Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

the '95-spec Speed Triple fork fitted to the bike has been dropped 25mm through the yokes to reduce trail further, though for '96 the ST's sliders have been shortened to allow them to fit flush with the top triple clamp: Check which you have, before you do a home transplant operation. The more positive steering makes it all the more important to complete the . equation and deliver a suspension package to match, because in the form I rode the Quattro, the job's still only half done. Maybe it's because you're invited to ride it that much harder than in Daytona guise, bu t the fact is that the Quattro is much too softly damped at both ends to be a serious sportbike: Tri~ umph's suspension supplier Kayaba has tailored a package that is primarily aimed at rider comfort, as opposed to compliance and control. Chuck the bike into a fast turn w.th a dip in the apex, and 'as the suspension compresses you better be ready for some serious wallowing and pogoing about that is pretty disconcerting the first time you experience it, and doesn't improve with 'acquaintance: There's nothing like enough rebound damping at either end. Hit a bump on the way out, and the Quattro doesn't exactly shake its head the kicked-out head angle and long wheelbase prevent that ever happening - but there's a serious degree of vagueness as to where you're going to end up that is quite disconcerting. There's no adjustment on the forks and not enough on the rear shock to allow you to dial this out - but that's not to say there isn't a solution. the answer is to fit the multiadjustable Proflex fork kit developed for the Triumph fork by ex-GP ace Ron Haslam, which has heavier springs, spacers to remove the excessive sag of the stock fork setup, and uses heavierweight fork oil and more of it. As I know from racing a factory-supplied Speed Triple fitted with the Proflex kit in the Trans-Atlantic Challenge, this makes a huge difference in the bike's behavior, sharpening the suspension response and delivering much tauter, more positive handling. It'd be even more dramatic an improvement on the Quattro, with the heavier four-cylinder engine. Same thing at the rear: Triumph permits the fitting of a specially-developed Proflex rear shock (indeed, it's the only one allowed) on all the bikes taking part in their various Speed Triple onemake series around the world, and it made a huge difference to the way my bike handled on the race track. With 25way rebound adjustment alone the Quattro could be made to straighten up and fly right, but the Proflex's 25-click choice of compression damping and the usual range of preload settings by winding the spring up or down would make . it a good-handling hyperbike. Right now, it isn't. What the Quattro is, though, is the ultimate stoplight special, a bike whose 33-pound diet compared to its Daytona12 guise has enhanced the acceleration. potential of the all-black musclebike. (Top left) The Speed Quattro uses the front end from the Speed Triple; the different offset shortens the trail and makes the Daytonabased bike handle better than the bike it is derived from. (Above) The 1200cc four Is basically stock, although the addition of Quill exhaust "silencers" frees up a few horsepower (and many dBa). (Left) An MIL Industries speed shifter is available, though the Triumph gearbox'S characteristic balky action Isn't well suited to Its use at wide-open throttle. (Above) The standard Nissin brakes are''Okay, but if you're really serious about burning back roads, this 500plus-pound bike begs for the fantastic six-piston Alcon brakes used on the Super III. Honda's Blackl;>ird migh t claim topspeed honors in the streetbike world, but Triumph's Midnight Special is the king of the traffic-light drag strips. Even with the kicked-out wheelbase, you could do with wheelie bars when you dump that clutch! This is a class streetfighter: Triumph's new unfaired alloyframed T509 Speed Triple recently launched at the Cologne Show may have the flash looks, but the four-cylinder Super Quattro will still.sweep streets with it. And sound good doing so, thanks to the carbon-fiber Quill exhaust cans - "silencers" they're not! fitted to the bike I rode, which look great as well. Pity Daytona didn't take another leaf from the Super-3 spec sheet, and fit the top of the range triple's sixpiston Alcon brake calipers. Triumph's braking package with 310mm Nissin steel discs and four-pot calipers has always been a weak point of the British company's entire range ever since Bloor relaunched the marque six years ago, and on the Speed Quattro they're the same as usual, which means okay but far from brilliant, even with the braidedsteel brake lines fitted. If I owned a Nudie hyperbike that scaled over 495 pounds dry and was capable of 150 mph-plus (theoretically, anyway; your forearms might seize solid before you reached that speed), I'd want something that stopped the bike a lot better than those Nissins, and the answer is right there in the Triumph parts bin under the Super-3 label. Fit 'em if you go Quattro-questing. The Quill exhaust cans free up the engine breathing and deliver a couple more bhp through the rev range, says Micky Carter. But though it's not as torquey and forgiving an engine to ride as the 900 triple, the Quattro has the same take-no-prisoners power characteristics as the stock Davtona-12. This Triumph in '95, when we tried to persevere with a specially-designed system which landed me in the Zeltweg kitty litter when the gearbox locked up. The Speed Triple I used in the TransAtlantic match races had an equally balky gear change, and the fact is that on the Qua ttro, if you use the MIL speed-shifter to change up wide open at . peak..revs, you will miss the change four times out of 10; I counted. Far better to use it as a convenience for more sedate riding, burbling around town or out in the country, when you can change up on part throttle without backing off one millimeter or touching the clutch. Very relaxing and convenient: Treat the gizmo as a two-wheeled equivalent of a Citroen C-Matic or Porsche Sportmatic gearbox, or Saab's new semiautomatic, on all of which you have to physically change gear, but without having to use the clutch - because there isn't one. Any Trophy 1200 owner should seriously think about fitting the MIL bolt-on aftermarket speed shifter to his bike: It'd be a positive benefit. With the low-slung oil cooler now . fully exposed to road dirt, Daytona has lengthened the Quattro's front mudguard to give a little more protection. This, plus the wider engine, gives a meatier appearance that on its own would make concocting the Black Bomber worth the money that Daytona Motorcycles will charge' you for the mix 'n' match operation on your own Daytona-12 - and you get to keep all the bits they've taken off. Alternatively, they'll sell you a brand-new one, and among . the customers who've taken this route are two who respectively traded in a Honda FireBlade - and a Harley Fat Boy! However, I can't help thinking that Triumph has missed an opportunity here: Just as the Super-3 represented a worthwhile improvement on the rest of its three-cylinder range to justify the extra price (and has sold well, confirming the decision to build it), so a factorybuilt version of the Speed-4, With Alcon brakes, upside-down forks, some carbon fiber and perhaps a headlamp nacene would be a great way to top out the four-cylinder line. But it won't happen, so someone else will have to build it: The Super Quattro, already a Streetfighter sup.reme, would make a great means you get motive power but not much more than that from 2000 rpm up to five grand, when suddenly the power kicks in hard and the motor scoots off towards the 9500 rpm redline. This will get the rear Pirelli Dragon Corsa fitted to the bike chirping when you d.rop the clutch at a light: a narrower 170/55 tire rather than the lBO-section rubber fitted as stock; this is aimed at improving maneuverability, at the cost of a reduced contact patch for traction out of turns. Butit grips really well. Why doesn't Triumph fit them as stock? Availability? As part of the Streetfighter package, Daytona Motorcycles can also offer the Quattro with an optional electronic speed shifter fitte.d to the six-speed gearbox, similar to the one on the test bike. Made by MIL Industries in Britain, this sells for 379 pounds, including tax, ready-fitted to the bike, takes an hour to fit and is fully programmable for any four-cylinder engine; so can be swapped to another bike when you move this one on. Having used one on my race bikes for the past couple of years, I know what an advantage being able to shift up wide open delivers in terms of lap times, though contrary to what you might expect, the benefit comes via improved handling rather than any microseconds saved by not having to flap your right wrist to change gear. However, it is fundamentally important that the gearbox you fit such a systern to is light and positive enough to be changed up without the clutch, which by definition you're not going to be using - and the Triumph six-speed cluster most definitely is not that. Built for rugged durability rather than sportsaction smoothness, the heavy Triumph gearbox is most definitely not made for clutchless changes, and strongly objects to being speed-shifted - as I discovered firsthand the h w . tnE·~lXOl1-~....nasJ.s....tl::u:..<:l£W:l.lZ..;sa... ,\;L"'"

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