Triumph hits its top-shelf Street Triple RS roadster with a major overhaul ahead of the 2020 model year that includes aggressive tweaks to the overall look and an improved engine to back it up. The factory managed to eke out a 9-percent increase in torque and horsepower while it hits the important Euro 5 emissions-rating benchmark. Moderate ride-quality adjustments round out the ride with safety and infotainment as part of the standard package.

2020 Triumph Street Triple RS Design

Well, it's a Triumph roadster, so naturally there's a lack of body panels on the Street Triple RS to leave little to the imagination. A close-fit, cut-down fender hugs the front wheel and guards the inner fork tubes to help prevent premature fork-seal failure. The headlight housing is almost insect-like in profile, but viewed head-on the angry-bird LED headlights split the night with brow-like DRLs that ensure you stay visible to the surrounding traffic regardless of ambient lighting.

A tiny flyscreen tops off the headlight can, though in truth, it protects the instrumentation and that's about it. As for said gauges, a full-color, five-inch Thin Film Transistor screen that rides tucked away in the top of the headlight can handles the metrics.

Meager cheek fairings and an independent chin fairing are the only bits of bodywork, unless you count the details on the sides of the large radiator that rides right up under the steering head. The exhaust system plays a part in the design, as well. The components work with the chin spoiler to create a faux belly pan that completes the aerodynamic effects along the bottom.

Up top, a broad set of shoulders on the tank create deep knee pockets that pull your legs into the machine and out of the slipstream, and the narrow waist is built with deep-cornering body English in mind. To that end, the short-rise handlebar and jockey-mount footpegs have an aggressive bent that puts you in the ride-starting posture for some proper knee-dragging fun if you're into that sort of thing and have the nerve for it.

A tail spoiler terminates the subframe in a point with the LED taillight at the tip. A snap-on cover gives it a solo look when you want it, or you can strike it and flip-out the fold-up footpegs so you can share the fun with a friend.

A short standoff mounts the rear turn signals and uses the license plate as a mini-mudguard. All in all, it's a ride that's all about the essentials with purpose behind every aspect of the design and nothing wasted on superfluous weight. The only possible exception is maybe the MyTriumph infotainment system that delivers music, navigation, and hands-free phonecalls, and while you could say that bundle is a luxury item, I'd argue that it's worth its weight.

2020 Triumph Street Triple RS Chassis

The minimal frame on the Street Triple RS sets the stage with a twin-spar aluminum main structure that supports the steering head and uses the engine as a stressed member in order to minimize the tubing. A two-piece, die-cast aluminum subframe finishes the standing structure with a yoke-style, gull-wing aluminum swingarm that articulates for the rear wheel. Öhlins provides the rear suspension with an STX40 piggy-back shock that delivers the full trinity of adjustments.

Up front, a set of 41 mm Showa Big Piston Forks take care of business with the same trifecta – preload, compression-, and rebound-damping – to give you fairly complete control over ride quality. A set of 17-inch cast-aluminum wheels round out the rolling chassis with Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP hoops in a 120/70 up front opposite a 180/55, both in a “ZR” rating that will tolerate speeds much higher than you can safely/legally use on public roads.

Brembo brakes haul the thing down with dual, four-piston anchors and 310 mm discs up front and a single-pot caliper and 220 mm disc out back. Switchable ABS protection provides a layer of safety at both ends.

2020 Triumph Street Triple RS Drivetrain

The electronic goodies continue into the engine-control systems on the Street Triple RS. It starts with a ride-by-wire throttle control and a five-pack of riding modes – four pre-programmed and one rider-programmable – that let's you dial in the power delivery. Traction control adds another safety net, and like the ABS, it can be turned off in its entirety. A final system that's sure to make the RS a proper stoplight burner is the Shift Assist feature that lets you bang up and down the range without letting up on the throttle for blistering acceleration.

Power comes from a liquid-cooled, inline-triple engine that's been tuned to meet Euro 5 emission standards, and you know it means business when the same expert team that developed the Moto2™ engine did the update to this mill. As a result, it has a nine-percent increase in power across the board. The engine now cranks out 121 horsepower at 11,750 rpm with 58 pound-feet of torque that develops fully by 9,350 rpm, so it's clearly an engine that likes the revs as well. A 77.99 mm bore and short, 53.4 mm stroke gives it a 765 cc displacement and a hot, 12.54-to-1 compression ratio, so you can forget about feeding it anything less than the high-octane road champagne.

A six-speed transmission keeps the engine in the useable power range and delivers power to the rear wheel via chain drive. The last incarnation had a 145 mph top speed, or thereabouts, so you can expect at least that much for the new Street Triple RS.

2020 Triumph Street Triple RS Pricing

The new 2020 Street Triple RS rolls for $12,550 MSRP. You can choose between Silver Ice with red trim, or my favorite, the Matte Jet Black with yellow accents.

2020 Triumph Street Triple RS Competitors

The Big Four just didn't quite make the cut when I went looking for a competitor for the Street Triple RS, so I wound up in Europe's Boot with a Ducati Monster 821. As for looks, well, I can only speak for myself, and I say it's hard to beat a Ducati for beauty in design, and the Italians certainly deliver with its less-is-more, naked Monster line.

The Monster uses its abbreviated Trellis frame as an aesthetic member as much as a structural one, and like the Trumpet, it relies on the engine as a structural component that displaces a large chunk of tubing. Dead-short bars and jockey pegs force a racer's posture, plus the Monster comes with a p-pad hidden under a cover and fold-up pegs so you can carry one very brave passenger.

Ducati packs a displacement advantage with its 821 cc mill, but fails to convert that to power. The Testastretta engine tops out at 109 horsepower with 63 pound-feet of torque against 121/58 from the Triumph's triple, so if raw power is your measuring stick, the Brit wins the day.

The Monster gets a minor win at the checkout with its $11,995 sticker, but even that is razor thin against the Street Triple RS and its $12,550 starting price. Oh and credit where it's due, Ducati meets Triumph point by point in the electronics suite to deliver a comparable level of control and safety, all the way down to the quickshifter.

He Said

“It's a funny front end in profile, but you have to appreciate the function-driven form of the thing, naked as it is. This is not a bike for a poser wanting to look cool; it's a serious machine that deserves respect for both its power and deliver of said power. Definitely a candidate with the no-frills crowd.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “Considering how beefed up is the new Street Triple RS, it hasn't gained any weight. A lot of components, not the least of which are in the engine and drivetrain, are lighter and so the engine spools up faster. More torque and horsepower across the board make for a more thrilling ride and you have plenty of roll-on no matter where you are in the rev range. Add a quick-shifter and auto-blipper and all the stupidfast riders out there are salivating.”

2020 Triumph Street Triple RS Specifications

Further Reading

Ducati Monster 821

See our review of the Ducati Monster 821.

Triumph Street Triple R

See our review of the Triumph Street Triple R.

Triumph Street Triple S

See our review of the Triumph Street Triple S.

Triumph

Read more Triumph news.