A few months ago, we broke the news that Triumph was planning to launch the 2020 Street Triple R in India. The launch was delayed by a month and a half (due to obvious reasons) but the bike is finally here, and it comes at a very attractive price.
- New Street Triple R to replace the Street Triple S as the new base model for India.
- Powered by a 765cc, in-line triple that produces 118hp and 79Nm of torque.
- Priced at Rs 8.84 lakh ex-showroom.
The 2020 Triumph Street Triple R replaces the Street Triple S as the base model in the Street Triple range for India and is positioned below the range-topping Street Triple RS. This new bike is much better-equipped than the now-discontinued Street Triple S and also comes with a more powerful engine.
The notable features on offer with the new Triumph Street Triple R include an up-down quickshifter, a fully adjustable suspension from Showa, Brembo M4.32 brake callipers and Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres, as well as standard traction control and ABS safety systems.
The new Street Triple R gets a headlamp and flyscreen that are similar to the RS’ but misses out on the top-spec model’s belly pan. Another big difference is that the R uses an LCD display with an analogue tachometer whereas the RS gets a full-colour TFT display. Finally, the Street Triple R gets three riding modes against the five modes on the RS. It is worth noting that neither of the 2020 Street Triples use an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for its electronic safety systems.
These differences aside, the Street Triple R's 765cc, triple-cylinder engine is nearly identical to the RS, albeit slightly detuned. At 118hp and 79Nm of torque, the power is just 5hp shy of the Street Triple RS, while the torque figure remains identical. Compared to the previous Street Triple S, the new R makes 5hp and 6Nm more power and torque, respectively.
The outgoing Street Triple S was priced at Rs 9.2 lakh ex-showroom and Triumph was expected to try to match that price with the higher specification R model. However, the company has exceeded those expectations by some margin, pricing the Street Triple R at a very tempting Rs 8.84 lakh (ex-showroom). This is also a huge saving over the RS, which is priced at Rs 11.33 lakh.
In terms of competition, the Street Triple R goes up against the Ducati Monster 821, Kawasaki Z900, Yamaha MT-09, Suzuki GSX-S750 and the KTM 790 Duke, all of which are still awaited in BS6 form. Currently, its only BS6-compliant rival is the BMW F 900R, which is priced at a starting price of Rs 9.9 lakh (ex-showroom).
At Rs 8.84 lakh (ex-showroom), the new Triumph Street Triple R has the potential to be king in a very competitive segment, and we can’t wait to see what it’s like to ride on our roads.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
