Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127718
liquid-cooled, dohc, in-line four-cylinder motor, which Triumph claims develops 108 horsepower at 9500 rpm . As compared to the I052cc Kawasaki ZX11, a motorcycle very comparable to the Trophy 4, the Triumph's powerplant uses a significantly longer stroke; both motors feature a 76mm bore, but the Triumph's stroke is 7mm longer at 65mm. Triumph claims that the Trophy 4 produces 77 ft.-Ibs. of torque, and they also claim that the bike produces more horsepower and torque before 6000 rpm than any b ike in its class. After riding the bike, we do not doubt them. The massive cylinders are fed by four 36mm fla t-slide CV mixers, and th e burnt gases are expelled through a fourinto-two exhaust system. H orse power is tra nsmitted to the rear w heel via a sixspeed transmission and a w et mul ti-d isc clu tch, and th e final drive is hand led by a beefy Regin a chain. Th e Trophy 4 is fit ted w ith 17-inc h, three- spoke allo y w he els, and our test bike came m ounted with Dunl op 0202 (Above) The Trophy 4 isn't exactly cheap. At $11,995, it is the most expensive bike in the Triumph line. (Left ) For a big , sport touring machine , the Trophy 4 handles quite well and feels lighter than its 510pound claimed dry weight fig ure might suggest. radial tires. A big, powerful and heavy moto rcycle such as the Trophy 4 deserves efficient brakes, which explains the burly, dual 12.4-inch, four-pistoncaliper, floating disc brakes up front, and the single 1O.2-inch, two-piston disc brake in the back. Triumph opted to fit the Trophy 4 with a 43 mm conventional fork in the front suspension 'department. Each fork leg is equipped with dual-rate springs but have no external compression or rebound damping adjustments. The sin·gle rear s hock, however, does feature rebound damping and spring preload ad justments. The claimed d ry weight of the Trophy 4 is a robust 510.4 pounds. When you first swing a leg over the Trophy 4, you immediately notice the large amount of space between you and the handlebars. The reach is quite long which gives the Triumph an overall stretched-o ut feeling. Although this wasn't really detrimental to the bike's (Right) Comfort is one of the Trophy 4's st rongest featu res, as it offers a fairly relaxed ridin g positio n. overall comfort, we wouldn't mind seeing the bars positioned perhaps about an inch or so closer to the rider's body. Otherwise, the Trophy 4 is reasonably comfortable, much of which has to do with its nearly straight-up-and-down ridi ng position, spacious layout and plush seat. Starting the Triumph is a breeze. With full choke applied and no throttle, the Triumph snaps to life as soon as you touch the electric starter button, and it warms up very quickly, too . In about as lo ng as it takes you to hit the switch, flip down your face shield, adjust the mirrors and drop the transmission into gear, the Trophy 4's big 1lSOcc engine is all ready to go. By the time yo u reach the end of the d rivew ay the choke can be turned off. Your next thought might be real izin g how much less time it took you to get to tha t first stop sign. An d without even trying. Quite simply, this bike hauls. Very Kawasaki ZX-ll-ish. It's the kind of motorcycle that makes you live for freeway on-ramps, as it can accelerate to 60 mph in the blink of an eye. While it's safe to say that this motorcycle could easily give the 160mph-plus ZX-ll a run for its money, it's not so much th e top speed of the Tri umph that's so exhilarating as it is just the getting there, even if only halfway there. Th is motorcycle accelerates hard and has gobs of to rque. Rolling on the throttle is a pure rush, as the Trophy 4