Speed Twin 900 leads new Triumph models
By Ben Purvis
The best-selling bike across Triumph's 'Modern Classics' retro range, the Speed Twin 900 has been a relatively modest machine ever since it evolved from the Street Twin 900 in 2022. For 2025 it gets a bolder look and updated mechanical parts because the introduction of the hugely popular single-cylinder Speed 400 means it no longer has to act as the entry point to the line-up.
The essence of the bike is unchanged. It still uses the 'High Torque' 900 cc version of Triumph's liquid-cooled parallel twin, putting gout 64 hp at 7,500 rpm and 59 lbft at 3,800 rpm in a conventional steel frame. The engine's changes for 2025 are mainly cosmetic, with redesigned cases and covers for a slimmer, more angular appearance that helps give the updated Speed Twin a more 1970s style instead of the 50s and 60s look of the Bonneville models.
The 2025 model's visual redesign also includes a new headlight and fuel tank, plus new side panels around the throttle bodies, and the entire tail section of the bike is slimmer than before, with a redesigned rear frame, new seat and mudguard.
There are bigger changes when it comes to the bike's suspension. The old model had 41 mm right-way-up Marzocchi forks, but the 2025 version gets 43 mm upside-down Marzocchis, allied to twin rear shocks from the same brand. The brakes are new, too, with a four-pot radial caliper at the front on a 320 mm disc instead of the old conventional caliper and 310 mm disc.
The front wheel is still 18 inches, paired to a 17-inch rear, to give handling and a stance that's not as sporty as the Speed Twin 1200, which has 17-inch rims at both ends, but the wheelbase is shortened from 1,450 mm to 1,435 mm to make the bike more flickable than before. Weight, at 216 kg, is the same as the old model.
While the styling still looks to the past, the Speed Twin 900's electronics are firmly in 2025, with the addition of an IMU, cornering ABS and lean-sensitive traction control. Allied to two riding modes - Road or Rain - and a new LCD/TFT instrument panel.
Speed Twin 1200 revamped with RS variant added
The Speed Twin 1200 is also gaining a high-spec RS variant to fill the gap left by the demise of the Thruxton Café Racer.
Both 1200 models have a revised version of the 'High Power' Triumph twin, upping performance to 103.5 hp at 7,750 rpm thanks to a new camshaft and throttle body. Torque is unchanged but still strong at 112 Nm, peaking at only 4,250 rpm.
Suspension upgrades include new piggyback Marzocchi shocks at the back of the standard Speed Twin 1200, paired to non-adjustable 43 mm USD forks, while the RS uses fully adjustable Marzocchi forks and Öhlins shocks, which also raise the rear of the bike to give sportier handling. The RS retains a sportier position for the bars and pegs and has space to squeeze a quickshifter into the linkage.
Updated Trident 660 for 2025
The spread of high-tech electronics doesn't stop at the Speed Twins in Triumph's 2025 range as the Trident 660 is also getting the same suite of cornering traction control and antilock brakes as part of an array of updates.
As on the Speed Twins, the ABS and TC systems gain an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to give information about lean angles, pitch and yaw to the on-board computer. The 2025 Trident 660 also gets Triumph's Shift Assist up-and-down quickshifter, complete with rev-matching throttle blipper, as standard. The Bluetooth connectivity module also becomes standard, enabling turn-by-turn navigation on the dash and control over music and calls when paired to a smartphone. A new 'Sport' riding mode joins the previous Road and Rain settings.
Mechanical changes are less widespread, but Triumph has changed the forks to Showa's SFF-BP units for 2025 and tweaked the set-up to soften the springs and firm up the damping. The engine output is unchanged at 80 hp and 10,250 rpm, and the torque is still 64 Nm at 6,250 rpm, but it is tuned to meet the latest Euro 5+ approval rules.
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