Resurrecting Triumph
Resurrecting Triumph
ROUNDUP
IN THE WAKE OF PUBLICATION in Britain and the U.S. of unofficial photos of the 1991 Triumphs (see "Scoop!" CW, September), Triumph Designs has thrown open its doors to officially confirm the revival of the legendary Triumph name.
Though Triumph's resurrection may seem more like a fairy tale than reality, it’s difficult to imagine a more business-like hand on the helm than that of millionaire-developer John Bloor, who owns the Triumph name and who is behind its reappearance. This guy means business, as a visit to the purpose-built factory in Hinckley, Leicestershire, not far from the old Triumph works at Meriden, confirmed. The 90,000square-foot complex, with its rows of Japanese machine tools and German robot painters, was designed to guarantee that the build-quality of these motorcycles will be far superior to that of Triumphs of old.
The motorcycles upon which Bloor is staking his chances of achieving a 15,000-bike-per-year target are based on a liquid-cooled, dohc engine with four valves per cylinder. All have chain camshaft drive up the right side of the engine. Triumph will offer a 750 Triple and a lOOOcc Four, as well as a 900cc Triple and 1200cc Four. Compression ratio is 11.5:1 for the sportoriented 750 and lOOOcc bikes,
10.5:1 for the touring-oriented 900 and 1200, while 36mm Mikuni carbs are fitted to all models. Bucket-type operation of 32mm intake and 28mm exhaust valves, which work at an included angle of 39 degrees, is standardized, with shim-type clearance adjustment. Valve timing and cam profiles will be shared by all models. Engine counterbalancers are fitted to all engines, which are solidly mounted, with a single, gear-driven, enginespeed balance shaft on the Triples. The Fours have a pair of counterbalancers running at twice engine speed.
Claimed output for the 750 Triple is 90 horses at the gearbox, at 10,500 rpm, with the 900 Triple making 100 horsepower at 9000 rpm. A graph for the 1200cc Four shows a theoretical maximum of 1 33 horsepower at 9000 rpm.
The bikes all share a common chassis design, which employs a spine frame looping over the top of the engine, with the engine itself acting as the main stressed chassis component. Made in high-tensile steel, the frame scales about 27.5 pounds. Alloy swingarms will be used on sport models, and steel swingarms will do duty on the less sport-oriented bikes, including a standard-style model sans bodywork. Head angle is 27 degrees, trail 4.1 inches.
Brakes are Nissin, fork is Kayaba, as is the rear shock, used with risingrate rear linkage. Instruments and switchgear are Japanese. No tire choice has been made yet, but Triumph is testing Dunlop, Avon, Michelin, Pirelli and Metzeler.
Bloor says the bikes will be priced “somewhere between equivalent Japanese and German models,” whatever that means. One thing that remains clear, though, is that if all Bloor's goals are achieved, his ambition of producing a genuine European alternative to the Japanese multi-cylinder machines will have been attained.
—Alan Cat heart
