All the fun of the fairing
New Speed Triple RR adds sporty retro refinement to Triumph’s super-naked
‘This is first and foremost a road bike’
Triumph are no strangers to building thoroughly modern bikes that draw on styling inspiration from yesteryear and that’s exactly what they’ve done with this new Speed Triple 1200 RR. The half-faired café racer-style sportsbike is based on the Speed Triple 1200 RS released earlier this year. Like the RS super-naked, the RR uses a 178bhp 1160cc triple engine, wrapped in an aluminium twin-spar frame. But where the RS has the usual bug-eye twin headlamps, the RR gains a slick-looking top fairing with a single round headlamp.
The new Speed Triple RR doesn’t quite have a North Circularbusting bullet fairing, but instead uses a more angular and modern design that still gives a clear nod to the ‘ton-up boys’. To go along with the new fairing, the flat bars of the RS make way for clip-ons that sit below the top yoke for a more canted-forward and aggressive riding position, while the footpegs have also been moved slightly further back.
The RR uses the same Brembo Stylema brake calipers and 320mm discs as the RS and the same leansensitive ABS with combined braking, but the adjustable Öhlins on the naked version is swapped for electronic semi-active units on the faired bike.
This also means that the suspension settings change depending on the riding mode selected and should mean a softer and more forgiving ride when you want it on the road – something the rock-solid Speed Triple RS could have done with.
The six-axis IMU that controls the ABS also feeds into the traction and wheelie control which have various levels of intervention to choose from depending on where you are
and how you want to ride. Pirelli Supercorsa SP V3 tyres replace the RS’s Metzeler Racetec RR K3 rubber. Despite the fact Triumph gave us the name of this model when they teased it back in August, the internet was immediately awash with sportsbike fans dreaming of a new, big-capacity Daytona. But Triumph have made it clear that this new RR is first and foremost a road bike, unlike Daytona models which are always developed with the track in mind.
The RR gets the same 5in fullcolour TFT dash and backlit switchgear as the RS as well as keyless ignition, cruise control and self-cancelling indicators. The Rain, Road, Sport and Track riding modes are all controllable through the dash menu and there’s a customisable Rider option, too.
The Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR will cost £17,950 in white or £18,200 in this red version. That may sound steep compared to the £15,100 RS, but when you consider that MV Agusta’s Superveloce costs around the same despite being significantly down on power and using manually adjustable Marzocchi forks and a Sachs shock, the classy Öhlins-kitted Triumph should tempt many riders.