Triumph Street Triple RS Test Ride Review

Triumph Street Triple RS Review

Bike Tested:Triumph Street Triple RS; Road Test No. 904; Test Location: Lonavala, Mumbai

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 13,17,675/-

The Triumph Street Triple RS turns the Triple S’ good bits several notches higher

It seemed as though the British brand had won everyone’s heart overnight by launching such a brilliant machine and the sales alone put most of its rivals to shame. The following year Triumph launched the Street Triple R that came to redefine the game and how a super naked could be done. The R model is a more purpose built and aggressive offering. Going ahead four years from that and in 2012, Triumph summoned the new and updated Street Triple that not only managed to keep its retro charm and its signature bug-eyed headlamps but also managed to gain everything but weight.

Again the following year Triumph decided it was finally time to give the Street Triple a makeover and launched the new and improved Street Triple that boasted of a new chassis, low-slung side exhaust, new gear ratios and switchable ABS. This new and improved Street Triple is what we got here in India. Controversies aside, it had its fair share of shortcomings but that still didn’t stop its sales. It sold like hot cakes and since Triumph listens to its customers, they gave us the new Street Triple S last year to make up for all of it. Fast forward 10 years since the first of its kind and you will notice a lot a has changed since then. The Street Triple range has gone under a lot of changes but never once did it fail to disappoint. Outselling and outdoing its rivals, it really is at the top of its game, but where does the new RS fit in? With the Street Triple S already being such a great package, is the RS even needed? Let’s find out.

Motor Quest: The new Triumph Street Triple 765 motor is derived from the 675cc Daytona engine. The new powerplant has the bore increased from 74 to 77.99 mm and stroke from 52.3 to 53.38 mm. This mill has a lower gear ratio in first and second, while weight has been decreased by 2 kgs.

Styling – When the long-awaited Street Triple S was launched, I wasn’t that blown away by its new design. It seemed mildly tweaked and the new smaller headlamp wasn’t exactly to my taste. I had the exact same reaction sometime later when the Street Triple RS was launched until I saw it in person. That’s where it all began, it’s bold design struck me in the face like cupids arrow and I was in love. The design may not be to everyone’s taste, as this motorcycle takes a more formal and elegant approach instead of being all flamboyant and cutting. It sticks to its roots and not once does it let you forget about its evolutionary design. It’s not trying too hard to get your attention but still manages to entice you with its cutting-edge design and its attention to detail. The headlamp has gotten smaller compared to the previous generation Triple. The new headlamp cluster also comes with an integrated LED DRL (Daytime Running Light) that looks very cool. It functions like a proper DRL and is extremely bright and easily visible in broad daylight.

One of the coolest aspects of this motorcycle is the paint job. It’s a beautiful shade of silver, finished in matte. This color is called Matte Silver Ice and is unique to the RS range. The RS is only available in two colors, the one you’re seeing here and a colour called Phantom Black. Visually the RS gets a body-coloured belly pan and rear seat cowl, speaking of which, the seat is finished beautifully and never fails to look expensive. The seat has this white stitching running on both sides, all the way from the tank to the rear cowl, the seat also has a Triumph logo embedded into it which looks classy. The tank looks sharp and slim. What adds to the sharpness is the fact that it also gets Triumph badging finished in black on each side. This motorcycle also gets an LED tail-light and unlike the Street Triple S, this one gets LED turn indicators that look quite sleek.

The bug-eyed headlight isn’t as beautiful as the old model and is love-it or hate-it

This motorcycle also gets bar-end mirrors, which are a first in its segment and honestly, aren’t something that you would expect from a track-oriented bike. It’s more café-racer than racer but I guess that’s just part of the charm. If you spend some time looking at it, it stops feeling out of place and looks reminiscent of the old street-naked back when this segment was still pretty fresh. Coming to the engine, the Street Triple RS has a lovely gunmetal finish engine casing with shiny stainless steel bolts that make this look nothing short of a piece of art. But you know, like they say, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and for most people, something like the engine goes unnoticed. Fortunately for this Triumph, if it does manage to catch your attention, you will not be disappointed thanks to the fact that there are no wires obstructing your view of the heart of this machine.

Start moving back, and you’ll reach the lovely aluminium finished footpegs that find themselves positioned right above the exhaust which is neatly tucked behind your foot. Move along the side of the bike and you will notice the rear trellis frame that’s finished in silver and shows you just enough of itself that you can appreciate. The grabrails on this motorcycle look rather big on the slim tail section. The number plate holder surprisingly looks quite nice and houses the turn indicators. I really like the slim five-spoke wheels on this British machine, they look quite sleek and purposeful.