Want to ride something audacious? Something which blows your neighbour’s mind when you tell him your bike’s engine is bigger than his Honda Accord’s? Ride a Triumph Rocket III, then.
At 2,294cc, the Triumph Rocket III’s engine holds the record as the world’s largest production motorcycle engine. It produces 145 bhp, but that’s not the entire story. Because at 221 Nm, forget about “mountainous torque,” instead the torque moves mountains.
Now pictures of the “new” Rocket III have started showing up on the internet. According to Visordown, they were snapped during the Triumph Global Dealer Conference last October.
Judging from the picture, the new bike or variant will look more aggressive than the current classic-looking model. Check out the Brembo Monobloc calipers, upside-down forks, dual exhaust pipes exiting on the right, and most of all, the single-sided swingarm.
Yes, we admit too. It does look like the Ducati Diavel power cruiser.
Revamping or adding such a model is good for the Hinckley-based manufacturer as they can have a more modern-looking cruiser. It can compete with the power cruisers from other manufacturers like Harley-Davidson, Indian and the aforementioned Ducati. The timing is good too, since BMW has just teased with a new 1800cc Boxer.
We hope the new Rocket III project is a go. Watch out, mountains.
The 2019 Triumph Bonneville Speed Twin breaks cover after being first revealed to dealers during the Global Dealer Conference in October.
The 2019 Bonneville Speed Twin is inspired by the original 1937 Speed Twin – Triumph’s first high-performance parallel-Twin. As such, the new bike is an uprated Bonneville T120.
But it isn’t the case of just slapping on new parts on a T120. Its styling is from the new 2019 Street Twin, but the Speed Twin combines the practicality of the T120 and performance of the Thruxton R.
Triumph pays lots of attention towards how their bikes handle. Consequently, the Speed Twin receives a new frame which was based on the Thruxton R. The front is suspended by cartridge forks. The rear twin shocks are adjustable for preload. Wheels are lightweight 17-inch aluminium shod with Pirelli Rosso Corsa 3 tyres. Four-piston Brembo calipers take care of front braking.
Its seating position is more upright than the Thruxton, but sportier than the regular T120. The ergonomics may look aggressive, but the seat is only 807mm tall.
Powering the bike is the 1200cc High-Power (HP) engine but it has been updated, as well. Triumph revised the engine by adding a magnesium cam cover, new clutch and side cases. The updates yielded a 2.5kg weight saving. Overall, the Speed Twin is 10kg lighter than the Thruxton at 196kg, dry.
There’s now 96 bhp and 112 Nm of torque. The Speed Twin also features ride-by-wire throttle, three riding modes, traction control and ABS.
There is no pricing yet, so stay tuned!
Para penunggang Moto2 telah pun menguji enjin Moto2 Triumph 2019.
Para pasukan Moto2 kemudiannya akan membina kerangka motosikal untuk enjin ini.
Namun, berapa banyak kuasa kuda yang boleh dihasilkan oleh enjin perlumbaan ini?
The Moto2 field has successfully tested their 2019 Triumph Moto2 engine powered bikes.
But which model was the engine was sourced from? Or more specifically, how much power it produces?
We have already touched on this subject, but a refresher is always good. That’s because Dorna has revised a couple of regulations since we published that article.
First and foremost, the Moto2 and Moto3 categories are considered “feeder classes” to MotoGP. That means the two classes are the breeding grounds for future MotoGP riders.
As such, a single spec-engine is supplied to all Moto2 teams. The teams such as KTM, MV Agusta, Kalex, NTS, Speed Up then develop and build their own frames and chassis around around the engine.
The previous sole engine supplier had been Honda. The powerplant was based on their CBR600RR road bike.
The operative word here is “road bike.” Dorna wanted Moto2 machines to be as close to road bikes as possible, hence the engines were drawn from bikes you and I could buy. Consequently, the engine also has its power output limited to a certain degree.
Triumph’s Moto2 engine is based on the Street Triple RS’s 765cc triple, launched in 2017. The street engine produces 121 bhp at 11,700 RPM and 77 Nm of torque at 10,800 RPM. There are 80 new parts in the new 765cc triple compared to the previous 675cc triple.
So, how much does power the race engine produce and what was done to it? Triumph has published an official press release.
Triumph has conducted a multi-phase testing programme to maximize the engine’s performance, durability and drivability. The programme included:
By why not higher horsepower? Because more exotic parts need to be employed to raise the power higher. Additionally, the engine’s structure as well as other stock parts need to be developed. Doing so will raise the costs which needs to be absorbed by the teams. Dorna wants to encourage higher participation through lower costs.
All Moto2 bikes will employ the standard Magneti Marelli ECU provided by Dorna. The ECU was made in collaboration with Triumph. Dorna is forgoing the traction control feature for Moto2 in 2019, despite announcing otherwise earlier this year. Having traction control would require teams to employ dedicated data analysts which will drive costs up, in turn.
Triumph supplied early development engines through Externpro to the teams to conduct tests. The tests were carried out by Moto2 riders.
All riders commented that they were familiarizing themselves to the new bike, engine characteristics and ECU. The weather at Jerez was cold over the test period with only brief moments of sunshine and rained on the third day.
Still, the tests revealed that the new bikes were already on the same pace as the previous year’s. Indeed, all riders gave positive feedback at the end of the tests especially with regards to smooth power delivery and higher torque, compared to the previous engine.
They should be faster by the first official Moto2 tests starting 20thFebruary 2019 at Jerez.
Triumph Motorcycles is still the best-selling Western motorcycle brand above 400cc in Thailand.
The British brand sold a total of 2,175 units by end-October despite a downturn which impacted all brands.
The number represents a 14.7% drop year-on-year, the first for Triumph since its entry into the market. Yet, the brand beat out other western brands by a large margin in total sales. In second place is BMW which has sold 1,226 units thus far, followed by Ducati with 709 units, and Harley-Davidson with 695.
The country’s general manager Jakkrapong Santirat remains upbeat, however. “But we are confident sales will improve over the two remaining months as the fourth quarter is the high season for motorcycles.”
Santirat cited a number of reasons for the drop. The country’s entire big bike market had shrunk due to lower purchasing power of the Thais. Additionally, potential buyers hesitated to purchase big bikes while current owners are still servicing their loans. Financial institutions have also tightened their approvals for loans.
Thailand’s Land Transport Department reported a total of 1.506 million new motorcycle registration, a decrease of 1.4% year-on-year.
We had the pleasure of visiting Triumph’s manufacturing facilities in Thailand in 2016, courtesy of Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia.
Triumph was the first Western big bike manufacturer to enter the kingdom. The first factory was opened in May 2002, producing components such as frames, fuel tanks, headers, swingarms, engine covers and chrome-plated parts.
The second Thai factory opened in 2006, complete with a painting facility and assembly line. Finally, the third plant opened in 2007 with high-pressure die casting and machining facilities. All factories are located in the Amata City Industrial Estate in Chon Buri. The three facilities have a combined investment of THB 3 billion.
A workforce of 1,100 workers produce some 80,000 bikes a year. The motorcycles are shipped to 57 countries afterwards. The number represents 65 to 70% of Triumph’s worldwide sales.
Triumph Motorcycles is serious about the off-road capabilities of the just-launched 2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200. The race on an indoor dirt-track during the launch party was one thing, but the British manufacturer wants to push it even further by entering the bike in the historic and punishing Baja 1000 rally.
As we’ve described in our coverage of the launch, Steve McQueen and his stuntman Bud Ekins have joined the rally many times on Triumphs in the past. Hence, returning to the rally with the 2019 Scrambler 1200 is only right since it is the soul successor to the TR6 Trophy Baja (pronounced Ba-Ha) desert racers.
The Baja Scrambler 1200 XE will remain mostly stock. Instead, the only additions are engine protection bars, extended sump guard, race exhaust system and race-specification lights. They will also remove the pillion footpegs and signal lamps.
A prototype of the racer was shown briefly on stage during the launch party. It will be ridden by Triumph’s official rider and stuntman, Ernie Virgil.
Ernie said, “I am so excited to get the chance to only take on the Baja 1000, but also to be the first racer to take Triumph’s next generation Scrambler back to desert racing where it all began.”
The rider had contested the race on a Triumph Tiger 800 previously.
While the Baja 1000 rally is not a drawn out and tough as The Dakar, it is still a very tough event. It consists of two courses. One is point-to-point is regularly more than 1000 miles (1,600-km) long (hence the name). The second is the loop race which usually ranges between 600 to 800 miles (960-km to 1280-km) long.
The Baja 1000 is also part of the World Championship for desert racing. Held at the California-Mexican peninsula it attracts participants from the world over in motorcycles, cars, trucks, ATVs and buggies.
Triumph Motorcycles have launched the 2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 to worldwide distributors and dealers last night (23rd October 2018).
An embargo was put in place but the pictures were leaked by Triumph Fans France on their Facebook page
The full details are sketchy at this time as the bike will be officially launched to the global media between 2pm to 5pm (London time) today. But we can see a number of important features:
The updates to the chassis and suspension ought to make the Triumph Scrambler 1200 a truly off-road capable modern retro. The long-travel suspension and swingarm are the tell-tale signs. So, no matter how one looks at it, the 2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 could be the real-deal of scramblers.
Although engine remains the 1200cc, liquid-cooled, 270o crank, parallel-Twin unit, we are not sure if it has been upgraded.
More details to come later on today. Please stay tuned for more pictures and details of the bikes!
Photo credit: Triumph Fans France
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