Most powerful three cylinder motorcycles

Top 40 most powerful triple cylinder bikes ever made. Updated June 2025.

Two cylinders are enough for most motorcycles not built for ultimate speed and 4 cylinders are plenty for high performance.

Three cylinder engines or simply "triples" are middle ground between the two, and they offer some of the four cylinder smoothness, combined with smaller dimensions and higher low RPM torque.

Historically the most popular motorcycle brand for three cylinder engines has been Triumph, which make everything from dual sport adventure bikes to road sports bikes with 3 cylinder engines. Triumph also makes the "Rocket" cruiser which, excluding low production count specials like Boss Hoss V8, is regarded the largest capacity production bike in the world.

Inline 3 cylinder engines are known to produce unique sound, which is similar to Inline 6 or or even V12 engines.

Three cylinder engines are also gaining popularity in cars, due to stricter emissions controls, which are forcing car engine capacities below 1000cc, where 3 cylinders make more sense than 4.

# make & model Power (hp)▼ Image
1. 1975 Kawasaki KR750 179 Photo of 1975 Kawasaki KR750
2. 2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS 178 Photo of 2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS
3. 2022 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR 177 Photo of 2022 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR
4. 2020 Triumph Rocket III 165 Photo of 2020 Triumph Rocket III
5. 2020 MV Agusta Superveloce 800 Serie Oro 151 Photo of 2020 MV Agusta Superveloce 800 Serie Oro
6. 2019 MV Agusta RVS#1 150 Photo of 2019 MV Agusta RVS#1
7. 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Pro 148 Photo of 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Pro
8. 2018 Triumph Speed Triple RS 148 Photo of 2018 Triumph Speed Triple RS
9. 2018 Triumph Speed Triple S 148 Photo of 2018 Triumph Speed Triple S
10. 2020 MV Agusta Superveloce 800 146 Photo of 2020 MV Agusta Superveloce 800
11. 2014 MV Agusta F3 800 146 Photo of 2014 MV Agusta F3 800
12. 2021 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RC SCS 145 Photo of 2021 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RC SCS
13. 2021 MV Agusta Superveloce 800 S 145 Photo of 2021 MV Agusta Superveloce 800 S
14. 2022 MV Agusta F3 800 RR 145 Photo of 2022 MV Agusta F3 800 RR
15. 2017 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RC 140 Photo of 2017 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RC
16. 2015 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR 140 Photo of 2015 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR
17. 2016 Triumph Speed Triple R 138 Photo of 2016 Triumph Speed Triple R
18. 2020 MV Agusta Brutale 800 RR SCS 138 Photo of 2020 MV Agusta Brutale 800 RR SCS
19. 2015 MV Agusta Brutale 800 RR 138 Photo of 2015 MV Agusta Brutale 800 RR
20. 2013 MV Agusta Brutale 800 138 Photo of 2013 MV Agusta Brutale 800
21. 2005 Benelli TNT 1130 Sport 136 Photo of 2005 Benelli TNT 1130 Sport
22. 2023 Triumph Street Triple Moto2 Edition 128 Photo of 2023 Triumph Street Triple Moto2 Edition
23. 2023 Triumph Street Triple RS 128 Photo of 2023 Triumph Street Triple RS
24. 2011 Triumph Daytona 675R 128 Photo of 2011 Triumph Daytona 675R
25. 2014 MV Agusta Dragster 800 125 Photo of 2014 MV Agusta Dragster 800
26. 2013 MV Agusta Rivale 800 125 Photo of 2013 MV Agusta Rivale 800
27. 2024 MV Agusta Enduro Veloce 124 Photo of 2024 MV Agusta Enduro Veloce
28. 2007 Triumph Daytona 675 123 Photo of 2007 Triumph Daytona 675
29. 2013 MV Agusta F3 675 123 Photo of 2013 MV Agusta F3 675
30. 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS 121 Photo of 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS
31. 2021 Yamaha MT-09 117 Photo of 2021 Yamaha MT-09
32. 2024 Yamaha XSR 900 GP 117 Photo of 2024 Yamaha XSR 900 GP
33. 2025 Yamaha YZF-R9 117 Photo of 2025 Yamaha YZF-R9
34. 2022 Yamaha XSR 900 117 Photo of 2022 Yamaha XSR 900
35. 2021 Yamaha MT-09 SP 117 Photo of 2021 Yamaha MT-09 SP
36. 2023 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT 117 Photo of 2023 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT
37. 2021 Triumph Street Triple R 116 Photo of 2021 Triumph Street Triple R
38. 2015 MV Agusta Stradale 800 115 Photo of 2015 MV Agusta Stradale 800
39. 2016 Yamaha XSR 900 113 Photo of 2016 Yamaha XSR 900
40. 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT 113 Photo of 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT

Sources

All data sourced from manufacturer's official figures.

List authored by Christian Zelcs. Last updated on 06/23/2025, last addition - Yamaha XSR 900.