New model onslaught continues with active-suspended Speed Triple RS

Last year Triumph’s Rocket 3 Storm became the most powerful street-legal production bike ever to wear the famous name – but its reign has proved short-lived as the Speed Triple 1200 RS has edged ahead once more with a 2.2kW power increase as part of a wide-ranging revamp for 2025.

The power hike takes the Speed Triple from 132.4kW to 134.6kW, sneaking past the 134kW Rocket 3 Storm in the process despite an engine less than half its size. That 1160cc, DOHC triple is essentially the same as its predecessor, but as part of revisions to help meet the latest Euro5+ emissions rules it has a completely new exhaust system, picked out by a much shorter, fatter end can, that happens to be freer-flowing than the previous design. That’s allied to tweaks to the crankshaft balance for added refinement and updated electronics, with the result of 134.6kW at 10,750rpm and 126Nm at 8,750rpm. That torque figure isn’t just larger than before by a 3Nm margin, but peaks 250rpm lower than before, suggesting a broader spread of performance as well as a taller peak.

But the engine changes are just the start. Triumph pairs them to completely revamped suspension based around the latest-gen Ohlins SmartEC3 semi-active suspension. While the part-faired, higher-spec Speed Triple 1200 RR already features Ohlins semi-active kit, that’s the older second-gen system, while the new RS model gets the same third-generation setup found on bikes like Ducati’s latest Streetfighter V4 S.

The system uses Ohlins’ ‘Objective Based Tuning Interface’ (OBTi), which controls an array of parameters including the firmness of the front and rear damping, and the way it reacts to braking, acceleration, initial acceleration, cornering and cruising. It’s all tied into the TFT dash, which also controls rider assists including a new, adjustable front wheel lift control system, engine braking control and, in track mode, brake slide assist that loosens the leash of the ABS and rear wheel lift control to allow more slip.

Speaking of modes, there are five of them – road, rain, sport, track and rider-configurable – all using the bike’s six-axis IMU for cornering ABS and traction control, as well as standard up/down quick-shifting.

Away from the electronics, the bike gets 43mm USD Ohlins forks and a matching monoshock, Brembo Stylema four-pot calipers and a Brembo MCS master cylinder, a new Ohlins adjustable steering damper with updated yokes to suit, and new wheels that are claimed to be lighter than the old ones, reducing gyroscopic forces and sharpening steering. Those wheels, the redesigned exhaust, and a slightly tweaked pillion seat cowl are the visual cues that separate the 2025 model from its predecessor.

The lighter wheels, allied to a weight-saving lithium battery, help offset the extra mass of the semi-active suspension so the new Speed Triple 1200 RS is only 1kg heavier than its predecessor overall, coming in at 199kg ready-to-ride.

Standard luxuries include keyless ignition and unlocking for the steering lock and fuel cap, plus cruise control, and the bike is due to hit dealers in April.