After two years of development, Triumph is largely prepared to begin supplying 765cc three-cylinder engines to Moto2 teams beginning next year. Taking over from Honda, Triumph becomes the exclusive engine provider to the Moto2 series, and its gorgeous-sounding triple (see and listen below) should provide a big power boost when compared with the outgoing 599cc Honda motor.
44Teeth, a YouTube channel, got to ride the new test mule from Triumph on a dry day following the Silverstone wash-out of the MotoGP event. Here is their ride report, along with an interview of a Triumph representative concerning the Moto2 effort.
See more of MD’s great photography:
I managed to registered a 1993 TZ250 for two years and ran on Ortega Highway in Southern California. It was absolutely sublime in the twisties. Most 1-liter bikes couldn’t touch it in the twisties. It was a 240lbs bike with 90hp. It is so light, you could almost do no wrongs on it. Part of the fun is keeping it in the power band. You always have to keep thinking about the next turn because it gets you there so fast. The two major set backs are horrendous carburetors and leaded race gasoline! When the carburetors are correctly set the weather, you ride like a god. And if they are not perfectly set, you’re in the dump, choke-ville all day. And you can only ride where your one gas tank will allow a return trip. Haha! Oh… I used to dream and dream about 2-stroke fuel injection. If only we can get fuel injection for the TZ250… paradise.
Four strokes aren’t the reason why sportbike racing and motocross are declining in the US. Production rules and homologation issues are what’s killing the sport.
If Honda could sell a 2002 CRF450, or CBR1000 to consumers, but race a 2018 model for promotional purposes the sport would be a lot healthier.
What’s killing the sport is Manufacturers having to make major frame and engine revisions every 5 years and adding $1000-$1500 to MSRP. The vast majority of these mods don’t do jack squat for weekend warriors.
Motocross and road racing are becoming a sport only the 1% can afford with $10,000 stock 450s and almost $20k 1,000cc sportbikes.
I think to keep the manufacturers interested, 4-strokes must be the engine of choice. It’s R&D for them. Since 2-strokes aren’t sold for the street in most markets anymore, the development of technology around them is not relevant to the manufacturer’s production bikes.
It’d be kinda like NASCAR, if 2-strokes were enforced. In NASCAR the engines must be obsolete two-valve, pushrod, carbureted (in most classes) designs and therefore of no interest to major manufacturers. Your average Corolla sitting in your driveway is way more technologically advanced.
You know, the more I think about this, the more I am reminded about how unimpresive GP has become. I turned my back on the series when it went retro back in 2002. And here we are 16 years later being sold on the idea that a 765cc bike that makes “140+ hp” and needs to be refreshed every three races is supposed to be an impressive GP race bike. You could buy more power dense street bikes for a long time now.
When are they going to finally admit that four stroke racing is a failed experiment in retro design promotion?
Until the poor emissions performance from two-strokes is resolved, they are non-starters for road and racing. use.
GNCC, hare scrambles, enduro……there are plenty of two strokes being raced. In fact, I would argue that they are the weapon of choice.
What made two stroke racing so much better? The racing today is great, as good as it ever was in my opinion. Better probably.
Two strokes are impressive from an engineering/ spec sheet perspective. Two stroke engines produce massive power,relative to their displacement and weight. Fuel economy and emissions aren’t so impressive with 2-smokers though.
I have nothing against two-strokes. The format is still my preference for enduro riding. I haven’t ridden a four stroke that has convinced me otherwise.
As far as GP racing goes, though, I haven’t seen anything lacking in the four strokes to prevent good racing. Quite the opposite.
Mick, I think the racing has been amazing in the past 2-3 years. I hope you aren’t missing all this incredible action because of your opinions.
Four stroke racing a failed experiment. Are you a flat earther?
I watched a few minutes of one race while stopping for coffee at a cafe in France about three or four years ago. But that’s it since 2002. I watched all the races at a bar with my friends before that time. I used to attend a lot of motocross races. I gave those up when they went retro as well.
You don’t think four stroke racing is a failed experiment? How about that AMA road racing series? How has that been doing since the four strokes sucked all the life blood (money) from racing in general? How many young racers get sponsorships compared to pre-retro times?
Aren’t we here to look at what is basically a street bike in what was once the 250GP class where there used to be several unique bikes? I’ll bet the Moto2 bikes are going to weigh more than the MotoGP bikes. Does that sound like progress to you?
No. The industry hasn’t made the earth flat yet. But it’s not for lack of trying. Maybe you’ll get the picture when MotoH2O debuts and you’ll have to get all excited about steam powered motorcycles. Now THAT’S retro. Yeah baby!
“I watched a few minutes of one race while stopping for coffee at a cafe in France about three or four years ago. But that’s it since 2002.”
So you’re saying you have no idea how good the racing is today then, correct? And to contribute the downfall of the AMA racing to a move to four strokes is just wrong.
What is “retro” about 4T engines?
Now that they’ve taken steps to get the costs under control, the racing has been excellent, especially in the Moto2 class. Stop reading into the numbers (which don’t really mean anything), you’ll enjoy the racing more.
500GP was open to any engine configuration. The series was dominated but four strokes until two stroke technology rendered them obsolete. In 2002 the series made rule changes to bring back the retrograde technology that had been rendered obsolete so long ago.
That’s when all the money shifted to GP from about every other road racing series. Four strokes are ridiculously expensive.
Enjoy road racing? Sorry, that ship has sailed. I want no part in the destruction of global road racing.
They put up a memorial for Nicky. They might as well have put up another one for American road racers in general. Decisions have consequences.
That’s some revisionist history. They brought back the 4T’s, allowing 500 2T to run along side and the 500’s were extinct before the series ended.
Before you trot out “twice the displacement!!”, accept that it is only relevant when the engine isn’t running. When it is, a 2T fires twice as many cycles, effectively doubling it’s “displacement” (the amount of fuel/air it can process) relative to a 4T. The 500’s also had a HUGE weight advantage as well as over a decade’s worth of race development. Despite those advantages, they were nowhere even close to competitive with a bunch of 4T bikes in development year zero.
It was the finest demonstration of 2T obsolescence that could’ve been made. It also had no effect on the blight of US road racing, because 2T’s were never raced here at a meaningful level.
What an awesome sound. Moto2 has plenty of excitement now but this motor will make a fine series even better I think. I had a Tiger 1050 for 5 years and no bike I’ve owned before or since made such sweet music; love those triples.
Wicked!
I love the triple, having owned a 99 Thinderbird, which was the best road engine for me. Now here’s the thyng. Triumph since then has been building higher rpm engines, which is fine, but overlooking the wonderfully natural grunt of a 120 crank for normal transportation. It would be great to have a 850cc triple with a desmo valve train and 3 valve head. The real advantage of desmo is lower power loss at lower and mid range rpm, and a three valve works better than a four again at lower and mid range rpms. Gutteral grunt can be satisfying, and longer lasting too. Oh the sound, yea !
I agree, that is what I love about my V-4 powered Honda VFR with V-Tec. The crank timing gives a fantastic rumble at idle, at lower revs it is 2 valves per cylinder for torquey grunt down low and when it crosses the 7,000 rpm threshold it open 2 more valves per cylinder running you up to 12k. Best of all is the aftermarket Staintune exhaust, the sound is just awesome at all rpm levels.
Holy crap, makes me want to go out and pick up a triple!! Amazing how quickly that bike picks up revs at relatively low rpm’s, excited to see the action…
Just one word……WOW!
Can’t wait for next years Moto2 and listening to 30 or so of these machines fighting it
out throughout the racing season!
Makes you proud to be British!!
Well done Triumph.
My mind keeps exploding nearly everyday. We live in the best of times. Another great bike. A street version would be great too. This race bike screams! Imagine a grid full of them. Fantastic!
Thanks motorcycledaily for feeding us all this great news.
I’m going out to ride my FZ09 just to hear the triple sound it makes. Wow!
Me too with my K75.
The K75 had 25% less cylinders than the K100, but was twice the bike.
I owned a classic black K75. Only rode the K100 a few times, but disliked its handling, engine buzz, and extra weight. Still think about getting another K75. Could have used a bit more top end zing, but low/mid range torque was fantastic. They sound great, and the motor is glassy smooth.
Twenty years ago if you told someone that the future would hold “Moto2” bikes with more displacement than the top two GP classes combined they would have giggled.
Yet here we are.
Here’s to hoping they mix it up and have 765CC two strokes in the premier class. They might get me to watch a race or two.
Two-strokes are dead. Get over it.
“The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated” – Mark Twain
http://www.promotocross.com/news/new-two-stroke-series-coming-lucas-oil-pro-motocross-2018
Did this actually happen? I watched most of the telecasts and this is the first time I’ve heard of it.
Would’ve been kind of funny/sad watching them try to race in the mud at the final in Indiana.
Yes, but I don’t think it was televised. There are plenty of highlights on YouTube.
When they pry my cold dead fingers from my throttle grip.
But what about an E bike ? ——- with a cigarette card stuck in the spokes
HAH!!!
That sound alone is enough to show-up to see Moto 2! Love it!