Triumph launches new Speed Triple 1200 RS and Bobber TFC
By Ben Purvis
Triumph's steady flow of new model launches is continuing with the unveiling of two 2025 machines over the Christmas and New Year period in the form of the latest Speed Triple 1200 RS and the exclusive Bobber TFC.
Of the two, the Speed Triple is the more significant addition to the range, with a wide-ranging update that reestablishes the bike as Triumph's highest-performance offering and brings a level of technology unseen on its predecessor.
While the power increase for 2025 is a modest 3 hp over the 2024 variant, it's enough to bring the Speed Triple's output from 177.5 hp to 180.5 hp, jumping ahead of the latest Rocket 3 Storm's 180 hp - even if only fractionally - to make the latest Speed Triple the most powerful mass-produced bike in Triumph's history.
The increase comes courtesy of a new exhaust, part of a set of changes to meet the latest Euro5+ emissions rules, along with revised crankshaft balancing and changes to the engine electronics. The peak comes at the same 10,750 rpm as before, accompanied by a maximum torque of 128 Nm at 8,750 rpm - up 3 Nm and arriving 250 rpm lower in the rev range compared to the old bike.
More important is the addition of new Öhlins semi-active suspension, with the company's latest third-generation SmartEC3 technology. That's an upgrade over the passive suspension of the previous model and even compared to the second-generation Öhlins semi-active kit used on the Speed Triple 1200 RR.
The suspension gives control over seven parameters of front and rear damping, including firmness, acceleration reaction, initial acceleration reaction, cornering and cruising, while the latest electronics package also includes adjustable front wheel lift control and a brake slide assist for track use. Five riding modes, cornering ABS and traction control, and a standard quickshifter also feature in the bike's array of technology.
While the visual tweaks are subtle, the 2025 machine gets new, lighter forged wheels, a revised pillion seat cowl, and an Öhlins steering damper under the lower yoke to mark it out from its predecessor. Inside, a lithium-ion battery helps offset the weight of the new suspension and exhaust, so the new bike is only 1 kg heavier than the old model at 199 kg ready-to-ride.
Triumph has also launched the Bobber TFC as the latest in its line of high-end Triumph Factory Custom models. It's the second time the Bobber has been given the TFC treatment, having originally been offered in 2019, and the latest variant follows a similar route. Changes compared to the standard bike include a 19-inch front wheel instead of a 16-incher, as well as low, clip-on bars and a smattering of carbon fibre components.
Öhlins NIX30 forks and a matching rear shock are allied to Brembo M50 radial calipers, representing a substantial upgrade over the stock Bobber, while the engine map gains a Sport mode alongside the standard Road and Rain settings. Max power is unchanged at 77 hp, as is the peak torque of 106 Nm, but both appear a little lower in the rev range than before.
