2025-on Triumph Speed Twin 1200RS review: sharper ride, a raft of upgrades, tasty new chassis parts

This is the first time there’s been an RS version of the Speed Twin 1200. It comes with all the ‘right’ bits: fully adjustable Öhlins rear shocks, upside down Marzocchi forks, racy Metzeler Racetec K3 tyres, Brembo Stylema calipers, an up/down quickshifter and a healthy 104bhp.

Back when it was released in 2019, the Speed Twin 1200 was the softer, friendlier take on the now discontinued Thruxton, but now the RS is its spiritual successor.

Despite its extra sound-deadening and uprated electronic gadgetry, in the shape of a new IMU, Triumph have shaved kilos off here and there to keep wet weight (no fuel) at 216kg.

It has lighter new wheels, thinner engine covers and shorter end cans, which, thanks to the clever people in the factory’s acoustics department (and a hidden silencer under the engine) sounds fantastic.

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It's still a relatively weighty machine, compared to a full-on sports naked, though and the steering geometry is relaxed for stability. But, with its firmer suspension set-up, extra rear ride height, sticky tyres and the kind of gentle power delivery that won’t tie the chassis in knots, the 1200 is easy to caress through corners, as you surf the twin’s wave of torque.

Despite its racier set-up, ride quality is still road bike-plush and with its new lean-sensitive traction control and ABS, it always feels safe, even in tricky conditions.

Handlebars are positioned slightly further forward compared to the base RS, but nothing like the old wrist-crunching Thruxton and the pegs more rear-set (to help fit the quickshifter in), but the riding position is still friendly.

It’s roomy for tall riders, the stitched Alcantara-like seat is all-day comfy and while the twin’s burble is always there, vibes are kept away from the rider and bar end mirrors.

Not only is the 1200cc, 270-degree parallel twin motor Euro5+ compliant it makes 104bhp@7750rpm, 5bhp more than before and 83lb-ft@4250rpm of torque. Those figures translate to an engine that overflows with grunt and enough oomph to punch the front wheel in the air, off the clutch in second gear.

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The RS is at its most potent from low revs, where it delivers such strong acceleration that thrashing the motor through the gears instead, is pretty much pointless. For gentler riding the power delivery is smooth, linear and its new up/down quickshifter (a first for the Speed Twin 1200 and only available on the RS model) is flawless.

Out of the box the Triumph Speed Twin 1200RS is superbly finished and detailed. The base model, which is essentially the same bike, has been around since 2019 and our online owners’ ratings are generally positive with a 4.3/5 star rating. Reliability and durability get high scores, but there are reports of the occasional corroded bolt and weak battery.

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Knocking on the door of fifteen grand, the Triumph Speed Twin 1200RS isn’t cheap, but it’s a lot of retro for the money. That said, it’s more expensive than some of its big brand, retro rivals, like the Kawasaki Z900 SE and although BMW’s R12 nineT is slightly cheaper, it won’t be by the time you start ticking options boxes.

At the time of reviewing the Triumph Speed Twin 1200RS - December 2024, a typical finance deal looked like the below example:

• What it costs: £14,495
• PCP per month x 36 £126.16
• Total deposit payable £3625
• APR 7.9%
• Mileage 4000
• Optional Final Payment £8624

There are plenty of bells and whistles to enjoy here, from its fancy suspension, brakes and tyres, to its up/down quickshifter and riding modes. Both the base and RS Speed Twin 1200s get a stylish new 14.5-litre fuel tank with deeper cut-outs for the fork legs, a new Monza-style flip-up fuel cap, side panels, one-piece bench seat, heel guards, headlight surround and black-finished engine casings.

The RS gets brushed aluminium front and rear mudguards, a more luxurious seat and a ‘Sport’ riding mode to go with the standard ‘Rain’ and ‘Road’ modes. A new LCD/TFT round display is clear, easy to read and features a USB-C charging socket, but some will no doubt miss the old twin analogue clock set-up.

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For those lamenting the Thruxton’s demise you can give your Speed Twin 1200 the feel and look of a café racer look with accessory clip-ons (that thankfully aren’t as extreme as the Thruxton’s), a quilted seat, seat cowl and bullet indicators, along with all the usual Triumph add-ons.