The 2017 Triumph Street Triple 765 and Moto2 Racing

Eighteen months after it was revealed that Triumph was planning to replace its Street Triple with a range of near-800cc machines, the British motorcycle manufacturer has done exactly that.

The new line-up sees the motorcycle upped from 675cc to 765cc thanks to a 1mm increase in stroke and a 4mm wider bore, with a new crankshaft and pistons. For 2017, the Triumph Street Triple R gets 86kW from its 765cc engine, up from 78kW last year. And above it in the range sits a new Street Triple RS with 90.5kW, again from a 765cc powerplant.

While the new motorcycles look familiar, and indeed have much the same chassis as before, there’s a new swingarm and reworked styling that includes new lights, side panels and a revised tail, as well as a new bellypan on the Triumph Street Triple RS model.

All version benefit from improved specifications. Even the base motorcycle gets ABS and switchable traction control as well as Road and Rain riding modes from a ride-by-wire throttle set-up.

The Triumph Street Triple R version gains an extra Sport mode and a customization rider-adjustable mode. It also gains a color flat-screen display instead of conventional dials, providing a vast array of information from an improved on-board computer. A five-way joystick on the handlebars controls the screen, while the indicators are now self-canceling.

The range-topping Triumph Street Triple RS has all the above plus a further Track mode. It also gains a quickshifter.

The three motorcycles differ when it comes to running gear. The Triumph Street Triple base model sticks with Nissin calipers and Showa suspension with adjustment only on the rear preload. The Triumph Street Triple R model has fully adjustable Showa suspension at both ends and Brembo radial brakes, while the Street Triple RS gets a Showa Big Piston fork, plus an Ohlins shock and Brembo M50 Monoblock calipers.

The new 765cc triple-cylinder engine is understood to be the basis for the engine Triumph has reportedly agreed to supply to Dorna for the Moto2 championship from 2019 onwards. The move away from Honda power is no surprise. The Japanese firm will soon discontinue the CBR600RR, the motorcycles that donates its engine to Moto2. With no 600cc supersport motorcycle in its line-up, Honda would see little benefit in continuing to supply engines.