Parting is such Street sorrow... Deputy Editor, Emma reflects on 10 months split between two Triumph Street Triples

It’s been 10 months and over 6000 miles of fun spent with Triumph’s top-selling Street Triple 765. Now the day has come when I have to hand back the keys, I’m feeling pretty rueful because the past year has demonstrated just why we awarded it MCN’s Bike of the Year 2023.

Regardless of whether it’s the entry-level £9795 R, the popular £11,495 RS, or the lurid, limited-run Moto2 Edition, the Street Triple provided year-round smiles in all situations. Here’s a little recap of my time with the brilliant Brit bike. 

Britain’s best value

May 2023 My long-term test begins with the £9795 R model, and I’m so blown away by the quality and spec that it makes me think someone over at Triumph HQ got their sums wrong. The 118bhp ‘base’ model packs 95% of the electronic spec of the more-expensive RS, boasting an up-and-down quickshifter, as well as lean-angle sensitive TC and ABS. Plus it’s beautifully screwed together, too.

Designed on the doorstep

June 2023 I never get bored with the fact that we’ve got a world-leading motorcycle firm on our doorstep. I live just 60 B-road miles away from Triumph’s Hinckley HQ, so a brisk ride over to the factory gave me a chance to explore the sportier steering geometry and plush Showa suspension. The R model’s standard setup is plush, ideal for UK twisties. 

Range anxiety

July 2023 Although the Street’s comfy over distance, a ride up to Anglesey revealed that the 2023 model’s smaller tank is a pain. Now just 15 litres (down from 17.4), the fuel warning comes on at 105 miles, and the bike runs dry at 150 miles. Not enough for me, and from the number of emails I got from owners of the older model, it’s not enough for you, either.

A lap at the British GP

August 2023 Triumph secured a bit of track time at the GP in order to show off the Moto2 Edition, and invited me to give it a go. But one flying lap was all I got! It is based on the RS so there’s more revs and more power than the R (128bhp), but it’s the Öhlins suspension and clip-ons that remind you that the Street is every inch a supersport bike minus a fairing.

Saying hello to the RS

September 2023 As summer ends, I got the chance to switch the base model R for the more powerful and sportier RS. It’s a lot stiffer and sharper than the R, and I end up backing the damping right off to dial in some more on-road comfort. But my favourite RS detail has to be the inclusion of a Brembo MCS adjustable ratio master cylinder, allowing me to adjust braking feel for different (now autumnal wet) conditions.

A real city slicker

October 2023 A blast up to Liverpool for the day gave me a chance to appreciate the Street’s flickability around city streets and through congestion. Plus it looks the part parked up in city’s cool Baltic Corner. However, the RS’s bar-end mirrors aren’t the best for filtering (I prefer the R’s ‘normal’ stalks) and the short gearing means you’re shifting into second almost as soon as you’re away from traffic lights.

Too cold for Corsas

November 2023 As a sporty model, it’s right and proper that the Street RS comes with Pirelli Supercorsa SP V3 as standard – which were brilliant in the summertime. But with temperatures now in single figures, they just don’t get warm enough to inspire confidence. I was feeling rather novice-like for a while, all thanks to the tyres. But a chance warm day in November put a smile back on my face.

A Christmas decoration

December 2023 I think the Street Triple looks absolutely fantastic – and it always makes me smile when I walk into the garage. There are so many lovely details on it, such as the machined bolt heads, swingarm pivot cover, and cool suspension adjustment tool. Which got me thinking, why not bring it into the living room over Christmas so I could appreciate its looks every day? Rudolph could be out of a job soon…

A winter workhorse

January 2024 Now fitted with more suitable tyres for winter riding (Dunlop’s excellent Mutants; £322 per pair), the Triumph shows its class by shaking off salted roads while suffering hardly any corrosion. All the main bolts and fasteners are still in perfect condition. It’s only really the water pump housing that’s looking a little worse for wear but you have to really look in order to see it. And the exhaust is a bit brown.

Time to go home

march 2024 The Street Triple 765 RS (and R) is a fantastic bike, and to be honest, even though the £1700* more expensive (and more powerful) RS is the better selling of the two, I really think that the 118bhp £9795 entry-level R is just as good. (*£1900 extra if you want a red or yellow one.)

Will I miss having a Street Triple? Yes. Would I consider buying one? Do you know what? I absolutely would!

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After 3766 miles on test, how has the MCN fleet Triumph Street Triple RS coped with a winter of riding?

Published 04.04.2024

“You’ve missed a bit!” Who doesn’t love hearing someone say this while you’re cleaning your bike (along with my personal ‘favourite’: “Fancy doing mine next?”)?

Unfortunately, though, when it comes to me taking bucket and sponge to the Street Triple RS, the comedic quip is usually based in fact. I’ll put my hand up and say I’m far from the best at cleaning a motorcycle; plenty of effort goes in, but not much in the way of results comes out. And, it seems, the Street Triple’s design only serves to magnify my ineptitude. 

All those nooks and crannies, exposed engine, gaping intakes, and short mudguards mean that muck can – and does – get everywhere. Quite often, having spent an hour or more going through it all with my favourite set of Oxford Products brushes (the only way to tackle the Striple’s various crevices), I’ll stand back only to see a huge patch that I’ve completely missed. I honestly don’t know how I manage it!

It’s because the naked Triumph’s so awkward to clean that I was starting to feel rather guilty about carrying on riding it over winter, especially as I can well remember what happened to the last Triumph
I used as a daily ride.

Back in 2006, I had a stunning grey Daytona 675 which I used every day, but the finish really suffered – I distinctly remember the footrest hangers shedding their lacquer and the metal bubbling up beneath. Likewise, so many bolts corroded and the brake disc carriers started to pit, and I’m pretty sure the exhaust valve seized, too.

Roll forward 18 years and fortunately Triumph’s build quality has come a long way, because the Street Triple RS is still looking almost as good as new, in spite of my lack of ability with a sponge. 

Today, while giving it its regular bath, I’m also giving it a hyper-critical eye to look at how it has fared over these winter miles and could only find a couple of nit-picky areas where it was looking a bit furry: the radiator filler cap is slightly discoloured, and looking behind the radiator itself reveals that the water pump outer casting is manky, plus the downpipes are a bit discoloured (but by no means the worst I’ve ever seen). At the rear, the ABS sensor ring is also coated in a bit of white corrosion. 

• Related: MCN’s guide to the best bike maintenance sprays

However, in terms of all the proper fasteners and components, the Street Triple RS is looking fresh – and, dare I say it, clean too. Maybe I’m not so bad at this cleaning lark, after all. 

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Emma fits Dunlop Mutant tyres to extend the riding season

Published 05.03.2024

If wandering wordsmith Alfred Wainwright had chosen to ride his coast-to-coast odyssey (on, say, a Triumph Street Triple) instead of hike, chances are his famous quote about there being “no such thing as bad weather, just unsuitable clothing” might’ve included tyres, too.

In fact, I doubt that Wainwright, being such a fan of surefootedness, would’ve been too enamoured with a pair of sports tyres in winter, and funnily enough, neither am I. 

Triumph’s top-selling Street Triple RS is essentially a naked supersport machine, so it’s quite right and proper that it comes on the sportiest road rubber – Pirelli’s simply brilliant Diablo Supercorsa SP V3. Now, when the latest Street Triple 765 RS was launched in late 2022, these tyres were the Italian firm’s most up-to-date sporty road tyres (they’ve since been bettered by the new Supercorsa SP V4).

Although the SP in their nomenclature indicates that they’re the most road-biased version of the Supercorsa (behind the full-slick and treaded race compound SC variants) they’re still pretty single-minded and require a fair amount of warmth in them in order to provide their supernatural grip and stability. Winter tyres they absolutely are not.

Tyres’ effect on rider confidence cannot be overstated. Riding the Supercorsa-shod Street Triple home from the MCN office one evening in the lashing late November rain, it was like my past 20 years biking experience had evaporated. Despite not having any wheelspin or wobbles, I was uptight like a novice. Tipping into wet roundabouts, the Street’s front end felt nervous, and initiating the turn required more effort than I was prepared to put in. 

This is when the Dunlop Mutants caught my attention. They’re designed as a crossover tyre but claim to suit all bikes in all weathers, and promise (as most tyres do) to offer the same handling and stability as hypersport tyres, the durability of touring tyres, supreme confidence in all conditions and the wet weather grip of a racing wet. 

Totally sold on those claims, I fitted a pair to the Street Triple RS (£322 for 120/70-17;180/55-17 from Demon Tweeks), then instantly felt embarrassed; the blocky tread pattern just looked a bit daft, like I’d mistakenly fitted a pair of adventure tyres to what is essentially a naked Moto2 machine! Had I just swapped cold weather confidence wobbles for knobbly tread pattern wobbles?

The first cold, soggy ride, however, was such a revelation that all blushes were forgotten. OK, the Mutants had noticeably dulled the Triumph’s steering and it felt heavier and less agile as a result, but once I was dialled into their characteristics I was rewarded with new-found levels of winter confidence.

Naturally, we all ride more smoothly when it’s cold and wet, but I found myself deliberately trying to provoke the Mutants into stepping out of line – which I just couldn’t do. 

The Mutant’s secret winter-taming superpower comes from a combination of things, but mostly it’s the compound. Dunlop don’t elaborate much on the recipe, but do admit to it being high silica, the magic element for making a tyre less reliant on heat for grip. As a result, mechanical traction is excellent pretty much straight away, and warm-up is assisted by the aggressive tread blocks and rayon jointless belt construction. 

And, on the subject of those tread blocks, the Mutant-shod Street hasn’t suffered degradation in its stability as a result of the aggressive pattern on the rubber. In fact, it feels more planted as a result of the Dunlops’ profile and construction.

Now my only issue from riding on the cold and wet roads is keeping on top of the cleaning; the naked Triple’s a nightmare to wash. But that’s a gripe for another day.

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Update seven: Emma gets caught out by auto dash settings

Published 16.01.24

Did you get a chance to pay a visit to the MCN Dream Garage stand at Motorcycle Live 2023 in Birmingham? It was absolutely brilliant to see so many of you there, and I also really enjoyed being able to do a few 180-mile commuting days getting there and back on the Triumph Street Triple RS. 

I’ve mentioned before about how surprisingly effortless it is doing motorways miles on the naked roadster and, even though the early morning and late evening rides between Peterborough and the NEC were chilly, the super smooth 765cc triple made them a joy.

However, it was returning home one evening down a dark back road when I found myself getting dazzled. The Street Triple RS’s full colour TFT screen was still glaring white instead of auto-dimming like I thought it should.

In my show-weary state, I immediately suspected that perhaps the light sensor on the dash had got dirty so wasn’t detecting the darkness, so I pulled over to give the whole dash a wipe. No joy – the display still burned brilliant white and made it difficult for my eyes to adjust to the pitch black of the road ahead.

My next thought was the official Triumph accessory flyscreen – perhaps it was somehow fouling the dash light sensor and preventing the dash from automatically dimming into low-contrast night mode. Although I found it hard to believe that an official Triumph accessory would cause such an issue, it felt semi plausible… but I wasn’t about to unbolt the screen on the side of the road, so got on my way and vowed to investigate fully in the morning.

A new day dawned and along with it came a ray of clarity; perhaps there’s nothing wrong with the screen at all – maybe it’s just because I didn’t have the dash set up right… Lo and behold, turning on the ignition and mooching within the dash menus, three display options presented themselves to me: ‘High / Auto / Low’. No sooner had I selected Auto than the screen flashed into night mode, black with white typography. What a twonk.

In my defence, most bikes with this light-sensitive display feature that I’ve ridden before have it set to auto-dim as standard, hence why I assumed there was a fault. But now I’ve got it set up to dim in the dark, the Triple’s a treat for night riding – especially as its headlights are proper good too.

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Update six: is life really £1700 better on the RS?

Published 08.11.23

After trading in my Triumph Street Triple R for the updated RS version a couple of months ago, I’ve reached a couple of conclusions about both models, and it’s got me thinking about which of the two I’d actually buy.

The RS is both higher revving and more powerful than the R, has an extra riding mode (Track), a flashy full TFT dash, higher spec brakes, and sexy Öhlins suspension – but does the sum of these parts add up to £1700 more fun? 

More Power – HIT

The Street RS has an extra 10bhp over the R (128bhp versus 118bhp) achieved simply by mapping. This extra power sits mostly right at the top end of the rev range, although, I think there might be a smidge more in the midrange, too, as I feel less inclined to thrash the RS than I did when riding the R (although both make the same 59lb.ft of torque @ 9500rpm).

So, whether that’s down to having that little bit more go, or if it’s purely psychological, I don’t really know – but I certainly feel like I ride the RS in a more relaxed manner than I did with the lower-powered R.

Flash Dash – MISS

The RS gets a 5in TFT display, and it is gorgeous. As well as allowing access to the modes and systems, the dash also offers you a choice of layout, meaning you can prioritise the info you wish to see via four different styles.

It’s intuitive to navigate using the joystick on the left-hand bar, with mode selection taken care of via the dedicated ‘Mode’ button. For me, being a simple lass, I do prefer the R model’s more basic dash.

‘I love gooooold!’ – HIT

The Street RS has the same Öhlins STX40 as fitted on the top-spec Moto2 Edition and, although it looks lovely, on its base settings it’s too firm for the road. Over bumps it literally knocked all the air out of my lungs. Salvation came via a simple twirling of the adjusters – I wound the rebound and compression right out (14 clicks from full in rebound/20 clicks from full in compression.) Sorted.

Braking good – HIT

The Street Triple stops like a race bike – be it in its base R form or this blingy RS, both bikes have exceptional stopping power. But for me, where the RS has the advantage is in terms of feel.

Using Brembo Stylema calipers up front actuated by a very trick Brembo MCS master cylinder, the RS just seems to offer a bit more finesse under braking than the R. Both bikes feature Triumph’s Continental IMU powered ABS system, which features bespoke cornering ABS settings for each riding mode including linked braking (apart from Track which has a dedicated performance ABS mode. This disables cornering ABS and linked braking to allow deliberate slides). I’ve noticed that I regularly feel the ABS activating at the rear when using the rear brake pedal.

Show me the money – MISS

Is the RS worth the extra £1700 over the R? You know what, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, I think if I were spending my own cash, I’d opt for the R.

There’s something very alluring about the R’s £9595 pricetag, and I don’t feel like I’m having £1700 more fun when riding the RS – even though I love its sexier cycle parts and the performance potential of those 128 horses, they honestly don’t make that much difference on the road.

Even if you purchased on PCP, the RS is £153.34 per month, that’s £33 more each month than the R (both over 36 months with a £2000 deposit) – and that’s a couple of tanks of fuel. Maybe I’m just getting sensible in my old age…

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Update five: Braking with convention – Emma unearths the secret powers of the Street Triple RS

Published 04.10.23

After spending a glorious summer with the entry-level Triumph Street Triple R, as autumn blows in and the rain lashes down, what better time to make friends with its sportier, stiffer, speccier stablemate – the Street Triple RS? Am I moaning about it? Not in the slightest! And besides, I’m never going to stop the rain by complaining. 

Although sharing the same frame, engine and bodywork as the £9595 R model, for an extra £1700 the RS has 10bhp more peak power liberated via an extra 500rpm, adds an Öhlins STX40 shock and top-spec Brembo Stylema calipers, plus opens up an extra electronic riding mode (Track) accessible via a 5in TFT screen.

The RS’s attitude is more nose-down and pointy, being 10mm higher at the rear than the R and running on Pirelli’s sticky and sweet Supercorsa SP V3 tyres (not exactly ideal for the cold and wet… but still fairly impressive, none the less.)

My favourite RS detail so far, however, (and one that is beneficial in the cold and wet) is the inclusion of a Brembo MCS front brake master cylinder as standard equipment. Not only does this trick lever appeal to my ‘performance magpie’ tendencies, but it also offers a noticeable bit of practicality, too.

Apart from looking cool, Brembo’s MCS master cylinder is unique in that it offers you the ability to change leverage ratios as well as lever span. MCS stands for ‘Multiple Click System’ which means that you can effectively alter the leverage ratio to one of three, preset options, via a click wheel which alters the brake lever pivot distance to either 19mm, 20mm, or 21mm. All this is in addition to the standard span adjusters found on regular brake levers, which is altered via knob at the end of the lever. 

What this added adjustability allows you to do is to change how the Street Triple’s brakes feel at the lever – from a longer, softer more progressive feel (19mm) to a sharper, more direct bite (21mm) – ideal for tackling wet greasy roads, or for when heading out on track (which I will get around to soon!).

It works, too, with each of the three settings – which can be adjusted on the go and extremely quickly – offering three distinct braking characteristics which, when combined with the RS’s top-spec Brembo Stylema calipers and backed up with Triumph’s excellent cornering ABS system, offer addictively strong and satisfying braking performance.

It’s a marked improvement over the R and its standard master cylinder and M4.32 calipers, which were very good, but had a surprisingly sharp and direct front brake actuation. 

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Update four: A brief encounter with Triumph’s Moto2 Edition has left Emma scouring MCNBikesforsale.com

Published 30.08.23

Good things come to those who wait, and I’d been biding my time for nine months to get my chance to ride Triumph’s £13,795 Street Triple 765 Moto2 Edition. Now, standing at the end of the Silverstone pitlane on the Thursday before the British GP,
I’m about to climb onboard. 

Based on the 128bhp RS, the limited-edition Moto2 takes things up a notch with the addition of golden Öhlins on the front as well as the rear, Brembo Stylema calipers instead of the £9595 R model’s Brembo M4s, a smattering of carbon, and clip-on handlebars astride a machined top yoke.

Unveiled at the final round of MotoGP last year in Valencia, only 1530 (765 in Crystal White and 765 in eye-burning Triumph Racing Yellow) of these limited-edition special Streets were made, and they all sold out literally days after that Valencian launch, scuppering the fleeting thought of me buying one. I then made it my mission to at least get a ride on one before the year was out, and today was the day.

Lap of the gods

By dint of them being Moto2 engine supplier, Triumph have secured a bit of track time at the British GP in order to show off the Moto2 Edition, but one flying lap is all I’m getting. Fortunately, I’m familiar with Silverstone’s 3.66-miles and 18 corners, plus I’m third in the queue to ride it meaning that I don’t even need to waste time warming up the Pirelli Supercorsa V3 tyres. 

Jumping aboard, trying my best to shrug off the nerves from having a Dorna camera shoved in my face, not to mention the hordes of watching marshals, officials, team personnel and riders too, I find the Moto2 feels instantly different from my R model – much more on its toes, taller and eager to turn. 

Leaving the pitlane behind, the Moto2 howls from its specially etched, carbon-tipped exhaust. There’s the same, buttery smooth power delivery as my 118bhp R model, but full throttling onto the Wellington straight it’s instantly clear that I’ve more engine to play with, the Moto2 revving on to 12,000rpm to provide its 10bhp advantage.

Stealing a glance at the TFT dash tells me we’re flat out at 145mph. My chin on the low-profile tank, trying my best to use the headlamp and dash as some sort of flyscreen – windblast aside, it feels every inch the supersport bike, stable and composed, yet poised and aggressive.

Braking down into Village corner, there’s loads of power from the Brembo Stylema front brakes, pretty similar in performance to my R model, which has impressively sharp brakes – perhaps even a little too sharp for less experienced riders.

However, because the Moto2’s geometry places more weight over the front wheel, it gives the sensation of more brake feel during rapid deceleration and on corner entry too. I definitely feel more plugged in and connected to the front wheel – it’s incredible what a difference the riding position makes. 

In the high-speed direction changes through Maggotts and Becketts, the Moto2 Edition is simply sublime, turning keenly – plus there’s the feeling of limitless grip courtesy of that combination of Öhlins gold, Pirelli magic and Silverstone’s perfect tarmac.

And then, it was all over. Time to pull back into the pitlane after my fleeting taste of the Moto2 Edition.
I now want one more than ever – best keep my eye on MCNBikesforsale.com and start saving up some cash. 

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Update three: Street Triple’s 2.4-litre smaller tank causes range anxiety

Published 26.07.23

There are a whole host of updates to the 2023 Triumph Street Triple naked roadster family – masses of enhancements to the 765cc triple to liberate more power, chassis tweaks to make it even better handling, as well as subtle styling refinements to keep it looking modern-yet-distinctively Street Triple.

Yet one of the changes for this year that caused me to raise a quizzical brow was the reduction in tank size. Gone is the 17.4 litre fuel tank that the model has had since it was launched (as a 675cc) in 2007, and in its place is a lower-profile 15-litre tank. Triumph say this reduction brings it more into line with its competitors, like the KTM 790 Duke, the similarly triple-cylindered Yamaha MT-09 and the latest remodelled Ducati Monster 937 – which all have 14 litre tanks.

So, Triumph still has a one litre advantage over its rivals, but I was still concerned by such a small tank; I despise having to stop to fill up for petrol so prefer my bikes to have a decent range before the fuel light comes on – 150 miles to reserve and 180 to dry are my benchmarks.

As Triumph claim 52.8mpg for the 2023 Street Triple (which incidentally is a fraction thirstier than the previous 765 which the firm claimed could manage 54.3mpg) it’d still give a theoretical 174 miles from the smaller tank.

Yet, after a few long days in the saddle, I noticed that I seemed to be stopping at petrol stations too often for my liking. This prompted me to dig out my trusty plastic jerry can and purposely run the tank dry so I could get discover exactly how much range the bike has.

Using standard E10 petrol, riding normally and using a variety of steady motorway cruising, A- and B-roads, as well as urban riding, the fuel light blinks on at 105 miles with two blocks remaining on the digital fuel gauge. At this point the range promises 37.2 miles until empty. When the countdown hits zero, the Street kept going for a further eight miles until finally spluttering to a stop at 150.5 miles. The tank then took, as promised, 14.1 litres – which translates to an mpg of 48.52.

Personally, I find this a bit annoying when doing long days’ rides when I’m using the Street as an enjoyable method of transport rather than a toy (especially as the bike’s pretty comfortable over distance, too).

Although I can appreciate that if you’re just riding for fun this is less of an issue. But I’d be interested to know what you think – is a 150-mile total tank range just too small? Drop me a line emma.franklin@motorcyclenews.com

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Update two: A quick blast to Hinckley gives Emma a chance to appreciate the Striple’s chassis

Published 28.06.23

The fact that one of the world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturers is just on my doorstep to me never gets boring. Although production of the modern Triumph range, including the Triumph Street Triple, is spread across three other facilities in Thailand, India and Brazil, the firm’s HQ in Leicestershire remains the hub of R&D as well as the production line for most European-market models, as well as being the place where all TFC editions are lovingly bolted together.

It’s an exciting place to visit regardless of what model bike you own, but somehow when you’ve got a Triumph in your garage, it becomes an inescapable draw, almost as if the bike’s got an in-built homing mechanism. With 68 miles of fast, flowing A-road between my home and Hinckley, it was the perfect excuse for an afternoon ride out to explore the Street’s chassis.

Once of the first things that struck me about the Street Triple when I first slung a leg over was how tall it is. Granted, at 826mm it’s not exactly a towering GS but still, I was a bit surprised by the fact that I was on tiptoes. Yet now as we’re calypsoing westward through the corners of the A47, the reason for its lofty rear becomes apparent – it’s so sweet to steer through the bends. There’s no resistance, no hesitation – just pure, effortless fun.

Triumph have altered the geometry of the new Street Triple 765 to boost its handling performance to even loftier heights, and they’ve cleverly done this via several setup changes rather than reworking the frame itself.

The R’s Showa suspension, too, feels racier than I remember – it’s firm without any hint of harness and very compliant over the Midland’s myriad bumps. I really struggle to see why, other than satisfying your inner magpie, you’d opt for the RS with its golden Ohlins shock.

Thirty limit, brakes on. The Leicester ring road signals the end of today’s fun. Rolling round to Hinckley, road signs proudly declare ‘Motorcycle factory this way’, and pulling into the visitor’s centre I discover I’m not the only member of the flock who’s made the pilgrimage as the carpark’s crammed with Triumphs of all types and from all over Europe, too. Welcome home, little Triple. Welcome home.

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Update one: Triumph Street Triple R – Punches aboves its weight!

Published 17.05.23

Are we looking at Britain’s best value fun machine? My first few weeks living with the Triumph Street Triple R leads me to believe that we most certainly are. The ‘entry-level’ Street rocks all the electronic assists of its pricier, speccier brother – the RS – but does so at a price that makes you look twice: £9595.

But it’s not just those ride and safety-enhancing zeros and ones that’ll get all you spec magpies in a flap – the fit, finish, feel and overall quality seems spellbindingly spectacular too, almost like someone over at Hinckley HQ made a goof up with the price.

Here are the five places where I think the new Triumph Street Triple R punches above its price tag.

Those details!

The Triumph Street Triple R looks and feels every inch a premium bike and it’s thanks to little finishing touches like the gorgeous swingarm pivot bolt cover, the plastic infills within the rear subframe, the machined frame bolts, neat tool for adjusting the damping on the Showa forks, and lacquered-in graphics. When many naked bikes can look a bit half finished (Yamaha MT-09 I’m looking at you), the Street hangs together beautifully. It’s definitely a bike that you can enjoy looking at as much as you enjoy riding.

Electronic tech

An up-and-down quickshifter as standard is more than direct Euro rival the 890 Duke GP can boast, as cheeky KTM offer the part as a £361 optional extra. In conjunction with the reasonably smooth ‘shifter, the base-model Triple also packs lean-angle sensitive traction and wheelie control (which can be turned off) as well as cornering ABS. It seems to be impressively sophisticated too because, on the road at least, I have yet to feel it working.

Braking prowess

Ye gods! This thing stops like a race bike! Perhaps my braking sensitivity has been detuned after a year of using the benign stoppers on Suzuki’s GSX-S1000GT, but I think the Triumph Street Triple’s got an aggressive initial bite and plenty of power.

Triumph, like most European manufacturers, understand the importance of braided brake lines and as such they’ve been a feature on the Street Triple since its launch in 2007. Teamed up with the Brembo M4.32 calipers, and pads which feel like they’re made from sharks’ teeth, they give the Street Triple tremendous stopping power.

That noise…

Surely worth £9595 on its own, right? MCN’s Michael Neeves describes the Street’s on-the-pipe soundtrack as being like a demented bumblebee and he’s not wrong. However, it’s the yowling induction noise which makes my ears prick up – and brings out the idiot in me.

Air enters through the revised intake above the headlamps then gets crammed through the frame headstock and into the airbox. I swear there’s a hidden feedback loop between the sound being received by your ear and the angle of your right wrist – twist if you want to get louder and faster! Purely intoxicating!

Who needs more?

As someone who’s been on a bit of a power trip for the last few years (215bhp Honda CBR1000RR-R; 187bhp Suzuki Hayabusa; 150bhp Suzuki GSX-S1000GT), I squirmed a little at the prospect of living with the R’s 118bhp and naturally thought I’d be much happier with the £1700 more expensive RS model’s 128bhp. It took me one ride to work out that absolutely was not the case. Talk about exciting!

The Street Triple is as direct as a slap in the face – leaping out of bends with its flat slab of torque and spurred on by shortened gear ratios. Would I really get any more benefit from the RS’s extra 10bhp courtesy of its added 500rpm? For road riding, I really think not.

A Moto2 bike for the road: What has racing done for the new Street Triple?

The 2023 Street Triple range includes the base model R version, the 128bhp RS version and the already sold out Ohlins-encrusted Moto2 Edition, complete with clip-ons. At the unveiling of the 2023 Street Triple family, Triumph proudly announced that they given “customers and the press what they’ve been asking for – a Moto2 bike for the road”.

That statement is a tiny bit of a stretch given that Moto2 machines are fully faired, stiff chassis’d, 157kg and, for this season, now over 140bhp – but the sentiment is certainly there, and courtesy of Triumph’s four seasons as sole engine supplier to the series, this era of Street Triple certainly has plenty of Moto2 DNA running through its engine oilways.

“Getting involved with Moto2 was a fantastic opportunity for Triumph,” the firm’s Chief Product Officer Steve Sargent told me. “It was a chance for Triumph to be seen by a new audience and in a new light, because although we’ve always had a performance element to our brand, I think previously a lot of people knew us more for the classics. So Moto2 was a great opportunity to say to people, we are also a performance bike brand and capable of doing this. And also it gives our team and engineers a bit of a challenge.”

With Moto2 race engines regularly stripped down and analysed through the course of the season, Triumph are privy to the data generated by what is quite literally the world’s toughest durability test – 30 victory-hungry Moto2 riders thrashing their engines for thousands of race miles every season.

“Someone worked out that we’ve done close to a million kilometres of racing,” Steve added. “What we’d learned from Moto2 and the durability of the components was that we could push it [the Street Triple engine] a bit further, it gave us the confidence to go from 123 to 128bhp.”

Improved airflow and greater cylinder pressures have allowed Triumph to confidently generate more bang from the Street Triple 765 motor. Courtesy of new combustion chambers, the compression ratio has been increased by  4.7% (to 13.25:1) with new pistons to match, as well as beefier con-rods and gudgeon pins.

New valves and camshafts give increased valve lift for improved intake, combustion and exhaust efficiency. The entry level R model has its revs electronically capped to 11,500rpm which means peak power is clipped to 118bhp; the RS and Moto2 Edition models have an extra 500rpm which gives them their 128bhp. Sam Lowes and Jake Dixon’s race engines rev to 14,400rpm and produce over 140bhp.

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After owning an original Triumph Street Triple back in 2007, I’ll be keen to see just how much one of Britain’s best-loved models has evolved during its 16-year lifespan, and finding out exactly how it’s benefitted from trickle-down Moto2 tech via plenty of trackdays in the name of research.

Contact: emma.franklin@motorcyclenews.com