Earlier this month, Triumph unveiled their new most powerful, smartest and best handling Speed Triples ever, the Speed Triple S and RS. This British hooligan is back with better electronics and equipment list and carries over the glory days that started way back with the ’94 Speed Triple T309. The original ‘factory streetfighter’.
When the British brand made the factory launch, we were told that the pricing of these machines would be announced on the 28th. But they have spilled the beans a week early at the official international press launch in Almería, Spain.
Like old wine in a new bottle, the new Speed Triple is a 24-year-old model. It has already been updated half a dozen times with the last one being in 2016. But with the competition spearing ahead, Triumph decided to refresh the Speed Triple with a few of its latest gimmicks and is giving us their sophisticated hooligans, the ‘2018 Speed Triple S & RS’.
Lucky for us, the Hinckley firm has managed to price this incredible machine pretty competitively in a market that is already filled with amazing naked roadsters and streetfighters beaming with technology and features.
The Triumph Speed Triple S carries a tag of $14,350 MSRP while the higher spec Triumph Speed Triple RS is priced at $16,350 MSRP. This is a premium over the previous editions that were priced at $13,200 for the Speed Triple S and $14,900 for the Speed Triple R., But considering the features and equipment lists, the premium feels very small.
And for the excess $2000 the new ‘RS’ asks for, you get ton loads of top-of-the-line equipment to make this pick for better value for your dollar. For starters, take the new Arrow exhaust on the RS for example. This free flow kit gives this hooligan the best-sounding soundtrack ever on a British and looks much more lethal than the ugly bulbous ones on the previous one. An up/down quickshifter too.
The ‘RS’ gets special treatments with the addition of the switchable cornering ABS and optimized traction control system supported by a brand new IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), improving both straight line riding and cornering. A ‘Track mode’ and keyless ignition reserves only with the RS. The RS even weighs 7 pounds lighter than the S. And then there is, of course, the Ohlins USD and twin-tube rear monoshock.
All of this for just $2000 is a hard bargain to miss. These bikes are also well priced and undercut majority of the European naked streetfighters that have adorned the streets. The RS is $1,649 lesser than the streetfighter king, the KTM 1290 Super Duke R ($17,999 MSRP). The Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory is $1,149 more than the RS. Although the KTM and Aprilia offer a bit more on the package, the pricing seems unfair and definitely does not please your wallet.
On the other hand, the BMW S1000R is cheaper than the Triple RS by $455 but does not justify with the feature list when in comparison with the hooligan.
With the super-naked category running as hot as ever, without a doubt, has become the most competitive and crowded class in the motorcycling arena. And with the release of this hooligan, Triumph has positioned themselves as a fierce competitor. Given the equipment list, fit and finish of the Speed Triple, Triumph has managed to give the bike enough pull to take the competition head-on.