2025-on Triumph Speed Twin 1200 Review: More power, new chassis parts, electronics and styling

Twinges of derrière discomfort eventually creep in after around six hours in the saddle - about five hours better than the torturous Thruxton's.

Although the Speed Twin 1200 was never as extreme as the racier Thruxton when it was released, it’s always been a sharp handler and every inch the sportsbike with a beard and turn-ups.

The ’25 model is sharper still. It gets new, non-adjustable 43mm Marzocchi forks, twin remote reservoir rear shocks with adjustable preload and rebound damping and Triumph-branded four-piston front brake calipers. The 1200 is long, relatively slow steering and weighty, but it’s stable, accurate and sweeps beautifully through corners.

The racier RS version might be closer to the old Thruxton with its sportier chassis parts, but the base model’s road compound brake pads and Mezteler Sportec M9 RR tyres have more bite and feel at normal road speeds.

One of the main reasons the Speed Twin 1200 was more of a showroom hit than the Thruxton was its more road-focussed ergonomics. Its upright stance let you enjoy the Triumph’s sporty performance without crunching your joints and it’s business as usual with for ’25 model, albeit with some tweakage.

New bars are higher and further forward and the bench seat is narrower, giving an even more natural riding position and one you can enjoy all day, even for taller riders. Very few engine vibes reach the rider and mirrors, thanks to extra weights in the bar ends. New lean-sensitive ABS and traction control add an extra layer of safety and as before, there are Road and Rain riding modes.

New cams, throttle bodies, cylinder headwork and a freer-flowing exhaust gives the 1200cc, 270-degree parallel twin an extra 5bhp. It now nudges over the magic 100bhp mark (104bhp@7750rpm), but the motor is all about its low-down muscle.

Delivering 83lb-ft at just 4250rpm, it catapults out of corners with just a few thousand rpm on the clock and the power delivery is so tractable you rarely need to trouble the bottom gears.

A shorter new exhaust can may look like it’ll make a racket, but with all the silencing being done in the collector box, neatly hidden away under the engine, the exhaust note is suitably fruity without being excessive. The higher-spec Speed Twin 1200RS version has the same state of tune.

The best compliment I can pay is to say it’s the sort of engine where you don’t need a rev counter – partly because you’ve got a wide spread of useable grunt over a wide range, but more because it’s just so easy to instinctively feel what it’s going to do when you open the throttle.

Warning: you’ll also find yourself just winding the throttle on and off just to experience that surge of grunt again and again – fun, but intensely annoying for anyone you’re riding with...

Judging by our Triumph Speed Twin owners' reviews, there doesn't seem to be a huge amount wrong with the Speed Twin's 2019-2024 build quality or reliability. It scores mainly four or five stars, with no negative feedback at time of publication.

The 2025 model is brand new and so there is no reliability information as yet but the build quality and finish seem good.

Overall there is improved attention to detail, rounding off the improvements over some of the cost cutting aspects that were carried out on its predecessor.

The 2025 Triumph Speed Twin 1200 isn’t cheap but it’s priced in the ballpark of its 100-ish bhp retro rivals. It costs more than the £11,000 Yamaha XSR900 and £11,699 Kawasaki Z900RS, but cheaper than BMW’s £14,420 R12 nineT.

Street Twin owners who want a bit more oomph (ok, a lot more: 49% more power and 40% more torque) will love the new Speed Twin, as will Bonneville T120 riders who just want a bit more of everything and Thruxton owners who value their wrists.

As we've come to expect from Triumph’s latest generation of retros, you get a lot of tasty spec for your money, including riding modes, traction control, ABS, a torque assist clutch, new clocks, bar end mirrors, and immobiliser.

The 2025 Speed Twin 1200 may look the same as before, but there are a handful of neat detail changes. The 14.5 litre fuel tank, which now has a Thruxton-style flip-up fuel cap, is reshaped with deeper recesses for the forks at full lock, the new double spoke wheels are lighter, the aluminium swingarm clear-lacquered and the heel guards, headlight bezel and throttle body covers are all restyled.

One of the most contentious changes for ’25 is the new multi-function digital/TFT display, first seen on the Trident 660. It’s clear and easy to read, simple to navigate via the switchgear buttons and features a handy USB-C charging socket. But compared to the old twin analogue clocks, it looks at odds with the rest of the 1200’s retro lines.

Accessory luggage, cosmetic goodies, heated grips, cruise control and everything in between is available, including goodies to give your Speed Twin 1200 the café racer look, like racy clip-ons (that aren’t as low as the old Thruxton’s), a more vintage-looking quilted seat and a single seat cover. It comes in silver, or for an extra £350: red/black or white/black (pictured).