Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/643722
2016 TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE R FIRST RIDE P72 bar. The new Speed Triple's 56.4-inch wheelbase, 3.59-inch trail and 22.9-degree rake are all essentially unchanged from before, in spite of which it seems definitely more agile and ma- neuverable when ridden back to back with its predecessor. SMOO THER, BETTER But at the end of the day it's the significant step up in engine rideability that makes the new Speed Triple so much fun to ride, especially in the absence of any vibration whatsoever from the three-cylinder motor, which is even smoother than before thanks to the revised gear drive to the single counter-rotating pri- mary balancer at the front of the engine. To the evocative back- ground soundtrack of its trade- mark intake roar and exhaust note, the triple motor's dynamic character inspires you to ride it hard, holding second gear for mile after mile along winding country roads, flicking from side to side effortlessly through the curves without a need to shift gears to tackle anything between a slow 25-mph hairpin and a 75- mph sweeper. Plus the carryover Öhlins rear suspension appar- ently has a softer setup on the new Speed Triple R I was riding than the old, thus supplying not only improved ride quality via its 5.1 inches of wheel travel (versus 4.7 inches up front), but also greater compliance over rough surfaces, without detracting from its ability to lay the power down when you accelerate hard out of a turn leaned over. Triumph has a revised version of its multi-functional LCD instrument pack on the bike, which incorpo- rates an analogue tacho coupled with a digital speedometer, fuel gauge, trip computer, lap timer, programmable shifter lights, and setting displays for gear selected, riding modes, ABS, etc. It works well and is quite easy to read, but I can't help thinking it looks a little old-fashioned against the TFT color displays on its KTM and Ducati rivals. The Triumph Speed Triple isn't a bike for criss-crossing conti- nents, and certainly not for riding very far or long two-up, even with the improved passenger accom- modation on this new version. In- stead, it's for boulevarding to the beach via the twisty coast road, for heading into the hills via the odd mountain pass or two, or for simply getting from A to B via the scenic route as fast as possible, taking no prisoners with any other two-wheelers you find along the way. The latest, unquestionably more refined Triumph Speed Tri- ple is a bike you'll be looking for excuses to go out and ride, and for the kind of roads that demand to be hustled along, using its great grunt and poised handling to best advantage. This is indeed a bike with attitude, backed up with the performance to punch its weight, a bike that's once again set to out-Monster anything else in the musclesports marketplace. At considerably less cost. CN 2016 TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE R ENGINE: .........DOHC, 4-stroke, 3-cylinder, 12-valve, liquid-cooled DISPLACEMENT: .............................1050cc BORE X STROKE: .................. 79 x 71.4mm HORSEPOWER: ......... 138 hp @ 9500 rpm TORQUE: ....................81 lb-ft @ 7850 rpm COMPRESSION RATIO: ....................12.25:1 TRANSMISSION: .........................Six-speed CHASSIS: .................. Twin-spar aluminum FRONT SUSPENSION: .......... 43mm Öhlins NIX30 Fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION: .Single Öhlins shock absorber, fully adjustable FRONT BRAKE: ..................... Twin 320mm discs, Brembo four-piston m onobloc calipers, ABS REAR BRAKE: ........... Single 255mm disc, Brembo single-piston caliper, ABS FRONT TIRE: ......................... 120/70 ZR17 REAR TIRE: ............................ 190/55 ZR17 RAKE: .................................................. 22.9° TRAIL: ............................................. 3.59 in. WHEELBASE: .................................. 56.4 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ................................ 32.4 in. OVERALL HEIGHT: ........................... 42.1 in. OVERALL WIDTH: ........................... 30.7 in. OVERALL LENGTH: ..........................81.6 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ......................... 4.09 gal. WEIGHT: ..............423 lbs. (dry, claimed). COLOR: ..................................... Red/Black MSRP: ............................................ $14,990 S P E C I F I C A T I O N S