Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

FIRST RIDE Triumph's fuel-injection package: Engine management N much choice, really. Though for some inexplicable reason (until Suzuki with the new TL1000), Japanese manufacturers continue to opt out of fitting this kind of fully integrated engine-management system, incorporating electronic fuel injection, that every cheap car built in the Western world for the past decade has employed, Triumph had no such qualms. The newgeneration triples had to have EFl - the only question was where to source it. At first sight, opting for French electronics expert Sagem as the chosen supplier might seem slightly curious - no ferm in the motorcycle world, and not exactly right next door to the Hinckley factory, right? Except for two things: One, out of the European companies already' involved in motorcycle EFT, Bosch is too closely linked with BMW, arguably Triumph's most bitter Euro-rival in the marketplace, and there's not much point in j.oining the line of Italian firms buying a relatively simple, if still quite effective EFI package from Weber-Marelli. And two - right on Triumph's Birmingham back doorstep, a French company called Sagem had bought out the fuelinjection division of Lucas Industries, when this was sold off after a trans-Atlantic merger. Yes, that's right: The Prince of Darkness has been Ot purged by the French, and in doing so has delivered what is undoubtedly the most sophisticated EFl/EMS currently fitted to any motorcycle. Japan Inc., please note... Triumph's main reason for opting for EFI was to obtain accurate fueling of the engine in all conditions, in tum leading to improved throttle response, good fuel economy and, above aU, the ability to meet all current and projected emission laws in the markets they sell in. And to do all this without resorting to a bulky, heavy catalyst or secondary air injection. More performance for fewer e)nissions sums it up best, but with the added benefit that the sophisticated Sagem MaOOO engine-management system, which uses a 16-bit Siemens microprocessor processing 3 million instructions per second (making it the most advanced chip used in any motorcycle application worldWide), also provides excellent transient throttle response by actually anticipating the increased airflow in the inlet ports, even while the throttle is moving. So before the air has had time to reach its final speed, the MC2000 electronic control module predicts the air-flow dynamics in order to guarantee that exactly the right amount of fuel is injected at the precise moment the air finally enters the cylinders. This, accord- ing to Triumph, results in not only an exceptionally keen throttle response, but also in reduced emissions and increased fuel economy. Another advanced feature is the use of disc-type twin-jet fuel injectors (one per cylinder) which each employ a high-speed, low-mass disc of about 0.5 grams to control injected fuel quality, instead of more conventional pintle-type injectoIs. Quieter as well as more durable - especially important in countries with a poor quality of fuel available - the disc-type injectors also have a superior dynamic range, due to a fast operating speed. . Other key benefits of the Sagem package include an automatic cold start and idle control, common on all EFI systems, and elini.inating the need for a separate manual choke, as well as a Limp Home Mode emergency program. The MC2000 system is self-monitoring, storing problem codes and service information to be interrogated by the built-in diagnostic device. In the event of a problem, the EFI will still keep the bike on the road by continuing to operate, but at a reduced level of performance and efficiency. Beats getting stranded by the side of the road in the Mojave desert o~ the Paris-Lyon autoroute, though. Trium h T595 chassis: Quick Silver hough Triumph employed British frame specialists member (attached to it at no less than eight different three contenders for Hypersport Heaven - the Honda Harris to construct the first T500 prototype chassis mounting points), Triumph has been able to slash the CBR900, 1595 Daytona and Ducati 916. . Triumph has reduced unsprung weight even more at to its specifications, and the use of oval-section weight of the main frame to 22 pounds - compared to alloy tubing owes more than a nod in the direction of almost 24 pounds for the bare CBR900 chassis without the front - as well as gyroscopic steering forces and rotatOver, the aluminum twin-spar T595/T509 chassis is dis- seat frame, and 25.8 pounds for the Honda VFR750. The ing inertia - by using three-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels designed in-house but which are cast by Brembo in Italy. tinctive, even radical - espetially in comparison with the Triumph's subframe adds another 5.3 pounds much-heavier, less-pretty Egli-type steel-spine frame While the complete bike weighs in at 435.6 pounds Ironically, these are Brembo's only contribution to the used on a modular basis on all Bloor-era Triumphs to dry .- in fully-faired Daytona guise - against 404.8 pounds bike as the 320mm stainless-steel floating front discs and date. All, that is, except for the alloy-framed Saxon Tri- for the CBR900, it also stacks up well against the 444.4 220mm rear, as well as their matching calipers, are made umph BEARS racer build in 1994, a bike which finished pounds of the Ducati 916 - and no less than 519 pounds by: Nissin. Triumph's increasing links with 'Bridgestone - the fourth in the '95 BEARS World Series before going on to for the old Daytona 900 which has been discontinued. Compared to the original Triumph spine frame's Japanese company has a substantial majority of all Tricompete successfully in Formula USA racing in '96 in the umph's original equipment market hands ot Scott Zampach. Though sound commercial reasons led them to specify the latest and greatest dual-compound BT56 rubber prevented Triumph from ever adopting its Saxon for its new sports range for both the T595 and T509. After seriBMW already uses a version of the Saxously considering fitting a new 200Trak front end on its new Boxers section rear that Bridgestone has there's a strong visual link between the under development, the British comSaxon chassis and the T595 Daytona pany eventually opted for a 190/55 frame. And why not? rear, ~lOunted on a 6.00-inch rim, with Triumph's priority, according to the a 120/70 up front, on a 3.50-inch R&D staff, in designing the new frame wheel. was to produce substantial ground .Triumph's decision to use a castclearance, cou'pled with a speed of alloy single-sided swingann, in spite steering needed to be at least as good as of the weight penalty this represents, the class-leading performance of the is essentially a styling one. This isn't a Honda CBR900. But Triumph also superbike racer (yet!) so they don't wanted to maintain real-world road have Ducati's excuse about needing to manners, with the ability to change change wheels quickly. Instead, direction easily not at a sacrifice to stathere's an attempt at rationalization by bility - "keeping a more controllable claiming the exhaust can be tucked in and civilized front wheel than our comcloser to the wheel on the right, to narpetitors" is how it's diplomatically statrow the rear end. But there's a hint at ed in Hinckley. an ulterior motive in Triumph's stateThe result is a distinctive perimeter ment that "It obviously increases the frame design that permits the airbox for specification to the customer, and it the Sagem EFl to be located above the The chassis design was Inspired by Over, the Japanese specialty company whose trademark Is will allow possibilities for further cylinder head, in the front part of the oval-tube frame spars. developments." false "tank" and rapidly accessible via Oh, yes - what are they? Endurance Dzus fasteners - which add both character and conve- kicked-out 58.7-inch wheelbase and 27-degree head racing? Paris-Dakar? The world waits. nience to the Daytona. angle, the T595 chassis has far more sporting geometry In the meantime, it just looks trick. It's interesting that The 4.16-gallon fuel load is located in the rear section with a 56.7-inch wheelbase and 24-degree rake (com- Triumph has joined Ducati in giving a me.taphorical Vof the "tank," extending backward beneath the seat. bined with 86mm trail) for the 45mm conventional car- sign to the French by declining to put an Elf sticker on Visually, the chassis is one of the focal points of the bikes tridge-type fork. the bike, nor presumably to pay the French oil company - you could hardly even see the old spine frame, even on Produced by Showa rather than Triumph's traditional any royalties fot its alleged patent on a single-sided an unfaired Speed Triple - with its polished-alloy finish suspension suppliers to date, Kayaba, these were chosen swingarm (supposedly developed on its race bikes in the (painted on the T509) giving the impression that it was over an upside-down fork for the 2.2-pound savings in early-'80s). You know the patent - the same one Honda hand-crafted by one of the legendary British chassis spe- unsprung weight they deliver (presumably, the same paid billions of francs to use and call it a ProAnn, thus cialists like Spondon or Tigcraft, rather than volume- reason that Honda didn't use an inverted fork on the putting the frighteners on its Japanese opposition. Only, built inside the Triumph factory from a series of alloy CBR900). The fork is fully adjustable and so too is the as many have pointed out in the past decade, this particcastings and extrusions. Showa rear shock, fitted in conjunction with a rising-rate ular patent has as many holes in it as Wallace and Weight saving as well as appearance was a key objec- linkage on the T595. With Triumph's switch to Showa, Gromit's favorite piece of cheese. Triumph obviously tive and by using the engine as a fully stressed chassis the Japanese company now supplies the hardware for all agrees. T

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