2026 Triumph Street Triple 765 RX Review

For one year only, Triumph is bringing out the beautiful 765 RX as a fitting send-off before the model gets revamped in 2027. We grabbed one to go drag a knee at Barber.

Photography by Brian J. Nelson

For years, the Street Triple has been the motorcycle that other middleweight nakeds have chased. Light, sharp and powered by one of motorcycling’s best engines, Triumph’s three-cylinder hooligan has consistently delivered a blend of usability and excitement few rivals can match. But for 2026, Triumph has shifted the Street Triple further toward the racetrack with the introduction of the new Street Triple 765 RX.

This is not merely an appearance package added to the existing RS. The RX receives meaningful chassis and ergonomic revisions for riders who want a more aggressive ride without sacrificing the everyday practicality that has made the Street Triple such a success.

At the center of the RX sits Triumph’s familiar 765cc inline-triple, the same unit that powers the RS and has become synonymous with the Moto2 World Championship.

The liquid-cooled DOHC powerplant produces a claimed 128 horsepower at 12,000 rpm and 59 lb-ft of torque at 9500 rpm, figures that place it firmly at the sharp end of the middleweight class and that we’re hearing will see a sharp boost in 2027 with the arrival of a revamped model.

The three-cylinder layout gives the RX a broad, flexible spread of power that works nearly everywhere in the rev range. Below 6000 rpm, the bike pulls cleanly and smoothly, but it still suffers from that dreaded emissions-induced flat spot, which is sadly a character of nearly all sub-1000cc engines.

Once you burst through that 6000-7000 rpm barrier, the engine transitions into an urgent top-end rush that feels far more serious than its displacement suggests.

Once you’ve got the engine spinning north of 7000 rpm, there’s an immediacy to the throttle connection that makes the RX addictive on track. Drive out of corners is strong, linear and predictable, while the engine’s willingness to rev encourages you to chase the upper reaches of the tacho simply because it sounds and feels so good doing it.

The RX’s is thus (in my humble opinion), the ultimate midsize track engine. The penchant for revs is something earlier iterations of the Street Triple could only dream of, and it’s coupled with midrange torque, making it less tiring to ride than an equivalent four-cylinder.

The soundtrack that accompanies the revs remains one of the Triumph’s defining traits. The intake howl hardens as revs climb, while the exhaust note carries the distinct raspy tone only a triple seems capable of producing, and a British one at that. It has personality in abundance, something increasingly rare in a world of highly refined performance motorcycles.

Unfortunately, low-rpm fueling leaves a little to be desired in standard trim, as there’s a bit too much throttle twist before you get the go juice. I have, however, ridden many tuned/race versions of the Street Triple and know this is something that can be easily fixed.

On the plus side, Triumph’s standard up/down quickshifter continues to rank among the best available on a production motorcycle. Upshifts are smooth and immediate under hard acceleration, while clutchless downshifts remain controlled and precise during aggressive braking zones. It’s a light shift, so you need to be positive in your gearshifts—if you’re lazy, you’ll miss a shift and the lap time will be gone.

The biggest transformation for the RX, however, comes in the chassis package. While the aluminum twin-spar frame architecture carries over from the RS, Triumph has equipped the RX with premium Öhlins suspension components designed to elevate front-end feel and cornering precision. Up front sits an Öhlins NIX30 setup, while the rear receives an Öhlins STX40 piggyback shock, both fully adjustable.

Compared to the RS—a light-footed and quick-steering motorcycle in its own right—the difference in feel to the RX is immediately noticeable.

The RX steers with remarkable accuracy yet never feels nervous or overly reactive. Initial turn-in is quick but with tangible stability, and once leaned over, the chassis remains calm and composed unless you really cock up your cornering.

Perhaps more impressive is the level of feel reaching the rider. Matched to the Pirelli Supercorsa SP, the Öhlins front end on the Triumph delivers clear feedback during hard braking and cornering, inspiring you to brake deeper, turn later, and pick up the throttle earlier on corner exit.

The NIX30 fork and STX40 shock are a proper race setup, and once you get both ends dialed in for your weight, the drop you’ll experience in lap time is rather impressive. The more feel you get, the more confidence will flow your way, and you’ll thus end up going faster. And, let me tell you, there’s nothing more satisfying than ripping around the outside of a 200 hp superbike on a bike with almost half the horsepower.

The RX’s braking hardware is equally high-end. Twin 310mm front discs are paired with Brembo Stylema monoblock calipers and a Brembo master cylinder that delivers outstanding lever feel. The initial bite is powerful but controllable (plus, it’s easy to change the setup at the master cylinder to your tastes). Regardless of that, the Brembo setup, combined with the NIX30 fork and Pirelli rubber, provides excellent feel when trail-braking into tighter corners like the tight turn four at Charlotte’s Web.

Part of why the RX feels so good is the raised clip-on handlebar position. Instead of a conventional upright handlebar for a naked bike, the RX uses clip-ons mounted below the top triple clamp, shifting rider weight farther forward and creating a noticeably sportier stance. It’s like a halfway position between a full race and sporty stance. This change transforms the character of the motorcycle.

It’s probably the most comfortable sport-riding stance I can think of. The riding position gives you more connection to the front tire but doesn’t hunch you over like a supersport machine, and you can carve lap after lap after lap and never get tired. Wrist or back fatigue becomes a thing of the past, which is great news if you’re above 40 and not as flexible as you maybe once were.

For riders accustomed to full-on sportbikes, the RX will feel refreshingly manageable. For traditional naked-bike riders, however, the lower ’bars may require some adjustment.

The seat itself is firm enough to support aggressive riding yet comfortable for a half-hour session at Barber Motorsports Park. At 33 inches tall, it’s a relatively lofty height, although the narrow midsection of the chassis helps you reach the ground more easily than the numbers might suggest.

Like the RS, the RX uses a six-axis IMU to govern cornering ABS and lean-sensitive traction control. Five riding modes—Rain, Road, Sport, Track and Rider—allow adjustment of throttle response and electronic intervention levels depending on conditions or rider preference, but there’s no electronic suspension to have to worry about.

Rain mode softens power delivery and increases traction-control assistance, while Track mode goes the other way, significantly sharpening throttle response and backing off the TC and wheelie-control settings so you can get the most out of your knee-dragging session.

Triumph has always been good at reducing the impact of its electronic interventions, and the RX is no different, even if, at face value, the TC isn’t as sophisticated as some of the competition. It’s not a multi-level system like you’d get on a Panigale. Instead, TC intervention varies with the selected ride mode, starting at the highest level in Rain and decreasing to the least intervention in Track mode. You can also switch it off if you wish. At least with street tires like the Pirellis, the Track TC mode was more than fine, and I felt no need to go into un-electronic waters.

The TFT display has been on the RS for a few years and is easy enough to navigate via the left switch block, but not the easiest to read at speed. Smartphone connectivity is also available through Triumph’s My Triumph system, adding navigation and media functionality for riders wanting additional convenience (but hopefully you won’t need that one on the track).

Visually, the RX carries a more focused appearance than the Street Triple RS. The combination of Matte Aluminum Silver bodywork with red accents and matching wheels gives the motorcycle a factory-built race-bike flavor without crossing into excess. In the metal, it looks awesome.

Details such as the RX-specific seat branding, a beautiful machined top yoke and a teeny-tiny flyscreen help reinforce the bike’s premium positioning at the head of the Street Triple family.

With pricing at $950 above the $13,545 MSRP of the RS, the RX enters territory occupied by several high-spec European middleweights but significantly less than the $17,995 that Ducati is charging for its top-spec Streetfighter V2 S. However, the additional cost is justified by the addition of the Öhlins fork on the RX alone, never mind the paintwork, the machine top yoke, or the clip-on handlebars.

More importantly, the RX delivers a distinctly different riding experience compared to the RS.

The RX is aimed at riders who prioritize cornering precision, front-end feel and aggressive ergonomics over outright comfort. It blurs the gap between naked bike and supersport in a way few current motorcycles manage successfully.

In many respects, the RX feels like a modern interpretation of the much-missed Daytona—lighter, more versatile and less extreme, but still deeply engaging when ridden hard.

After a full day of riding at the glorious Barber Motorsports Park, the RX never feels intimidating or exhausting. That usability remains one of the RX’s greatest strengths and something Triumph has wisely preserved in the RX.

You’ll only be able to get the RX for one year, and the sad part is it’ll probably be outclassed by the incoming machine next year. But that doesn’t make the RX any less special. It’s got some of the best bits you’d ever want on a sporty naked; it looks, sounds and goes brilliantly, and has a personality many bikes lack.

The Street Triple has always been an excellent motorcycle. The RX simply turns the intensity up another notch.CN

2026 Triumph Street Triple 765 RX Specifications

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Click here to read the 2026 Triumph Street Triple 765 RX Review in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.