Triumph Speed Triple R

The purest, hardest performing and most rewarding naked sports motorcycle available today. We took the Speed Triple, the world's first and best factory streetfighter with its head-turning, angry style and its 135PS three-cylinder engine. Then added the best components the motorcycle industry can offer, from Öhlins, Pirelli and Brembo. A plethora of exquisitely designed accessories complete the R transformation – fly screen, belly pan and seat cowl, whilst the Diablo Red radiator shrouds further boast of the R’s pedigree.

The result is the Speed Triple R, cutting edge real world performance to thrill the most committed rider.

Based on the already high performing and agile Speed Triple. The R gives you sharper steering and even better feedback for the most intense, tactile and satisfying ride from any Triumph ever made.

The Speed Triple never tried to hide what it was, a cutting edge sports bike with performance honed for the street. But the R screams it.

Engine
Performance

The engine is the same muscle-packed 1050cc triple that powers the Speed Triple. And it delivers a huge punch. But every real rider knows, the key to its real world performance is the broad spread of torque and instant throttle response.

With 135PS maximum there’s enough high-end performance to satisfy you on a serious track day. Then there’s the Speed Triple R’s 111Nm of peak torque, with lots more thrust on tap lower down the rev range no matter what the gear and a seemingly endless flow of power that's predictable and easy to use.

Configuration

We matched the transmission carefully to the engine, with six ratios in the gearbox to make sure there's always one that's perfect at any moment of your ride. While the wet, multi-plate clutch has a lightweight and predictable lever action to make fast getaways easy and town riding effortless.

Exhaust

The twin silencers, wrapped in black exhaust heat shields, sit beneath the short, stubby tail section of the Speed Triple R and leave the rear wheel fully exposed on the right by the cool, single-sided swingarm.

Not for looks, for real world sports bike riding. It just happens to look great.

Chassis
Suspension

Choosing the suspension wasn't just a case of looking for the best and bolting it on.

Extensive testing by our own and Öhlins highly experienced development riders on road and track means the internals were developed specifically for Triumph and the Speed Triple R.

In the NIX30 forks and TTX36 shock, the rebound and compression damping functions are completely separated to give you more precise damping control and both offer a huge range of settings to suit your ride.

Frame

The frame is the same doubled-tube, twin spar design recognisable from the 1997 model. Although the current version was updated in 2011, so it now uses the engine as a crucial frame component, making the chassis stiffer and lighter for a more focussed ride.

Brakes

We’ve added Brembo Monobloc callipers to the R for 5 per cent more stopping power than the standard Speed Triple's Brembos. And their single-piece construction helps reduce distortion at extreme pressures for more accurate feedback.

The optional electronic ABS makes 100 calculations per second to prevent wheel lock up at either end.

Wheels and Tyres

We fitted lightweight cast aluminium wheels and a wide 6 inch rim on the back to take the grippiest, sports-focused rubber the Speed Triple R deserves

Swingarm

The swingarm is aluminium and features an eccentric chain adjuster so that the rear wheel stays perfectly in line with the front for a focussed, precise handling.

Riding Position

The Speed Triple R is pure sports bike with a real world edge. So we designed the riding position for accurate control and aggressive performance in everyday riding situations. We set the bars low, the footrests in a rear set position and the seat is deeply shaped to keep you in position during hard use but still allows you to slide off the sides of the bike.

It's a forward biased stance essential for keeping weight over the front of the bike, so you can feel exactly what the forks and tyre are doing and explore cornering limits, shifting weight to keep the front end in contact with the ground.

All from a road-going motorcycle that you can use in heavy traffic, slow speed town riding and occasional long distance trips.

Review

The R model gets a three-way adjustable piggyback-reservoir shock. It’s about 10mm longer than the vanilla bike’s and provides 10mm more wheel travel (135mm), which is also why its seat is 0.8-inch higher and its rake a tad steeper. It’s also why Triumph gave all the Triples an adjustable swingarm pivot; the R’s pivot is 4mm lower.

Just like before, the R model gets the four-piston radial-mount brake calipers up front instead of the plain bike’s two-piston floaters, and just like before they’re almost too powerful in their initial bite when many times all you want is a tiny nibble. What’s new this year is standard ABS for both models in the U.S. market, controlled by a new Nissin regulator that weighs just 3.3 pounds. Full credit to Triumph for providing this important safety feature at only a $400 premium over last year’s R model (the regular Triple goes from $8899 to $9399).

There have been a few adjustments in the engine compartment: First gear is a bit taller, and Triumph says recalibrating the fuel injection has made the bike 30 percent less thirsty in urban use. (Our ’12 model got 41 mpg in mixed use.) The EFI tune also includes a “kicker” function for reduced engine braking that works well enough to make people assume the bike has a slipper clutch.

Urban use, of course, is one area where the close-coupled little Triumph excels, but we set off instead into the Spanish mountains behind the ancient port city of Almería. Battling strong headwinds at 8000 rpm and 90 mph on the motorway is not the bike’s forte, though if you pronate yourself behind the flyscreen and Rollie Free your legs, it’s doable and even worthwhile when you pass the exit for Rioja, home to one of my favorite grapes. I haven’t been to lots of places, but I’ve zipped past plenty of them. Sadly, Rioja looks a lot like Palmdale from the freeway.

Then we were into the tight two-lane stuff up in the pine trees and ancient farmhouses. The wind had died down and life was about as good as it gets; rain over the last couple of days had every plant happily oxygenating, but meant we had to keep a sharp eye out for wet spots in the shadows. The tighter the road, the better the ST likes it. Though rake is about half-a-degree steeper with the new frame, trail on the R is in fact 2.6mm longer, at 95mm. That’s still a quick steering number, and with its wide handlebar and light weight, this is a motorcycle an expert rider could really snap into corners. As for me, I have to remember to squeeze the tank with my thighs so as to not put too much input into the bars.

The little three-cylinder remains a favorite engine, with a more-or-less flat powerband devoid of spikes that begins making usefully sporty power as low as 5000 rpm and puts out a raspy, classic Jaguar burble the whole time. That absence of spikes is another reason the Triple R is such an easy bike to ride fast. Triumph’s claim of 106 horses translated to 94 rear wheel ones on our Dynojet last year, a low enough number that you get to give the thing a good workout as the road climbs above 6000 feet. (On the downslope, with its panoramic view of the next valley, it occurred to me I was actually tilting at windmills in Spain. Sorry.) The accessory Arrow stainless slip-on on my bike had its “sound deflector” removed from the end cap; even so, it was acceptably quiet while producing a couple hp more, according to Triumph. Since it only removes about a pound of weight, though, cheapskates could source an Arrow emblem to stick on the stock unit and be nearly as cool.

The quickshifter is another nice option for people who plan to do track days; on the street, I can take it or leave it: The six-speed box is short-throw, quick and precise enough without it. But really, we weren’t in town much, where Triumph says its “Intellishift” design, which is dependent on gear loading and speed, also works great. I wouldn’t spring for the ASV-style levers unless I had fingers about three inches longer than my current ones.

Was it an awesome ride and am I worthy? Yes and no. In my defense, I only crashed the one time. Can I say with authority that the new Street Triple is way better than the old one? Not really. But you’ll love the standard ABS the first time somebody turns left across your bow, and you’ll probably feel the better weight distribution and EFI throttle kicker if you do track days. Stylewise, I think the new exhaust is a big improvement. Undertail is so ’90s. The R is a lot of good, everyday-usable sportbike for the money, and most of us could be just as happy, $600 wealthier and an inch closer to the pavement with the regular model. It’s new, it’s improved, and it is what it was: one of Cycle World’s favorite motorcycles.

Source Cycle World