“CORNERING IS QUITE
SIMPLY, EXTRAORDINARY
The exhaust note is pleasing – albeit without
the hoarse hack of a barking Ducati, but the
bellow and shriek of it’s song at higher revs is
deeply satisfying.
Since 2007 Triumph has sold around 90,000
Street Triples and it’s not hard to see why, and
I’m predicting this high-spec RS will prove just
as popular in the naked middleweight class.
There is little out there to currently touch it for
road and track days, sport riding at blistering
pace, acceleration and stopping power, ease of
riding, and terrific personality and willingness.
Adding to the story of excellence in engineering
design and delivery, is the quick-shifter, both up
and down, with auto-blipper. From slow roundtown
pottering in first and second, to flat out
screaming track runs, this never missed a gear.
Most shifters are good at higher revs, but some
can be ‘notchy’ as hell, particularly at low speed,
but not on the RS. That shifter is a delight – a
solid, precise and accurate piece of kit that is
pleasure itself to engage. And blisteringly quick.
Further to ‘go-fast’, of course, is ‘stop-well’, and
the current Brembo M50 this is wearing are
among the best brakes money can buy, and they
offer further adjustments for hard track days or
everyday usage. The weather on my test days
varied between sun and rain, but the confidence
these brakes gave me made the weather
irrelevant, and I don’t say that lightly with Diablo
Supercorsas fitted both front and rear. I was able
to trail brake in tight windy stuff and haul up
stiffly in running-hard mode, with beautiful
transitions feeling like magic in the hands. I love
the confidence great brakes offer, and with the
astonishing lightness of the feel of the RS, I
enjoyed total braking freedom on the road.
52 KIWI RIDER