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/958653
VOL. 55 ISSUE 12 MARCH 27, 2018 P85 has the right amount of forgiveness for the more challenging surfaces, i.e. bumps and potholes, but retains enough stiffness to keep it steady and comfortable at speed. By the time we hit the back roads I had become spoiled with Triumph's new electronic shifting function, which is unique to the RS, providing easy clutch- less up and down shifts. Some important revisions within the transmission and a revised slipper clutch have also helped smooth out gear shifting. From the very first set of corners on- ward, the new 1050 RS is quite comfort- able. The seating position is a bit more forward leaning and aggressive than the previous model, which is nice for sport riding. At 5' 9", I was able to navigate the controls very well plus I could reach the ground at stops with ease. The Speed Triple is not the sharpest bike in terms of precise handling but there's plenty of feel to throw it around with confi- dence. It's surprising how well you can bury the bike into the corners. The classic inch-high handlebars are essential for aggressive cor- nering by providing plenty of lever- John Bloor not only rebooted the Triumph brand but is the respon- sible party behind the inception of the triple engine design. As we all know now, the three-cylinder powerplant has become the heart and soul of the new Triumph motorcycle company. And the triple's place is in the Speed Triple. In 1994, Triumph launched the T309 Speed Triple calling it "The Original Hooligan," and since then has grown in popularity across the globe. The Speed Triple has seen several different models spanning a 24-year period of evolution, culminating in the introduction of the new-for-2018 Speed Triple 1050 S, and RS. In 1997, Triumph produced the T509, which was their second attempt at the Speed Triple. This time around it featured the now classic double tube cast aluminum frame design and single-sided swingarm, which surprisingly enough, has been part of the Speed Triple DNA ever since. 1999 saw the next generation of Speed Triple in the forum of the 955i, which, by the way, was my first real intro- duction to the model. By then the whole naked bike market was well established which, of course, was Triumph's doing. The Speed Triple was really beginning to gain some respect among the motorcycli ng community and 2005 brought us yet another version of the big triple, which featured a new 1050cc motor. 2011 saw the next coming of the 1050 Speed Triple with the new design and styling, which are still present in today's version. I was fortunate enough to ride that model in Spain at the press launch—that bike was quite impressive and on the right track to becoming a serious contender in the, by then, well-attended naked bike category. Finally, we are at the 2018 1050 Speed Triple S and RS, which are by far their best Speed Triples to date. Second time around with the T509, the Speed Triple started to come into its own. Triumph has one of the best dashes in the business fitted to the Street Triple 765, so it made perfect sense to fit it straight to the Speed Triple. DASHING