thanks to the lack of underseat pots.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Brembo’s stylemas deliver premier class lag in every way.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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The completely new unit offers a contemporary layout.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Classic Speedy elements: the massive tank boss and the curved frame tube.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Conventional exhaust routing with a characteristic but pleasant triple soundtrack.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Despite the increased agility, the Speedy is still like a board in an inclined position.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Consistently tight: the fine Ohlins TTX 36 ensures sublime damping-
work. Tight basic setup, handwheels for compression and rebound, however, allow individual and quick adjustments.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Consistently electronic: not just starting, but also refueling no longer requires turning the key. Only the transponder could be more compact for tight and pocket-poor leather.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Consistently high quality: Both production and finish create space for owner pride, as is typical of the brand. The noble shimmering metal extension of the license plate holder is just one of many examples of this.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Even with 180 hp and RS features, the Speedy is still absolutely suitable for country roads.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Thanks to the large color cockpit and five-way joystick, the mobile phone-
Serve connectivity well.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Some of the graphics on the TFT are significantly more clean than their predecessor.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS: compact lines, powerful tank hump, sweeping frame. The typical Speedy elements are still there. New: side exhaust and narrower profile.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1050 RS: The previous Big Triple was until the end
an impressive country road bike. As the top model RS even with reserves for the ring. Weight and performance were increasingly lagging behind the competition.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Tool frustration 1: A hexagon wrench and a combined hexagon Torx wrench. There is nothing more in the on-board tools. Fear of self-screwing customers seems to increase collectively.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Tool frustration 2: One end of Torx, one end of hexagon. Means: the key
to remove the pillion cover with a tool (!) can only be applied in this way. Ergo you turn a wolf.

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Arturo Rivas

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Tool frustration 3: Diligent turning even when adjusting the damping on the very tight fork. Unfortunately, the key cannot be used as shown in the picture because the handlebars are in the way.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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200 kilograms – a whopping 14 kilograms less than before, that is noticeably inspiring.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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Noticeably new, significantly better and yet completely the same: The new Speed ​​Triple pushes the right buttons.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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The training units were worth it. The hooligan among the naked bikes is full of music again.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021
Arturo Rivas

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And with all his offensive power, he has not forgotten his good manners and masters everyday life with ease. A true friend just in case.

motorcycles

Naked bike

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021

Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test
Euro 5 compliant 180 hp and 10 kilos less

Speed ​​Triple, that means cult. But in the end it was “True hooligan bike” go something. Many running units and protein drinks later, the big naked bike confidently throws the gauntlet back into the hyper-naked ring.


Rene Correra

June 21, 2021

The world is turning faster and faster, and if you want to stay on its sunny side, you should stay on the ball. You don’t have to like it, but somehow it keeps the whole place going. Triumph’s traditional hooligan had to experience this painfully recently. the Speed ​​triple was refreshed again and again and had reached a remarkable level of maturity. Euro 4, modern electronics, top chassis: everything is there. But every now and then it just needs a real bang. The last one was quite a while ago. 16 years to be precise. The Speedy rolled out for the first time with over 1,000 cubic meters, a fat upside-down fork, thick underseat exhausts and that wonderfully compact pit bull look.

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Speed ​​Triple 1200 with 10 kg less

With her most recent 150 hp and meanwhile rather slim 214 kilograms, despite all the indisputable qualities, she was only able to see the wilder hustle and bustle of the competition from the perspective of the pursuer. The strong power nakeds had long since become menacingly powerful and sometimes consumptive light hyper nakeds.

“All over!”, it echoes from Hinckley and one is inclined to believe them as soon as one approaches the latest speed threesome. You don’t even have to look at the data sheet for that. At first glance unmistakably representative of the current design language of the British triple roadster, it sometimes takes a second look to recognize that there is a “speed” and no “Street” The name says that the 1200 looks so compact and slim. Above all, the move away from the underseat exhaust creates a whole new airiness at the rear. An impression that does not deceive. Triumph’s data sheet speaks of ten kilos of weight savings, our scales even of 14 compared to the 1050 RS, and the remaining kilos have also been arranged more mass-centered. Most of the pounds saved can be found in the completely redesigned Big Triple, and the extra pounds fell mainly on the new lithium-ion battery and the equally new aluminum bridge frame.

Euro 5 compliant 180 hp

In addition to cardio units, posture exercises were also on the program in Hinckley. The handlebars have become 13 millimeters wider, while the footrest base is narrower, which in turn is due to the new, more compact motor. Good keyword, because strength exercises clearly made up the largest part of the Triumph training camp. The Euro 5-compliant three-cylinder gets a whopping 180 hp from 1,160 cubic meters and catapults itself far away from the previous model and into the hard-fought hyper-naked segment. Nothing of the above would have been possible with the honorable, but also decades-old 1050, which had already reached its constructive limit.


Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021


Arturo Rivas

Stoppies only go in “Track” ABS mode. Experts create spectacular views or even shorter braking distances.

More power, less weight, more compact layout, more active ergonomics: the direction of the attack is clear. So let’s get up on the likeable hooligan and hit the button. And pressed again. Hmmm, maybe long press? Twice? First stroke the tank? Nothing helps, Triumph just doesn’t want to hiss into life. Of course, the already extensive electronics have been brought up to date and, of course, the new Speedy – like the old one, by the way – no longer has a mechanical ignition lock. It is good that the fuel cap is now finally integrated into the keyless system. What is not so good is that the system still boots for as long as Windows XP before it is ready to start. What is really annoying, however, is that the small pin sensor, which signals to the motorcycle that the clutch has been pulled, was minimally jammed on our test machine, which is why it refused the last millimeters of travel and thus repeatedly made a start impossible. It took us a while to identify the small but lasting problem and solve it with a targeted dose of multifunctional oil. In general, it might be permissible to ask why a motorcycle cannot start without the clutch being pulled …

Dreizylinderlied runs as creamy as ever

Well then. Not a good start, in the truest sense. But what follows is all the more gratifying. Once in operation, pleasantly sympathetic triple vibrations set in immediately. The new engine is also a flatterer to the gentleman, skillfully sings the characteristic full three-cylinder song and runs as creamy as ever. You shouldn’t be unsettled by the 98 decibels of standing noise. Yes, objectively that is enough to be excluded from some areas of Tyrol, but subjectively, the new Speedy is not only one of the acoustically more discreet appearances in the upper league competition without losing character.

What is new is the noticeably more ambitious throttle response thanks to the lower centrifugal masses, which unfortunately also causes an equally noticeable jolt when driving. Not line-destroying strong, but it would be nicer without it. Especially since the choice of driving mode does not provide any relief, but only more or less progression when accelerating.

Electronics at the highest level

Speaking of electronics: As with its predecessor, it operates at the highest level. Who in “Sports”-Mode and want to see the traction control lamp in good weather conditions, you have to stretch a lot. And even when successful, it always acts elegantly in the background. This also applies to the ABS, whose control behavior is barely noticeable, especially since it is a bit sportier than before. Another new feature is a wheelie control that is not described in detail, but does not allow real unicycle acrobatics. Quickly and sometimes unexpectedly, she brings the front wheel and driver back down to earth. If you can and want more, you have to deactivate the traction monitor in the old fashioned way. As with the competition, it is not possible to shut down the wheelie control separately.


Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021


Arturo Rivas

Few motors push the front wheel into the sky as easily as the big triple from UK.

Certainly not relevant for the majority, but it is still a shame, because traditionally few engines push the front wheel into the sky as easily as the big triple from UK. That still applies to almost 1,200 cubic meters and Euro 5. Eagle eyes will spot it in the performance diagram (only in the article PDF for download): Far down, this side of 3,000 revs, it takes a little longer to breathe than its predecessor. Apart from tight hairpin bends and very special applications such as the turning points of our driving dynamics course, this is completely irrelevant. Then there are up to 6,000 tours on the well-known strong and linear torque wave. And where the 1050 simply continued to be strong, the 1200 from this brand ignites the afterburner again, which incidentally also extends almost 1,000 tours further than the rev range of the old engine. Expertise expansion at its finest. It is also nice that this furioso of the combustion culture is optimally supported by the again improved transmission. Its agricultural machinery charm has long been off the table, but now it has finally reached the top league: it works precisely, smoothly and quietly, with or without switching aid.

Diva-like tires

Expanding expertise is also the right term when it comes to chassis. Here, too, tried and tested virtues are maintained, and if there was a cardinal virtue in terms of handling with the Speed ​​Triple, it was this earthy, full feeling, with which the Speedy could always be swept from curve to curve with full confidence. Balancing is not entirely by chance, because the great Triumph was never an agility miracle. That’s not the new one either, BMW S 1000 R or KTM 1290 Super Duke R are still nimbly around the corner. But the diet and the more active ergonomics are having an effect. The arms have to be less thick than before, balancing can turn into throwing without any problems.

What is new, but not so pleasant, is a subtle tendency to wobble in very deep inclines. However, after extensive warm kneading on a cordoned-off stretch, this turned out to be diva-like properties of the tires. The hypersporting Metzeler Racetec K3 barely get up to temperature at a whopping 12 degrees, even during dedicated country road turns. Even in our tightly driven driving dynamics course, they were stingy with full grip and confidence, which explains the results that are not significantly better than the old Speedy. Only an additional, racetrack-like course (more on this in the context of the large Hyper-Naked comparison in issue 12/2021) wrestled the Metzelers, who incidentally mill their way down faster than an eraser in the hands of elementary school students, with a committed driving style.

Top test top tip: change tires

So top test top tip: only drive on racetracks (expensive), only drive in the best possible weather (seldom) or simply put on less pointed rubber (smart). Even if manufacturers of sporty motorcycles want to make someone else believe: A good sport tire, even a touring sport tire, is sufficient for the vast majority of the needs of the vast majority of drivers on the vast majority of rural areas, almost regardless of the chosen base.


Triumph Speed ​​Triple 1200 RS top test 2021


Arturo Rivas

Biggest horse’s foot: the hypersporting Metzeler Racetec K3 rubbers, which this time only reached a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius.

The chassis also has to be readjusted for an optimal result, but fortunately this is much faster and cheaper. As usual, the fine Ohlins goods offer ample damping reserves, but the NIX30 fork has a high breakaway torque, is generally a bit sluggish and is still too damped at the factory. If the rebound and compression stages are turned open a few clicks, it loses its position “Stubbornness” in an inclined position, despite less damping, there is less unrest in the system. The TTX36 shock absorber, on the other hand, convinces out of the box, responds well and “polished” smooth the road. Really sporty natures push the pressure level slightly, everyone else does nothing and drive pretty well with it.

“So many capers, I’d rather wait for the catchier basic version!” Uh, no. Speed ​​Triple, from now on always also means RS and therefore always at least 17,500 euros. At some point even the toughest ultra will no longer feel like standing in the stadium …

Conclusion

The training units were worth it. The hooligan among the naked bikes is full of music again. Can hit harder than ever before and now, thanks to improved footwork, he can also dodge a punch or two better. But despite all his offensive power, he has not forgotten his good manners and masters everyday life with ease. A true friend just in case.

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