Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

" ID G" P E S N Triumph Super III R IN IM R S IO yourself, "I'll never be able to reach the bars." For sho rter rid ers, that's a legitimate con cern, but for tall er riders, th e w id e la yout com es as a nice change from the more cram ped compartme nts "o f so man y Japan-bu ilt sportbikes you see bu zzing aroun d town. If yo u h aven 't sp ent mu ch tim e on Triumph s, yo u ' ll quickly notice th e white in strument ga uges, a n d yo u 'll h ave to ge t used to the different locations of the tach and speedo, wh ich are flip-flopped (speedo on the"left, tach on the right - or, m or e accurately, in th e center) as compared to most other bikes. Now the fun part, sta rting the bik e, which means you get to listen to the unique-sounding, three-Cylinder orchestra o f the Super Ill ' s liquid -co o led, transverse, in-line, 12-valve, four- stroke, DOHC engine. But first, getting 'er started . No problem. The handlebar-operated choke needs only.to be used on very cold mornings and, even then, it must be turned off almost immediately or the engine will die. Wh en it' s not qu ite so cold ou t, the choke is not reall y needed. If you leave for work as early as I do, then yo u r n eighbors mi ght n ot be so im press ed with the Super III' s hearty rumble and mean gro wl. Not only is the bike a little on the loud side, it makes a fair am ount of engin e noise that radiates clearly fro m th e motorcycl e' s midsection . " You 'll al so n ote a fair a mo u n t of vibration' being transmitted through the handlebars to you r hands, but it's n ot the annoyin g buzzing type of vibration put out by in-line fours or the m ore low-freq uency clamor of som e V-twins. Th e Super III's vibration falls somew h ere between th e two and reall y isn't bothersome at all, es pecia lly at higher rpm: wh en the vibr ation sim. ply goes away. The Super III is no lightweight, and you'll discover that just getting the big Triumph off the sides tand, which isn ' t a task th at sho u ld be taken ligh tly. You don 't want to tip th is bi ke over too far, or it'll just keep going. While we ight can be vexing at ze ro mph, it can be d ownright desira b le a t s pee d , w hich n o doubt lends to th e Triumph ' s excellen t stability on the high way. This bike seems to flatten any thi ng in it s p ath, makin g neglected county road s see m as smooth as the Interstates. By Kit Palmer Photos by Mark Hoyer and Palmer T 4 h e bright-yellow paint probabl y caught your a ttention, but the sound alone will sell you on this motorcycle. When you hear this thing fire up, you know thi s bike isn't your average Joe. The Triumph Super III breaks th e mold of your traditional sp or tbike. Just take a good, long look at it, if you don't believe us. Alm ost everyth ing about this mot orcycle is different or unique - it has three cylin d ers inst ead of two or four, th ere' s carbon fib er e ve rywhe re y ou look, it ha s tw o six-piston (yes, six) front brake calipers, it' s painted bright yellow an d, perhaps th e biggest difference of all, it' s built in Englan d. Not only does the Sup er III look different, just wait until you ride it. It feels different as w ell, an d you d on 't even have to be moving to reali ze th is. Like th e Trophy 4 w e tested last ye ar, and which we enjoyed very much, the Super III feels big and long. From the saddle, the handlebars and gauges seem to stick out way out there, and you'll think to (Top) The Triumph Super III Is an eyecatching motorcycle, even In black and wh ite. Check out the big six-piston caliper front brake and the carbon-fiber exhaust canister. (Middle) The sound of the Super Ill 's three-cylinder motor Is like no other. It produces the kind of throaty growl that makes you want to blip the throttle In between sh ifts. (Right) Only 140 or so Super Ill 's will be Imported Into t he U.S. This mig ht be the final appearance of the bike , as Triumph has another similar model cooking In the oven .

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