2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS Review | Motorcycle Test

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS Review

Motorcycle tested by Vicko – Images RbMotoLens

There’s a whole lot to like about the latest incarnation of the original, stripped back Hinckley street fighter. Not much to dislike actually. It’s not perfect, but it’s very, very close.

It’s actually been a while since I sampled a Speed Triple. I threw the leg over a mate’s ride several years back for a run across Mt Beauty on our annual trip to the high country. And even back then it did everything well. 

The recipe remains pretty much the same, although the execution has continued to improve with time. Take one naked bike with a trademark torquey triple that has plenty of bark. Add distinctive bug eyes, give it a comfortable yet sporty riding position that suits for both around town and out on the open road, without being too ‘attack’ mode oriented, and wrap it in a signature ‘pipe’ style frame with a single-sided swinger. Add lashings of good quality suspenders and brakes, then garnish with soft rubber to taste.

I’ve always had a bit of a thing for them even though I make no bones about the fact that my favourite sports naked is currently KTM’s terrific 1290 Superduke R. How do they compare? Well.. after spending some time on the new 1200RS, the orange corner has some genuine competition. Because the new Speed Trip absolutely rips.

Let’s start with the styling. Bug eye treatment aside – as you’ll either love that or not, the rest of the bike is beautiful. I spent quite an amount of time just walking around the bike admiring it. They’ve done a great job throughout. The build quality is outstanding and from almost every angle it just looks ‘right’. Good proportions, simple elegant details, with enough ‘tough’ to make it work. Even the stock muffler looks (and sounds!) pretty good!

And then you throw the leg over it expecting it to be a bit of a rack, but it isn’t. It’s bloody comfy. The seat is well shaped and plush, the reach to the bars is easy, ride position is good, controls feel natural and make sense, feet touch the deck easily. It just gets better and better. Keyless fob means it can stay in your pocket – you prod the on button and wait as the dash comes to life. ‘Hi Wayne’ it says, which is probably a nice distraction as you wait (and wait) for it to get itself organised before you can prod again and fire it into life. That dash does take too long, but the wait is worth it every time. It barks into life and you can’t help but smile. After a minute or so to warm up, a couple of blips and you smile even more. This is a fast revving engine. It feels and sounds high-compression-racey kinda tough. Sound’s intense. 

I can only imagine what one with an open slip on would sound like – it’d be mental. Ladies would faint, small children would stand with their mouths agape, non-believing heathens would be converted to the church of the triple. All the while knobs like me would make that wide-eyed, giggly face like we used to when stood in the lolly shop as a kid. 

Just back on the dash, they’ve done a nice job on this one. Removing all unnecessary size, clutter and graphical nonsense (unlike the Tiger 900 dash). By default it will even remove the odometer and range numbers as shown in the pics, but you can turn them back on – which I preferred. Nice design, nice font, pretty good controls. It was a bit annoying that I couldn’t flick through to the rider custom map (which i prefer) while on the move – you CAN flick through the other maps, just not the custom one. But I did like the fact that on start up you were prompted to confirm if you wanted the previously selected map to be used again before it defaulted back to standard map. One step closer to just leaving the map as the rider wants it I guess.

On the go it gels even further. First impressions are that the bike is light, well balanced and agile underneath you. It feels short wheelbase. By comparison it is indeed a little shorter than the 1290 SDR and although its been a while since I rode the KTM, the Triumph probably feels more alive, or less composed depending on your way of thinking. I like to think more alive. Be nice to ride them back to back though. That wouldn’t be a bad day…

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At first the rear end of the bike was too harsh. Now as a rule I try not to adjust the clickers for a few hours as I get used to it, but it turned out that when I looked, someone had wound the comp all the way to max for some reason and I couldn’t even budge the clicker by hand. Any wonder it was harsh! I spent some time freeing it up and ended up with a pretty good setting in the end, just on the sporty side of normal. I settled with rebound set to 15 and comp to 19 for what it’s worth. It was still quite firm, but the harshness had been mostly eliminated and I didn’t need to touch the front.

Tip it into a corner or three and it’s more than happy to carve – and will change line in a heartbeat. At first the harsh suspension made typical Aussie road corners a bit of a sketchy affair, but with that settled back down it was far more confident. It’s still lively, don’t get me wrong. But the more I rode it the better it felt. Once you really got dialled into this bike I reckon it would be proper rapid. Even more so on smooth roads. And I spent a few hours in the saddle without any soreness at all.

One thing I did notice – and it could be just me, but I felt that the contact point inside your knee could have been nicer. Much like the Panigale V2 I tested, that point for me was right on a surface change, this time between frame and tank. I found it a bit distracting at times. Grip was still ok though and overall shape was fine.

Hard to go past the engine though. It’s a right monster. A caged banshee ready to let loose. It growls down low and howls once up in the rev range and makes you want to do bad things. It dishes out just on 180 horses and they’re full size beasties. The way it spools up – it’s so bloody eager and the delivery is impossibly linear even for a triple. 

Oh – And it’s fast. As in, really fast when you want it to be. It doesn’t tail off at all, nor does it seem to peak. It’s just more, more, more. How strong is it? Fifth gear wheelies strong. This thing is more than happy to wave at the clouds. Repeatedly. No clutch or hesitation required, just a little body position initiation. Possibly the most wheelie keen bike I’ve ridden – gid.dee.up. Unfortunately the planets didn’t align so that Snapper Rob and I could get some wheelie pics (sorry Trev and Nige!) so you just have to take my word for it. Maybe I’ll have to have it back again for just that purpose 😉 Yet even though it can be an animal if you want, it’s a complete pussy cat to dawdle around town on if you want.

Back to modes and stuff. Without boring you, there’s the standard wet, road, sport, track and custom ‘rider’ mode. Each one is individually customisable, but only the rider mode allows for TC to be fully off. Which allows wheelies. So obviously that’s where I mostly stayed. You can pick from a few different maps and ABS settings in each mode – I found myself torn between the two more aggressive maps for a preference. Sometimes I preferred it a little calmer – others I preferred the more instant response. 

The quick-shifter was the only thing that I didn’t grow to love. It works. It works well actually. The shift itself works wonderfully. I just didn’t like the feel of the short throw lever on my foot. It very much feels like the ‘switch’ that it is and is devoid of any mechanical linkage feel. There’s no snick. I like to feel something. I like stirring a good gearbox, but I didn’t get the same joy from this – I couldn’t ever get the feeling that I was totally at one with it – just the feeling of being slightly removed. And it’s a very, very short throw. The tiniest nudge will pull in a gear-change. That and finding neutral was painful. It got better at it as I got used to it. But it was still annoying at times.

Range wise – 250 is or thereabouts is about it. Even when really getting up it the economy was pretty good actually. I was in the 5 litres per hundred kay range pretty much all of the time. Fuel warning comes on with around 70 kms to go (which freaks you out when you have the odometer hidden as it tells you to fill immediately). But that range is okay on a bike like this. You’re probably rarely going to do massive kays on a full naked bike with the wind effect. I reckon a 5-600 km day would be enough for most people and you could easily do that on this. 

Brakes were lovely, as you’d expect. Brembo Stylema Monoblocs. That’s all you need to know. All the power and feel you’ll ever need. On the rear I did have a noisy pad that was gradually getting better. Probably just wasn’t bedded in properly from new but it was still functioning perfectly well.

Wind-wise, yep. You get a fair bit of it as expected. The little genuine screen that’s available could be worth a look, not just for a little wind deflection help, but I reckon it’d also help integrate the bug eye lights in a bit more too. Oh – and if you’re wondering, those mirrors actually work pretty well. Possibly the world’s first small funky looking mirrors that are actually functional! 

So. Is it the new king of the sports naked class for me? Well… it deserves the accolades it’s getting that’s for sure. It’s seriously capable, seriously quick and has character to burn. That engine is addictive. Comparing it to my memories of the 1290SDR – I suspect the Kato is probably a whisker roomier, naturally easier to balance at the wheelie point and more settled while on its side. Conversely, the Speed Triple RS probably feels a little more urgent, exciting and overall more rewarding compared to the effortlessness of the big twin. I reckon the Triumph feels faster… I’m genuinely intrigued to find out how they’d compare at a track.

They’re so close. This is not me sitting on the fence, but I’d have to ride them back to back to split them and like most riders it would probably come down to some very subjective elements to decide, the new Speed Triple 1200 RS really is that good. Either way, they’re both outstanding, class leading options if you’re looking in that segment – rule them both in for a test ride. 

Why I like the Triumph Speed Triple

• Cracking engine that makes me want to do bad things
• All the way through fifth gear…
• Surprisingly good ergos and comfort
• Overall the bike feels ‘alive’ – is super agile for a ‘big’ 1200
• Great sound for a stock pipe

I’d like it more if…

• Dash seems to take forever on start-up
• The quick shifter ‘throw’ feels too short. I got used to it, but never liked it
• Tank-frame junction where your knees grip could be nicer (I found the same issue on the Panigale V2)

2021 Triumph Speed Triple Specifications