Speed Triple RS test: the Triumph roadster raises the tone and the sound in 2018
Only two years after its last update, the Speed Triple benefits from a new evolution combining mechanical overhaul and technological reinforcement. Site tested the 2018 Triumph maxiroadster in its high-end version: the Speed Triple RS. First contact on the road and circuit.
Speed Triple RS test page 2: Triumph rolls mechanics
The flexibility of the English 3-legged remains quite remarkable, much closer to that of a 4-legged than of a twin: the Speed Triple 2018 can trot at 50 km / h in the last gear, then set off again without flinching nor rush his pilot. Soft and strong are qualifiers that suit him perfectly.
Driving pleasure in town is enhanced by electronic throttle management: the speed increase is skilfully moderate on the first degrees of rotation of the handle, which greatly facilitates the work of the pilot’s right hand..
Sissies can engage the "Rain" mode for an even smoother response, regardless of the throttle opening. The accelerations are very linear: they remain muscular in the turns of course, but the engine is still limited to 100 horsepower. Thank you in France, we have already given !
Tested by MNC on totally dry and perfectly paved roads, the "rain" mode of the Speed Triple RS uses and abuses the precautionary principle: long before the rear wheel slips – there was no reason to lack grip in this case – the electronics significantly regulate accelerations.
For the first time in its history, the Triumph maxiroadster is reluctant to open wide as the driver demands! The RS is therefore indeed the very first Speed Triple equipped with a brain – the inertial unit "IMU" -, which allows it to prevent rather than attempt to cure…
The nickname "Hooligan" given to it by its designers is no longer really relevant. The pilot can no longer do as he pleases – unless you disconnect the assistance, which is possible – but no longer runs the risk of fooling around. Rather reassuring, therefore.
By selecting the "Road" mode, the rider has more response to the right grip. More frank in its times, the Speed Triple 2018 already benefits from its 150 maximum horsepower (ditto in "Sport" and "Track" mode, the latter being reserved for the RS).
From 3000 rpm, the engine quickly catapults the machine (190 kg dry) and its pilot (72 kg naked). At around 6,500 rpm, the mill – water – seems to be running more beautifully. In fact, this feeling is accentuated by the sound of the pots more and more resounding: the roadster jointly raises the tone and the sound !
On the road, Site naturally sets its pace on that of the Triumph opener with a manly but correct driving style: he is a former Tourist Trophy! To wind sportily – okay, tumble copiously – on the small Andalusian roads, the tachometer needle does not need to exceed 7,500 rpm..
According to the manufacturer’s graphs (which compares the performance of the 2018 Vs 2016 engine, read our technical point on page 3), the peak of torque is reached just after 7000 rpm. But 2000 revs lower, the engine already exceeds 110 Nm, which – take our word for it – allows quite exhilarating revivals !
With a quick joystick-super-practical, the pilot can adopt the "Sport" mode (icon "winding road") which proves to be even more responsive and dynamic. At this point, the nice little Sunday morning walk turns irreparably into a nasty big arsouille. !
Available in the Triumph catalog along with around fifty other accessories, the quickshifter further emphasizes the sporty character of the machine, simplifying and accelerating not only upshifts but also downshifts. The Speed takes care of itself to put the little gas in facilitating the return of the report: broaaap !
The good point of this accessory – essential? adopted once tried in any case – is that its use is not limited to the circuit: on the road and even in built-up areas, the shifter is soft enough to be used most of the time. We would almost forget the clutch lever.
The bad point, because there is one, is that this convincing quickshifter didn’t come standard on the 2018 Speed Triple, not even on the RS. As a reminder, Mister Triumph, your Street Triple RS benefits from a standard quickshifter – which does not manage downshifting, of course..
Originally on both versions of the Speed, however, cruise control is another increasingly useful "gadget" on our roads with more and more radars and increasingly low speed limits. . therefore difficult to hold while riding this type of modern and efficient machine !
The other side of the coin of this "cruise-control": French bikers will have no more excuse for not having scrupulously maintained their future Speed at 80 km / h "counter" on the secondary network, speed reached on the sixth gear when the Triple is running at 3000 rpm.
On the Speed Triple RS, however, Site could be seen perfectly, and in complete safety, driving at an average of 80 mph on beautiful open roads: the expressive engine and advanced electronics work in unison with an almost unchanged chassis, so always so pleasing !
First of all, the braking remains flawless: the Brembo calipers – and their master cylinder – still allow braking to make the most seasoned passenger pale – who does not have handles to hang on! -, and to make blush the comrade of trip installed aboard a very recent Superbike.
The Nissin rear brake is just as satisfying: biting, dosable and powerful, it alone allows you to slow down the bike at the sight of a light turning red, or to correct its trajectory blindly in a turn drier than planned.
The double-tube aluminum frame, characteristic of Hinckley roadsters, offers foolproof stability: riveted to the rear wheel of the Triumph opener, Site negotiates beating pistons in long curves and takes pleasure in not cutting the trajectories too much. in order to take the maximum angle. Yum !
Perfect for driving 80 … miles per hour !
In the winding, the agility of the Speed Triple is just as remarkable. To convince us of this, the Triumph team has included in our route a particularly curvy section, several kilometers long and completely devoid of any stretch. !
Simple pressure on either side of the handlebars is enough to make the Speed Triple RS slalom from one turn to another without ever feeling tired. To be quite frank, the Journal moto du Net has managed the feat of getting disgusted by taking the road a little fast – nothing to do with the hearty English breakfast, no…
On the impeccably asphalted roads around Almeria, Ohlins suspensions delivered a perfect recital: their rigor allows the bike to be placed to the nearest centimeter, whether under braking or when going around. No stiffness phenomenon on entering a turn, no sagging on exit disturbs the pilot’s wishes and control.
On rare portions with a fairly distorted road surface, MNC notes that the damping is very satisfactory and the hydraulics are finely tuned by default, for a pilot weighing less than 80 kg fully equipped … Given the course carefully prepared by Triumph, the suspensions are not far from deserving the maximum score.
It would be perfect if "our" Speed Triple RS absorbed the most severe speed bumps or shallow holes better in town. You have to slow down to cross them without the wrists and buttocks taking a hit: it changes the last motorcycles tested by MNC (Africa Twin Adventure Sports or Tiger 800 and 1200) !
The maxiroadster is however much more weary on expressways since its nose screen is purely aesthetic … On the Spanish highway limited to 120 km / h, the pilot must already lean forward and contract his neck to counter the wind speed – combined with real wind if you don’t have a pot…
On the Almeria circuit – which Triumph opened up for us to push safely and even more the Speed Triple RS – crossing the straight line leading to the pits cannot be done without forcing the handlebars, or by completely landing on the tank.
Just before taking the – excellent – brakes, the speedometer of our Triumph shows a little over 230 km / h. The top speed of the new Speed Triple 2018 is slightly higher than that of the 2016, but who really cares about the Vmax today? ?
What MNC retains, on the other hand, is the excess length of the engine: the red zone is raised by 1000 rpm compared to the previous model: thus, you hit the breaker less quickly and less often. After a few laps, you get into the habit of changing gear a little before 10,000 rpm, where peak power is reached..
While we are largely satisfied with the rumbling mid-revs on the road, we appreciate the surly high revs on the track. We also like the short pull of the handle as well as the great responsiveness of the throttle, the perfect calibration of the injection and the transparent transmission..
If the Speed Triple is not designed to hit a stopwatch, it is nevertheless very convincing in this environment. The ground clearance offered by the footrests – a little high precisely, as we saw on page 1 – is very satisfactory for a roadster.
By selecting the "Track" driving mode, the driver – racing or almost – benefits from a particularly responsive Triple … and a more preventive traction-control: unlike the modes designed for the road, this mode "circuit" is no longer there to anticipate losses of adhesion but to regulate them !
When accelerating, the electronics wait for the rear wheel to actually turn faster than the front wheel to reduce throttle and avoid too big slips. "Thanks to the Track mode, the thinnest riders can then benefit from the maximum grip", says Stuart Wood, Triumph chief engineer..
"Likewise, the Track mode cuts off ABS cornering in order to maintain pressure in the brakes as long as possible", adds Felipe Lopez, responsible for the development and testing of new Triumph models. The "straight ahead" ABS function, on the other hand, is not deactivated..
Site did not go to probe the maximum braking on the angle but can humbly report that the tiny noticeable twitches in the lever when loading copiously with the front, motorcycle on the angle, completely disappear in "Track" mode.
In the technical sections of the Andalusian layout, the Speed Triple RS accepts heavy braking and maximum acceleration. But MNC advises to adopt a fluid piloting so as not to upset the beauty / beast of about 210 kg all full facts, all the same !
During its third and final session, Site took to the track on a motorcycle whose "Sport" mode had remained engaged. What put the chip – electronic! – to MNC’s ear? The fact that in this case, you can feel the bike slightly restrained at the exit of a curve.
A short passage in the pits to put the "Track" mode back – you have to stop to validate it, "safety first!" – and the Motorcycle Journal of the Net finds a Speed Triple RS completely released … delivered, which the pilot will never want to return !
The Speed Triple RS 2018 is the most powerful, the most responsive, the loudest, the most sophisticated … "and the most expensive of the dynasty?" Asks Site … Triumph must answer in the affirmative: the " S "which will be released at the end of April 2018 will cost 13,750 euros in its black" Jet "color, and 125 euros more for the white" Crystal "color..
Site readers – who, as everyone knows have a little more RAM than others – remember that when it was released, the 2016 Speed Triple R was sold at 12,100 euros. Or an inflation of more than 1,500 euros that the mechanical and technological advances are struggling to justify.
At Site, we suspect Triumph of wanting to increase the price difference between the "big" Speed Triple and the "medium" Street Triple RS which, as a reminder, requires a nice check for 11,700 euros. Given the prices of the competition’s maxisportive maxiroadsters, the English brand benefited from a little margin, which it crunches today !
To acquire the Speed Triple RS 2018 tested by the Journal moto du Net and officially unveiled in the French Triumph dealerships on April 7, bikers will have to drop 15,850 euros … This is 2050 euros more than the previous Speed Triple R , but for once, the presence of the Arrow pots and the IMU makes it easier to accept the price increase.
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