Bezzi's TB-1 675
I recently purchased a 2010 Triumph Street Triple R and though it’s not my favorite bike ever (yet), it really has a lot going for it. It’s light, fast, comfortable and very fun to ride. It’s ironic that Triumph, that rose phoenix-like from the ruins of the British motorcycle industry, is now beating the Japanese at their own game of producing high-performance middleweight sportbikes.
And soon the Italians are going to be in on the action. We showed you MV’s lovely F3 Triple last year, and though we still don’t know retail pricing (expect the bike to hit U.S. dealers in the fall) it should be priced more competitively than the $33,000, 200 horsepower F4 RR, making Italian exotica affordable to a new generation of sportbikers. Naked-bike lovers (like us here at MD) will also probably like the B3 “Brutalina” pictured here in a mock-up done by France’s Moto Revue magazine.
Brutale B3 Concept
The magazine and several blogs and fora speculate that the new bike (which will probably be named the Brutale B3; “Brutalina” came from a quip made by MV designer Claudio Castiglione in an interview last year) will be an entry-level model priced one or two thousand dollars more than the Triumph Street Triple. Expect it to have a similar wet weight (about 415 pounds) and something like 100 to 110 hp at the wheel, with a flatter torque curve than its F3 brother. Pre-production testing is under way, say those who claim to be in the know. An ABS version may be available (like most Euro models) and it should debut at the 2011 EICMA show in Milan.
And now for a little dose of fantasy. Bimota, builder of deliciously exclusive handmade sportbikes, has never (as far as I know) used a Triumph engine, and has focused on Ducati powerplants in recent years (although it did dip a toe in Moto2 waters last year with its Honda-powered HB4). But that hasn’t stopped Italian moto-designer Oberdan Bezzi from speculating about what such a marriage would look like. Trellis and billet frame? Check. Top-shelf components? Si. Ultralight wheels and lots of carbon fiber? But of course. And following honored Bimota tradition, you’d have to expect a naked version as well, no? Oberdan calls the sport model the TB-1 675, a biposto version is the TB-1S, and the nudist, complete with sexy bellypan and bikini fairing, would be the TB-2 675. Like most of Oberdan’s creations, it will probably never turn a wheel in the real world, but it’s still nice to look at. Check out more of his work here.
Bezzi's TB-2 675
“Brutalina?” Gack!
I’m on my third Triumph, now an ST1050. Also have a GSA 1200 Beemer so I dont really need the Triumph, but its such a great bike & that Triple motor is such a peach that I just cant bring myself to sell it. That Triple at full tilt sounds like nothing else on two wheels – symphony in ‘T’ ?
I was duped! I nearly read the whole article before I realized that the Bimota is a fake.
That TB-2 is gorgeous!!!
Nice bikes..competition is a great thing.
Nice article, but “beating the Japanese” sounds a tad farfetched. Other than the BMW superbike (forgot the name, the one Corser races) and ultra limited you’re-f*cked-when-it-needs-servicing-which-will-be-often-cos-reliability-sucks MV Agusta F4 models, none of the Euro offerings have been able to get close to the Japs on the racetrack. I also believe Japan (despite the devastating earthquake and economic woes from the recent financial crisis) has a few tricks up it’s sleeve. Maybe not in the streetfighter/naked category, but next year will definitely give us some ultra-trick 600s and 1000s.
Oh, forgot to add…. I currently ride a 2009 Speed Triple, so don’t say I’m biased…. Just saying we should never write-off teh Japanese when it comes to tech.
re: “Maybe not in the streetfighter/naked category, but next year will definitely give us some ultra-trick 600s and 1000s.”
and the damnable thing of it is, they’ve been giving us a never-ending stream of ultra-trick 600’s and 1000’s for the better part of 2 decades…!!! i say God save both the Queen AND the Japanese…!!! 🙂
Uh, not really. A couple of Italian bike companies (I forget their names, but they start with A and D) have dominated WSBK the past couple of seasons. So, no, “beating the Japanese” is actually quite appropriate and not at all far-fetched.
“none of the Euro offerings have been able to get close to the Japs on the racetrack.”
Err.. Ducati?
The Triumph Daytona 675 is thought to be the best sportbike in the world, of any displacement by a few of the major magazines and probably all of it’s owners who aren’t any more concerned with racetrack results than anyone else should be who rides on the street.
Neat concepts/pics…
But at the same time, you could save more than a little coin and get the 675R which comes stock with Ohlins fork and shock, and Brembo brakes, and a quick shifter, and some carbon fiber bits… For “only” $12 msrp. Which is “only” $1500 more than the standard 675…
Yes… I am considering it. 🙂
Yep – Triumph making the R version is genius! They may have the perfect track weapon for your average dude – that triple gives great useable output – Are you listening Indian???
I also agree that these designs are beautiful – love naked bikes for street riding!
Maybe Triumph could experiment with some bolder designs / colors…
I’m really sorry I’ve blown the budget on other bikes/projects. That 675R is the ticket. I’d love to see a hardbag option. I’ve sat on them and think I could run some gas through that piece of fun. Great price, great sound, great handling, hard to beat. Standards rule!
re: “But at the same time, you could save more than a little coin”
i’ll save when i’m dead… but while i’m alive, there’s motorcycling to enjoy…!