Triumph at EICMA 2026 with the Street Triple 798 RS

It's 9:02 am at EICMA 2026 in Milan, and I've almost got the hall to myself. The other visitors haven't arrived yet, so I can get closer to the bikes than I ever normally can at this show. My walkaround starts at Triumph, and the very first look around shows that the Brits are pulling out all the stops this year. At the back, all the new models stand on a podium, while up front Triumph has put the new Street Triple 798 RS on display separately. On top of that, there's a little Bonneville with just one cylinder, a new Tiger 900 and the revised Tiger 1200. Between the smallest and the biggest bike on the stand, an argument breaks out in my head that I've been having with myself for years and never win. Honestly, though, I'm looking forward to both.

The Street Triple 798 RS is completely new, and it makes no secret of what it was built for. In terms of bore-to-stroke ratio, the 798 cc triple may be reminiscent of the familiar Trident 800 engine, but it plays in a whole different league. It was developed for the 2027 Moto2 season, where Triumph has been the sole engine supplier since 2019. According to reports, Triumph product chief Steve Sargent already made it clear back in August that it is categorically not the Tiger Sport 800 engine. So people out there are racing with this engine, and officially Triumph is sending the new Street Triple 798 RS into the 2027 Supersport World Championship with Renegade Triumph Factory Racing. Power, weight and price are nowhere to be found on the stand yet. The technical data won't follow until 17 November 2026. So if you're waiting for numbers, you'll need a few more days of patience.

Even without a spec sheet, you can tell the Street Triple is de facto a race bike dressed as a naked bike. Up front sit Brembo stoppers, the exhaust has moved under the engine, and the massive swingarm looks like absolutely nothing is going to flex there. Aluminium galore, a treat to look at. Up top it carries the familiar Street Triple styling, but now the wind can whistle through between the panels. A powerful LED face stares at me from the front, plus an additional headlight that will probably make the thing really bright. The aerodynamic elements of the front carry through all the way to the tail. I think it looks insanely good, this is going to be a crazy upgrade. I'm pretty sure it will strike fear and terror into the naked bike class on race tracks. I'm already looking forward to the launch and the test.

Then there's the Bonneville T40, the little Bonneville. A 400 cc single with 32 hp, and according to reports it's the very first Bonneville with only one cylinder; all previous ones had parallel twins. As far as I know, the engine isn't quite the same as in the other 400s it was given more character for the Bonneville. Its 36 Nm arrive at 5,000 rpm, the frame was built specifically with a rear end for twin shocks, and the T40 is A2-compliant as standard. Officially, it comes with a round 4-inch TFT with map navigation, five riding modes, cornering ABS, cornering traction control and cruise control. But I don't even need to look that closely. Small bikes, light and reduced to the essentials, always get a massive sympathy bonus from me. I'm into it straight away. There's no German price yet; it'll be at dealers from spring 2027.

With heavy beasts like the Tiger 1200, on the other hand, I've become extremely sceptical these days. But first, the new Tiger 900, again as GT and Rally Pro. There isn't much data yet; Triumph will only announce it over the coming weeks. Officially confirmed are a revised frame, intelligent rider technology and next-generation connectivity as standard. On the stand, I get the impression that quite a bit is new in the electronics too, and that the front end has been redesigned, on the GT as well as the Rally Pro. On the Rally Pro, I take a quick look to check whether anything dramatic has happened with the wheels. It hasn't: the Tiger 900 keeps rolling on the big enduro sizes. And from now on, exactly these wheels are reserved for the 900s. That's the real statement on this stand, and it mainly concerns the big sister.

Because with the Tiger 1200, displayed as GT Pro and Rally Pro, the matter is settled: both now stand on 19-inch front wheels. Officially, all four variants have 19 inches at the front, 17 inches at the rear and 200 mm of suspension travel at both ends. Until now, the Rally models had 21 and 18 inches and 220 mm of travel. The Tiger 1200 is simply a different bike: more displacement, shaft drive, far more touring comfort, even more features. The triple officially produces 158 hp at 9,250 rpm, 8 hp more than before, plus 130 Nm at 6,750 rpm. New is front and rear radar on all variants, for the adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring among other things. The navigation map glows on the 7-inch touchscreen, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. The GT Pro weighs 250 kg wet, the Rally Pro 255 kg.

And this is where my old dilemma begins. When I stand in front of one of these things, I think: too imposing, too heavy, too big. Depending on spec, 250 kg and more an incredible amount of bike that you first have to get your head around and work your way into. I'm very sceptical there and always negatively inclined. The problem: every time I get on and ride a long tour, I love it, and then I don't want to do without it anymore. With the little ones like the T40, it's exactly the other way round. On the stand, the little one smiles at me; on longer tours, I then think it's just a compromise after all. It's the same every single time. Triumph has done a lot for accessibility: the new Showa suspension automatically lowers the rear by 30 mm when stopping, bringing the standard seat down from 840/860 to 810/830 mm. That makes the big touring liner considerably more accessible for some of us.

To wrap up, I congratulate Triumph on the motocross title: Guillem Farrés became MX2 World Champion on the TF 250-X, and Triumph officially also won the manufacturers' championship in the class. What's exciting for us is what flows into the production bike. There's a lot of know-how in it from the first delivered models and, of course, from racing. That's why there are neat updates for 2027 that make the bike more durable: new valve guides, new clutch parts, a new shift drum and a new engine setup. The KYB suspension has been retuned and can be adjusted without tools. Power stays at 48 hp according to Triumph still the most powerful engine in the 250 motocross class, though they clearly hadn't heard about KTM's new 250 yet, which was unveiled at EICMA a few hours later. I'd have loved to see the Factory Custom Edition of the Speed Twin 1200 too, but I can't find it on the stand. Still, with what's there, I'm more than well served for the first stand of the day.

Triumph is the first stand of my four-hour walkaround of EICMA 2026 on the 1000PS YouTube channel this link jumps straight to the stand. Because there are hardly any visitors in the hall at this hour, the camera gets right up close to the new Street Triple 798 RS: the aluminium swingarm, the exhaust under the engine and the aerodynamics all the way to the tail. Then it's on to the Bonneville T40, the new Tiger 900 as GT and Rally Pro, and the Tiger 1200, in front of which I think out loud about my dilemma with big adventure bikes. Finally comes the world-championship-winning mx bike, the TF 250-X. Stick around and you'll see more than 40 other stands, from Ducati and Honda to KOVE and VOGE, with seat tests, stand chats and clear verdicts. Four hours of EICMA to watch at your leisure, without the crowds and without paying admission.

• Street Triple 798 RS: 798 cc triple, engine from 2027 Moto2 development, competing in the 2027 Supersport World Championship, technical data from 17 November 2026
• Bonneville T40: 400 cc single, 32 hp, 36 Nm at 5,000 rpm, 191 kg wet, seat height 790 mm, A2-compliant, German price still TBA, at dealers from spring 2027
• Tiger 900 GT / Rally Pro: revised frame, new rider technology and connectivity as standard, technical data to follow
• Tiger 1200 GT Pro / Rally Pro: 158 hp at 9,250 rpm, 130 Nm at 6,750 rpm, 250 / 255 kg wet, standard seat 840/860 mm, 810/830 mm with lowering active, 19/17 inch, 200 mm suspension travel, German price from 21,395 / 22,295 euros; according to reports plus on-the-road costs, Austria from 24,595 / 25,495 euros, deliveries in Germany and Austria from March 2027
• TF 250-X: 48 hp at 13,500 rpm, 28.6 Nm at 9,000 rpm, 104 kg, seat height 960 mm