Triumph To Build A 600?

TRIUMPH TO BUILD A 600?

ROUNDUP

SHOULD TRIUMPH GO head-to-head with the Japanese in another major streetbike category, and try to match the sales success of the new T595 Daytona by building a 600cc supersport contender using technology derived from the bigger bike?

That’s the question the British company is now asking itself. Contrary to reports in the Union Jack-waving British press, no definite decision has yet been made to go ahead with a 600cc sportbike, but a concept bike has been built in mockup form by stylist John Mockett, and Triumph boss John Bloor and his fellow executives are close to making a decision. If the company does go ahead, the bike would be launched in 1999 for the 2000 model year, in a form closely derived from the T595, complete with Sagem engine-management system and tubular alloy frame.

Before the bike goes into production, however, the powers that be at Triumph face a difficult decision: Should they build a four-cylinder 600 like all the Japanese companies, or should they opt for a 680cc Triple notionally permitted under FIM Supersport racing rules. Company officials are reluctant to sacrifice Triumph’s hard-earned individuality by dropping its trademark three-cylinder format, but they also don’t want to risk being uncompetitive in a performance-driven class-and that means a target of 110 horsepower without sacrificing ridability.

Another factor in favor of the four-cylinder route for the T600, as the project is codenumbered, is that the biggest supersport market in the world is the U.S., where the AMA doesn’t recognize the FIM’s displacement breaks for Twins and Triples in its supersport racing classes. If Triumph wants to show off the performance of its supersport contender in U.S. racing, then, it would have to build a 600cc Four. Chances are, if the project goes ahead, that’s what company officials will opt for.

-Alan Cathcart