Roadster – 2016 Triumph Speed ​​Triple R Test: 3 new reasons to fall for it – Since MNC tells you!

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Triumph Speed ​​Triple R 2016 test: 3 new reasons to crack

Roadster - 2016 Triumph Speed ​​Triple R Test: 3 new reasons to fall for it - Since MNC tells you!

The 2016 Speed ​​Triple, sexier with its redesigned double optics, better equipped and still as exciting mechanically, is a ” triple blow ” via a relevant upgrade. A success ? No: a Triumph! Test drive of the luxurious R version.

Since MNC tells you !

Released in 1994, a year after the Ducati Monster, the Triumph Speed ​​Triple perfectly embodies the sporty roadster providing sensations, all mixed with a touch of "so British" refinement that makes it irresistible. The proof: this elegant motorcycle despite its counting has won all its matches on MNC (read our, our, our and our). In short, a must !

Notwithstanding all the qualities of its ultra-torquey and powerful 3-cylinder (135 hp), the efficiency of its tubular aluminum frame and its top-of-the-range equipment, the Triumph roadster was however beginning to suffer in the face of its most explosive competitors. .. Le Journal moto du Net has observed it for several years: without necessarily sinking into radicalization, the Hinkley icon had to evolve in certain areas..

At the end of our last confrontations with its competitors, the MNC testers had for example suggested to Triumph to graft certain assistance to it such as driving modes and traction control, now essential in the face of the infernal rise in power observed in the category: the Tuono V4RR 1100 and the SuperDuke R bravely exceed 170 hp, the S1000R follows with 160 hp and the Z1000 and GSX-S1000 develop 145 (read in particular our, our and our).

Well for 2016, the English manufacturer seems to have followed our advice to the letter! MNC regretted the slightly enveloping volumes of the previous Speed ​​Triple? The new version adopts a new tank that is shorter and slimmer between the thighs. Accessibility wins, despite an identical saddle height (825 mm) and the rider is 20 mm closer to the handlebars (see page 3 for details in our Technical point).

With a declining capacity (15.5 liters instead of 17.5 in 2015), this tank ends with a saddle refined in its front part, always with the aim of better integrating the motorcycle. In the process, the Speed ​​Triple 2016 adopts – always in accordance with our wishes – an adjustable traction control and five new driving modes that act on the sensitivity of the ABS, traction control and anti-wheeling and on the way the power is delivered.

Main features of the 2016 Speed ​​Triple R

  • Ohlins NIX30 fork and Ohlins TTX36 shock absorber (Showa on the Speed ​​Triple S)

  • Carbon mudguard and tank cover

  • Engine guard

  • Machined aluminum handlebar trigger guard

  • Polished edge hubcap on the rear wheel hub

  • Red rim trims, rear frame buckle and saddle stitching

  • Specific colors (white or gray on the R / red or black on the S)

  • + € 1,700 (€ 13,800 for R and € 12,100 for S)

Now associated with the suffix "S" to distinguish the standard version from the R version, its high-end version (see box opposite), the new Speed ​​Triple 2016 receives no less than "104 mechanical modifications"which increase the power of its 1050 cc in-line 3-cylinder from 135 hp to 140 hp while its torque gains 1 Nm (112 Nm at 7850 rpm).

Finally, "last but not the least", these slightly improved performances will be fully appreciated, including in France – where the arrival in concessions is scheduled for early March – since the Speed ​​Triple S and R meet the Euro4 standards imposed on all. the new motorcycles in 2016! Frankly, it starts well this new motorcycle year, no ?

Static: damn it can’t lie !

Aesthetically, the new Speed ​​Triple 2016 is not a complete break from the previous one, reinforcing the observation that it is an evolution – certainly marked – but not a revolution. The stylistic differences relate mainly to the front face as well as to the high silencers, partially covered with an elegant polished aluminum plate..

Slightly lowered, the very characteristic double optics of this bike is surmounted by an air intake whose triangular shape echoes the new "Triumph" logo on the clutch housing. A short – very short! – wind shift underlines this energized facies while the headlights reconnect with fluid, more rounded lines, reminiscent of the fully round double optics abandoned in 2011 on the second generation of Speed ​​Triple equipped with the 1050 cc 3-cylinder.

A line of LEDs in the lower part of the optics serves as daytime running lights, improving the visibility of the motorcycle on the one hand and giving it a more modern look on the other. This LED device is easily switched on and off from the left stalk. Note that these daytime running lights are not installed on American or Japanese models, "for reasons of specific approvals, Triumph told us.

New "inverted" mirrors appear at the ends of the handlebars, the dimensions and shape of which are also identical to that of the 2015 model. Typed "Cafe Racer", these mirrors are easy to adjust and rather effective, except at high speeds where the returned image is disturbed by slight mechanical tremors, also perceptible under the buttocks and feet.

The finish is faithful to the usual standards on Triumph motorcycles in general, and on the Speed ​​Triple in particular: super polished and rewarding, especially in this "R" version tested by MNC. Every detail is the subject of remarkable care, such as the very cute LED indicators installed as standard, top-quality hardware, solid surface treatments and impeccable welds..

The robust mono-swingarm perfectly emphasizes the spoke rim in Pirelli Supercorsa SP (190/55/17). No wire sticks out and no sheath suffers from rough placement. Only the unsightly unburnt gas recuperator does a bit of a task, but you have to lean to see behind the injection this device imposed by Euro4 – just like the little glamor reflectors on the fork sleeves.

In this R version, the 2016 Speed ​​Triple receives magnificent Ohlins suspensions, adjustable in all directions of the race. Their golden reflections reinforce the character of this refined motorcycle and the radial-mounted one-piece Brembo brake calipers – identical on the S and R – activated by a radial master cylinder via braided hoses confirm that we are far, very far away. to deal with "all-comers" !

The only regret from MNC at this stage: that this fine development is not accompanied by any weight loss – always interesting on a dynamic level -, since this 2016 vintage is announced at 192 kg dry and 212 kg all full (against 207 kg for an S1000R … but 221 for the Z1000!). Not enough to put the spleen in court bouillon for all that, since this is the only point on which Triumph did not follow our recommendations !

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