RIDE REVIEW I 2022 TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE 1200 RS
P104
T
riumph has been at the forefront of the
factory streetfighter market since argu-
ably inventing the category in 1994.
Thus far, they've sold over 100,000 units of
the Speed Triple for their trouble. Naturally
this success hasn't gone unnoticed and now
all the major players in the industry have
thrown their best efforts into the ring. The
result? A bona fide streetfighter arms race.
It's natural, I suppose, for our species to
engage in a never-ending one-upmanship
with one another. It's how we survive and
grow together. Then part as unlikely friends.
And ever notice how sometimes when pur-
suing complete domination over our friends,
like winning a track day, we end up trying to
impress our colleagues first and our collective
needs second?
Like building a 180-horsepower naked
motorcycle for street use. Sensible? Maybe.
I think when it comes to manufacturing any
complicated thing these days, the meteoric
rise in computing speeds has likely had the
biggest impact on the process. 3D computer
modeling, virtual stress testing, pre-visualizing
every piece to a complex puzzle before physi-
cally assembling anything. This has probably
helped lead companies like Triumph, Ducati,
Aprilia, BMW and others, down a path of build-
ing a hyper-naked beast so readily.
This is where the new
Triumph Speed Triple RS
is happiest—on the side
of the tire, winding on the
power at the track.
NAKED AGGRESSION
