2023 Triumph Street Triple 765 RS & R First Ride Review

• Highlights
• What’s New?
• Engine & Performance
• Ride & Handling
• On-Road Performance
• Verdict
• Specifications:

Highlights

• 2023 Triumph Street Triple 765 track & road ride
• More performance, updated electronics, chassis changes
• New Street Triple 765 launch in India soon

The 2023 Triumph Street Triple 765 gets a comprehensive update, with new technology, more performance, and some chassis tweaks. The engine gets a thorough update, with a new combustion chamber, new pistons, higher compression ratio, giving it more performance, and higher peak torque as well. These are all results of learnings from Triumph’s race experience in the Moto2 class, where the Triumph has been the single-engine supplier for the Moto2 class since 2019 with its 765 cc inline triple.

The 2023 Triumph Street Triple 765 gets more performance, new tech, and chassis changes.

According to Triumph, the new Street Triple 765 has become as close to the Moto2 engine’s performance as possible. To test this claim, and sample the new bikes, we head to the Jerez MotoGP circuit in Spain to try out the new Street Triple 765 RS for a day at the track, followed by a full day of road riding both the RS and Street Triple 765 R. The idea is to get a sense of what has changed, and if it has enough to make a lasting impression.

The 2023 Triumph Street Triple 765 is offered in a R variant and top-spec RS variant. The previous S variant is now history.

What’s New?

In a nutshell, the headline changes in the 2023 Triumph Street Triple 765 are more performance, and new technology. The previous generation base model, the Street Triple S, is now history, and for India, we will get both two variants, the Street Triple 765 R and Street Triple 765 RS. Both bikes now get a 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) which powers the lean-sensitive traction control system (with wheelie control) and anti-lock braking system (ABS).

Triumph has introduced learnings from its Moto2 765 cc engine and has completely upgraded the engine of the Street Triple 765.

The Street Triple 765 RS now makes 128 bhp, while the new Street Triple R is closer to the earlier RS with 118 bhp. The RS also gets a sharper steering geometry with a changed rake angle, and gets top-spec Brembo Stylema calipers, fully-adjustable Showa Big Piston forks, and a fully adjustable Öhlins rear shock. The 765 R gets Showa Separate Function Forks, also with full adjustability, but with separate functions on each leg, with a Showa piggyback shock at the rear with full adjustability.

The RS gets Brembo Stylema calipers and a fully adjustable Öhlins rear shock.

The R gets Brembo M4.31 calipers instead of the Brembo Stylemas of the RS and the R comes kitted out with Continental ContiRoad tyres. The RS though gets high-performance, track-ready Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V3 tyres. Both the R and RS come with 15-litre fuel tanks, though the RS has an even sharper rake angle, and weighs 1 kg less at 188 kg kerb weight, compared to the R’s 189 kg kerb weight.

The engine has lively performance and a wide powerband, with a torquey mid-range grunt, allowing superb flexibility.

Engine & Performance

With overnight rain before our track outing at Jerez, we had to pussyfoot around during our first session on track with several damp patches around the corners. But the Pirellis and the revised steering geometry soon came into play, making the new Street Triple 765 RS feel immediately at home, even on an unfamiliar circuit like Jerez. By the second session, as the sun shone through and dried out some of the wet patches, it became apparent that the new Street Triple 765 RS is tailor-made for a track experience. Maximum power on the revised engine is up 5 bhp to 128 bhp, while peak torque is a healthy 80 Nm.

Turn-ins on track with the Street Triple 765 RS are intuitive and feel natural. Handling is pin-point precise and it’s easy to drop in and out of corners.

The revised gear ratios, with a taller first gear and shorter higher gears, make the new Street Triple 765 accelerate harder. The up and down quickshifter is a delight to work with clutchless upshifts and downshifts; the shifts are precise and accurate, and there’s no hesitation in its functioning. It took only a few laps to get into what felt like the right gear around the corners. In all, second gear was used for only a couple of corners at Jerez, while third was enough to scrape the knee sliders around C1, to slow down for a damp patch on C2. By the second session though, confidence in the new Street Triple 765 RS grew, and as the sun shone bright and strong at Jerez, it was time to explore some more knee-scraping shenanigans!

The Circuito de Jerez offers the near-perfect playground for the 2023 Triumph Street Triple RS.

Ride & Handling

With the chassis changes, the new Street Triple 765 has become even more sharper in its dynamics. Turn-ins are sharp, and it’s almost too easy to drop it left and right, and in and out of corners. The added safety net of the cornering traction control offers more confidence, even though in Track mode, cornering ABS function is disabled. By the second session, I was exploring corners carrying more speed, in a higher gear than before, and the flexibility of the triple shone through. The new gearing helps your case, and you can continue at a higher gear, or shift down a cog for some added music!

Some of us were having way too much fun to notice the chequered flag at the end of the fourth session!

After four sessions on the track, it was time to head back into the pits, something we all did reluctantly. In a word, the new Street Triple 765 RS is just phenomenal! Handling is superb, the inline three-cylinder engine has the performance and the sound to complement it, and the brakes will help you stop on a dime! Even for riders who have limited track experience, the new Street Triple 765 RS will give the confidence to make you feel like a hero on a racetrack! After a fantastic day out at the Circuito de Jerez, the next day, it was time to hit the road, with both the Street Triple 765 RS and the R.

On the road too, the new Triumph Street Triple 765 RS is a delight!

On-Road Performance

Our road ride out of Jerez began with the Street Triple 765 RS first. On the road as well, it’s a fun and eager bike. We start selecting Road mode, and after the first pit stop, change over to Sport for the remaining day. The RS gets five riding modes in all, Road, Rain, Sport, a customisable Rider mode and Track. The sound of the triple has been enhanced, courtesy the free-er flowing exhaust and silencer. For me, Sport mode offers just the right throttle response and that entertaining music from the inline three-cylinder engine on the road.

The 2023 Triumph Street Triple R now makes almost as much performance as the last-generation RS, although it’s still lower than the new RS. Peak torque though is the same, and it also gets a standard quickshifter and lean-sensitive traction control and ABS.

The Triumph Street Triple R is no pushover either. It still gets more power than before, and in terms of performance and handling, it doesn’t feel any less than the RS. The 765 cc, inline three-cylinder, 12-valve engine has been tuned to produce 118.4 bhp at 11,500 rpm, while 80 Nm at 9,500 is the same peak torque as the RS. The quickshifter is standard on the R as well, as is the six-axis IMU powering the lean-sensitive ABS and traction control.

If riding on track is not a preference, the 2023 Triumph Street Triple R could be all the bike you need. The added kit of the RS, if budget is not a constraint, makes it that much better.

Verdict

The Triumph Street Triple 765 has always been an entertaining middleweight naked. In my review of the 2020 Triumph Street Triple, the only downside I felt then was the absence of lean-sensitive ABS and traction control. In its latest version, Triumph seems to have not just addressed that, but developed an all-round great bike. With the updates to the 2023 model, the Striple has just upped the game to another level. Yes, the instrument console layout could have been better, with a more engaging rev counter, and on the R, the console looks rather plain, compared to the RS. And the design could have had a makeover to complement the new bike’s performance as well.

The 2023 Triumph Street Triple 765 has set a new benchmark in the middleweight naked segment. Rivals will need a lot more capabilities to compete with this cracker of a motorcycle!

That said though, the new Triumph Street Triple 765 certainly has hit the ball out of the park. After spending a memorable day at the Circuito de Jerez with the new Triumph Street Triple RS and an equally involving day out exploring the Andalusian countryside with both the RS and the R, one thing became clear. The 2023 Triumph Street Triple 765 has created a new benchmark in the middleweight naked segment. It gets more performance than before, better electronics and super sharp handling, making it even better than before. Not difficult to be impressed with and even make a strong recommendation. Yes, it is that good!

The 2023 Triumph Street Triple 765 is a great all-round bike! Superb road manners, entertaining performance, and a lively track companion!

Specifications:

Keyword: 2023 Triumph Street Triple 765 RS & R First Ride Review