Triumph is teasing its new Speed Triple 1200 RS. It looks mean and scary, and I thought it just needed a little affection until I read it’s rumored to have 178 horsepower.
This thing will be downright terrifying. Just listen to it:
Well, it’s terrifying when you consider the numbers the bike’s screaming mill is working with. The displacement of the new inline triple-cylinder engine will reportedly be 1160cc, good for 178 HP and 92 lb-ft of torque, per Asphalt & Rubber. The bike is also expected to shed some weight in this new iteration, dropping to around 376 pounds.
That’s an increase of 30 HP and a decrease of 40 pounds from the outgoing model. The prior model’s 1,050cc engine produced 138 HP, and the bike weighed in at 416 pounds. Maybe that’s why Triumph is not going into this announcement quietly.
Try to imagine how that much horsepower on a machine like this feels. I think If I were to go wide-open-throttle on the new Triple — which should be called the Speed Trippple now, to warn riders of its absurdity — I would probably hit warp speed.
The images Triumph released show a handsome bike, even if I’m not particularly a fan of the transition the fifth-generation Speed Triple underwent, trading its bug eye headlights for fox eyes. Sorry, but the Speed Triple’s design unquestionably hit its peak right here:
I can only hope that a bike this outrageous will draw the attention of Tom Cruise like a tractor beam. Maybe we’ll get to see the Speed Triple reprise its role in the Mission Impossible franchise and watch with glee as the immortal Ethan Hunt rides away from an explosion. Except this time the explosion is not caused by heavy weapons but by the air pressure from this monster moto’s exhaust.
We will know for sure the official specs when Triumph unveils the Speed Triple 1200 RS in a little less than a week, on January 26.