VOL. 55 ISSUE 39 OCTOBER 2, 2018 P87
Weeks
Ratbag
with a
TRIUMPH'S STREET TRIPLE 765 IS
THE CURE FOR A BORING LIFE
I
'll start this story with its conclusion, in
case you're strapped for time. The Tri-
umph Street Triple 765 RS is the sort
of bike everyone needs to ride at least
a few times in their lives. It's so damn
fun it should be illegal. It's not the best
street bike out there, but that doesn't
matter because the smile on your face
will be wider than can fit between the
cheek pads of your helmet.
Now, for how I got to that conclusion.
At the beginning of last year, Cycle
News was invited to Spain to ride the
all-new Street Triple 765 RS through the
hills of Barcelona, then a half day on the
wonderful Circuit de Barcelona-Cata-
lunya. Between that great day in 2017
and now, nothing has changed on the
Street Triple, with no updates for 2018.
Yet it has sadly taken me this entire time
to get one for two weeks of commuting,
to do the sort of riding almost all Street
Triple riders do.
The 121-horsepower RS is the top line
Street Triple in a three-strong lineup that
includes the 106-horsepower S and the
118-horsepower R model. The RS also
gets the most electronic gadgetry with
extra riding modes with the addition of
Track and Rider modes to go with the
Road, Rain and Sport that come with
the S and R.
There's an Ohlins STX40 shock and
Showa Big Piston Forks, and the RS's
Brembo master-cylinder is a top-line unit
that allows for lever and span adjust-
ments, so there's no excuse for not
having the ideal level of power and feel
at the lever.
At $12,500 MSRP, the RS is certainly
up there in terms of money shelled out
for the experience. It can be a hard sell,
as Yamaha's far more powerful MT-10
retails for just $500 more, but the proof
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER
