2023 Triumph Street Triple 765 RS & 765 R Review

I have always wondered if an artist can better their finest artwork or if an athlete can challenge the laws of physics and set new records. A similar scepticism engulfed my mind as I boarded a rather long trio of flights on my way to Jerez to ride the new Street Triple 765 range. You see, I had ridden the new generation of the Triumph Street Triple 765 in 2017 and was blown away by its performance. 

It still ranks among the top five motorcycles in my almost decade-old journey as an auto journalist. However, Triumph Motorcycles claim that they have made the new Street Triple 765 R and the RS variant even better with some incremental changes. Two days of riding would help me find out if the British brand managed to pull off this miracle or not. 

The Changes

As mentioned before, the changes are subtle and can be divided into 3 categories: mechanical, electronic and cosmetic. Let’s start with the most important statement: the 7PS bump in peak power output which makes the new Triumph Street Triple 765 RS the most powerful motorcycle in its segment. This has been made possible courtesy of a new combustion chamber, new pistons and increase in compression ratio. Also, the gear ratios are now shorter for better acceleration and roll-on figures. And now even the R variant gets a bi-directional quickshifter as standard. 

On the underpinnings end, the Street Triple 765 RS now features premium Brembo Stylema callipers for better stopping power. On the chassis end, the rake angle has been made sharper (23.2°) and the RS now features Brembo Stylema calipers. Both the R and the RS get adjustable suspension on both ends, but the RS sports more premium suspension components (Showa BPF USD fork and Ohlins STX40) . On the electronics front the big news is the inclusion of cornering ABS and traction control, and the revision of the throttle maps. 

And finally on the cosmetic end, you can see the Street Triple sporting a new face as the flyscreen is smaller and the DRLs are a bit sharper. The fuel tank is now sleeker and so are the new tank extension panels. The belly pan has been revised and the exhaust muffler is stubbier and the small Triumph logo on it is a cool detail. The Street Triple RS is also offered in a new bright yellow shade that looks so cool!

Track Attack  

Our first experience was on the legendary Jerez MotoGP race track. Just to be riding at a track with corners named after legendary riders such as Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo was giving me goosebumps and to see the Street Triple 765 RS wrapped with tyre warmers was stuff of dreams. But this wasn’t a dream, it was a beautiful reality! The first session was utilised to understand the track and the bike, the latter being much easier. Once I felt confident enough, it was time to push and I was in for some euphoria! 

I was approaching C1 above 200kmph, grabbed the brakes, knocked down the gears and tipped the bike. Next thing I know, the RS hugged the apex, the rear tyre squashed a bit and boom, I was out of the corner with ferocity and disdain. Everything happened in such a seamless manner that I was in motorcycle nirvana. The brilliant handling dynamics of the Triumph Street Triple 765 RS is courtesy the sharper rake, the brilliant balance of the chassis and the leech-like Pirelli Super Corsa SPs. Cornering on the RS is telepathy, you see the corner and the bike follows, the friendly nature of the bike allows you to lean further with every passing lap. 

In track mode ABS was switched off, but the cornering traction was subtle and it did help me on more than a few occasions. The other headline act is that the motor now pumps out more power and the gear ratios are shorter. The impact is clearly visible in the punch and drive out of corners and even if you’re going a gear higher, the bike feels settled. But on the straights the lack of wind protection meant that I was holding onto the handlebars for dear life and Triumph should add a small flyscreen to help on this end. 

Talking about its braking performance, the Brembo Stylema callipers shed speeds at the rate of knots, it feels like you have hit a wall with its  sharp and ferocious bite. On the race track, the Triumph Street Triple765 RS felt sublime with its ease of use and rewarding performance. 

Country Delight

While the Street Triple 765 was mighty impressive at the Jerez track, as the name suggests, its real test is on the street where this bike will be spending the majority of its life. The street ride was planned around the utterly gorgeous country roads of Jerez that would give the iconic Windows wallpaper a run for its money. I hopped on the Triumph Street Triple 765 R first and was at ease from the get go. Since the rear of the RS variant is slightly lifted, the 765 R’s riding stance felt slightly more upright. 

On the move, the power deficit of the Street Triple R was hard to notice, despite us riding at some unmentionable speeds. What impressed me the most was its high-speed stability and the low-end pull of the engine. The quickshifter is good, but there’s room for improvement. Just like the 765 RS variant, wind blast is concerning, but the bike could easily cruise at speeds around 130-150kmph all-day long. Once we hit the back roads, it was motorcycling paradise. Tight corner, flowing corners, sweeping corners, elevation drops and what not. The roads were challenging and rewarding, while the Street Triple 765 R was tackling them with aplomb. 

While the Continental tyres aren’t as grippy as the Pirellis on the 765 RS, they offered ample grip for street-speed riding. The ride was so delightful that I had my Isle of Man moment, blasting through the picturesque meadows and some tight corners with no railings. Even the Brembo M4 3.2 calipers felt right for the task on hand. Post the lunch break, I switched on the Street Triple 765 RS and honestly the difference between the two bikes wasn’t too drastic. As expected the RS was quicker, you could brake later and corner harder, but the contrast between the two variants was marginal in the real world. Apart from the performance and handling, what struck me was the sheer comfort offered by the bike. Even after clocking close to 200km, none of the riders felt any fatigue. 

Verdict

Throughout the trip the nagging question in my head was, can Triumph improve something that’s already a benchmark? After riding the new Street Triple 765 for two days in varying scenarios, I can say with authority they have managed to pull this off. You see the changes made to the motorcycle are incremental, but they all add up to make a noticeable impact and that’s the beauty of this update. 

It was a joy to ride the Street Triple 765 RS on the race track. The fact that I was riding at Jerez for the very first time and was able to feel comfortable in my second session itself speaks a lot about the motorcycle’s capabilities. The Street Triple 765 R on the other hand was equally impressive on the country roads and highway. If I had to sum up the bike in one sentence, it would be that the new Street Triple 765 makes average riders look and feel like good riders. 

It persuades the rider to push more and more without scaring the daylights out of them while making them feel comfortable. That’s a very rare trait for any motorcycle. If I had to pick one variant of the two, I would go for the Triumph Street Triple 765 RS for the very fact that the premium kit makes it a great motorcycle for the race track and I could even tour or commute with equal sangfroid. 

This versatile nature makes it a very tempting motorcycle and if you’re looking to buy a sub-Rs 15 lakh performance naked motorcycle, look no further! As for pricing we expect the Street Triple 765 R to retail around Rs 11-11.5 lakh, and the 765 RS variant to carry a sticker price of around Rs 13.5 lakh (ex-showroom).