{"id":1496163,"date":"2022-08-12T15:18:05","date_gmt":"2022-08-12T05:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/?p=1496163"},"modified":"2022-08-12T15:18:05","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T05:18:05","slug":"2022-triumph-speed-triple-rr-review-glory-to-the-empire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/2022-triumph-speed-triple-rr-review-glory-to-the-empire\/","title":{"rendered":"2022 TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE RR REVIEW \u2013 GLORY TO THE EMPIRE!"},"content":{"rendered":"

IMAGES BY NICK \u2018OLD BLIGHTY\u2019 EDARDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

It does this soooo right…<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a hell of a thing, this Speed Triple RR\u2026a right hell of a thing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Look at it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sure, the pics look great, but you have to see one in the flesh, you have to sit on it, and touch it, and gaze adoringly at the level of finish.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Mr Bloor’s coming-of-age effort…<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

And then, when you ride it (and you must \u2013 I quite insist) you\u2019ll understand Triumph has done something quite special.<\/p>\n

It has created a true sportsbike. And made it beautiful.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it. That\u2019s the punchline right there.<\/p>\n

\"\"

There’s not an angle it doesn’t look good from.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

This is the bike I had been hoping Triumph would ultimately build and stop pfaffing around with all those howling, skinny-bitch 765 and 675 jiggers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They are all well and good, those little buggers. But there is not now, nor will there ever be, any substitute for the hairy-balled beastliness of a 1200cc triple. Especially when it comes with clip-ons, rear-sets, and suspension that is truly world-class in its brilliance.<\/p>\n

\"\"

It’s so agile and sweet, it’s like an Eastern European gymnastic team without the eating disorders.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a Speed Triple RS with clip-ons,\u201d you say.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Heh. Well, yes, it has clip-ons. And rear-sets, as well, like I said. But it also has that insanely good electronic suspension, loads of carbon-fibre, and it\u2019s tuned differently.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Proper clip-ons and sorcerer suspension.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

It feels like an entirely different bike to the brilliant RS \u2013 which I loved with the kind of drooling derangement very few can understand. I rode them back-to-back, and then I called Cliffy at Triumph.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy does the engine feel different?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\"\"

If you think carbon should be somewhere, it is.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the RS feels like a triple \u2013 it\u2019s all growly and has the sound and feel of the mongrel about it. And the RR, which has the same engine, feels much smoother, although it still throws itself at the horizon like a whore on a sailor. What\u2019s the go?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a different tune. No-one\u2019s saying anything when I ask. But you\u2019re right. They feel different to ride \u2013 and it\u2019s not just the ergos.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Yes, there is gold in them there guts…<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cSo I\u2019m not imagining it?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019re not imagining it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Just to clarify\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"

Yes, you’re all much faster than me.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The RS is a sportsbike. That\u2019s what the riding position is all about. It\u2019s not an appalling \u201cI need a spinal fusion\u201d thing, but it\u2019s serious. Your head is forward, your legs are high and back, and if your jacket is short, there will be wind blowing down your crack. But you won\u2019t much care, because you\u2019ll be hammering the fish-and-chips out of it, all dry-eyed and breathless, like you\u2019ve just jumped out of a plane.<\/p>\n

\"\"

No mistaking that frame. It’s a Speed Triple.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

And there is much to hammer, brothers and sisters \u2013 180 horses, 125Nm, and a wet weight of 199kg \u2013 all wrapped in a beautifully finished, carbon-fibre-kissed package that is, to my jaded eye, quite stunning.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is a genuinely great-looking bike \u2013 both up close and at a remove. And that is so hugely important, given how bike-buying is always a heart-over-mind thing. Well, it is if you\u2019re doing it right.<\/p>\n

\"\"

That pipe would be in the dealer’s bin before I left.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

And yes, much of its sexy look has to do with the fairing \u2013 a strange point of controversy for some opinionated chieftains.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The issue, it seems, is that its styling is in the same ball-park as the MV Augusta Superveloce. Maybe none of the yodellers noticed the Superveloce has a full fairing, and they are just concentrating on the funnel-like swoop of the upper fairing to the single headlight. Yeah, well, maybe\u2026OK.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Yes, this is simple. But you have options and engine maps, and everything you’d expect in terms of rider assist.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

There is a vague similarity, I will grant that. But I\u2019m sure that the Triumph fairing will not fall off or come loose, and then just look magnificent laying on the road like the MV\u2019s might well do. It has some form in that regard.<\/p>\n

\"\"

I love when Nick climbs into a tree to shoot this stuff.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

And here\u2019s the thing also \u2013 the Speed Triple RR offers a level of ride, handling, and performance which will rarely be exceeded, let alone bettered. All the gear is there for just that. The Stylema brakes, the levers, the brilliant up-and-down quickshifter, and the gorgeous attention to detail and finish. The bike exudes class \u2013 plain and simple. And aggression. O so much aggression.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I thought I was maybe fapping a little too hard over the thing. I felt a reality check was needed. I took the RR down to my mates, Duncan and Aaron, who run the best mechanic shop for a hundred miles in any direction.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Be nice if the switches were back-lit. Be nice if I had no credit-card dept too.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Duncan is of an age with me, and Aaron is his son, and a generation removed from the weathered wisdom his father and I provide whether he wants it or not. He\u2019s also much faster than either of us.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They speak the truth to me when it comes to bikes, so I do, on occasion, take a test-bike to them, let them have a ride, and then see if they\u2019re digging it the same way I am.<\/p>\n

\"\"

And some of them are. Don;t worry. It’s not that complicated to work out.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

They both agreed it was stunning. Then they rode it. They were both blown away. Duncan started muttering something about retiring and buying one in red, but it was Aaron who seemed to be most taken with it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI lay awake at night and think of it,\u201d he says to me every time we catch up. \u201cIt does everything how I want it done. And it\u2019s gorgeous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Much sweeter than I deserve.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

I simply cannot sum it up any better than that. The RR will do everything you want such a bike to do, and you\u2019ll stare at it in naked adoration every chance you get.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s more road-focused than track focused \u2013 and of course it must be if it\u2019s to be relevant, and Triumph built it with that in mind. Banging it through corners, you quickly realise three things \u2013 a) What sublime handling actually is, b) how slow you actually are, and c) how much faster you could actually be if you stopped being a bitch.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I love bikes that do that to me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s certainly too race-crouch for me, and if I could get an RS with that otherworldly suspension \u2013 and I\u2019m flat out thinking of a bike that has better suspension than the RR \u2013 I\u2019d own it in a sec. And then the madness sets in, and I tell myself there\u2019s no reason why I could not have an RR and ride it on special occasions, racer\u2019s crouch be damned, and just wallow in its titanic glory.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The fairing works pretty well at speed. I’d swap the clear perspex for black, but.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

As a package, its damn hard to equal let alone beat. A stunning, torquey, well-mannered motor, a sublime gearbox mated to a superb quick-shifter, brakes that will stop the world\u2026and suspension that\u2019s simply the best there is.<\/p>\n

\"\"

I’m smiling on the inside.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

With this bike, Triumph has claimed a place at the top of the sportsbike mountain \u2013 a summit that has some serious contenders on it. Sure, there are a few bikes that can match the RR\u2019s performance. There\u2019s maybe only one that can come close to its suspension. But I can\u2019t think of a single bike out there that offers all of that, as well as being a truly stunning-to-look-at motorcycle.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Glory to the Empire. It deserves it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

HOW MUCH? $32,390 plus ORC.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ALL THE SPECS AND COLOUR OPTIONS ARE HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IMAGES BY NICK \u2018OLD BLIGHTY\u2019 EDARDS   It\u2019s a hell of a thing, this Speed Triple RR\u2026a right hell of a thing.   Look at it.   Sure, the pics look great, but you have to see one in the flesh, you have to sit on it, and touch it, and gaze adoringly at the [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1496164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1496163"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1496163"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1496163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1496182,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1496163\/revisions\/1496182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1496164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1496163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1496163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1496163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}