As we discussed in our preview, Triumph is at the Bonneville Salt Flats for Speed Week with Guy Martin at the controls. In a practice run early in the week, Triumph has already eclipsed its personal company record, and appears on track to tackle the outright motorcycle speed record.
With a practice run on Tuesday morning yielding 274 mph, Triumph is approximately 100 mph short of the record, but apparently on target with its early week goals. Rider Guy Martin had the following comment:
“I got the hang of steering the thing pretty quickly, then it was a case of building up speed. Wind is the big thing out here, so it’s not a case of just jumping in and twisting the throttle. We chipped away and early on Tuesday morning we did 274.2 mph, making it the fastest ever Triumph. Everyone was dead happy, but that’s just one step to where we want to be. The current record is 376.36 mph, so a way to go yet.”
MD will report back after the Bonneville event ends. Stay tuned.
See more of MD’s great photography:
If ya squint your eyes it does sorta kinda looks like the Spyder or the Slingshot:) Maybe there will be a street legal version:)
Will there be a street legal version? Slap a plate on it, some LED lights…
Not impressed. I think my 2012 Triumph Rocket 3 Roadster would easily do that on the Interstate if I ‘ducked’ down behind the little fly screen. Well, it feels like it would anyway 🙂
Guy Martin, maximum guts, maximum accent.
Aye that the boy.
As debuts go, that one was a lot more impressive than an Indian flatracker being ridden off the stage. Keep up the good work, Triumph, and best of luck!
Ok that made me laugh
LOL…
first time at the salt and he’s already a member of the 200 MPH club!
When you think about it, right now they are just going over 50 mph faster than Dovisioso’s GP Ducati and Pedrosa’s GP Honda.
Yeah, but right now they’re simply testing the waters like kids at a new swimming hole. They are being cautious, studying the performance of the machine at lower speeds. If you wreck this bike you don’t get a scooter ride back to the pits for your backup.
But then Dovi doesn’t have to race his bike at 4,200 ft. on a bed of salt.
He also doesnt have a 5 mile long runway to build up speed and slow down, he has to get it done between corners
I think it shows how incredibly fast MotoGP machines really are, they are like LSR machines that actually handle
“Just”?
Tom… comparatively speaking…since MotoGP bikes don’t have twin supercharged motors putting out 1000 hp being faster by only 51 mph qualifies as “just” for me
Your implication is correct. 51mph added to such speeds requires MASSIVE increases in power and/or aerodynamics. The faster you go, the more effort required for a given speed differential (the term exponential comes to mind).
I think to double the speed you hit 4 times the wind resistance at any given base speed. So you need a lot more power as you say. After all, its possible to lap the TT course at 100mph with a 32hp bike….but we aint seeing 500mph average laps these days……with 5 times the power.
This testing is the equivalent of Usain Bolt strolling up and down behind the blocks.
With twin Rocket Three turbo motors and around 1000HP the “bike” should have the capability of breaking the record. I hope they do it. Choosing an Isle of Man veteran like Martin is a good start.
One would think there would be somewhere to pick up a few mph, but 102 mph yet to go? They are limited at this point by aeronautics and wind cutting ability since the design of the shell is set. So it must come from either horsepower or traction. Best of luck to them.
Just sensibly building up to it Mickey. I’d think the machine can easily take the record, but like Guy says, its not just a case of twisting the throttle. I read the book on the current LSR holder ThrustSSC and they built up slowly to the record runs. In fact IIRC the last 2 runs the car ever did were the record runs – its never run again. And in total I think it had less than 50 runs all up.
Scotty, do you know how many practice runs they get?
No idea Mickey.
I bet a naked version would be more fun.
I have yet to see that style motorcycle at the cafe. Maybe I missed it. I’d love to hear Guy on the radio talikng to the pits during a run – “What’d he say???”
Have you seen a MotoGP bike at the cafe?
Yes. I ride one.
– a Buell – ha ha ha ha