Four stroke, transverse three cylinder,
DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder.
Capacity
885 cc / 54 cu in
Bore x Stroke
76 x 55 mm
Cooling System
Liquid cooled
Compression Ratio
10.6:1
Lubrication
Wet sump
Engine Oil
10W/40
Induction
3 x 36 mm Mikuni carburetors
Ignition
TCI (Transistor Controlled Ignition)
Starting
Electric
Spark Plug
NGK, DPR8EA-9
Max Power
71.4 kW / 98 hp @ 9000 rpm
Max Power Rear Wheel
68.1 kW / 91.3 hp @ 9000 rpm
Max Torque
83 Nm / 8.46 kgf-m / 61.2 ft/lb @ 6500 rpm
Clutch
Wet, cable operated
Transmission
6 Speed
Final Drive
Chain
Frame
Steel, trellis frame
Front Suspension
43 mm Telescopic forks
Rear Suspension
Tri-link rising rate with adjustable preload.
Front Brakes
2 x 296 mm Floating discs, 4 piston Nissin calipers
Rear Brakes
Single 255 mm disc, 2 piston Nissincaliper
Front Tyre
120/70 VR17
Rear Tyre
160/60 VR18
Rake
27o
Trail
4.1 in
Wheelbase
1490 mm / 58.7 in
Seat Height
780 mm / 30.7 in
Dry Weight
217 kg / 478.4 lbs
Wet Weight
250 kg / 551 lbs
Fuel Capacity
25 Litres / 6.6 US gal / 5.5
Imp gal
Consumption Average
6.8 L/100 km / 14.8 km/l / 34.8 US mpg / 41.8 Imp mpg
Braking 60 km/h - 0
14.5 m / 47.6 ft
Braking 100 km/h - 0
41.4 m / 135.8 ft
Standing
¼ Mile
12.4 sec / 176.0 km/h / 109 mph
Top Speed
212.5 km/h / 132 mph
TRIPLES, whether they sit in Waterford crystal or tubular steel frames get me
in the gut. They invigorate and excite. They have hat elusive, seemingly ideal
compromise between smooth, bur-bore power and two-pot lightness and throbbery;
brutish memories of madcap kWak strokers and musclebound Laverdas; the
continuing unanswered questions. Thetriple is the last, great, untapped
engine layout - why doesn't anyone (BM K75s excepted) build them? And what might
they be like?
So to say Triumph's new triples lave been eagerly expected is a bit like
saying Mikhail Gorbachev's been having teething troubles at the supreme Soviet.
Public interest at Triumph's NEC unveiling last year leaked with the threes.
Most advance orders went their way. And however brill the four cylinder 1200
Trophy may be, the whisper from the factory was always 'well, if you think
that's good, wait for the triples'. So we waited. The Daytona 1000 came,
bettered even the Trophy in many respects and we waited. And waited.
Now the waiting is over.
The 900 Trophy is in fact identical to the 1200 in every respect bar the
engine. No, be more precise, there are FOUR differences between the two: the
engine, obviously, although the six speed gearbox is the same; the final drive
ratios, lowered (lightly for the 900's claimed 100 horse power at peak against
the 1200's 125; all-up weight down by a significant 39 lbs and fairing stickers
which say '900' instead of' 1200'. But that, truly, is it.
The surprise is that away from the spec sheet, all bar the latter of those
changes conspire to make the triple a vastly different machine. The weight loss
is apparent first, and, if you've tried a 1200 demo, confuses too. Everything,
its proportions (with a tallish 31-inch saddle but slim 5 gallon tank and seat);
riding position (canted forward into a sports crouch more akin to a ZZ-R11 than
the more upright, definitively sports-touring aspect of such as an FJ1200) and
fascia remind instantly of the 1200. But where the 12 is a true litre-plus
heavyweight with all the occasional clumsy awkWardness that brings, then the
900, at 4891bs dry, has the paddling ease of a VFR750 (4761bs) or GPZ900
(5151bs).
That 39 lbs has all been shed from the engine. Effectively it's a 1200 with
one pot lopped off. Cylinder dimensions are according to the Triumph long-stroke
norm (ie as per 1200 Trophy and forthcoming, identically-powered, 900 Trident -
both Daytonas and the 750 Trident use the short stroke configuration). Suitably
slimmer cases house the evenly spaced 120 crank and that in turn drives the twin
balancer shafts up front and the standard-issue six-speed 'box aft. Claimed
performance peaks at l00bhp at 9500rpm (compared to the 1200's 125 @ 9000)
together with an impressively-meaty torque figure of 59.7lb.ft at just 6500rpm
(next to 73 @ 8000).
And, on the throttle, it's refreshingly different, impressive and memorable.
Not just different from the 1200 or Daytona — different from everything: any
bike, anywhere, ever. If the 1200 is an immensely strong engine in a class
already brimming with very similar Jap machinery, then the 900 reminds it's a
triple and unique - the very first, modern, meaty triple - with every turn
of the crank.
And the word is, excuse me, 'thrummm'. That is the Triumph triple sound, the
triple feel, the triple experience. At idle a rich, satisfying 'thrummm' through
the stainless Motad silencers. At launch from a gentle 3000rpm there's easy,
thrumming pull without the sense of brute power triumphing over sheer bulk that
the 1200 evokes. Above that it's free-revving, progressive, eminently flexible
and glitch-free. And it's got the deep bellow of an Aston Martin.
That slingshotting, midrange urge might have been predicted from the engine's
long-stroke configuration, but what genuinely surprises is the combination of
that instant, any gear, bounding response with a neat smoothness - thanks
to the 120 crank and balancer shafts - that rivals even its bigger brother.
That's not smooth as in sterile. That's smooth as in: physical irritation - nil;
svelte, curdling, soothing music to the ears and senses - three. Top of the
league. Mega.
What heightens that experience (for yo, the distinct character of the 900's
engine made my brief spin a joyful experience rather than simply an appraisal of
impressive performance) is the quiet, no-fuss way the bike's chassis and cycle
parts blend with the engine.
The sixth cog in the gearbox may be almost redundant, but the clutch is
light, the gear lever action short, crisp and pleasing. You don't think about
it. While internal ratios remain unchanged, the final drive has been reduced to
the ultimate effect that top gear should be good for about 145mph at the 9500rpm
redline. About 10mph down on the 12 but delivered in such a way that it's
enough, surely, for most.
The steering, with a 27°/105mm rake/trail combo, is slow, secure and gentle
like the 1200's. But with 40 lbs , less weight to throw from corner to corner the
900 is easier, its centre of gravity is lower, the 296mm floating discs and four
pot Nissin brakes are less stressed and the sensation from the excellent Dunlop
Sports Radial tyres is more distinct and precise.
But the 900's not perfect. The fairing, for a sports-tourer, simply isn't in
the same league as something so accomplished as an FJ1200. The mirrors could
still be better (as could the headlight) and, despite being narrower and with
revised fairing inners to suit, the engine still wafts plenty of heat onto your
legs. But, in all, the 900 triple has definitely been worth the wait.
If the 1200 was monstrously impressive, then the 900 is invigorating and
richly special. The thrummm of its engine gives it a fair shovelful of what the
1200 was slightly lacking - character - yet, at 40lbs lighter, it also loses
little by way of outright performance and altogether seems a superbly balanced,
rounded package. That's praise indeed. Better still, at £6300 the 900 Trophy is
not only competitive, but when you realise it's cheaper than both the FJ1200
with ABS and CBR thou, it's almost a bargain. And all that from a brand new
bike, from the brand new factory of a brand new BRITISH firm? Miraculous. Truly.
D