Triumph’s next-generation naked sports bike breaks cover with a bigger 798cc triple taken from the new Moto2 engine
Triumph has dropped teasers for several new models that will be officially revealed later this year including this: the Street Triple 798 RS.
Information about the new bike is all but non existent at the moment, but the name and teaser images alone give plenty of clues as to what to expect, and it starts with a heavily revised three-cylinder engine that’s bred from the new Moto2 race engine that will be introduced for next year’s championship.
Triumph previously announced the new race engine, confirming a capacity increase from the existing 765cc, and the Street Triple 798 RS’s name leaves no doubt that it’s been upped to 798cc – matching the size of the Tiger Sport 800 and Trident 800 engines, but with a much higher state of tune. How high? That’s not clear, but the current Street Triple 765 RS puts out 95.6kW at 12,000rpm and it’s sure to be more than that.
But the engine is arguably the least of the changes. It sits in a new chassis, which still appears to be a cast aluminium design but clearly has reshaped main spars and a completely new swingarm with its bracing underneath instead of above, reflecting the latest MotoGP trends. That’s required a different exhaust, which Triumph has managed to completely tuck underneath the engine, blending it with the bellypan for a sleeker look. Above it, there’s a new subframe and entirely reworked styling.
The suspension appears to be related to the existing RS’s setup, with Showa SFF-BP upside-down forks and an Öhlins rear shock, and the same applies to the Brembo Stylema brake calipers.
The new bike’s look is more aggressive, particularly at the front where the headlights appear to be the first production examples of a design that Triumph patented earlier this year. If that’s the case, those hoops of LED running lights aren’t framing the main lamps but mark the perimeter of two engine air intakes, with the high and low beam LED headlights themselves set into a small, central unit between the two hoops.
Triumph has added a small winglet running below those headlights, although its size and position suggest it’s more cosmetic than functional.
This is the Street Triple 798 RS, and if Triumph sticks to its existing model range format, that means it’s the entry version of the bike. For the current 765 model, there’s also the higher-spec ‘RX’ version with lower bars and Öhlins forks, and the range-topping, limited-edition 765 Moto2 variant above that, so expect something similar when the Street Triple 798’s production gets into full swing.
How long do we have to wait before finding out more? Triumph says all the details will be released on November 17th.
