Triumph doesn’t deny that it is developing a three-cylinder mega-cruiser (displacing more than 2000cc). The question is, will the three-cylinder formula work in the cruiser class?
Cruisers are v-twins, remember? Ask Yamaha about its Royal Star or Honda about its Valkyrie. In some ways, both bikes were excellent, and did find a following. Neither of them worked with the hard-core cruiser who demanded a v-twin. Of course, Yamaha and Honda eventually delivered big-bore v-twin cruisers (the Road Star and VTX1800).
So, will the Triumph three-cylinder be a success? It remains to be seen, of course, but the answer is relative to the number of units Triumph expects to sell. The core cruiser market is still loyal to v-twins, but Triumph is probably a manufacturer who can get away with a cruiser triple, and sell decent volumes (for Triumph, not Honda).
In any event, expect to see this new Triumph at Milan next September as a 2004 model.
