2019 · Hyper Naked · Buyer's Guide
148 Horses of Triple Soul
The Speed Triple S is built around Triumph's 1050 cc inline three, and that engine is the whole argument. 148 hp at 10,500 rpm and 86 lb-ft at 7,150 rpm arrive with a shove down low and a hard, vocal top half, metered by ride-by-wire throttle maps. Around it sits an aluminum beam frame, fully adjustable suspension at both ends, a steering damper and 320 mm front discs, with ABS, traction control and ride modes fitted as standard. In a class that mostly chases peak numbers, this one leads with character and gets away with it.
Nothing about the way it makes power is peaky, which is why it works on real roads. Upright bars, a slipper clutch and cruise control mean a long day of corners never asks you into a racing crouch, and the fully adjustable suspension lets you set it up for your weight instead of living with a compromise. It suits an experienced rider who wants noise, drive and a chassis that answers back rather than the biggest horsepower figure in the showroom. Honest caveats: at 470 lb it takes effort in a tight garage, the rider aids stop short of lean-sensitive control, and any bike from this year needs its brake pad recall confirmed as done.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 148 hp (110 kW) @ 10,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 86 lb-ft (117 Nm) @ 7,150 rpm |
| Displacement | 1050 cc |
| Engine | Inline-three |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 320 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 190/55-17 |
| Wheelbase | 56.9 in (1445 mm) |
| Seat height | 32.5 in (825 mm) |
| Wet weight | 470 lb (213 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.1 gal (15.5 L) |
| Fuel economy | 45 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Drivetrain
Safety
Swing a leg over and the 32.5 in seat puts you tall without perching you on top of the bike. The bars come back far enough that your wrists stay light in traffic, and the tank is narrow where your knees go. It idles with a hard-edged burble, then fills the road with that triple intake howl once you get past half throttle, loud in the way you want and not the way that wears you down. There's a fine buzz through the pegs at highway revs that tells you the engine is working, never enough to go numb. The riding position is roomy rather than cramped, and the TFT stays readable in hard sun. With 45 mpg from a 4.1 gal tank, the fuel light shows up about when you're ready for a break anyway.
This section isn't my verdict. It's what owners have told me across years of listening: parking-lot talk after a ride, questions at bike nights, and the messages riders send me directly. On the Speed Triple S they line up tightly, with broad praise and complaints few enough to name in a sentence.
The engine leads every conversation. Owners describe torque stacking up from low revs, a top end worth chasing, and a howl they mention unprompted. Handling draws nearly as much comment: precise, planted, agile when they lean on it and composed when the pavement turns rough. Many call the whole package addictive, a bike that flatters them into riding harder. Component quality comes up too, with radial brakes, braided lines and the finish work reading a cut above to people who have owned other machines.
The gearbox is the one consistent complaint. Owners describe a shift action that feels notchy between gears and short of crisp when they push it, though reliability never comes up as an issue. Fewer voices point at the instrument panel, which they see as a generation old.
Brake pad corrosion recall
A voluntary recall addressed galvanic corrosion between the brake pad backing plate and friction material, which could cause the pad to detach, increasing stopping distance and crash risk. Affected VINs had pads replaced free of charge.
Where this Triumph Speed Triple S pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Speed Triple S is actually built for.
This is the bike's home ground. Low-end drive gets you out of second-gear corners without fuss, the chassis tells you what it's doing, and the noise off canyon walls is worth the early start.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
It will do open track days happily on fully adjustable suspension and a slipper clutch. Just know you're bringing 470 lb and no lean-sensitive electronics to a session full of purpose-built machinery.
Made for Barber Motorsports Park · WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca · Circuit of the Americas
On tight, repeating corners the strong low-rev pull means fewer gear changes and more attention on your lines. Upright bars and cruise control make the highway slog to get there tolerable.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2011–2017
Triple Character, Real Grunt
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Triumph Speed Triple S. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Competitor · 2014–2019
The Beast That Actually Works
Roughly $1,800 pricier used than this bike at 7 yr
Competitor · 2014–2016
Hooligan Engine, Japanese Precision
Same Platform · 2019–2020
Triple Fury, Fully Adjustable
Roughly $2,400 pricier used than this bike at 7 yr