First Ride: 2011 Triumph Speed Triple - Redefined Attitude

I'll admit to being a little surprised when reading the spec sheet to find the new Speed Triple doesn't have a slipper clutch, as many of the more serious rivals in the class have. But my repeated efforts to provoke rear wheel chatter by grabbing downshifts (to the point of having the shifter lights flashing on the heavily revised multi-function dash) came up short - and yet there's still plenty of engine braking to help you stop. "We worked very hard to resolve this, to eliminate rear wheel chatter under braking," says the Speed Triple project's test rider, Felipe Lopez. "It took a lot of time to get right, but eventually we did it on the electronics monitoring the servo motor adjusting the idle control." This saves Triumph the extra expense as well as the weight penalty of fitting a slipper clutch.

Saving weight was a key issue for Triumph's engineers in developing the new Speed Triple, especially in terms of reduced unsprung weight as well as gyroscopic benefits to handling and acceleration. The new cast aluminum rear wheel shod with a 190/55 Metzeler Racetec KR Interact tire is an amazing 3.3 pounds lighter than on the old wheel/tire package, in spite of being upsized to a wider 6.0-inch rim instead of the 5.5-inch previously used, which in turn wore a narrower 180-size rear tire. Same thing up front, where the whole front wheel assembly is 3.1 pounds lighter, partly thanks to the 0.5mm-thinner brake discs employed, as well as the lighter wheel and Metzeler rubber. The benefits are definitely noticeable in terms of quicker, lighter steering in tighter corners in spite of the wider rear tire, especially when you have a sequence of turns in succession.

But it's done that while at the same time delivering a bit more power and a lot more grunt than before, in spite of the engine architecture remaining essentially unchanged, with the same 1050cc liquid-cooled 12-valve DOHC three-cylinder engine. The motor is Euro 3-compliant thanks to a repositioned single catalyzer that's now tucked in tight under the motor rather than the previous pair in the oval-section underseat silencers. This moves weight further forward, but also by moving the catalyzer closer to the exhaust ports, you're able to reduce its density for improved flow and reduced weight - one reason the whole exhaust system is also 2.2 pounds lighter than before. Internally, the only real change is a focus on reducing pumping losses and thus internal friction by enlarging the crankcase cylinder cavity ventilation holes from 30mm to 38mm, while the airbox filter area is 10 percent greater for increased airflow.

This refined powerplant delivers a claimed 133 horsepower at 9400 rpm, just five horsepower more than before - but there's a huge eight percent increase in maximum torque to 81.9 ft-lb at 7750 rpm. This not only addresses the loss in midrange punch that resulted from meeting Euro 3 requirements four years ago, but the shape of the torque curve on the new Speed Triple is unbelievably flat. It pulls practically right from the 1300 rpm idle, accelerates from wide open throttle at just 2000 rpm, and runs without a glitch all the way to the 10,500 rpm rev-limiter. No one in their right minds will need to rev that high; just surf the waves of smooth, supple grunt available at almost any rpm, and shift somewhere around 9000 rpm. That'll put you right back in the fat part of the torque curve between 6000-8500 rpm, where the surge of performance will keep the Speed Triple accelerating hard, accompanied by the trademark muted howl from the three-cylinder motor. Together with all the handling improvements - which the more linear new link for the fully adjustable Showa shock offering 130mm of travel plays a key role - the result is a very satisfying bike to ride, both dynamically and musically.

The new Speed Triple's slightly smaller 4.6-gallon fuel tank actually gives an improved range of around 170 miles, thanks to a claimed six percent improvement in fuel economy. The low fuel warning light is still hopelessly pessimistic, and comes on when you still have at least 1.6 gallons left to use. Fortunately, the all-new instrument dash features an analog tachometer to the right of the LCD with digital speedometer with twin tripmeters, coolant temp, various trip, speed and fuel consumption functions, fuel gauge, clock, and on-board diagnostics. Across the top of the dash is the usual row of shifter lights whose sequence can be set according to rider preference - though the one thing you can't alter is the 10,500-rpm rev limiter. The system is programmed to accept Triumph's optional TPMS tire pressure-monitoring system, and Triumph's first coded-key immobilizer system is now a standard feature on the bike.