Triumph 1050 SPEED TRIPLE 100 S 2018 — Specifications

Something has changed in the look of the Speed Triple. Not the character, not the DNA of British brute that has clung to it since its birth, but that detail that betrays a profound evolution: two slightly ovalized headlights that fix the asphalt with renewed intensity. Triumph took the time to rework everything in the shadows, and the result bears a new first name, 100 S, as if to signify that this 2018 version fully embraces its ambitions.

Because the context has changed. Today's roadsters are armed to the teeth with electronics and brute power, and direct competition no longer jokes around. Facing the Ducati Monster 1200, the Kawasaki Z1000, or the Suzuki GSX-S1000, the Speed Triple had to set the record straight. Hinckley opened the hood of its 1050 cm3 three-cylinder engine and operated no less than 104 modifications: reworked cylinder head, lightened crankshaft, new pistons, completely revised intake system. The engine emerges from this treatment with 140 horsepower at 9500 rpm and a torque of 111.8 Nm at 7850 rpm, while announcing a 10% reduction in consumption. This is not insignificant when you know that the tank is limited to 15.5 liters. The top speed of 230 km/h is now just a formality; what is more striking is the smoothness of the engine at low speeds, this signature characteristic of the three-cylinder architecture that makes the 192 kg dry weight as lively as a very badly behaved pet.

The electronic trim follows suit. A Ride-by-Wire system now pilots the throttle response, assisted by a new ECU and five selectable maps: Road, Rain, Sport, Track, and a fifth entirely customizable by the user. Each mode adjusts the management of traction control, the ABS intervention threshold, and the throttle opening progression. The whole thing is deactivatable for those who prefer to fight alone with physics. The new exhausts, repositioned under the seat in the traditional house style, offer 70% additional flow and a noise that leaves no one indifferent, even if this high-exit fashion is starting to date.

The chassis, a perimeter aluminum frame derived from the old 955 Daytona, retains its philosophy. The 43 mm Showa inverted fork and the rear shock absorber from the same manufacturer absorb 120 and 130 mm of travel respectively, both adjustable in compression and rebound. Brembo brakes have been borrowed from the R version: two 320 mm discs at the front with radial-mounted monoblock calipers, 255 mm at the rear. This is serious equipment for a motorcycle that targets the experienced rider, comfortable on a 825 mm saddle and capable of handling an engine that demands commitment.

At 12,700 euros, the Speed Triple 100 S positions itself in the heart of a segment that makes no gifts. It doesn't have the Latin sophistication of the Monster or the aggressive temperament of the Z. What it has is a personality difficult to copy: this mixture of British savagery and progressive refinement that transforms every ride into a direct negotiation between the rider and the mechanics. Not a motorcycle for beginners, clearly. But for those looking for a roadster with character and enough electronics to stay alive, the Speed has done its homework.