·NEW BIKES 1997 Triumphs
model until now, the Super ill, was
certainly' a capable street bike, but due
to the fact that it shared its steel-backbone frame and same basic three-cylinder engine with the rest of the lineup
(as well as tipping the scales at a kind
of porky 464 pounds dry), that's all it
would ever be - a good street bike.
What the company needed was a
machine that was a great street bike
that would work on the track too.
To rectify this situation, Triumph
started with a nearly clean sheet. The
company first ditched the steel frame.
In its place is a curvaceous oval-tube
aluminum twin-spar piece that weighs
just 22 pounds and uses the engine as a
stressed member. Wheelbase is 56.7
inches. Suspension front and rear is
fully adjustable and, just as its certain ..
direct competitor, the Ducati 916, features a single-sided swingarm. The
fully adjustable rear shock is made by
Showa, a is the conventional fork, and
works in a rising-rate linkage. The
45mm diameter fork features dual-rate
springs and the full complement of
adjustments. The three-spoke, bladelike aluminum wheels were designed
by Triumph and are cast by Brembo.
The rear wheel is a whopping six inches wide.
(Above and right) The styling influence of the
organically shaped Trophy Introduced last
year Is evident in the new Daytona T595, down
even to the dual cat-eye headlamps. The fuelinjected 955cc triple pumps out 130
horsepower and acts as a stressed member In
the oval·tube, twin-spar aluminum frame.
(Left and below) One of the coolest bikes ever
gets completely changed· and It's even
cooler. The new T509 Speed Triple has the
same basic mechanical package as the
Daytona, but the engine has been retuned for
better low-end power.
By Mark Hoyer
he new Triumphs are here.
Rumors have been circulating
for months about exciting new
- - J models from the reborn British
motorcycle manufacturer and Triumph
has finally made it official. The two allnew models - the Daytona T595 and
T509 Speed Triple - are designed to
bring Triumph to the forefront of the
performance-bike market - and they
make no bones about it.
"The stunning new Daytona T595 is
designed to compete directly in performance and value wi.th all current bigcapacity supersports bikes from Japan
and Italy," says the press material.
Triumph's most sport-oriented
