Group test
Here in 2023 the sportsbike is no longer all about clip-ons and fairings. Light, sharp, fast, purposeful, these are the way to get excited...
When Aprilia launched the Tuono back in 2002 we tested the groundbreaking V-twin at Cadwell Park. Thanks to the control of its wide ’bars and the usable power, our road-tester said he could lap faster than on a ‘proper’ sportsbike. It was the birth of what we now call supernakeds.
Fast forward 21 years and the supernaked is now a wild vast-capacity, 200-horsepower animal that requires skill and confidence to get the most out of.
However, that just-so balance of power, control, handling and excitement that the Tuono used to win us over is thankfully still available – only now in far more affordable ‘middleweight’ form.
In fact, Triumph’s updated Street Triple RS, the new Ducati Monster SP and KTM’s 890 Duke R (a previous test winner) are more than hopped-up nakeds. These are sportsbikes for the modern era, mixing usability with wheel-lifting oomph, lightswitch response and slider-slaying handling. The roundabout is this way…
Triumph Street Triple 765 RS
In this company Triumph’s RS is the grown-up option. Yet while it’s slightly softer than the previous incarnation it remains pure sportsbike…
Think Street Triple 765 R, turned up to 11. That’s the RS. More poke, more bling, more tech. It certainly goes like the clappers. Triumph have squeezed an extra 10bhp and 500rpm out of the motor, with a host of parts from the firm’s Moto2 engine programme, taking peak power to 128bhp at 12,000rpm.
There’s no lack of punch from the 765cc motor and acceleration is crisper too. This is thanks to shorter gearing and a welcome boost in torque from 7500rpm upwards, although you’re still a gear lower than either the KTM or Ducati for the same thrust.
But as I snick through the gears towards a clear horizon I’m relying purely on my ears to know when to change up, because I can’t make head nor tale of the ludicrously over-complicated TFT screen in front of me. This is a high-end sportsbike and yet Triumph have saddled it with the worst instruments ever devised.
Harsh? No. I want to know engine rpm at a glance, not have to decipher what looks like a quantum physics graph that’s a mirror-imaged for maximum confusion. The Street Triple R comes with clear clocks, so why not the RS?
That aside, the new RS is a belter. Triumph’s multiple changes to the model have resulted in a far more compliant and effective road bike than before. The previous RS was a tad too serious, too focused and not as enjoyable as the R in most situations. And while the new bike’s been nipped and tucked to make it that bit sharper, keener and livelier than t
