Triumph continues its consistent updating program for its Modern Classic lineup with a pair of new Speed Twins for 2025—specifically, the new Speed Twin 1200 and Speed Twin 1200 RS.
What’s new?
The 1200cc Speed Twin came back into the lineup in 2019 (see Costa’s review here), so it was getting to be time to update the platform with new electronics, better handling and a bit more power, which is exactly what we get here. And of course, an updated aesthetic.
Actually, the new bikes don’t look that much different, although keen-eyed owners will certainly be able to tell a difference. The whole point of the Modern Classic lineup is to keep things traditional, so minor tweaks to the seat, fuel tank, headlight, wheels, side panels, etc. are all we get here.
The bigger changes are to the electronics and the engine. Let’s start with the zappy bits, where we see Triumph now moving to IMU-based electronics. That means leaning-sensitive traction control and ABS for 2025 onwards on both these bikes, a much-needed upgrade as this is now standard on high-end machines.
Both bikes also see some internal tweaking that gets an extra 5 hp from the engine. Now, the Bonneville 1200 liquid-cooled parallel twin (with 270-degree firing order) can hit 103.5 hp at 7,750 rpm, with max torque of 82.6 lb-ft. A lot more zip than your old ’60s Brit bike, wot?
That engine has Road and Rain mode on the standard bike; the RS variant also has Sport mode, which comes with a more aggressive throttle response and traction control configured to match. Other changes on the RS model include an up/down quickshifter (first time for a Bonneville machine) and brushed aluminum fenders.
Both bikes are currently listed on Triumph’s Canadian website, so we expect to see them in showrooms soon. MSRP for the standard Speed Twin is $15,495; the RS variant will cost you $18,395, and you can expect to add taxes and other fees to that number as well. Check out Triumph’s website here for more details.
