Riding The 2025 Triumph Speed Twin 1200 and 1200 RS In Spain
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They warned us about the goats. Still, it was a bit unsettling to see a chubby little one on the edge of the road, nonchalantly noshing away at the foliage 18 inches off of my line. The goat was just one of the many reminders – tour buses, cyclists, pedestrians, and the occasional hiking group in the – that we were riding in the real world, on the roads people use every day for getting about with their lives.
The island of Mallorca was the perfect place to showcase a performance bike built for the real world. Triumph brought journalists from around the world here to let them sample the new 2025 Speed Twin 1200 and Speed Twin 1200 RS, the latter a hot-rodded addition to Triumph’s lineup.
Both models are upgrades from the prior Speed Twin 1200, and both are designed to evoke the design of the company’s iconic models without imitating them. Both are aimed at delivering performance that is easy to access in a package that is easy on the body. And after 120 miles of endlessly twisting roads, it’s safe to say that Triumph has largely hit its design target.
Tech Briefing
Triumph engineers redesigned the 1200cc parallel-Twin’s engine case covers to save a little weight and to modernize their styling, and while they were in the engine bay, they pumped up the power output another five bhp to a claimed 103.5 bhp. The engine still puts out 82.6 lbs.-ft. of torque. The power peaks at 7750 rpm, while max torque hits at 4250 rpm, and the engine now redlines at 8000 rpm. Both models get cornering optimized traction control and ABS.
The frame remains the same, while the suspension has been altered. The base model comes with a pair of remote reservoir Marzocchi shocks and an upgraded 43mm inverted Marzocchi fork. The shocks have a softer spring rate and more damping. The RS model has a higher-spec, fully adjustable Marzocchi fork and fully adjustable Ohlins remote reservoir shocks. The RS features Brembo Stylema calipers and gets a Brembo master cylinder for the front; both bikes have 320mm front discs.
Engineers also made the RS sharper in the riding position, with the pegs moved rearward 40 mm and up 6.5 mm. This change also allows Triumph the space to install a clutchless up- and down-quickshifter. The RS gets a Sport power mode added to the base model’s Road and Rain modes. The base model gets sporty Metzeler Sportec M9RR radials, while the RS gets really sporty Metzeler Racetec RR tires in the K3 compound, the longevity version of the road-legal race/track tire.
Styling falls somewhere between the hyper-naked machines that have appeared in recent years and the purist recreations of traditional-look British vertical Twins. The exhaust is prominent and large, all the wiring and devices for electronic rider aids have been hidden, and the visual space around the engine remains. But the flat seat, bobbed fender and especially the new side covers evoke much more modern styling cues.
Riding The Speed Twin 1200s
Triumph moved the handlebars forward a bit for both models, and the riding position for each was incredibly comfortable from the moment I sat on them. This was to prove beneficial, as the route included just a taste of city riding and a whole lot of second-gear twisties. The flat bench seat proved supportive, and the vibration from such a big twin was pleasant rather than distracting.
The updated Marzocchi suspension on the base model was indeed comfortable and composed up to more than reasonable speeds. The springs are softer in the rear, while damping was increased. The bike was stable mid-corner, and only approaching triple digits did it start to feel vague and move around.
The engine pulled hard from just over 2000 rpm, with a step in power just above 4000 rpm – right about where the torque curve peaks. The ample torque allowed for a choice of gears in any given corner, and the bike just pulled away with enthusiasm from even tight, uphill first-gear hairpins. And it’s legitimately fast, even though it may seem a bit deceptive. There’s no screaming inline-Four wail, just the thrum of the 270-degree crank engine note, but the speed builds rapidly.
If the base model is really good, the RS takes that a step further. The more refined fork and Ohlins shocks keep the platform stable over ripples and dips that left the standard model moving more than you’d like, and they did so without any major compromises in ride quality. The more rearset pegs were just as comfortable for my 5-foot-10 frame. Triumph needed the space created by moving the pegs back and up for the quickshifter mechanism, which worked reasonably well on upshifting – some of the shifts were abrupt – and which worked remarkably well on downshifts. It is such a luxury to go barreling into a tight downhill turn, hard on the brakes, and be able to just stab at the shift lever for the downshifts instead of coordinating clutch, brake, throttle and shift lever.
Both versions of Metzelers were more than up to the task, and the bike flicked easily and held its line through and out of the corner. In the RS model’s Sport mode, the throttle response was quick and direct, yet still easy to modulate.
It’s easy to see why Triumph picked Mallorca for the global intro of the Speed Twin 1200s. The tight, twisty roads rewarded agility, torque and comfort, and the bikes deliver in those areas. They are entertaining to ride, easy to enjoy, and a pleasure to look at. Triumph says it has sold nearly 20,000 Speed Twins since the line was re-booted for the 2019 model year, and by modernizing the machines, it hopes many, many more find their way into the garages of enthusiasts worldwide.
Suggested retail for the base model is $13,595 and the RS retails for $15,995.
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