Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

The suspension itself can be easil y adjus ted at both ends, though there is no longer a rem ote preload adjus ter on the new Kayaba shock, which is kind of a bummer. Up front, the 43mm Kayaba non-inverted fork is well u p to the task that's asked of it, much of which has to do with its three-r ate sp ring system and cartridge design. The forks soak .uP road imperfections with ease, and don't compress overly harsh when yo u g ra b a h andful o f fr ont b rake . Wh oa . And spea king of the fron t brake.. . The Super III comes with two, top -ofth e- line, six-pist on Alc on fr o n t d isc ca lip e r s, and the y mean business. The y're incredibly power ful, the most capable front-brake system we've ever felt on a production street bike, and not only is it super-strong, it' s highl y manageable - once you get used to it. Apply th e sam e p ressure on the front brake lever as you would on yo u r typical spo rtbike, and in yo u' re in for a surprise. At first, you might think the front bra ke is overkill, but in a short time, you'll be spoil ed by the Super Ill 's front grips. One fing er is usu ally a ll that's need to haul the Triumph in. And the back brake? You hardl y ever use it, but whe n you do, it wo rks well and has good feel. Weight becomes a factor aga in when you start blazing th e back ro ads . Thi s bike is by no means a Suzuki GSXRi50 in terms of flickability, b ut the Super III can bum up the canyon s and mountain roads quite well . This bike is not intended for the weak and timid. It take s some strength and strong-armi ng to guide the Triumph through th e twisties. A lon g section of left-righ ts will leave the Super III pilot a little fatigu ed , but through the m o re flowing, sweeping t u rns, th e Supe r 1II perform just fine. Once leaned over, the Triumph hold s its line well but isn' t as steady or as confidence-insp iring as some of the ligh ter and more agile bikes in its class, like the H ond a C BR900 RR a n d th e Ya m a ha Y Z Fi50. Still, th e Triumph can ge t the job done much better th an you would expect from over 550 pounds of motorcycle. Triumph was ni ce e nough to offer the Super 1IIwith top-of-the-li ne tires. It comes shod w ith Pire lli Dragon Corsa radia ls that stick to the pavement like dried oatmeal in a glass bowl. The Supe r Ill's motor is what really makes this bike stand out from the rest. Yes, it d oes sou nd awesome, bu t its perfo rmance is as good as its so und . The 885cc motor has no problem getting the big motorcycle rolling from a dead stop. which is good news for the clu tch. Very li tt le clutch slip pi ng is re qu ired to achie ve a smooth getaw ay , a nd yo u don 't feel the need to shift gears as soon as your feet return to the footpegs. The bike can reach 45 mph in first gear withou t revving out the engine to the moon. This m a kes sto p-and-go city ri d ing m o re bearable. Bu t it 's on the open roads w here the Super III really shines. This bike loves to be opened up . While it p ulls well off the bottom, it reaches the m ea ty part of the powerband aro und 6000 rpm, and that's when the fun s tarts. Th e Super 1II is downright fast, maybe no t as eye -openingly fast as the CBR900RR, but fast enough to ge t yo ur ad rena line flow ing. Passing slow -moving ve hicles on two- lanes roads is of no concern - just open 'er up and she's gone. The Super III has a six-speed transmission, but you really only need five of the m . More th an on ce we found o u rselves cruising along on the open highwa ys only to realize that we 've spent the las t 10 or so m iles in fifth gear, (Left) The large fairing does a respectable job of protecting the ri der from the elements. 1996 TriUDlph Snper m Specifications (Left) Flat-slide, 36mm Mlkunl CV carbs prov ide the fueUalr mi xi ng, and there are three 01them, 01 course. (Below) Carbon-fibe r parts are scatte red all over the bike. assu m ing from th e relaxed ton e of th e mot or that we were in top gear. Oick up to sixth, an d the tach d rop s only a cou ple of hu ndred rp ms, wh ich is n ' t a big change a ny w a y . Th e Su per 1Il is geared nicely for the open highways. At 65 mph, the Super 1II hardly strains at all. In fac t, it almo st se em s to bog with th e tach read ing 4000 rpm. At these se tt ings, a qui ck downshift is required for instant power for passing. Changing gears on the Super 1Il is almost an involuntary action, sort of like br eathin g. You do it a ll th e time, bu t si nce s h if ting is so li ght an d easy on the Triumph, you don 't notice doing it. There is , h ow e ve r, a slight reach for the clutch lever, but the p ull is quite light. Upshifts can be accom plished with one finger on the clutch but you most likely won't be do ing that all th e time. You ca n clim b throu gh the gea rs witho u t the aid of the clutch if you want, bu t you won't feel good abo ut it. Downshifts require all fingers on the clutch lever. The clutch itself has excellent feel, especiall y taking off from a standstill. As m entioned, the Super III has a spacious layout and is, overall, a very comfortable motorcycle, and will certainl y please those with long daily com mutes. The rou nd mirrors stick out quite far bu t are a little on the small side, w hich req uires some body contortions to get a good look before making lane changes. You'll come to appreciate the Triumph 's large fairing wh en the weather turns foul. It provides d ecent protection from th e elemen ts, as do es the fairly large but low-cut windscreen, which is still high enough to keep your chest from getting pounded by wind bu t low enough to keep yo ur head out of Engine Type , Transverse , in-line. four-stroke, triple Valves OOHC, 4 valves per cylinder. shim over bucket Displacement 885cc Bore x stroke ' 76.0 x 65.0mm Compression ratio 12.0:1 Carburetion 36mm Mi kuni flat-slide CV (3) Ignition , .: Di9ital Drivetrain Primary transmission Straiqht-cut gear, 1.75: 1 Transmission S-speed Final drive Chain. #530 O·ring Chassis RakelTrail 27.0' /4 .1 in. Rear suspension Single shock, Kayaba. wlspring preload. and rebound-damping adjustability Rear wheel travel ' .. , 5.0 in. Front suspension Telescopic. conventional fork . Kayaba. wlspring preload. compression and rebound-damping adjustabihty Front wheel travel 5.9 in. Rear brake One. tw o-piston caliper. 255mm disc Front brake ' Two. six-pisto n calipers. 310mm discs Rear wheel 5.50 x 17 in.. cast alloy Front wheel 3.50 x 17 in.. cast alloy Rear tire 180/ 55Z R 17 Pirelli Dragon Corsa radial Front tire 120170ZR17 Pirelli Dragon Corsa radial Wheelbase 58.7 in. Seat height "'; 31.1 in. Fuel capacity 6.6 gal Claimed dry weight , 529 lbs. Colors , ' Yellow Warranty . . ......• .. .. .. .. . ...... ...24 months, unlimited miles Rec. valve-adj. intervals 12.000 miles MSRP $13 .995 (Below) The tach and speed o backings are wh ite , instead of the usua l black fo und on mo st bikes. the tu rbulen t air spilling over the screen. The fairing also funne ls engine hea t on to the riders inner thig hs - good in win ter, bad in summer. The seat is extremely co mforta ble and sho uld accommodate a wide variety of derrieres; the rear seat cowl can easily be removed to haul passengers. The wide and long gas tank holds a ve ry conven ient 6. 6 ga ll o n, which sho u ld carry you about 250 m ile s between fill-ups. Running out of gas is hard to do on the Super III, as a low -onfue l w arning ligh t comes on, u suall y around the 160-mile m a rk, at which time yo u have another 30 or so miles before actuall y h a vin g to s w it ch to reserve, whi ch is easy to reach while riding the bike. The in strumen t cluster provides all th e usual information, nothing m or e, nothing less. The speedometer seems to run about 4-5 mph too fast, though. As far as sty ling, the Super III is an eye magnet, but usually the growl of the motor catches people's at tention first . Once they see where the noise is coming from, the y are then mesmerized by the Super Ill 's beautiful yellow pa int and un ique aesthetics. If you d on't like being noticed, then th is bike isn' t for you . At $13,995 the Supe r III is not a cheap motorcycle, no r is it the cream o f th e crop when it comes to sportbike pe rformance. Yes, there are less-exp ensive and better-performing sportbikes out there, but none ha ve the character the Super III has. One tester here was heard saying that the Super III is a bike he could easily ow n, go ing on to sa y that the Triumph might not excel in any one particular a rea - ex ce p t for , perhaps, fro n t braking - but it do es do everything as go od as it should, if not a little better. It's the way it looks, soun ds and the fact tha t it' s n ot made in Japan that makes this bike wo rth havi ng, and you 'll never get tired of it - "It's a keepe r," he said. Th e rest o f us a g ree d , and that doesn 't happen very often. 1':\ While Cycle News beliet'es the f oregoing test reliable, it is the opinion ofthe reoieuxre only and should not be relied upon in determin ing the perfor ma nce or safety of tile veh icle. The reader should make his or her own investigation. 3

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