Overall rating Next up: Ride & brakes 5 out of 5 (5/5) Author: Adam Child Published: 20 March 2018 Updated: 08 July 2020 The Triumph Speed Triple 1050 RS’s power and torque have been increased for 2018. The delivery is smooth and effortless, yet it still has enough rush to deliver, even for dedicated sportsbike fans. The handling is predictable, stable and easy going, while the ride is both sporty and comfortable. Spyshots of 2021 Triumph Speed Triple The riding aids are now on par with the competition, and welcome touches like cruise control and heated grips have further widened the bike’s appeal. It’s a naked, yes, but also an all-rounder capable of excelling on a daily commute and trackday alike. Triumph Speed Triple RS video review:

Ride quality & brakes Next up: Engine 5 out of 5 (5/5) On track settings at track speeds, aggressive riding doesn’t faze the Speed Triple; it remains stable and compliant, yet the steering is precise and accurate. That ease-of-use shines through again. Even at a fast trackday pace ground clearance isn’t an issue, the strong Brembo stoppers are consistent and offer excellent feedback. It’s simple to ride briskly without it being manic or too intimidating, just like the old bike. On the road you’ll love the easy steering and undemanding nature of the chassis, but when you do want to push on the Triple is stable, predictable and confidence-inspiring. The Triple gives great feedback through its plush suspension, you can feel precisely what the Pirelli Supercorsa rubber is doing. This is a bike that flatters your riding – that is so simple and easy to ride, no matter the speed.

Engine Next up: Reliability 5 out of 5 (5/5) Triumph have made 105 engine mods, resulting in 7% more peak power from a higher-revving three-cylinder engine. While peak power is up from 138bhp at 9500rpm to 148bhp at 10,500rpm, Triumph haven’t sacrificed driveability; they’ve also managed to increase peak torque by 4% (up from 82.6ftlb at 7850rpm to 86.3ftlb at 7150rpm) and moved that peak 700rpm lower in the rev range while making the torque curve much flatter too. The new engine bits include a lighter crankshaft with a revised profile, a new cylinder head and pistons, a lighter balancer shaft and a new sump while revised fuelling and a new free-flowing exhaust and lighter high-level Arrow silencers complete the tweaks. The Triumph’s wonderful spread of torque makes it an effortless ride. Alternatively, you can dance on the gears and exploit those new extra 1000 revs in pursuit of some serious fun

Reliability & build quality Next up: Value 5 out of 5 (5/5) The Speed Triple is built with impressive attention to detail and top quality parts. The chassis is heavily based on the previous model, which hasn’t uncovered any horror stories. In our Triumph Speed Triple owners' reviews the story is very positive, with the average rating approaching five stars across the board.

Value vs rivals Next up: Equipment 4 out of 5 (4/5) Priced just above £13,000, the new Speed Triple boasts a lot of technology for your money. There are quality components, like fully-adjustable Öhlins suspension and Brembo radial brakes. But for that price I’d still expect an up-and-down quickshifter with auto-blipper as standard.