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
massive amount of engine heat right onto the rid er ' s shins. Now this can either be good or bad, depending how you look at things, or where you live. Since we tested the bike d uring the winter months, we thought the Triumph's "built in" heater was advantageous. Obviously, in the months to come, we can foresee that summer rides on the Trophy 4 will get a little toastie. We regularly cursed the mirrors. They're m oun ted fairly low on the fairing and don't protrude far enough outward, making it extre mely difficult to see what's going on directly behind you, thanks to the rider's shoulders and arms bein g in the way. Th e side view isn' t . bad fo r lane changing, b ut you really need to be a gymnast in order to bend and twist your arms out of the mirror's reflection. Basicall y, if lane splitting is legal in your state, and there's someone up ahead hold in g yo u up, give him a break, he' s p robab ly on the Trophy 4 and can't see yo u. lt takes a little getting used to ha ving the speedometer positioned on the right and the ta ch on th e left s ide of the ins tru mentation panel. Mainly beca use it's difficu lt to adjust the lrip meter while riding, since the control knob sticks out to the right. In this configuration, you have to pull in the clutch, coast and twist the knob with your throttle hand, or reach across with your left hand, which is kind of awkward . The speedometer also seems to read about 5 mph too fast. The Trophy 4 has some nice convenien ces, too, such as a digital clock that is mounted in the fairing, just ahead of the rider's right knee . The huge 6.5-galIon gas tank translates into many miles between fill-ups - well over 200 miles and the fuel petcock is easy to reach while perched on the bike . There is no fuel gauge, though, just a warning light, Plus, the filler opening is rather large for simple refueling. O ther n ice ti es in cl u d e fou r-way adjustable handlebar levers, and a rea r shock damping adjustment knob tha t is easily accessible. And the British Racing Green paint on our test bike looks beautiful, as does the traditional Triumph logo on the tank. And what about reliability and quality of craftmanship? Both of these areas passed with flying colors. As far as craftsmanship, the attention to detail seems first-rate. Reliability? Well, nothing broke, vibrated loose or escaped (as in oil) while the bike was in our possession . Then again, we only had the bike three weeks, but the Trophy 4 gave us no reason to believe that it will be a maintenance headache in the long run. Everyone here who rode the bike enjoyed it immensely, though one tester said he was a little disappointed in the Trophy 4's not-so-sporty layout, saying he was hoping for a mo re aggressive riding position. He's now eying the Daytona 1200. But we all agreed that the Trophy 4's torquey motor is nothing less than awesome. lt pulls hard through the gears and is downri gh t fast, yet is very controllable. Overall, the Triumph Trophy 4 d oes feel a little Japanese-ish, which might bother some ha rd-core and longti me Triumph enthusiasts - like my neig hbor - b u t th er e are just enough s mall di ffe ren ces here and th er e th at ce rta in ly m ak es you well aware th at you're rid ing so me thing different and unique. And exceptionally good. Q'I While Cycle News belielJes theforegoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reuiewers only and should not be relied upon in ddermining the performance or safety of the vehicle(s). The reader should make his or herown investig ation. 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