When you think of a good mid-engined sports naked, you immediately think of this Triumph Street Triple R, but the curious thing is that this isn’t even the sportiest or most radical Street in the current range! A model famous for using the engine that gives life to the Moto2 machines in the World Speedway, but this bike is much more than that.
Over the years, in this profession, we’ve been to some events that we like to remember later. In this case, when we have the Street Triple R with us, we remember the international presentation of the first generation Street, held by Lake Garda in Italy in July 2007. At the time, it proved to be a very agile and fun proposition, with some of the Speed Triple’s DNA, while at the same time borrowing solutions – particularly mechanical ones – from the sporty Daytona 675, which had been launched with great success a year earlier.
Since then, the Street has made its natural progress, without ever being a best-seller (we’re talking in general terms, as it always depends a lot on the country in question), but always evolving over its various generations, at the same time as some sportier and other simpler versions appeared, to suit all tastes and wallets. And always with a three-cylinder engine!
The first one was launched in 2007, in a major step forward as it replaced the outdated Speed Four inline 4-cylinder. Small changes were made at the end of 2011, when the traditional round headlights were dropped, but there were plenty of changes in the third generation in 2013. The fourth generation appeared in 2018, with a displacement of 765 cc, in 2020 there were minor tweaks and for 2023 the R and RS versions were improved. The RS has always been more track-oriented, while the R remains the basic version of a beautiful road-going sports naked.
WELL EQUIPPED
Even if there wasn’t an RS version, the bike in this test would already be on an excellent level – theoretically and practically – as an analysis of a modern sports naked. We’re talking about a bike equipped with a 765 cc three-cylinder engine (the one that powers the Moto2 World Championship bikes, with slight differences), which in this R delivers 120 hp at 11,500 rpm. And we say on this R because on the more “racing” RS the engine is more “smashed” and puts out 10 more horsepower, although the torque figure is strictly the same, 80 Nm at 9,500 rpm.
Along with the latest tweaks to this R’s engine, the exhaust system has also been improved, although always with the aim of maintaining the typical and exciting sound of the three-cylinder. This model is also very well equipped when it comes to cycling, with a double-braced aluminium frame and braking with Brembo M4.32 radial-mount monobloc calipers at the front, with ABS optimized for cornering and supported by an IMU with specific parameters integrated into each of the riding modes (Rain, Road, Sport and Rider), for more effective braking at any angle of inclination. There is also a switchable traction control with four autonomous levels and an “anti-roll” function.
Ergonomics have also been improved in this generation, with a handlebar that’s 12 mm wider. Turning to cycling, the front end is made up of a 41 mm Showa Big Piston inverted fork with independent damping functions, while at the rear we find a monoshock from the same brand with separate hydraulics, both elements being fully adjustable. Also noteworthy is the banana-shaped swingarm, which aims to offer maximum agility with high-speed stability. On the outside, there are the full LED headlights, which have a super aggressive design and maintain the brand’s DNA, while the tank has lost capacity and can now hold 15 liters of petrol. Other improved details, such as the small headlight fairing, radiator guards and rear structure make this one of the most elegant and sporty Street ever. The instrumentation on this R is a very simple and easy-to-read TFT display, with the riding modes easily selected via the controls on the left hand grip. The features of this model are complemented by a bidirectional quickshifter, slipper clutch and Continental ContiRoad tires. It should also be said that the seat is set at 826 mm from the ground (there is a lower one among the various options), and that the weight of the whole, with a full tank, is just 189 kg! A Street Triple R with maintenance intervals of 10,000 km or 1 month.
BEST Engine performance, cycling behavior, riding pleasure
TO BE IMPROVED Some vibrations, quickshifter operation (on this unit)
FEELINGS
Despite the aforementioned presentation of the Street Triple where we were in 2007, I’ve only personally owned a Triumph motorcycle very recently, a Trident which I’m a happy owner of and with which I’ve been able to make some comparisons with this Street R. After all, the two are entry-level roadster bikes, separated by just over 2,000 euros. However, there are more differences than similarities between the two models. This is because the Trident was designed to be many people’s first “big” motorcycle, quite simple in many ways. At the controls of the Street R, on the other hand, you always feel like you’re at the controls of a small “beast”. The riding position is somewhat forward without being uncomfortable, the seat is high and the engine is always strong at all engine speeds, with a great stretching capacity. It even reminds us of the Speed Triple of a few generations ago, only now with a more modern engine, with less internal friction and which loves to rev while using the tasty quickshifter to shift up and down. Its operation is usually exemplary, but unfortunately, in the unit we tested, it had a few faults and we had to use the clutch again until the electronics cooperated. This was certainly an isolated problem, which has now been resolved in this unit. As for the rest, and with the exception of slight vibrations felt in the grips, footpegs and affecting the visibility of the rear-view mirrors at certain speeds, this is a really efficient and fun bike!
A motorcycle that can be used very simply in everyday life, as a simple means of transportation (although it’s impossible not to have fun every time you ride it), but which is always a toy of passion when you really want to ride!
ALWAYS THE ENGINE
And it’s when you really want to ride that the delicious engine stands out the most, for its vigor at all engine speeds, the sensations it transmits and its sound. And in terms of driving modes, there’s no doubt about it, with Sport being the best (as long as the conditions are “normal”, dry), as the others slightly delay the throttle response, although you can always customize the mode in question. In terms of traction control, the Sport mode also leaves everything quite “free”, so if in doubt, opt for safety on more polished asphalt. The suspensions are more hard-edged but very effective and read the road very well, so we didn’t even need to change any of their settings. Eventually, at high speeds or on a track day, we will need to make slight adjustments. Also positive is the braking, which is powerful and progressive, with a good feel on the lever, while the Continental Contiroad tires seem a little too road-going for the model in question… but in practice they worked well, with no criticism to add.
The instrumentation is relatively simple but effective and during the time we rode the Street we got an average consumption of 5.3 l/100 km, but you already know that on a bike like this consumption can vary a lot, up or down! All in all, it’s a bike with aggressive (but tasteful) lines, but easy to ride and a lot of fun. You can keep going at 70 km/h in 6th gear, sure that you have the engine for a quick response without having to downshift, but the most fun is making the three-cylinder go up and down very often! And without having ridden a Street Triple RS this time, we can bet that in traditional road use this R version is more than enough in terms of engine, suspension and brakes. In fact, if your ambition is purely on the road and you’re never going to put your Street Triple on a track, then what you gain in comfort (and in the €€ of the purchase), we can even say that you’ll be better served with this R than with the RS. But we’ll talk about that sportier version in a later post.