Teaser video suggests Triumph Speed Triple is imminent

It’s 24 years since Triumph first launched the Speed Triple, perfectly catching the wave of the naked sportsbikes. It’s had a string of updates since – including six new engines – and it doesn’t seem that long since the last update in 2016.

But the competition have moved on and new teaser video is pointing to a major refresh.

Two old hands

We last reported on a new Speed Triple in October after a spy shot emerged of one being tested in Spain. Now Triumph have released the teaser video above featuring Carl Fogarty and TT racer Gary Johnson. Although the clip doesn’t explicitly say there’s a new bike, it’s pretty obvious a new bike is on the way. Visually it looks remarkably similar to the spy pic but we’re led to believe that quite a lot has changed.

It’s hard to tell what’s going on in- side an engine without seeing its innards and outwardly it looks like little has changed.

The last model had 104 changes to the engine even though the displacement remained the same, so we believe Triumph may have pulled the same trick. Other changes are visible too, including new exhausts and new five-spoke wheels, suggesting the entire bike has had a refresh – not just the engine.

Three’s a crowd

We’re expecting there to be two models as that’s what’s featured in the video (an S and an R like the current range) but it’s possible that Triumph may add an RS model as they have with the Street Triple. The bikes in the video are clearly the premium models, as they are equipped with carbon accessories and Arrow cans. 

Interestingly, both models appear to have ditched the analogue clocks in favour of a TFT dash (presumably the full-colour one fitted to the Street Triple R and RS). This brings a wealth of new information and it can be fully customised to display what you want. It’s navigated using a small joystick and the corresponding new switch gear is visible in the video.

We would expect the R model to build on the S as it currently does with Öhlins suspension and carbon fibre trinkets. We also assume the R model will continue the trend of a contrasting red subframe.

If there is a third RS model, it’s possible it may follow the path taken by the Street, so it may also have more powerful Brembo monoblocs, 

a quickshifter and colour-coded accessories. We also expect it will come with Öhlins suspension, carbon fibre trinkets and all the extra benefits of the R model. 

Big tease

Although Triumph haven’t confirmed anything, their previous teaser cam- paigns such as the Bobber have been fairly short lived (unlike other brands – we’re looking at you Ducati), so we’re expecting an official announcement in the next few weeks. As both models have gained the TFT dash, we’re expecting the price to creep up to around £11,000, the R to be around £12,500 and the RS around £13,500. 

Cut a dash: 

The current dash is looking old, so the new model shares the full-colour TFT from the Street Triple 

New cans:

The old silencers were big units – the new ones are slimmer and the RS could come with Arrow cans as standard.