The next generation Street Triple R, with an enhanced Euro 5 engine update, has all new bodywork, twin LED headlights, shift-assist, Showa suspension, and dealers are ready to take your orders. The machine is the mid-point of the Street Triple range but it's also the lowest spec Street Triple with the 765cc engine.
The last of the Street Triple range to be updated, the Street Triple R has been repositioned as the bottom of the 765cc Street Triples (the Street Triple S is a 660cc machine). The biggest visual change is the dropping of the TFT screen in favour of the old LCD style screen. The LCD units are definitely cheaper being largely a dumb display rather than the active TFT display. This also means that it won't get the Bluetooth add-on unit for communicating with the My Triumph app, and you won't be getting it to link to your phone - not that you're really missing much.
Other visual changes are the revised bodywork and the LED headlights. The bike has gone back to a one-light dip arrangement which saves on wiring costs. At only £8,900 (€9.700 / $10,500) it is £1,400 (14%) cheaper than the top of the range Street Triple RS. Also, don't forget that the previous Street Triple R was £9,300 so this is definitely more affordable.
Most of the work has gone into the engine which is now Euro 5 compliant. Power and torque remain the same as the previous Street Triple R, emissions seem to have increased but that just might be the way they are measured now. Fuels consumption has got better but again this might be how it's measured. Triumph seem to be fitting Shift-Assist (up/down quickshifters) to all their models so it's no surprise that the R has one.
Triumph have realised that there is no room for a middle of the range motorcycle. This lesson has been learned through the Street Triple on sales figures alone. However, it hasn't been a painful lesson as the Street Triple RS is Triumph's best-selling machine. The problem is that the Street Triple R didn't really feature in the sales figures, people either wanted the top of the range or the cheapest option. This is backed up with the changes in the Street Triple range where the RS is still top of the range but the R is effectively the bottom of the range. The S has been relegated to a 660cc A2 Licence model to pick up sales in the learner market.
There is a reason the Street Triple's are so popular, and the R is no less fun than the RS so you should start seeing them around later this year. They are available now.
