2025 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS Review

I had the pleasure of having the Speed Triple 1200 RS on loan from Triumph UK for a couple of weeks.

I found it an impressive bike to ride – nice sharp handling, strong performance and a lot of character without being too over the top but I had the bike on loan in December so the roads were cold and damp which was not ideal on the standard oem tyres.

A Few Specs for you:

• Weight: 199 kg
• Seat height: 830 mm 
• 1160 cc Liquid-cooled, inline 3-cylinder, 12 valve, DOHC
• Max Power: 183 PS / 180.5 bhp (134.6 kW) @ 10,750 rpm
• Max Torque: 128 Nm @ 8,750 rpm
• 6 speed
• 5-inch, TFT colour display
• 5 riding modes: Rain; Road; Sport; Track and Rider
• Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V3
• Ohlins front and rear suspension
• Brembo brake front and rear
• Stainless steel 3 into 1 header system with underslung primary silencer and side mounted secondary silencer
• 3 colour options: Jet Black; Granite/Diablo Red; Granite/Performance Yellow from £17,495

Engine

The RS has the 1160 cc Liquid-cooled, inline 3-cylinder, 12 valve, DOHC engine, pushing out 183 PS / 180.5 bhp (134.6 kW) @ 10,750 rpm of power and 128 Nm @ 8,750 rpm of torque.

The RS is a nice bike to ride, with a nice sitting position, not upright but not bent over either which makes for a comfortable ride.

Both the engine and quickshifter are smooth making shifting up and down the gears effortless and the engine performance is rapid.

Being an 180 bhp bike, its happy place is on an open road where the bike comes alive and you find yourself immersed in the bike and the ride and I can see why people love this bike. An overtake is effortless as you have the power to get out, past and back in very quickly.

The RS feels solid and stable in the twisties and has been nicely put together, it has a quality feel to it.

Chassis

The RS has a twin-spar aluminium, with a bolt-on aluminium rear subframe and a single-sided, cast aluminium swingarm.

Although the RS has a weight of just 199 kg, I found this bike incredibly difficult to maneuver about and get in and out of the garage, it felt way heavier than its stated weight. When riding the bike, the RS doesn’t feel heavy.

The front suspension comprises Öhlins 43 mm upside-down forks which are fully adjustable, with SmartEC3 OBTi electronic compression and rebound damping with 120 mm of wheel travel.

The rear comprises Öhlins monoshock (RSU) with linkage, again with the SmartEC3 OBTi system electronic compression and rebound damping with 120 mm wheel travel.

The brakes on the front are twin, 320 mm floating discs with Brembo Stylema monobloc calipers with Brembo MCS radial master cylinder. On the rear there is a single 220 mm disc with a Brembo twin-piston caliper.

I found the brakes to be very responsive, you did not need to press the brake hard for it to have an impact. 

Ride by Wire Throttle & Modes

A responsive ride by wire throttle can be found on the RS so instead of having a throttle cable connected to butterflies in the inlet, it will all be controlled by electronics and the twist grip just sends an electronic signal to the ECU. 

There are five customisable riding modes: rain, road, sport, track, and rider mode, which adjusts throttle response, ABS, and traction control settings via a handlebar button for different conditions. With the ride-by-wire throttle system, the throttle response is adjusted according to the selected riding mode, as well as the traction control and ABS settings.

The five riding modes are described as:

• Rain: Reduces power to around 100PS and increases safety system intervention for low grip;
• Road: A balanced, everyday setting for general road riding;
• Sport: Offers sharper throttle response for more spirited riding;
• Track: Designed for circuit use, making electronic interventions almost imperceptible for fast riding;
• Rider: A fully customizable mode where you can independently adjust engine maps, traction control (with 4 levels), ABS, and suspension settings to your preference.

Instrument Display

The 5″ TFT colour display screen is clear and easy to read. Personally I would add a small screen to not only reduce reflection on the screen but also to finish the front end off nicely. I also experienced a lot of wind noise so I think a small screen would help this.

As you would expect, the display says all you need to know – speed, which gear and mode you are in with the rev counter and fuel gauge around the outside.

Along the top you have the time and temperature. The oil and engine lights appear when you turn the ignition on but disappear on start up.

Navigating around the screen is easy – there’s a mode button on the left bar which you press and use the toggle below to find your way around the settings. To change the modes, simply go into the mode setting and use the toggle to the select mode you wish, then press mode again to confirm.

The My Triumph Connectivity System is fitted as standard so you can connect your smartphone for Google turn-by-turn navigation, GoPro control, music, phone and messages.

Tyres

The tyres on the RS are Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V3. Now I have found these tyres a definite marmite thing, people either love them or hate them.

Personally, I am not a fan of these tyres as I ride all year round and I have found these tyres not to be as effective in the cold and damp.

Pirelli describe the Supercorsa’s as “The ultimate racing replica generation. The Pirelli treaded racing tyre in (W) speed index to exploit the best performance of your motorcycle on both Race-track and road.

• Racetrack performance delivered via a fully street legal tyre;
• New tread design geometry to better respond to the lateral forces and improve wear regularity;
• New racing compound on shoulder, developed in the FIM World Superbike Championship;
• New profiles to reach a new level of response, handling and grip both on racetrack and road;
• Bi-Compound rear to combine grip, stability and mileage.”

Personally, I would like to see a more all year, all round tyre on a bike as standard equipment. 

I know tyres are a personal choice but I ride all year round in sunshine and rain, stopping when there’s ice and snow on the road so I need a tire that will perform all year round for me giving me the confidence I crave from a tyre and a track/road tyre is not the tyre choice I would make.

I have on my personal bikes the Michelin Road 6’s which are an all year round tyre for all road conditions and offer good grip in the wet.

LED Lights

There is LED lighting all round on the RS as with the majority of new bikes now. The distinctive front headlight which is synonymous with the Speed Triples has a daytime running light which gives the RS an aggressive yet cool appearance at the same time.

I find the headlights on the Speed Triple are a common talking point in that people either love them or hate them.

The lights offer great visibility when riding and the main beam is very effective offering a wide expanse of light.

The rear light has not been forgotten in the styling process and is just cool. I do love the design of this light which is neatly housed under the rear seat but equally can clearly be seen.

What’s The Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS Like To Ride, I hear you say?

The first thing I have to say here is that I had the RS on loan at the end of November/beginning December so the roads were damp/wet and the temperatures were between 6 and 10 degrees.

I found the Supercorsa tyres in these conditions, for me, let riding the bike down as I did not like how these tyres acted in the cold/damp, I didn’t have the ‘feel’ of the bike that I like to have and I lacked confidence in the tyres.

I did get a glimpse of the RS on a couple of rides when I found some dry roads and I could feel how this bike really is to ride and I could feel the grin under my helmet.

The RS is a smooth bike to ride, the acceleration is amazing as too is the handling and the bike feels really nice to ride. I can see why people love this bike, it just has something about it that screams fun but in a controlled way.

The quickshifter on the RS is the smoothest I have ever encountered. The gear changes, both up and down, were seamless and made riding the bike feel so much more ‘racier’ as you go up and down the gears.

I struggled a little with the height of the bike at 830 mm (this is on the tall side for me at 5’6”) so I found moving the bike around difficult. The wet weight of the bike is 199 kg but, to me, it feels heavier than this.

The brakes are responsive, which is always a good thing! I did find there was a lot of engine braking so just lifting off the throttle scrubs off some speed.

I felt the distinctive sound of the triple did not filter through enough for me with the standard exhaust. I would have to change this to let the natural sound of the bike be heard more clearly.

The RS is crying out for a small screen on the front, I had terrific wind noise coming into my helmet. I believe a small screen would deflect the air over me and the bike more and also, in my opinion, finish the front of the bike off nicely.

I really like the style of the bar end mirrors which come with vibration isolation and think a tail tidy would complete the look of the RS.

The RS comes with a whole host of other features:

• Adjustable steering damper;
• Braking Slide Assist (track mode);
• Emergency deceleration warning;
• Engine braking control;
• Front wheel lift control;
• Fully adjustable cruise control;
• Keyless system with disable option;
• Switchable optimised cornering ABS and traction control.

You would need a quiet hour or two when you get this bike just to navigate the features and set the bike up to suit you and your riding, but, when you have done this, you have a bike that should be perfect for you.

Thank you to Triumph UK for the loan of the Speed Triple 1200 RS.

BK

Here is a link to my YouTube video:

https://youtu.be/pkApuqHoLuc?si=dIeZ0-BrptNKa9Vs