Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS is the People's Choice

The people have spoken and the result is clear: the all-new Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS is the 2021 bikesales Bike of the Year People’s Choice, proudly supported by Shannons.

Launched earlier in 2021, the overhauled naked bike accounted for 18.10 per cent of the votes from respondents to our inaugural BOTY reader’s poll. It beat nine other BOTY finalists to claim the only BOTY prize voted for by the public.

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2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS Review

The People’s Choice award will be followed by the announcement of the 2021 bikesales Bike of the Year winner on December 1, along with two Highly Commended winners. In addition, the inaugural Learner Bike of the Year will be announced on December 8.

With incredible performance, impeccable style, and state-of-the-art technology, the sophisticated Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS was always going to be popular with bikesales readers. But despite being a clear winner, the overall voting was closer than expected.

The ten BOTY finalists were published on October 13, with the People’s Choice poll opening on November 10. It was closed on Monday, with a healthy number of voters having their say.

Behind the Triumph’s 18.10 per cent was the Ducati Multistrada V4 S with 14.33 per cent of the votes cast. Third place went to the Aprilia RS 660 with 12.22 per cent of the votes. The next three places all received at least 10 per cent of the votes, proving how close this BOTY field is.

Voters of the Speed Triple 1200 RS praised Triumph's attention to detail and the imrovements made over previous generations. "The updated design is a game-changer," said one punter, while another wrote that "it is a good all-rounder with serious performance."

The Multistrada was popular thanks to its versatility and vast equipment levels. "A luxury sports tourer with an upgraded engine and electronics," said one reader. "And its made by Ducati; what's not to love?"

Aprilia also got plenty of kudos for its sophisticated, yet practical sportsbike, the RS 660. One reader said that "it is the right size to be fun without being crazy fast", while another wrote that it features "accessible and usable power".

All ten finalists received a respectable number of votes, and this reaffirms the high level that each motorcycle manufacturer is operating at in modern times. The other finalists included the Yamaha MT-09, the Harley-Davidson Pan America, the Suzuki Hayabusa, the BMW R 18, the Harley-Davidson LiveWire, the KTM 890 Adventure R, and the Yamaha WR450F.

In one week's time, the overall bikesales Bike of the Year winner, as judged by our expert team, will be revealed. Stay tuned to find out which bike takes out Australia's premier motorcycling consumer award.