2025 Triumph Speed Twin 900 Review – First Ride

Updating a classic with modern suspension and sportier looks

With how advanced today’s motorcycles are becoming, the 2025 Triumph Speed Twin 900 is a breath of fresh air. Triumph’s Modern Classic family is all about honoring the past aesthetically while keeping things modern under the hood, but there’s something about the Speed Twin 900 that honors this balance in as pure a form as possible.

2025 Triumph Speed Twin 900

VIDEO: 2025 Triumph Speed Twin 900

There’s not much to the Speed Twin 900 in the first place, as Dennis Chung covered in his First Look piece. This is where that tricky balance comes in, and most of the changes are in the bike’s styling. Triumph wanted to give the Speed Twin 900 a more sporty stance compared to the bike that came before, and when a motorcycle is as sparse as this, the visual anchor is its fuel tank. The new fuel tank has a longer knee cut out, but it doesn’t raise up as high as before, making it leaner and longer. This moves the bulge of the tank more towards the front of the bike to help achieve the goal of making the styling more forward-weighted visually.

While the tank is the major player, there are other bits that contribute to making the Speed Twin more athletic. Starting at the front, the new wheels are 3.5oz (100g) lighter at each end (so, 200g total) with a new eight-spoke design. The brake disc goes up to 320mm from 310mm, and the Triumph-branded four-pot caliper (sourced from J.Juan) is now radially mounted instead of axial-mounted. The biggest front end change, both aesthetically and mechanically, is the new Marzocchi 45mm USD fork that replaces the right side up 41mm fork from before. Sadly, the new fork does away with the fork gaiters that were so cool on the previous bike. Triumph says spring rates are pretty similar between old and new, but the new fork’s valving has changed a lot for a more controlled ride. 

Behind the tank, the one-piece seat is also new, a little bit flatter, and 15mm taller than before, for a seat height of 30.7 inches – so, not that tall. The seat/tank junction is still narrow, making it easy to touch the ground, but for the shorties out there, Triumph offers an accessory low seat that’s 20mm shorter, making it 5mm shorter than before. However, keep in mind the new seat is paired with handlebars that are 15mm higher and 3.5mm closer to the rider, and the pegs are 6.5mm lower, too. Overall, the rider triangle is much more relaxed than the old bike.

Moving to the back of the bike you’ll find a pair of Marzocchi shocks, now with piggyback reservoirs. Neither front or rear offer any adjustment other than preload for the shocks, so keep that in mind if you’re a heavier rider. Like the front, the rear wheel is new, and it’s bolted up to a new swingarm that’s not only lighter thanks to its aluminum construction (it was steel before), but is also shorter, resulting in a wheelbase 15mm shorter than before.

After that, the visual changes to the Speed Twin 900 are harder to spot. The side pods behind the engine are smaller, and some finishing details around the engine have changed, but overall, I think Triumph have succeeded in making the bike look sportier than before. As for the 900cc High-Torque, 270-degree, parallel-Twin? Well, it’s mechanically the same as last year and hasn’t been touched. That means power stays the same at 64.1 hp at 7,500 rpm (claimed) and 59.0 lb-ft of torque at 3,800 rpm (claimed). Interestingly, Triumph’s own Street Triple makes 59.0 lb-ft of torque. The difference is the Street Triple makes it at 9,500 rpm, which just serves to underline the Speed Twin’s utilitarian purpose.

For 2025 however, the Speed Twin 900 couldn’t totally escape the march toward technology. Now the bike gets an IMU to enable two safety features: cornering ABS and lean sensitive traction control. In addition, there are now two riding modes: Road and Rain. All in all, those changes keep the bike safer, which clearly isn’t a bad thing.  

The question then becomes – what is it like to ride?

On The Road

Sotogrande, Spain – and the roads surrounding it – played host for our ride aboard the Speed Twin 900, and right away I found the relaxed ergos and small stature of the 900 a fitting companion as I overcame my jet lag. There’s the slightest of forward slants befitting the bike’s more sporty stance, and apart from the throaty bark from the 270-degree P-Twin, the 900 seemingly felt anonymous underneath me. Which is what I needed at the moment, as I could get a taste of the fresh air and avert my gaze to Sotogrande’s landscape.

On the surface, a more relaxed rider triangle combined with an overall sportier appearance might sound weird, but it oddly works. The Speed Twin 900 certainly looks more athletic than its predecessor, but nobody’s going to be confusing it for, say, a Thruxton R. It has just enough aesthetic appeal to make it look fresh and new. Meanwhile, the experience from the saddle is anything but punishing. It’s downright pleasant. 

The High Torque 900 engine goes about its business with little fuss. Clutch pull is light and it’s easy to get away from a stop. With all of its torque available so low in the rev range, the engine is really flexible around town and in most daily riding situations. This is the kind of engine you cruise along in and enjoy the sights. It’s not a particularly powerful engine, so ride the torque wave and you’ll be comfortable. That said, it has a decent amount of overrev should you need it.

There’s no quickshifter here, and as much as I advocate for having one, I’d rather have a slick old-fashioned shifter like the Speed Twin’s than a crude and jerky electronic one. Clicking from cog to cog is easy and smooth, and in this case, who cares if it takes a few milliseconds longer to pull in the clutch? That said, first gear feels short and you’re shifting to second fairly quickly. With only five gears at your disposal, it seemed strange for first to be so short. Thankfully, the other four are spaced wider. Still, when I polled the collective group of motojournos in my ride party, all of us found ourselves shifting up and down the gears a lot to stay in the sweet spot of the powerband. You’d have to imagine a sixth gear would help reduce the amount of footwork. 

No, the Speed Twin is not a sportbike, but since its updates were intended with a slight nod towards sportiness, the new fork and shock combo are surprisingly impressive. The overall chassis gives the feeling of being just a little stiffer, more planted, and more composed – all attributes the new fork and shocks get credit for. The revised damping of the fork and shock valves were meant to do exactly this while keeping the spring rate basically the same for overall ride comfort. We did bottom the shocks hitting some big g-outs along our route, but those are extraordinary circumstances, and our overall ride was comfortable while still being composed.

The Speed Twin also benefits from being thin and narrow. This wasn’t necessarily a specific design change, but the end result is the ease at which the bike goes into corners. Couple that with the shorter wheelbase and you have a bike that’s awfully playful when the roads get twisty. You certainly won’t mistake it for a Daytona or Street Triple, but it’s capable of moving at a good clip. That said, it’s a blessing the single brake disc is bigger than before. Stopping power is adequate, and while it’s definitely not dangerous, you won’t be mistaking it for top-shelf stuff. Some on our ride would have preferred more feel from the lever by way of a master cylinder change. 

As for the electronics, we kept our bike in the Road riding mode the whole time because, well, it wasn’t raining and there was no point to use Rain mode. I was a little surprised I never got the front ABS to activate considering its single disc, though. So that’s a nod in Triumph’s favor. But more surprising was the fact I activated traction control – while straight up and down. The group was collectively passing a slower car in front of us, and when it came my turn to pass, I opened the throttle and… not a lot happened. I looked down to see the TC light in the dash flashing. Once it stopped, power came back and I got around the car. The road was dry and there didn’t appear to be anything kicked up from the bikes in front of me to warrant a loss of traction, so I’m stumped as to why TC kicked in.

Closing Thoughts

I’m perplexed about the Speed Twin 900. Triumph didn’t change a lot here other than making it appear more in line with its 400 and 1200 siblings while adding a tiny bit more performance. To that end, Triumph accomplished its goal. Aesthetically, I think the 900 is better looking than before, and the small chassis and electronic updates are ultimately a step in the right direction. Overall, there’s not much to complain about. It works as it should. 

The problem is I don’t see where it slots in anymore. Sure, its small stature and capable engine make it a good choice for shorter and/or petite riders looking for something to graduate to after one of Triumph’s 400s, but overall I wonder if riders who opt for the 900 will outgrow it quickly and wish they got the 1200 instead. Reading various forums suggests this is the case for a lot of riders already on the fence about the previous 900.

Ultimately, however, the Speed Twin is about customization. According to Triumph, over 90% of the Speed Twins sold leave the dealership with at least one accessory. Triumph has a bunch of accessories to turn the Speed Twin 900 into whatever you want, and in no time the aftermarket will too. So, if you find yourself as someone who would be satisfied with the power and performance and would rather take the $3,600 savings between the $9,995 ST900 and $13,595 ST1200 and use it towards customizing your ride, then the Speed Twin 900 is effectively your blank canvas.

In Gear

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