Triumph's Triple Threat
TRIUMPH'S TRIPLE THREAT
ROUNDUP
TRIUMPH IS DEVELOPING A Superbike that could put Britain back on the world roadracing map, reports English tabloid Motor Cycle News.
Sources inside the factory in Leicestershire, England, have told the paper that the so-called Project T509 is up and running, and scheduled to complete testing later this year in preparation for an assault on the 1997 World Superbike title.
Triumph owner John Bloor has reportedly made the T509 a priority, okaying extra manpow-
er and overtime to complete the project by this fall. Six variations of the bike are said to be undergoing track testing in the U.K., with further tests planned for the U.S.
Under current World Superbike rules, the three-cylinder machine could displace no more than 900cc, and at least
150 units would have to be built to satisfy homologation requirements.
The T509 is new' from the ground up. Its liquid-cooled,
12-valve, dohc engine is fuel injected, force-fed by a ram-air system, and said to produce 124 horsepower in its current guise, using camshafts from a Daytona 900. It should be good for a top speed in the neighborhood of 160 mph. But lumpier cams and a freer-flowing exhaust system could increase power to as much as 155 horsepower.
Chassis design was influenced by the Over Yamaha OV-15A and Saxon Triumph (see CW, January, 1996), with the frame welded up from large-diameter alloy tubing and the single-sided swingarm cast in aluminum. Suspension consists of a conventional Showa fork lifted from Honda’s CBR900RR and a single Showa shock. Brakes are Alcon six-piston jobbies like those employed on the Triumph Super III.
Street-going weight is currently claimed to be around 460 pounds, but engineers hope to trim 20 or more pounds off this figure before the bike reaches production. Apparently, the T509 will be offered with and w ithout passenger accommodations, at a cost of close to $20,000.
-Brian Catterson
