The 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS is one serious middleweight naked machine. In fact, it is the same platform that won Cycle World Ten Best Bikes Middleweight Streetbike awards in 2017, 2018, and 2019, as well as its predecessor, the Triumph Street Triple 675, taking Best Standard in 2008. And much of its success is credited to the well-polished 765cc inline-triple that powers it.
For 2020, Triumph reworked the sport-focused Street Triple RS’s engine to increase midrange power while meeting stricter Euro 5 emissions standards. Triumph credits the improvements to revised intake ducts between the dual headlights, a shorter-duration exhaust cam that results in less overlap with the intake cam, and improved flow through the exhaust system, which features a new balance pipe for trio of header tubes. The silencer has also been revised for better performance and a throatier exhaust note, while also incorporating twin catalysts.
Ahead of an upcoming comparison test, we rolled the Triumph Street Triple RS onto our in-house Dynojet 250i dyno, where the RS produced 115.24 hp at 11,830 rpm and 56.15 pound-feet of torque at 9,190 rpm. Note that the torque curve of this inline-triple is admirably flat, meaning that out on the road or racetrack acceleration is strong and tractable from any rpm. But to truly take advantage of the high-revving nature and strong peak power, particularly at the track, means keeping the engine spinning above 9,500 rpm, where output eclipses the 100-hp mark and the engine rips to its 12,500-rpm redline.
The impressive peak output and overall flexibility of the inline-triple engine is a big part of what makes the Street Triple so enticing.
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