Triumph Speed Triple review, test ride

And that brings us to the engine. The Speed comes with a 1050cc, fuel-injected and liquid-cooled, in-line three-cylinder motor that belts out 132.7bhp at 9400rpm. No, the Speed is nowhere near the most powerful bikes in its segment, yet when you ride one, you won’t be left wanting for more power. In fact, such is the fury with which this Triumph takes off, you’d need a whole lot of guts to wring the throttle open fully in first, second or even third gear. There’s strong power right from 4000rpm onwards till you hit the rev limiter at 10500rpm. That means you can make short work of just about any stretch of tarmac. Building speed also has the 3-1-2 exhausts let out a progressively deeper, bass rich soundtrack, while scaling back on the throttle has the Speed crackle and pop in protest. The sounds just add so much character to the Speed experience.

Around the corners, the Speed feels a lot lighter than its 214kg kerb weight would have you believe. Direction changes are quick and there’s lots of grip offered by its Metzeler tyres. But to be really honest, you’d need a race track (and a lot of skill) to take the Speed to its dynamic limits. In day-to-day riding, you’d like how rich in feel the ABS-equipped brakes are and how the suspension, though firm, soaks up the bumps well enough. But it’s also in typical riding that you’d wish for a lighter clutch and smaller turning radius.

On the whole, the Speed Triple comes across as a very accomplished motorcycle. It’s fast and involving, just like any good street naked motorcycle should be, yet it’s still quite different in character from its in-line four rivals. Priced at Rs 10.4 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Speed also happens to be among the best-priced litre-class naked bikes on sale in India to date. That and the fact that Triumph Motorcycles is rapidly expanding its footprint in India means there’s little reason for you not to give the Speed some serious thought.    

Nikhil Bhatia