While in France a few weeks ago, I had the chance to ride the always menacing Speed Triple 1050 right after sampling the three cylinder delights of the smaller Street Triple R. Back to back rides always produce more immediate and accurate impressions of major personality traits, as well as determining which one you prefer and why.

Ok, the looks work, but does it deliver the goods? Yes, in more ways than you imagined.

Triumph designers wanted the Speed Triple to make a striking first impression, and they succeeded. The naked front end with free standing dual headlights, serious-looking engine, twin-tube perimeter frame, single sided swing arm and stylish alloy rear wheel, cut-off rear fender and high chromed exhaust all combine to the visual impact that says: Here is a bike not to be trifled with!

Ok, the looks work, but does it deliver the goods? Yes, in more ways than you imagined, with great acceleration, efficient behaviour in corners, and, best of all, that special mix of sound and vibrations that come from a three cylinder machine, unlike fours or twins, almost combining the best of both. Oh, add stump-pulling torque for good measure and easy riding at any pace.

Triumph has wisely decided to set its sport bikes apart from the competition by using the three cylinder engine, a happy compromise between the power of high revving fours, and the useful torque of grunty twins at lower rpm, where everyone lives for day-to-day riding.

And with 130 hp at 9250 rpm (Using stringent DIN measurement standards) and 77 lb-ft of torque at 7,750 rpm, there seems to be a direct connection between the throttle and torque – just twist and go at any rpm and in any gear. The clutch and gearbox work smoothly on up- as well as down-shifts, with the clutch not really needed when shifting up a gear in a hurry.

The fully adjustable front and rear suspensions worked well on urban bumps as well as smooth higher speed corners, and my attempts at adjusting preload and damping to reflect my above-average mass paid off with a smoother ride without penalizing high speed behaviour in the corners. In the same vein, the Brembo radially mounted calipers produced rock solid retardation with one-finger squeezes on the radial master cylinder, whatever the speed.

The fully adjustable front and rear suspensions worked well on urban bumps as well as smooth higher speed corners.