2019 BikeWale Track Day: Triumph Street Triple RS

Performance

One warm up lap later, the Street Triple RS was ready to hit the long straight and unleash its 121bhp of raw power. And when it did, it reached the C1 in no time, but things were still under control. The Brembo M50 monoblock setup at the front kills the speed effortlessly and with no trouble. In fact, this setup lets you brake late and harder –a perfect opportunity for a racer. The strong mid-range, coupled with the incredible throttle response, lets you pass the C1 with a big smile on the face. 

Until about 6000rpm, the RS behaves like a sober animal. But post that, the brawny sound of the engine and the ever increasing speed makes things quite elating. As the rpm jumps to its max limit, it feels as if things are getting a bit frightening, but then reality cuts in like a ray of sunshine. The reality that this is an RS I am riding and it will take care of me and it always did.

There’s the quickshifter that is precise as hell. It just takes away a big portion of your focus and effort which can be put to use somewhere else. The corner exits are simply fantastic on the Street Triple RS. The massive 180/55 contact patch at the back, linear throttle response and the oodles of torque means you can start using the throttle fairly early. A few comfortable laps later, I started exiting the corners a bit too aggressively than I do usually. The RS, without any drama, got through such situations with ease – thanks to all those intelligent gadgetries.

Handling

Firstly, the Street Triple RS doesn’t feel like a middle-weight bike at all. It has all the proportions from the segment, but once on the saddle, it feels more like the KTM 390 Duke. And that means throwing it around the corners feels easy-peasy. The aluminium twin spar chassis combined with the super grippy tyres basically spells outstanding fun on the corners. 

While the RS has the proper road-biased ergonomics, the British brand has also made some space to go in line with the track theme. It’s easy to tuck yourself in. There’s great space to move around, especially when you are about to attack a corner.

The Showa big piston forks at the front and Ohlins at the back, which are fully adjustable, amp up the track feel. This setup works extraordinarily well and evens out some of the bumpy section of the track.

It’s next to impossible to screw up on this bike. The traction control system is an intelligent one. But for noobs like me, the sport mode was where the majority of the time was spent. Here, the track control engages a bit later, that results into more wheel slip. But I did use the track mode for a few laps, and my god, what an experience it has been!

Track Goodness

The Triumph Street Triple RS is THE bike to buy in today’s modern world. While most of the bikes chosen for this event are pure road bikes, the RS can claim to be a hybrid. Why hybrid? Because this Triumph can be ridden like a normal bike in the ever growing city traffic, and when the urban life is about to give up on you, just bring the RS to a race track and live life in the speed lane! 

The RS has all the necessary ingredients to go fast on the track. All you have got to do is just trust the bike, and its host of electronics. In fact, it’s so good that it made an amateur like me look great on the track. You don’t believe it? Check out the photo gallery section and be amazed!

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi