Wednesday 11th January 2017

New Street Triple and Triumph to MotoGP

Triumph's hugely popular naked goes big while race gossip suggests Moto2 engine supply deal

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Triumph has given its Street Triple some extra meat for 2017 with a new larger capacity motor. Increasing from its old 675cc capacity to 765cc has, according to Triumph, released 16 per cent more power with it now making 123hp in its highest RS specification.

As before there are several versions of Street Triple, but this time they vary quite significantly in their specification and power outputs. The stock S model (£8,000) has a lower power 113hp engine and Showa suspension (it also comes in an A2-legal 660cc version) with traction control and ABS. The R model (price TBC) gains a 118hp engine with more torque, Brembo brakes, fully adjustable Showa suspension, a slipper clutch, four rider modes, traction control, ABS and a full-colour dash. The RS (price TBC) gets all of the above plus 123hp, Brembo M50 brakes, Showa BPF forks, an Ohlins damper and a quickshifter.

In other Triumph news, an interesting piece of gossip has been doing the rounds of the MotoGP paddock. At the end of the 2018 MotoGP season, Honda's contract to supply the control engine for the Moto2 class expires. With the CBR600RR now defunct, and Honda not seeing any future in the Supersport class, the firm isn't looking at renewing the contract, leaving the door open to other interested manufacturers. Triumph's triple has been strongly linked to this vacancy as, despite the Daytona 675 also stopping production, becoming the Moto2 engine supplier is a cheap, easy and risk-free way of getting your name into the MotoGP paddock and onto the world scene...

[supermono]

20 odd years back I scoffed a bit at these new "triumphs" with their Kawasaki bits and poor styling. I saluted the diehards who bought them but always wondered why with better looking and performing machines around with known pedigree. Even then we all knew whether we admitted it or not that these triples were special engines.

Look at what's happened today, fabulously good range of thoroughly British bikes for the past few years and potentially every Moto2 running one of them!!

Unbelievable and well deserved and if it happens I'll be sporting my Union Flag with even more pride.

Well done Triumph!