Rs Stands For Rocket Ship!

OK so I've owned a 2008 Street Triple (bought with 2k miles on it in 2011 and converted it to an R), then sold it in 2012 and drove a ground ship (BMW GS) for 7 years, and now have the 2019 Speed Triple RS.

I never found myself in the upper RPM of my Street Triple except for those rare occasions, and it usually was a mix of grinning and flinching as I looked for flashing lights in my rear view mirror (just in case I'd accidently gone over the legal speed limit). What exactly does one need those high end RPM's for, on any legal road, except to get out of the way fast when/if needed.

So jump forward from the 108 ponies of the 2008 Street Triple to the 128 of today's Street Triple and you might not think it's a big difference, but it's nearly 20%! (it idles at 20mph you say?) Next, then strap yourself into the Speed Triple's 148 hp (it has a seat belt right?), and I dare you to go over 8k rpm and not feel as if you're trying to catch SpaceX's latest launch velocity.

Then it dawned on me. RS stands for Rocket Ship!
(prove me wrong)

Just for the record: I don't care about the highest HP on a naked sports bike one bit, they're all close to each other in any practical sense. So it all boils down to looks (again prove me wrong). Aprilia Tuono / KTM Super Duke 1290 / BMW S1000R you wish you had the looks of a Triumph. We all know a Rocket Ship when we see one.

Go get your own Rocket Ship!, Street Triple RS or Speed Triple RS (or a Rocket III of course), and you too can support SpaceX's research efforts!

(I have no affiliation with Triumph, I'm just an enthusiast).
(We won't talk about the distant past (Honda Hawk 650GT), but it deserves honorable mention).
(SpaceX is cool).

 

It definitely needs a seat belt.