TRIUMPH: Speed Triple news

Alan Dowds brings us up to speed…

The Speed Triple first appeared in 1991, and just a few years later the reborn Triumph brand sold its first Speed Triple – a three-cylinder naked roadster with bulldog breed spirit and punchy performance, first produced in 750 and 900 formats. It took its name from the old Speed Twin models of the pre-war period and took its engine and chassis from the ‘modular’ range of bikes that the Hinckley factory launched with. 

The three- and four-cylinder engines in that initial model range borrowed engineering cues from 1980s Kawasaki powerplants, and were designed so that common rods, 76mm pistons, valves, cranks and cases could be mixed and matched to make a range of capacities in short 55mm and long 65mm stroke formats, from the 750 triple to a 1200 four, with 900s and 1000s in between.

The modular range worked well overall, but the 900 Speed Triple was one of the best of the bunch, and the 750 Triple soon was dropped. The 885cc 12-valve DOHC motor was strong and grunty, the streetfighter design was on-trend for the times, and it actually handled well, too. It swept aside the competition – tame nonsense like the Kawasaki Zephyr 750 and Honda CB750 – and arguably created the class that saw the likes of the Suzuki Bandit 1200 – the factory performance super-naked bike.

Over the three decades since, the Speed Triple has been transformed from a parts-bin naked, built from cast-off sportsbike parts, into one of the firm’s highest performance machines. It gained an aluminium frame, single-sided swingarm and modern fuel-injected engine parts from the Daytona 955i superbike at the end of the 1990s, when the first bug-eyed twin headlamps also appeared. Through the 2000s power, capacity and capability soared, before a full redesign with a new chassis and powerplant for the 2010s.

And now, for 2025, it’s a full-on 1200 super-naked design, with the most powerful engine ever built by the Triumph factory – a solid 180.5bhp, with semi-active suspension and track-ready rider aids. But it’s still recognisably a Speed Triple with that single-sided swingarm, a pair of insectoid headlamps and the trademark three-cylinder motor hanging from the aluminium tubular-style frame.

What’s the big news for this latest Triple then? Well, the mods on the 1160cc 12-valve DOHC triple engine are fairly minimal – intake and exhaust tweaks, giving it a few more peak ponies than last year and enough to lift it to 180.5bhp @ 10,750rpm with 128Nm of torque at 8750rpm. Those are good numbers – but are some way off the ultimate loony supernakeds, the 210bhp BMW M1000 R and 214bhp Ducati Streetfighter V4S.

Still, a 180bhp naked bike is far from a dull thing, even in 2025, and Triumph’s given it a chassis and electronics package to help get the most out of it. The big chassis update is the suspension, which now has the Öhlins Smart EC3.0 ECU, with an ‘objective-based’ interface. That means instead of just a matrix of numbers to adjust, you get parameters like ‘firmness’, ‘brake support’ or ‘acceleration support’ to tweak instead, making a more user-friendly set up. The new semi-active control set up looks after the fully adjustable 43mm USD front fork and rear monoshock with compression/rebound adjustment, and there’s also a new steering damper fitment to calm down the front end.

Triumph’s extended the rider aids package for 2025, too, so you now get four-level adjustable wheelie control, independent of the cornering traction, plus a new brake slide control function for use on track, which gives more rear wheel lift and a degree of front end slip to push that bit harder on circuit. Cornering ABS, engine brake control, five power modes and keyless ignition/fuel cap/steering lock, plus Bluetooth phone link, cruise control and an up/down quickshifter all round off the technology nicely.

New, lighter wheels come shod with the finest Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V3 supersport tyres, the wet weight is now 199kg, and there’s a load of new accessories, including an Akrapovic titanium silencer. Price is a solid £17,495 and it’ll be in dealers in April.