You always know a bike’s good if it’s going faster than you think it is.
So it was a bit of a moment on the launch of the Street Triple when I glanced down at the speedo to see a figure which would have meant that if any Spanish traffic cops had been about, they would have flung me in jail and thrown away the key.
Whoops. Mind you, it was hardly surprising, since the outgoing Street Triple was already the best naked sports bike on the market – fast yet user-friendly, with blistering acceleration and trademark Triumph nimble handling.
It was originally launched in 2007 with a 675cc engine producing 100bhp, and in 2017 that was increased to a 765cc one making 113bhp.
Either way, it’s been so popular that Triumph’s sold 130,000 of them, so it was always going to be a tough one to improve on – and top marks to the Hinckley boffins for doing just that.
Using the knowledge gained from the very successful Triumph engines used for Moto2 racing, they threw most of the bits of the previous Street Triple engine into a skip out the back, stuck in new ones, and made all the gear ratios except first shorter for even better acceleration, more of which in a bit.
It certainly looks great, with more aggressive styling to suit the increased power and torque, and a steeper fork rake and wider bars to improve the already brilliant handling.
Climb on board, though, and for a bike that looks all set for a race, it’s surprisingly comfortable even for the taller motorcyclist.
Even better, the RS version was fitted with bar end mirrors, giving fabulous rear visibility.
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With 7bhp more than the previous version of the RS, the bike weighing a featherweight 189kg and those shorter gear ratios, progress is deliciously thrilling even in Road mode, the others on the RS being Rain, Sport, Rider for individual tweaking, and Track, and on the R all of those except Track.
Quickshifters, which used to be clever but clunky, are getting better all the time, particularly Triumph ones. The one on the Speed Triple 1200 RR I’d ridden the week before was superb, and this is just as good, even in first and second gear, which used to be unheard of.
Even better, although it was formerly an optional extra on the R, it’s now fitted as standard on both it and the RS.
Handling, thanks to light weight, steep fork rake and trademark Triumph magic, is superbly light and clinically precise, allowing you to fling the bike into corners without even having to think about it, then out the other side glorying in that seamless surge of power.
The cornering traction control works perfectly, as I discovered when I crossed a slippery white line in one bend. The back end stepped out momentarily, and the bike sorted itself out instantly with no input from me.
Braking is as brutal and effective as acceleration, and with the front and rear brakes linked in perfect harmony, you don’t even need to trail the rear into downhill corners.
Sport mode adds a more aggressive edge to progress, although to be honest, Road’s so swift and smooth that I preferred it.
So far, so fabulous, with the only complaint the TFT screen on which all the info you need is there at a glance except for the revs, since the tacho is as bad as the rest of the bike is good.
Right, time to change to the cheaper R, which has a more old school dash, but a much more readable tacho.
It weighs 1kg less than the RS, but has 10bhp less power, so progress is marginally less exhilarating, and with a gentler fork rake than the RS, steering’s a bit slower, requiring a positive push on the bars to tip into corners compared with the featherlight touch of the RS.
So if you’ve got the dosh, go for the RS, especially in the lustrous red colour and with bar end mirrors, but either way, the Street Triple remains firmly crowned as the king of naked sports bikes.
· Geoff’s kit - helmet Shark Evo-One 2, £219.99, jacket Furygan Voyager 3C, £399.99, trousers Fastway Touring 211s, £105.05, and boots Alt-berg Clubman Classics, no longer available, although Alt-berg still makes other great boots.
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