Best Middleweight—2018 Triumph Street Triple R

England has always done such a great job being English. That’s why it was so weird when reborn Hinckley Triumph decided during its early years that it would square right up against the Japanese and even went so far as to produce an inline four-cylinder middleweight 600cc supersport.

Hey, all due credit for trying, but success in motorcycling comes from being yourself. Triumph’s move to only twins and triples starting in the early 2000s has resulted in some of the coolest bikes on the market. In fact, the Triumph Street Triple R and its sibling modes the S and RS are the perfect embodiment of historic Triumph values of building light and fun performance bikes with loads of character, but offer a fully modern take.

And this is a middleweight with great virtues. Totally track-ready upright sportbike, swift and comfortable commuter, and at least one staffer can vouch for its 500-mile-day capability. Plus, the Street Triple's three-cylinder soul is eternal. And also flexible: During a Cycle World dyno test, the 2018 Triumph Street Triple R's 765cc DOHC triple made 48 pound-feet of torque at 3,000 rpm and more than 50 from 7K to 11,750 rpm with a 55 pound-feet peak. The 111 hp is linear and beautiful in its delivery. Add in ride modes and traction control and you have a motorcycle for nearly all conditions.

The Triumph Street Triple R shines on a fast road ride. Controls are liquid, steering light, gearbox almost like a semi-automatic but in the best possible way—the bike is a partner and an extension of yourself that makes every ride feel magnificent. Underlying this agility is its 420-pound dry weight, as measured on the Cycle World scale.

There are less expensive middleweight standards and more expensive middleweight sportbikes, but there is nothing that puts so much balanced performance, ease of use, and personality in one package. We pick the $11,200 2018 Triumph Street Triple R model for its upgrades from the $9,900 S model and its savings over the top-of-line $12,500 RS—call the R the most balanced of the balanced.

God save the Queen and her country’s merry band of motorcycle engineers for being themselves and building a motorcycle so expressive, so useful, and with such exceptional performance.