If the Triumph Thruxton made your jaw drop on the floor, the recently unveiled Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR will make it drop even lower! It might be based on the manic naked streetfighter, the Speed Triple 1200 RS, but Triumph has introduced some crucial changes in making it a thoroughbred modern café-racer.
Looks
The iconic bug-eyed twin headlamps found on its naked counterpart have made way for a singular, round LED unit that reeks of suaveness. It is a perfect fusion of modern and retro. With the Speed Triple 1200 RS, Triumph has continued its streak of making heart-achingly beautiful machines.
It gains a cockpit fairing that flows seamlessly while the rear gets a compact tail with T-shaped tail lights. Adding more visual flair to its aesthetics is the gorgeous single-sided swingarm and a three-into-two into one exhaust. It also gets carbonfibre detailing on the side panels, cockpit, fairing and even the front fender. The Speed Triple 1200 RR will be available in two colours — Red Hopper and Crystal White. New clip-on bars find their way on to the RR. In comparison to the RS, which has a straight wide handlebar, the controls on the RR are 135mm lower and 50mm forward.
Engine and chassis
The Speed Triple 1200 RR borrows the 1160cc inline three-cylinder engine from its naked counterpart. This screamer is capable enough to put down 177.6bhp at 10,750rpm and 125Nm torque at 9000rpm. We expected Triumph to bump up the performance a little but that isn’t the case here. We could have gotten Triumph’s first 200PS machine but guess we have to wait longer for that.
The Speed Triple 1200 RR sits on the same aluminium twin-spar frame with a bolt-on aluminium rear subframe chassis. Triumph has blessed this gorgeous beauty with Ohlins Smart EC 2.0 electronically adjustable semi-active suspension.
The front gets fully adjustable 43mm USD forks while the rear gets a monoshock. Braking department is handled by twin 320mm floating discs up front with Brembo’s Stylema monobloc calipers, and a single 220mm disc at the rear which is held by a Brembo twin-piston caliper. The 17-inch cast aluminium wheels are the same as the Speed Triple 1200 RR, but now come shod with Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V3 tyres. Seat height is at 830 mm, while kerb weight is 199 kg.
Electronics
Triumph has included a full-colour 5-inch TFT display into the mix with the brand’s My Triumph connectivity system fitted as standard. It also gets Android connectivity and GoPro control. The Speed Triple 1200 RR comes with five riding modes, an IMU which powers the cornering ABS, switchable cornering traction control, advanced front wheel lift control, and fully adjustable cruise control.
Also read: Triumph Could Also Carve Out A Hardcore Off-road Oriented Tiger 660 Out Of The Trident
Pricing
The 2022 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR has been priced at GBP 17,950 and will go on sale from January 2022 in Europe. So far, there’s no confirmation if the Speed Triple RR will be launched in India.