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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/958653
2018 TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE FIRST TEST P86 age when needed. On exits, the Speed Triple performs equally as well, driving hard out the corners with minimal movement from the rear suspension. Even through very fast sweepers, the 1050 RS kept its line and felt every bit as composed your average sport bike. Braking-wise, the dual Brembo M4.34 radial monobloc four-piston calipers, controlled by a new Brembo master cylinder featuring an MCS span and ratio adjustable brake lever, provide more than enough braking capa- bility to get the job done. A new pad material, combined with the Brembo 320mm rotors, offers plenty of bite and feel at every level of engagement. The brakes work great and the chassis is ca- pable enough to handle even the most extreme braking situations without losing its composure. The new Speed Triple 1050 RS also features Triumph's latest cornering ABS and traction con- trol, which is supported by a new Continental IMU (Inertial Measure- ment Unit). The system is very well calibrated to limit the amount of interference, except in critical mo- ments. Even then you rarely notice the ABS system working. PICK YOUR POISON On several occasions throughout the ride, I scrolled though the different riding modes to see how they felt. The overall power output is the same—148 horsepower at 10,500 rpm, up seven percent over the previous model. What is different is how you get there. Each ride mode has a different throttle response. Race mode hits the hardest and is the quickest rev- ving. In Street or Road modes the throttle is a bit tamer, with less of a hit and a slightly slower pick-up, but you still get up to the full 148 horses. The Rider Configuration mode can be arranged however you want while the Rain mode cuts power to 100 horsepower and has the most ABS and traction control engagement of the lot. When we did hit the weather, I switched to Rain mode. Straight away I noticed how much slower and almost dull feeling the throttle response was, but that's a good thing. Our track time was wet so Rain mode was, once again, the right choice. On the wet track, the 1050 performed well, no real issues. There's still enough pick-up in Rain mode to scare yourself but it's nice to know with the added ABS and traction control you'll have to put in some serious effort to throw it down the road. The 2018 Speed Triple is a worthy addition to the saga that started back in 1994. It's now somewhat grown up, with the top- line engine, chassis and electron- ic components. It's easy to see why this bike is regarded as the savior for modern day Triumph—it kick-started an entirely new seg- ment of motorcycling—and set the company right after so many years in the red. But it's still a British brat, still that naughty little bike we fell in love with all those years ago, and that's a very good thing, indeed. CN 2018 TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE 1050 S ($14,350) / RS ($16,350) ENGINE: ..Liquid-cooled, 12 valve, DOHC, inline 3-cylinder DISPLACEMENT: ............................ 1050cc BORE X STROKE: ..................79 x 71.4mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ................... 12.92:1 POWER: ................. 148 hp @ 10,500 rpm TORQUE: ................... 86 lb-ft @ 7150 rpm CLUTCH: ...... Wet multi-plate, assist and slipper type TRANSMISSION: ........................... 6-speed CHASSIS: ....... Aluminum beam twin-spar FRONT SUSPENSION: ..................... Showa 43 mm upside-down forks with adjust- able preload, rebound and compression damping / Ohlins 43 mm NIX30 REAR SUSPENSION: . Showa monoshock with adjustable preload, rebound and compression damping / Ohlins TTX36 shock FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ....................4.7 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ...................... 5.1 in. FRONT BRAKE: ....... Dual 320mm floating discs, Brembo 4-piston monobloc radial calipers, switchable ABS REAR BRAKE: ........255mm disc, 2-piston sliding caliper, switchable ABS FRONT TIRE: .........................120/70 ZR17 REAR TIRE: ........................... 190/55 ZR17 WHEELBASE: ............................... 56.89 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ..............................32.48 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ............................. 4.1 gal. WEIGHT (DRY, CLAIMED): ............423 lbs. COLOR: ...........Crystal White, Jet Black / Crystal White, Matte Jet Black S P E C I F I C A T I O N S