Triumph’s Speed Triple Gets Sportier

Not to be mistaken with the Thruxton R, the new Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR is the Brit bikemaker’s latest sporty cafe racer. It is derived from the Speed Triple 1200 RS naked. But there’s more to the RR than just being called a slap-on job.

What’s The Price?
The Speed Triple 1200 RR costs GBP17,950, or roughly Rs 18.33 lakh (without Indian taxes and duties), but that shouldn’t matter. The bike is not going to be brought to the country as it is a very niche product.

What’s New?
Triumph designers have given the RR a brand new look. There’s no mistaking it for the RS naked. Gone is the bug-eye twin LED headlight and in its stead, you get a single circular LED headlight with a twin spoke central element, reminiscent of the headlight you find on some of the premium Bonnies. It is shrouded by a half-fairing and a small bubble visor that’s supposed to help cut through air more efficiently.

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There are plenty of carbon fibre elements on the RR, including the new side panels and the front mudguard. It arrives in two shades, Red Hopper/Storm Grey and Crystal White/Storm Grey. You get a colour coordinated belly pan and seat cowl, which is offered alongside a pillion seat as standard.

New clip-on bars find their way on to the RR. In comparison to the RS, which has a straight wide handlebar, the controls on the RR are 135mm lower and 50mm forward. Plus, Triumph has stated that it has ‘a tailored new foot peg position,’ which obviously means pushed further back and maybe even higher. While the saddle height of 830mm remains the same, the aggressive riding posture would make it quite better suited for corner carving activities.

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Another serious step-up on the Speed Triple 1200 RR is the suspension. None of the Triumph nakeds offer semi-electronic suspension, the advanced setup only available on certain Tiger 900 variants. However, the Speed Triple 1200 RR becomes the first Triumph naked to get Ohlins Smart EC 2.0 electronically adjustable semi-active front and rear suspension. These are the same components that you find on bikes like the Ducati Panigale V4 S and the Aprilia RSV4.

Lastly, the RR gets the latest-gen Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V3 tyres, with the option to fit Supercorsa SC2 V3 for track-use only.

What’s Unchanged?
The latest-generation of the Speed Triple is powered by a 1,160cc triple (duh!) that produces 180PS and 125Nm. These aren’t astronomical figures by any standards. However, you cannot call 180PS less. Plus, Triumph’s electronics suite is IMU-assisted with track-specific aids present as well.

Much like the naked, the RR too gets a lovely single-sided swingarm to flaunt the beauty of the 17-inch cast aluminium alloy rear wheel.

ZigSays
The Speed Triple 1200 RS has been widely regarded as one of the best handling nakeds in its segment and this being the RR, aims to make things even sportier. It looks cooler and has more gizmos. But unfortunately, it will not see the light of day in India.