Motorcycle specifications Triumph1200 Speed Triple RS 2023 Thuggish and violent

It 's a voracious rumble, somewhere between effort and mechanical pleasure. When muscle has freed itself from its own limits to lift the fort, crush landmarks and vandalize sensations. The eyes flutter, the tension is electric as you discover the calling card of the 1200 Speed Triple RS. It's much more than an evolution. This time, it's a ferocious over-expression of its identity. Triumph plays hard and fast!

No need for suspense. Let's take the slap right away, with 30 more horses in the right hand. Yes, 30 horsepower! The new power achieved by the most emblematic of British streetfighters is formidable. We went from 150 to 180 horsepower overnight. The Speed had fallen asleep in 2020 with its 1050 cm3 three-cylinder engine, serene in its class-leading strength and efficiency. When she woke up, she'd lost 10 kilos, her block now proudly boasted 1160 cm3, plenty of extra watts and almost 1 mkg harvested. But what happened?!?

Let's go back a bit in time to understand the importance of this new generation. The Speed Triple was born in 1993, with an 885cc engine derived from the sporty Daytona. Not just the engine, in fact... almost everything; except the fairing and the addition of a round headlight. Just one.
The second headlight was added in 1997, giving the roadster its identity. This time, it asserted itself, adopting the single-arm design, announcing itself as a real bad boy, a machine of thugs and temperament. It's fun, it's disturbing, it's caustic, it's saucy, and it's forging its own history.

2005 comes as a shock. The bike's look was radically enhanced, with two raised exhausts under the seat, and a more compact, muscular frame. A real bad boy, with 130 horsepower from a new 1,050 cm3 engine. As the years went by, so did the evolutions. Culminating in a globular olive-almond look, 150 boiling horses and one of the most eye-catching chassis of the bunch. Now, quo vadis... to the fury of the genre!

The dimension of the 1200 Speed Triple stands head and shoulders above its predecessors and ex-competitors. Now it's off to tease the Tuono 1100 V4 and Superduke 1290 R. Fire pumps with an established reputation. To deliver so many watts, Triumph has completely overhauled its powertrain. With a greatly increased bore from 79 to 90 mm and a stroke reduced from 71.4 to 60.8 mm, the engine is much more super-square than before. Ideal for finding more grunt and gaining engine speed, sometimes to the detriment of torque, which is less present. But since the displacement is up sharply (+ 110 cm3), there's not much to worry about in that respect.
Gaining in strength, and not only. This big 3-cylinder benefits from 650 more rpm - for a maximum speed of 11,150 rpm - 12% less inertia, 8 Nm more torque, a more compact size and 7 kg less weight. That's a huge gain.
The intake has been redesigned, the throttle bodies are now 4 mm (48 mm) in diameter, the breath is expelled by an all-new exhaust system, the limited-slip clutch loses discs and weight, and the ignition system is new. The more compact 6-speed gearbox promises smoother gear changes. An Up&Down shifter, still standard, provides lightning-fast selection. It has been improved with a new variable position sensor.

Performance ... And more. The Hinckley-based manufacturer is determined to make this its sporting benchmark. It's a sacred trust that the Speed cultivates right down to its very skin. No rest, no doubt, in every one of its lines. From its earliest days to the present day, the Speed has retained that rugged, hardened look, that powerful allure expressed right down to the tip of the forks.
Taking its look from the Street Triple 765, it's even more aggressive, with a new light signature, an affront worthy of its pretensions. The engine is more visible, allowing us to appreciate the presence of its cylinder head. A new engine cowling, a fuel tank that no longer shares its place with the airbox, a cooling system that hides the oil circuit to be refreshed, the disappearance of the cap in front of the speedometer - we sense a concern to clean up the lines. However, it's hard to appreciate the new layout of the muffler (solo). Flanked by the rear wheel, it hinders visual appreciation of the new split-spoke rear rim. The bike's center of gravity is better, but it's going to take some getting used to. It's been over 15 years since the under-seat guns gave us a perfectly unobstructed view of the rotating neckline.
The colors are very wise. Too much so. At least as an option, we'd have liked the famous 'Roulette Grenn' of the 955i or the 'Racing Yellow' taken from the Daytona. Also, the rear buckle in red was a real eye-catcher.

can't wait to get on it and see what it's all about? Just a moment... Before tasting the rigor of the chassis, take a closer look. The frame first. Surprisingly similar to the old one. And yet, it's really a new element. This perimeter-style aluminum tube assembly weighs 17% less. The first half, on the steering column side, is virtually identical to the previous frame. The other half has been significantly redesigned, contributing to the impression of compactness.
There's a new rear buckle, a new crown support and a completely new layout for the rear shock absorber. From an upright position, it bifurcates mid-horizontally to anchor itself above the swingarm. This geometry, combined with the quality of the Öhlins TTX36 element, is designed to ensure effective damping on both track and road.
Top gear is also present at the front. The 43 mm Öhlins NIX 30 inverted fork is housed in new tees, delicately perforated in their cuffs. The suspension lines are adjustable in all directions, for preload, compression and rebound. This top-of-the-range design continues right through to the brake calipers. These are excellent Brembo Stylema calipers, replacing the M4.34s which were already very convincing when it came to braking. The 320 mm discs are also lighter and, last but not least, a Brembo MCS 19x21 lever with remote adjustment has been retained.

One point leaves us a little dubious. Given the quest for weight reduction and the quality of the equipment (Brembo, Öhlins, etc.), why not install forged magnesium rims? This would have resulted in an even more significant weight reduction, especially from the unsprung masses. A question of price? The 1200 Speed Triple is as demanding on this point as it is on the rest of its person; so, a few hundred euros more or less....

Maybe it 's just not necessary. As well as redesigning the chassis, Triumph has also installed a lithium-ion battery 2.3 kilos lighter, altered the weight distribution with more weight on the front, anchored a 13 mm wider handlebar to increase leverage and moved the footpegs further inwards to increase ground clearance. She'll love agility as much as power.
To keep this monster on the floor, Metzeler Racetec RR rubbers are fitted as standard to the cast aluminum wheels. But you can ask for Pirelli Supercorsa SC2s if you plan to hit the track straight away.

once your butt is on the seat, 830 mm from the ground, there's no need to worry about where to put the key. A Keyless system unlocks everything: the ignition, the neiman and the fuel filler cap. That's not to say that the Speed will encourage you to ride right away. There are a host of new and improved electronic functions on board. Let's make a list to avoid giving birth to a dozen paragraphs. The "Wow!" effect will be exactly the same:
- Cruise control (already present on the old model)
- backlit instrument cluster (updated with a new amber glow)
- A new taillight and auto-cancelling turn signals
- 6-axis IMU
- Smoother, more responsive wheeling control (improved)
- Deactivatable traction control with 4 intervention levels (improved). It can be set to Rain, Road, Sport or Track modes
- Continental's cornering ABS, the MIB-EVO-ABS (change). With 2 settings, Road or Track, and linked to the Driving Modes
- There are 5 Driving Modes (as before): Rain, Road, Sport, Track and Rider - each adjustable. Track has been improved to be as unobtrusive as possible in terms of power-assist intervention. The Rain reduces power to 100hp, while the Rider's steering aids are heavily involved. As for the Rider, you can calibrate the electronics to your liking. Road and Sport are self-explanatory.
- Still a 5-inch TFT color screen, but with new interfaces, two display themes, lots of menus and settings, and a track-style stopwatch.
- And the My Triumph Connectivity system, for smartphone, call, music and GoPro control.

not many carbon parts on this 1200 Speed Triple RS. Only the front mudguard. No Arrow pot as standard, as on the 1050. Perhaps if you dipped into the options? No, there isn't.
Triumph supplies a passenger seat with the bike, and a hood to replace it when the lady's tired of being a road hooligan (that's what the first Speed was called).

The Triumph 1200 Speed Triple RS stuns with its numbers. 180 horsepower for 198 kilos. The most powerful Triumph ever produced, with a hypersport ratio - the same as that of a 2011 RSV4 1000 factory. Between two generations, the Speed Triple will have improved its power-to-horsepower ratio by 25%. And since its creation? It's even more edifying: double.
Like all motorcycles overloaded with electronics and power, the price tag is also skyrocketing. Except that it has become indispensable to establish oneself as a benchmark in this niche. Finally, for some, it's enough to satisfy the violence of their passions*.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos

* Excerpt from a Michel Sardou song - Le fauteuil