THE SKINNY It is powerful,( as you might expect) predictable and precise, and delivers a solid twin roar out of the pipes. But... I come back to that cranked posture. The tank and the seat are raked downwards on the RS and it shoved my‘ nads hard against the tank and, while I can live with it, that pitched forward position tired me out on longer rides, and my neck suffered a bit of strain. In my case that is an issue. But blasting along, it has lovely smooth power all the way through the rev range and it certainly has a strong top end. Very nice, and that, combined with low end torque that would pull a tractor, means it’ s a corker of a package. At five bucks under twenty seven grand, the Speed Twin 1200RS sits at an attention-grabbing price tag. The upgrades between the RS and the standard bike would certainly cost you more than the ticket price difference to install, and, in my view, are worth the extra. Overall, the 2025 Triumph Speed Twin 1200RS is an excellent machine, has retro charm and sophistication side-by-side, is modern where you want it to be, and rides with all that big twin charm that’ ll put a grin on your face after a shit day. It’ s not a sports bike and no tourer, but it’ s all motorbike. Loyal to the creed. Just as Triumph intended.
60 KIWI RIDER