The New Triumph Speed Triple Is Here With 148bhp And Carbonfibre Bits

We don’t often find ourselves broaching the subject of two-wheeled vehicles on Car Throttle (the first bit of our name should be a clue as to why), but a new version of the Triumph Speed Triple is something we really can’t ignore.

The original Speed Triple sparked something of a naked bike revolution upon its release, so it’s kind of a big deal. And Triumph has been mighty busy having a damn good fiddle with the new bike’s 1050cc inline-three cylinder engine.

The triple gets no less than 105 new parts including a redesigned crankshaft, new Nikasil-plated aluminium cylinder liners, new pistons and a freer-flowing cylinder head. It produces 148bhp and 86lb ft of torque, improvements of seven and four per cent respectively when compared to the outgoing unit.

Not the kind of increases you’re likely to notice, but what should be more obvious is the engine’s newfound responsiveness. The changes have been aimed at making the triple spin up faster, and higher - the redline is 1000rpm higher than before. Triumph also reckons it’s the best sounding Speed Triple ever, thanks in part to a shoutier new silencer.

The aluminium frame and single-sided swingarm have been carried over from the old Speed Triple without any significant changes. You also still get five riding modes, cruise control, standard-fit ABS and traction control.

The new five-inch TFT display is new though, while the ABS and traction control systems have been fiddled with to ensure “optimum distribution of brake force, slip rate and torque control, improving both straight line riding and cornering.” It’s all thanks to the clever ‘Inertial Measurement Unit’ (IMU) which measures things like pitch, yaw, lean angle and acceleration, any adjusts the electronic rider aids to suit.

There are now two flavours of Speed Triple to choose from: the S, and the RS. The S is the base model, while the RS is the posher one with fancier Öhlins suspension in place of the Showa setup in the S, keyless steering lock and ignition, a smattering of carbonfibre body panels, the aforementioned IMU, and Arrow silencers.

This, or a Ducati Monster 1200S?