Triumph Super III
TRIUMPH SUPER III
YEAR OF THE 900
UNFINISHED SYMPHONY IN THREE
THE NEW TRIUMPH COMPANY'S approach to motorcycle development has brought a gradual evolution that may seem excessively cautious to some people. It isn't, though; it represents a hard-headed decision not to live beyond the company's technological and commercial means.
The latest manifestation of this pragmatic policy is the Super III version of the Daytona 900 Triple, launched at the Paris Show last September and now in limited production. How limited? Well, just 150 units of what is now the most expensive Triumph model are planned for the 1994 model year. This number reflects not only the narrow market segment the bike is aimed at, but also its price: £9700, or about $14,500 at current exchange rates. That figure, which includes Britain’s 17.5-percent value-added tax, is about $2250 more than the price tag of the ordinary Daytona 900 from which the Super III is derived.
What the Super III customer gets for his bucks is technology that almost certainly represents a window on the future of Triumph R&D. This particularly applies to the 885cc engine’s Cosworth crankcases. Built by the famed racing-engine manufacturer, they deliver a weight savings of 5.5 pounds over those produced by Triumph’s usual supplier. Cosworth’s refined technology means the cases are stiff and light, and beautifully machined and finished. The conspicuous use of carbon-fiber for the bike’s fenders, chainguard, headlight surround and silencer cladding helps to shed another several pounds, allowing the Super III to weigh a claimed 465 pounds dry, versus the stock Daytona’s claimed 476-pound dry weight.
Just as with the Ducati 900SS Superlight, it’s impossible to say with a straight face that you can spot the weight difference in the way the bike handles. There may be a nominal improvement in acceleration, but in addition to adding lightness, Triumph applied the same sort of tuning techniques to the Super Ill’s engine that first persuaded the Daytona 1200’s four-cylinder engine to chum out 147 horsepower at the crank a year ago.
Specs for the Super Ill’s uprated engine almost exactly mirror those of the 1200 Daytona: 12:1 pistons instead of the 10.6:1 slugs used in the other Triumph Triples, a different ignition curve and a new cylinder-head casting. This uses a revised combustion chamber that features improved inlet-port flow and altered valve-seat angle. However, the major ingredient in improving the power output from a claimed 98 horsepower at 9000 rpm to 115 horsepower at 9500 rpm is the radically altered cam timing used for this bike, with more duration and more lift than the other Triumph Triples get.
On the road, this translates to an engine that is less punchy than the standard Triples, and therefore less relaxing to ride at slower speeds. There’s also a roughness in the feel of the engine that contrasts with the liquid-smooth power delivery from low revs of a standard three-cylinder motor. It’s still perfectly practical and ridable around town or on slippery roads; you just know it could be better, because other Triumphs are.
But the payoff comes at traffic lights or with a stretch of open road in front of you, when you can exploit the Super Ill’s extra dose of power without worrying about how tractable or userfriendly it is at speeds where it wasn’t designed to shine. This engine is a revhound, and it’s not until you get the tach needle nudging the 6000-rpm mark that it really lights up and earns its keep. With a claimed 65.6 footpounds of torque delivered at 8500 rpm (compared to 61.2 at 6500 rpm for the other Triples), and peak power moved 500 rpm up the rev range, this is the first modem Triumph I’ve ridden that really needs its six-speed gearbox.
What’s odd is that I found the bike less exhilarating than the less powerful but more invigorating Speed Triple. Supposedly the two bikes share the same chassis and suspension, but whether because of the extra weight of the Super Ill’s Daytona bodywork or for some other reason, the Super III needed a good tug on the bars to make it change direction once committed to a turn. It also demanded some physical effort to move it from side to side in a series of curves. Triumph’s ultra-conservative steering geometry, with a 27degree steering-head angle, hasn't been worthy of criticism on other models in the Triumph line because it delivers stable handling around fast turns and acceptable steering in slower ones. But there seems little point in cranking up the Triumph Triple to deliver the Super Ill’s sort of power if you don’t also try to pump up the bike’s handling.
According to the rumor mill, Triumph is developing a lightweight supersport Triple with twin-spar alloy chassis and race-replica styling. If this is true, the Super III production run must be considered an interim step that is designed to get the uprated engine out into the marketplace where it can be user-tested before The Real Thing arrives. For now, flogging the Super III as hard as its engine challenges you to ride it doesn’t reward the rider with the sort of steering response the wonderful engine merits, even if the notably firmed-up suspension and ultra-grippy Dunlop D364 tires are two further pieces of the puzzle already in place.
Same thing goes for the brakes.
goes
After periodic whining from the motormedia about the marginal nature of Triumph brakes, the company went all the way on the Super III. It commissioned the British company Alcon, one of the leading suppliers of brake systems for the Formula One and Formula 3000 racecar industry, to design and manufacture the six-piston brake calipers fitted to the Super III. These grip Nissin 12.2-inch floating discs. The result is absolutely magical stopping power and terrific sensitivity at
relatively little lever pressure. Except for a bit of low-speed squeal, these brakes are beyond criticism and should be introduced to other models in the Triumph line without delay.
By tapping into the huge range of high-tech, high-performance companies like Cosworth and Alcon, Triumph has shown it is serious about continuing to strive for excellence. But it’s the services of a more traditional partner in motorcycle development, a chassis specialist like Harris or Spondon, that the Super III still requires. Until the bike gets the chassis its engine deserves, it is a nice bike, but not finished yet. The next step remains to be taken.
