2023 Triumph Street Triple 765RS: 5 Things You Need To Know

The definition of a sleeper, know these 5 things about it before you buy

Being the sole engine supplier to a race series has its benefits. The big one being able to incorporate changes into the harshest environment possible and get feedback from 30 of the best test riders in the world. And when you get a general consensus that whatever you’ve done was a step in the right direction, it’s easy enough to incorporate those changes (or versions of it) into the motorcycles you and I can buy at the dealership.

This is the case for the latest revamp of the Triumph Street Triple 765RS. Triumph took the top end updates first tried in Moto2 and gave them to the masses in the shape of the new Street Triple. The result is a 765cc Triple with more power – and who doesn’t want that? So nice is this new Triumph that we knew it had to be included in our recent European Middleweight Nakedbike Shootout, where it even won top honors from Yours Truly and came in second overall.

Don’t want to bother reading the whole shootout? Then here are 5 things you need to know about the 2023 Triumph Street Triple 765RS.

Effortless Performance With Smooth, Telepathic Power Delivery

All of our testers agree: The Triumph Street Triple 765 is incredibly easy and effortless to ride in various scenarios, including commuting, tackling canyons, and even on the track. On that last point, some bikes make you work to achieve a fast lap time. With the Triumph, I achieved the second-fastest time of our test on it and I felt like I wasn’t even pushing that hard. That’s always a nice feeling.

The 765cc engine of the Street Triple, derived from Triumph's experience as the sole engine supplier for Moto2, delivers 114.2 horsepower and 54.4 lb-ft of torque on our dyno. More importantly, the power comes on smooth and linear – though it’s awfully quiet, contrasting it with other bikes that may have a more raucous or loud engine (cough MV Agusta cough). The connection from the rider's right wrist to the back tire is telepathic, emphasizing the ease of control and modulation, and the factory quickshifter and autoblipper is smooth as buttah in either direction. Some might call this level of refinement boring (and one of our testers did), but none of us denied that the Triumph provides a seamless riding experience, no matter your experience level.

High-Quality Braking System

The Triumph Street Triple features Brembo Stylema calipers and an MCS 19/21 adjustable master cylinder, earning high praise from all of us for its excellent braking performance. The master cylinder, in particular, is highlighted for providing exceptional lever feel and confidence during trail braking. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the standard brake pad choice Triumph made, as its soft initial bite is the safe choice for the majority of street riders, but by that same token, more experienced riders would likely enjoy a more aggressive pad upgrade.

Comfortable and Plush Ride

We’re not always riding like maniacs, and in those more sane times, one starts to take comfort more seriously. In this case, the Street Triple offers a comfortable riding experience. The seat is well-padded and plush, and the bike's adjustable suspension allows riders to customize their setup. Despite some manual adjustments required, the overall comfort is a highlight of the Street Triple’s riding experience.

Awful Dash Display

It’s not all roses for the Triumph, as one notable downside is the dash display of the Street Triple. We all criticized it for being confusing and hard to read. Despite having a TFT display with multiple layout choices, none of the options are intuitive, and the tachometer design is particularly annoying. Sure, you’ll come to learn how to read the gauges over time if this were your bike, but that doesn’t excuse Triumph for making an awful dash display (four of them, actually) in the first place.

Amazing Value

The dash is a pretty egregious blunder in our opinion, but it’s really the only notable blemish on the Street Triple’s otherwise amazing rap sheet. One of the best do-it-all bikes in its category, the Street Triple 765RS is an incredible value at just $12,595, the least expensive of the four bikes we tested. You get a lot of motorcycle for the money, and with the cost savings you have compared to the Italian machines, you could make some big upgrades to the bike and still come away with change in your pocket after it’s all said and done.

By Troy Siahaan