Triumph Street Triple RS in the driving report

Triumph Street Triple RS in the driving report

Naked bike for street racing

We were allowed to pull the cable of the long-awaited new Triumph Street Triple RS on the MotoGP circuit in Catalonia. Price question: Is there anything better than that??

The new S.treet Triple RS is here and it is sensational. That basically says it all. But since you as a reader of a trade magazine rightly expect more, and also to do justice to this unique naked racer, an explanation follows as to why this is so. But first, why it’s not surprising: Triumph’s Street Triple has always been something special. It was the first three-cylinder in the middle class, and a great one at that. She was a face in the crowd, light, rode as playfully as the dead bike. It was affordable and consequently a hit: Triumph claims to have sold over 50,000 units worldwide.

Triumph Street Triple RS in the driving report

Naked bike for street racing

Triumph Street Triple RS with 123 hp

But the competition ignited vigorously in turn, so that the Triumph Street Triple RS with 675 cubic and 105 PS had to line up last in terms of firepower. The solution? Seems simple, but it wasn’t: With considerable technical effort, the old Triumph engine was enlarged to the limits of what was feasible, while still retaining its compact housing dimensions, but thanks to more bore and stroke it now has 765 cubic meters. In the top-of-the-line Street Triple RS that we drive, this results in a dashing 123 hp and 77 Newton meters. Because despite the fact that two kilograms of weight were saved despite the displacement increase (186 kilograms ready to drive, factory specification), because the excellent chassis has of course also been greatly developed, and because only the finest supplier chunks have stuck to the RS milling machine – well, it should be included to go to the devil if something had slipped.

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It burns around the slopes like a laser beam

The Triumph team from Hinckley is so confident that it will let the new Triumph Street Triple RS (and only that!) Off the leash after a courageous ride through the hinterland of Barcelona on the Moto GP Track Circuit de Catalunya. Brave, because the racetrack, especially with a naked bike, pushes boundaries and mercilessly exposes the smallest weaknesses. But also conclusive, after all, the Rennsemmel should also be at home on such track days.

And it is that without restrictions: the small Triumph Street Triple RS burns like a laser beam around the slopes, impressing above all as an extremely manageable, potent, all-round strong package. No individual component, no subgroup of the overall motorcycle system weakens here – engine and transmission, chassis, brakes and chassis, electronics, ergonomics – everything works at the highest to the highest level. As a harmonious unit, flowing, hand in hand.

Turns up like a shot boar

Compared to the predecessor machine, the engine has increased significantly despite the slightly longer secondary transmission. He pushes relatively hard at the bottom and benefits from the fact that little mass slows him down. In the middle, the plus becomes a lot, and from then on in the direction of the limiter at almost 13,000 revolutions the 765 fires red hot. Up until now the 675s might have been a bit brazen, the new Triumph Street Triple RS turns up like a shot boar. And it sounds really awesome, that is expressly and with all due respect. Hoarser, throatier, angrier – someone else claims that no good sounding engines are possible under Euro 4.

The excellent table manners of the predecessor have been preserved: throttle response, load change reactions and smooth running are excellent, not necessarily a matter of course with such a sporty unit. There is a new automatic gearshift (this was available as an extra on the Street Triple RX), and it works perfectly in the new Triumph Street Triple RS, just like the slipper clutch. An engine with no faults or faults.

Clean response, wide setting range, high reserves

The sharpened drive unit therefore delivers properly usable propulsion, which the chassis in turn parries splendidly. Two characteristics determine its essence: lightness and accuracy. 186 kilograms ready to drive are an excellent value and credible, and the new Triumph Street Triple RS can be used accordingly. The handlebars are not overly wide and rather sportily low, creating a passable feel by track standards, but for a naked bike again a very good feel for the front wheel.

Pirelli Supercorsa SP, the first tires on the Triumph Street Triple RS, are designed for precisely this purpose: The tire delivers guidance, feedback and grip until you drop. Thanks to this transparency, the Street Triple RS can be bent intuitively and very deeply. So deep that in the second turn the small grinding nipples of the footrests chisel and announce that a lean angle that cannot be explored on the road can set the limit on the racetrack. Just shifted boundaries.

76 Pictures

Pictures: Triumph Street Triple RS in the driving report

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Brakes on the new Triumph Street Triple RS

The brake system (320 double disc at the front, Brembo M50 monoblocks, radial brake pump and multi-adjustable lever) is probably the most powerful individual component of the Triumph Street Triple RS, making fat anchor orgies child’s play with its crystal-clear pressure point, ideal controllability and a strong bite. In track mode, the anti-lock device is active, but does not intervene even if the rear wheel is already prancing playfully over the asphalt. A feat that some 1000 super sportsmen cannot master and testimony to a precise calibration by the electronics department.

She was allowed to let off steam anyway. As is the case today, the new Triumph Street Triple also has ride-by-wire and various driving modes. In the case of the RS, there are five: Rain, Road, Sport, Track and Rider. These bundle three motor mappings (Rain, Road, Sport), two ABS levels (Road and Track) and four TC levels (Rain, Road, Sport and Track) into practical, noticeably distinguishable presets. The rider mode is also freely configurable, here ABS and TC can be switched off if necessary, even if this did not seem necessary in view of their ambitious, fully racetrack-compatible working method.

Important: Thanks to the new, excellent TFT display and easy operation via mini joystick on the left end of the handlebar, electronic adjustments can be carried out easily and without studying the manual. The cockpit of the new Triumph Street Triple RS looks ultra-modern, offers dozens of different, visually appealing views (themes, depending on the driving mode) and a veritable flood of information, of course with shift light and even lap timer. More important: The readability is excellent thanks to the bright, high-contrast display. All of a sudden, that makes the class competition look old in this regard.

The impressions gained on the circuit of Catalonia can also be transferred to the country road, which of course continues to be the preferred area of ​​a Street Triple. The enormous potential is omnipresent here too, making the RS-Streety a real weapon. Simply impressive is what works with this lighter. And what’s more: how easy it is. Gaudy, ultra-committed motor and yet broadband, very light and therefore extremely nimble, state-of-the-art chassis components, killer brakes, sensible electronics – everything just fits together here. The only bad thing is the eternal long waiting moment (why only, triumph?) That the electronics put between the start command and the ignition.

Individual and comparison tests will follow

And so back to the beginning: The new Triumph Street Triple RS is here, and it’s sensational. We know that now, but there are still some questions that remain unanswered.

First, what does the new Triumph Street Triple RS cost? 11,600 euros plus ancillary costs, around 12 thousand. "For that I get almost a 1000 elsewhere," some will think. And that’s true.

Second, is the author’s euphoria possibly due to the use of illegal substances that affect judgment? Well, race track endorphins are not covered by the Narcotics Act. And rest assured, the driving report will be followed by tough individual and comparison tests in MOTORRAD, in which this first judgment is put to the test. Stay tuned.

Third: How do the cheaper variants under the Triumph Street Triple RS drive? That is perhaps the most interesting question and one that is on our minds too. Triumph assumes that the majority of the 765s will roll out of the showrooms as RS models. But for 8900 and 10,200 euros respectively, the S and R models are certainly a real consideration, if they are similarly good. So we don’t yet know how much street racing is in these streetys. To bring that out, but we’re really looking forward to it.

Video: www.motorradonline.de/mrd201706020

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