While my Triumph Trident was away having its 1st service, I was given a loan bike to use, the Triumph Speed Triple RS.
I was told to be careful as the power was much different to the Trident.....
The Speed Triple has a very similar ride position to the Trident which I liked, instantly you could feel the difference in the initial grunt from the 121bhp 765cc engine when pulling away. Its not a massive difference to be fare but it is noticeable compared to the 81bhp 660cc engine in the Trident. On a ride you can leave it in the gears longer when accelerating and has a higher rev range which means you might get to 60mph in 2nd rather than 3rd on the Trident, and the sound it makes is very nice indeed. This bike had the quickshift fitted which felt smooth and gives that great sound as it changes gear.
The bike costs a lot more than the Trident starting from about £11,000 compared to the £7,400 for the Trident. This means you get some better equipment as standard, such as adjustable front forks and a bit of space under the back seat... I am sure there's other things too...you'll have to look for them.
Handling wise I thought it felt very similar to the Trident, both bikes score good points here, braking felt good going in and holding a line when cornering, the suspension definitely felt firmer than the Trident, if I liked that better though I am not sure?
The speedo has a lot of info on it, not over cluttered but lots on the screen at once, I didn't like it as much as the speedo on the trident though.
Now my personal view is it felt an awesome tool to ride, but its looks are of the type only a mother could love. I struggled to find a good angle to get a photo of it, as you can see. The headlights are definitely the love or hate item of this bike, and as you might have guessed they don't look good to me. The test bike I used was in black with green stickers here ant there, currently on the Triumph website you get the choice of just 1 colour which is black. I do like the number plate position and the wheels though. Infact if you could put the Speedo and head light from the Trident and smarten the plastic below the seat I might have gone for one of these next time, but never say never.
If you are interested in this type of bike, book a test ride, you wont be disappointed I am sure.
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