Triumph is once again diversifying its Speed Triple series, with the 2022 Speed Triple RR presented as “The most focused & exhilarating Speed Triple ride ever.” So what’s it all about?
Right away, you can see the styling is much smoother than the super-edgy look that has typified the Speed Triple line in recent years. It’s kind of a mash-up of Triumph’s retro aesthetics with up-to-date mechanical bits, many of them lifted from the Speed Triple RS that debuted in early 2021. Triumph’s marketeers call it a “modern cafe racer.”
This sits atop the Speed Triple lineup alongside the RS model, with flash new bodywork and mechanical bits that make this a halo bike. Right away, keeners will notice the new cockpit fairing with carbon-fibre details along the gas tank. It’s a bikini fairing for the 21st century! When you get beyond the new clothes, you see that Triumph really is taking aim at the hypernaked market, cramming a lot of technology and muscle into this machine.
Taking a closer look, you might also notice the trick suspension. The Speed Triple RR gets fully-adjustable Ohlins forks, with the S-EC 2.0 OBTi system for electronic semi-autonomous compression and rebound damping management. Same for the Ohlins RSU shock in rear.
The brakes are also top-spec, with dual 320 mm floating discs up front and Stylema monobloc calipers. There’s a single twin-piston caliper in rear, with 220 mm disc. The frame itself is aluminum, as is the single-sided swingarm, and the 17-inch wheels are also cast aluminum.
The engine is the same 1160 cc liquid-cooled triple that the RS model uses, with 177 horsepower at 10,750 rpm and 92 lb-ft of torque at 9,000 rpm. There’s a stacked six-speed gearbox, slip/assist clutch, single side-mounted stainless-steel muffler, and a top-shelf electronics package to handle all this power.
The new RR model comes with up/down quickshifter, and five riding modes—Road, Rain, Sport, Rider-configurable, a Track mode that has electro-interference dialed down to the minimum. As is standard these days, there’s a wheelie control feature, and cornering-sensitive traction control, to help you keep everything in a straight line.
Riders control these electronic features through the 5-inch TFT screen and handlebar buttons (“backlit switch cubes,” Triumph calls them). Along with the engine management features, there’s also a leaning-sensitive ABS system (powered by a Continental modulator, with built-in IMU). The TFT also integrates with your mobile device via the My Triumph app. This allows riders to control a GoPro, answer phone calls or manage music playback, or access turn-by-turn navigation (powered by Google Maps).
Triumph gave the Speed Triple RR an all-round LED lighting system, a full keyless unlock system (including ignition, steering lock, fuel fuller cap), and an adjustable cruise control system.
Fuel capacity is 15.5 litres, and wet weight is a claimed 199 kg.
Triumph is pricing the machine at $23,250 in Canada, with availability in March of 2022. As usual, there’s a wide range of accessories available for the bike, including machined trim parts, scrolling LED signals, and weather-resistant luggage.
