VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P97
wooden or artificial. The transi- wooden or artificial. The transi wooden or artificial. The transi wooden or artificial. The transi-
The new dash
is neat but not
the easiest
to manage.
There's a ton
of information
crammed into a
very small space.
Select Track mode, and it's
game on. The throttle response
is at its most direct; the suspen-
sion auto-corrects itself to the
stiffest semi-active setting, and
the only limits are those imposed
by the government and your own
willingness to push them. The
only thing that separates the RS
from a proper superbike at this
point is the lack of a fairing and
its one-piece handlebars.
As you'd expect for a bike
costing just north of $21K,
the electronics come with ev
-
erything you'd want in a high-
end ride: those riding modes
are matched to a six-axis
IMU that monitors cornering
ABS and switchable traction
control, and the Triumph
up-and-down quickshifter.
In the Track-only mode, you
get Brake Slide Assist, which
allows more front-wheel slip
and more rear-wheel lift to
maximize performance on
track. There's also wheelie
control and engine-brake con
-
trol, but where the RS really
shines is in the fitment of the
Öhlins SmartEC3 semi-active
suspension.
We've harped on in the
past about how different ride
modes give a bike differ
-
ent personalities, but look-
ing back on some of those
tests, we may have been
a little ahead of ourselves.
Put simply, the EC3 system
really does turn the RS into
one of a few different rides
and fundamentally changes
how the bike behaves across
different roads and riding
styles. The system continu
-
ously adjusts damping in the
background, reacting to brak-
ing forces, throttle input and
road surface in real time.
This is the same system
(albeit tuned for the RS)
that resides in the Ducati
Panigale V4 S and Street
-
fighter V4 S, the Honda
CBR1000RR-R SP, and the
new Aprilia RSV4 Factory, so
the RS is in fine company.
On rough pavement, tune
the RS into Road mode,
and the chassis remains
composed and compli
-
ant, taking the sting out of
square-edged bumps that
would normally hurt it and
you. Crank up to Sport mode,
ride a little harder, and the
suspension firms up seam
-
lessly, offering excellent
support without ever feeling
