Advanced electronics and high-tech suspension oozes confidence in all riding conditions.

We were just off the southern coast of Portugal to ride the 2025 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS, and the forecast looked grim: Temperatures were in the low teens and there was rain. You’d think that cold rain would have put a damper on testing through winding mountain roads, and perhaps even more so while lapping at the super-fast Autodromo do Algarve, but for me it turned out to be fun — and very informative. What made it both fun and informative was the level of control that is possible in sketchy conditions due to the bike’s advanced electronics package. The bigger news, however, is the Speed Triple’s new electronically adjustable semi-active suspension.

Triumph’s Speed Triple has been around for three decades. It has gone through many changes over the years, while gradually growing in displacement from 885 cc of the original T309 in 1994, to 1,160 cc of the current model, which was introduced in 2022. The Speed Triple has a jewel of an engine that emits a deep, delightfully melodic growl, and produces big-twin-like midrange torque while pulling as hard as an open-class supersport bike in the upper rev range. The engine gets a new exhaust this year, which combines with revised engine mapping to bump output by three horsepower to 181, and torque by 2.4 lb.-ft. to 94.4. Even without this modest increase, that’s big power for
a naked bike that weighs just 199 kg wet. The new engine is Euro 5+ compliant.

HIGH TECH SUSPENSION

While the outgoing model already had a comprehensive list of rider aids, including selectable ride modes (Rain, Road, Sport, Track and Rider), cruise control, cornering ABS and traction control, and a bi-directional quick shifter, the new bike adds configurable engine braking control, and adjustable front wheel lift control (otherwise known as wheelie control), the latter of which I really had fun with at the track. The big change is the addition of Öhlins’ latest SmartEC3 semi-active suspension. It replaces the manually adjustable Öhlins suspension of the outgoing bike, and features fully adjustable, ride-adaptable damping through the bike’s five-inch TFT instrument panel. Front and rear preload remain manually adjustable. 

The suspension utilizes sensor data from several parameters to constantly adjust damping when braking or accelerating, and whether leaned over in a turn or straight up and down. This is the most rider-configurable suspension ever on a Triumph, allowing the individual adjustment of seven parameters: front and rear suspension firmness, braking support, acceleration support, initial acceleration support…