00:00Welcome to Cycle World, welcome to Spain, welcome to the launch of two models from
00:04Triumph. These are the new 1200 Speed Twins. We've got the RS and we've got the
00:09standard model and I wish Triumph had given it a different name rather than
00:12the Speed Twin standard model. Maybe it should have been stock or retro but
00:18anyway I digress. What Triumph have done for 2025 is just improve the bikes in a
00:22few areas and given us two different variants. So firstly the engine, it's
00:27familiar, parallel twin 1200 as you'd expect but now it's got slightly
00:31different engine cases, it looks a little bit different but more importantly
00:35they've added a little bit more power so it revs a little bit more and we've got
00:38around five brake horsepower on top of what we had before. Torque remains the
00:42same. In terms of looks I think it looks absolutely stunning and Triumph have put
00:48some real attention and detail. It's got a lovely little new brushed aluminium
00:52fuel cap, new headlight, new Bluetooth connectivity clocks, the single rather
00:57than the twin that we've had before. The engine still looks retro, it's still got
01:01the air-cooled fins even though it's obviously got a radiator. They've got the
01:05really swooping beautiful exhaust, it's a little bit shorter than it was before
01:09and that's an incredibly difficult job because you've got to remember that's a
01:12Euro 5 category exhaust so all the catalytic converter and all the bits
01:16that keep people in Parliament happy that this isn't polluting the world is
01:20all hidden so it still looks like something from the 70s. The side panels
01:24are all new, it's all brushed aluminium, it looks very high-end, it looks very
01:27neat, it looks very well finished and I love the fact that despite this now
01:32having cornering ABS, despite it now having cornering traction control and in
01:37there is an IMU and lots of rider aids and sensors, it's all hidden. There's no
01:43huge plumbing from the radiator, there's no wires hanging around and sensors, it's
01:47very neatly and very well done. Then what Triumph have done is given us two
01:51variants rather than just one variant so we have the standard which is Marzocchi
01:56non-adjustable front, Marzocchi twin shock on the rear, two rider modes,
02:01cornering ABS and traction control, no quick shifter and a very relaxed riding
02:06position. Then we've got the very stunning beautiful RS which is fully
02:11adjustable Marzocchi, fully adjustable twin shocks on the rear, the standard
02:15Triumph branded brakes and now Brembo Stylemas. We get an extra mode, we get a
02:20quick shifter and that extra mode is a sports mode, we can play a little bit
02:24more with the traction control because there's three options rather than two
02:27options. Before you ask, you can't put the quick shifter from that one onto that
02:31one because the riding position where the pegs are further back gives you more
02:36room to add the quick shifter so you can't put the quick shifter on the
02:39standard bike sadly. You can only put it on the RS that's got the pegs further
02:43back and the bars slightly lower. In terms of power, torque, both the same. In
02:48terms of wheelbase and rate control, they're near enough identical, the same
02:52frame, it's just suspension, brakes and a few more electronics. Started off the day
02:57on the Speed Twin 1200, instantly you feel that it's a different bike, it feels
03:01very soft, it feels very comfortable, it feels very relaxed but it's not a
03:05Bonneville. So the Bonneville is really soft and it's quite easy to get to the
03:10limits of the ground clearance, it's quite easy to get to the limits of the
03:12chassis because it's not designed to be a sports bike. This is very different, the
03:16Speed Twin is much more agile, it's got more ground clearance, you can have a lot
03:21of fun, the road biased Metzeler tyres warm up well, work really well, it's an
03:26excellent all-round road bike and after riding it for two, three hours I was very
03:32comfortable, the suspension is very soft, it's very manageable. You can get towards
03:36the limitations if you're braking really heavy into second gear like hairpins, you
03:40have to use four fingers on the lever and if you start to push it, it does feel
03:43a bit soft but then you jump on the RS and the RS feels very different to the
03:49Speed Twin even though it's the same power, it's the same torque and near
03:52enough the same wheelbase and everything, it's just that this feels way more
03:56sporty. It shouldn't do because they've got the same power but when you're on
04:00the RS, the pegs are higher, the riding position is more aggressive, the chassis
04:04is much more sporty, the tyres are much sportier, they're track ready Metzelers.
04:08The ground clearance is even more, even though I never touch the pegs down, it
04:12just feels like you can throw it into the corner, really lean it on its side
04:15and have some fun. It is so much more fun and so much more agile and the brakes
04:20are really stronger. I did get to the limitation of the standard brakes on a
04:24few occasions where I never got to the limitations of the standard brakes of
04:27the Stylemas. I did get to the limitations of the handling of the
04:31standard bike when I was pushing it beyond its design parameters but I never
04:35got to the limitations of the handling of the RS. I think the only way you're
04:38going to get towards the limitations of the RS is if we take that on track and
04:42that might sound crazy but it's more than capable of going on track. I think
04:46that would be a great fun bike, it'd be interesting to see what switches down
04:50first, the pegs or the exhaust. In terms of what that bike can do, it's hugely
04:55hugely enjoyable. Negatives, it's a shame you can't put the quick shifter on that
05:01bike. You can't trim the rider aids, you've either got the traction on in one
05:06of the modes or the tractions off so I can't go like plus 7 or minus 7, there's
05:10no engine braking control, it's pretty limited or basic electronics,
05:16there's nothing too sophisticated, it's pretty simple but then I guess a lot of
05:19people are going to like that because the clocks are pretty simple, the switch
05:22gear is pretty simple, it's kind of bread and butter, it's nothing too fancy, it
05:26does what it says on the tin. In terms of looks, I think it's one of the best
05:30looking bikes in this segment, it looks absolutely stunning, especially in the
05:34orange. In the US the prices are going to be $13,595 for the standard, $15,999 for
05:40the RS. If it was my money, I'd want to go RS because I've ridden both bikes and
05:45the RS is substantially better than the standard bike for me who rides
05:49aggressively and rides sporty. If you don't ride aggressively, you don't ride
05:53sporty, you've got no interest in going on track, then just go for the standard
05:56model but if you do buy the standard model, don't try the RS because then
06:00you'll feel like you're short-changed because you want the
06:03extra rider mode, you want the sporty suspension, you want the grippy tyres
06:06and you want the quick shifter. So it'll be interesting to see which way the
06:09market goes. What's also going to be interesting is to see where this goes in
06:13the competition and how it goes in the US market. I think it's such a cool
06:17looking bike, it's going to be a hit just on looks alone and in terms of
06:21competition, that's a little bit difficult because there are other retro
06:24naked bikes on the market like BMW, the Scrambler, the XSR from Yamaha, Kawasaki
06:31with a Z900 range but I think people who want a Triumph want a Triumph. I think
06:36they want that history, I think they want the brand, I think they want that air-cooled
06:40looking engine even though it's not air-cooled, I think that's what they want.
06:44I don't think people who want a Triumph Speed Twin 1200 are looking at an XSR,
06:50a Yamaha or maybe a Z900. I think they want something retro and individual and
06:55that's what they are. I think the biggest question that most people are going to
06:59have is do I go standard or RS? If it was me, it'd be RS.
07:12So I hope you enjoyed the watch, I hope you enjoyed the viewing, it's been a really
07:16good fun ride. It's one of those bikes that you want in the back of your garage
07:20that you can just throw on jacket and jeans, have some fun in perfect safety
07:24with that cornering ABS, cornering traction control, easy power, easy handling, nice
07:28and easy to ride but still agile and fun. It's the bike that you want in the back
07:33of your garage for those sunny days when you just want to rip it up down a canyon
07:38route. But if you've got any more technical questions about Evo bikes
07:41please find them below and please don't forget to subscribe.
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