Triumph Street Triple 765 RS: bikesales Bike of the Year 2023 finalist

The more valid question is: how can the Triumph Street Triple 765 RS not be a BOTY finalist?

Since its release in 2007, Triumph’s mighty middleweight has consistently remained in the top echelon of naked sports bikes – across the full capacity spectrum – with its superb inline triple performance, tactile, razor-sharp handling and the ability to push insane, impossibly enjoyably motorcycle riding limits.

Even commuting is a hoot, which means the Street Triple 765 RS is a consummate professional across just about every motorcycle deliverable – from public roads to racetracks.

The Street Triple 765 RS is the mid-spec model in the updated line-up, bookended by the base 765 R and the flagship Moto2 Edition, which is a naming nod to Triumph supplying engines for the intermediate Moto2 world championship class.

That high-level racing experience has already filtered down to the new 765 via a slew of engine updates, which is a major part of the reason why the Street Triple 765 RS is such a powerful motorcycling presence.

People who enjoy a beautiful inline triple induction roar!

The aural sensation aside, the 765 RS’s enterprising attitude is its calling card, to the extent that it really is hard to see anyone taking umbrage with what the bike delivers in terms of road presence and performance.

Even the most discerning motorcycle rider would struggle to pick holes in the 765 RS’s body of work. That said, some riders are still wedded to the erroneous assumption that real naked zest doesn’t kick in until 1000cc and above. The Triumph makes a mockery of that claim, but egos are egos…

Even though it’s an accommodating machine in so many ways, the Street Triple 765 RS really thrives off being ridden with maximum attitude and purpose – and it repays those inputs with a stupid number of fun tickets.

For some, that may be a little too much to bear, but at such a keen price the Triumph is simply too hard to ignore.

The $20,590 ride away price is more than competitive when you consider the 765 RS’s superb execution across the key metrics: technology, performance, handling, stopping and ergonomics.

Changes are aplenty in the latest 765 RS, including a host of engine updates to increase output by 7hp (to 128,2hp) as well as shorter gearing, a closer-ratio gearbox, the addition of clutch-less downshifts, new Brembo Stylema brakes, a flatter and wider handlebar, and nose-down-promoting styling tweaks.

Electronics haven’t gone untouched either, with a new IMU featuring cornering ABS, switchable (cornering) traction control and front wheel lift control.

Our racing man, Cam Donald, was the logical choice to attend the local launch of the 765 RS, which included at a track day at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia.

It’s a doozy of a track, and Cam felt like a Moto2 pilot from the get-go. But once he had coaxed himself back into reality, he said this: "The engine enhancements, combined with shorter gearing and a closer-ratio gearbox, give the power delivery a noticeable improvement in urgency.

"Steeper steering finds you able to flick the bike from one direction to the next regardless of the speed you are carrying.

"I can’t find enough superlatives to describe how well the new Street Triple works. No matter how hard I pushed, the RS never felt anything but rock-solid stable and in control. I never felt the ABS or TC intervene yet I was pushing to a limit I wouldn’t have thought possible on the previous model.

"What Triumph has done with this bike is commendable. In a naked, road-rider friendly format is a bike that delivers on-track performance far beyond what anyone could expect."

Price: from $20,590 ride away
Engine: 765cc in-line triple
Output: 128hp (95.6kW) at 12,000rpm, 80Nm at 9500rpm
Transmission: Six-speed
Weight: 188kg (wet)
Seat height: 836mm
Fuel capacity: 15 litres