Triumph Street Triple 675 Naked (2007 - 2017) review

Nothing radical in the concept – it’s a de-frocked, upright 675 Daytona – but the execution and result is the model for every other naked. The original 2007 Street Triple was facelifted and updated in 2013, and remains good-looking, effective and purposeful today. the ‘R’ version has higher spec multi-adjustable suspension, radially-mounted front brake calipers and cosmetic mods. This new Rx version looks even better thanks to swoopier Daytona seat unit and standard-fit bellypan and flyscreen.

The Rx’s riding position is the same as the ‘R’ and standard Street Triple, with straight bars and revised pegs to give a semi-upright, ‘roadster’-style riding position that’s comfortable and roomy enough for all and yet still has enough of a sporting attitude to satisfy. The Daytona seat unit makes little discernible difference to the Rx and the seat height is unchanged, but the flyscreen improves things by reducing windblast a tad and the standard pillion seat cover is a nice addition.

The stock Street Triple has proved one of Triumph’s biggest success stories and it’s easy to see why: not only is it head and shoulders above its rivals and great fun, it’s impressively versatile, too. The lack of a fairing and its middleweight sports roots limit long distance and two-up ability, admittedly, but otherwise the Triple does it all with aplomb: commute, traverse city traffic, keep up with sports bikes on A-roads and, especially in this R/Rx trim, it has the handling and brakes to make a decent trackday machine, too.

In the middleweight roadster class, this is pretty much as good as it gets; only MV Agusta’s much more expensive Brutale 675 comes close. The gorgeous 675cc triple is good for 105bhp, and with an impressively flexible midrange, it's enough both to entertain and to keep up with much bigger bikes; yet, at the same time, it's not too intimidating as a first big bike. In this Rx trim, the Street Triple also has Triumph’s slick quickshifter, for even faster, smoother gearshifts, as standard. The Rx’s uprated brakes, meanwhile, are truly stupendous and classy.

Again, as the Rx is effectively a special edition ‘R’, it gets the same fully adjustable suspension as that bike front and rear, along with its slight weight loss over the standard bike. The result is simply phenomenal. All Triumphs have a good reputation for handling and the lightweight Street Triple was already among its best, but the R and Rx take things up another level. The ride is slick, sophisticated and completely controlled, while its steering, balance and precision are among the best anywhere.

Although more expensive to buy and more performance-orientated than many middleweight all-rounders, at the end of the day the Street Triple Rx is still a lightweight 600, so it remains cheaper to run than most. Consumables' consumption (fuel, tyres, pads etc) is reasonable, albeit higher than some, as this is a performance machine, but overall there’s nothing here to be alarmed about. The Rx is no budget bike, but nor is it a demanding, expensive superbike, ether.

The base 675 has been around since 2007 and, with one significant update (mostly to the cycle parts and ancillaries) in 2012, is now pretty refined and proven. It’s also shown itself to be fairly robust and reliable. There have been a couple of minor recalls for rectifier issues and some reports of the new-shape headlights (after 2012) cracking slightly, but on the whole, it’s been very reliable. We’ve no reason to suspect that this Rx version, although new, will be any different.

Like the other Street Triples, the Rx comes with Triumph’s standard two years/unlimited mileage warranty. Minor services are due at 6,000 miles then again at 18,000 etc and should cost between £150 and £200, while major (valve clearance check) services come at 12,000 miles, then 24,000 etc and should cost £300 upwards.

Although the standard Street Triple is quite basic, in Rx trim it’s pretty impressive. Not only do you get the R’s multi-adjustable suspension and sophisticated brakes, there’s the Daytona’s sleek tail unit, complete with pillion cover, quickshifter plus flyscreen and belly pan, which are normally extra-cost options. Better still, Triumph also has a big selection of further optional extras available, including Arrow exhausts, cosmetic bolt-ons and more.

In short, although now slightly ageing, Triumph’s Street Triple is far and away the best middleweight naked, and this new Rx is the best version of it yet. It’s a hugely engaging yet still practical ride for both experienced riders and relative novices alike; it's stylish, well-equipped (with masses of further options for personalisation), decent value and British as well – what more do you want?