![Triumph 900cc engine in Daytona Sprint Special (RH)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Triumph_900cc_engine_in_Daytona_Sprint_Special_%28RH%29.jpg)
The Triumph Triples are a family of modern
DOHC
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...
inline three-cylinder motorcycle engine
A motorcycle engine is an engine that powers a motorcycle. Motorcycle engines are typically two-stroke or four-stroke internal combustion engines, but other engine types, such as Wankels and electric motors, have been used.
Although some moped ...
s made from 1990 onwards by the
Triumph Motorcycle Company at their
Hinckley
Hinckley is a market town in south-west Leicestershire, England. It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Hinckley is the third largest settlement in the administrative county of Leicestershire, after Leicester and Loughbo ...
,
Leicestershire factory. The inspiration for the later triples was the
pushrod
A valvetrain or valve train is a mechanical system that controls the operation of the intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine. The intake valves control the flow of air/fuel mixture (or air alone for direct-injected engines) ...
Triumph Trident
The Triumph Trident is a three-cylinder motorcycle of either 750 cc or 900 cc capacity. These bikes were produced from 1991 to 1998 at Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, by Triumph Motorcycles Ltd, the successor business to the def ...
, produced from 1968 to 1974 at the
Triumph
The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
factory at Meriden Works.
The Triumph Triple motorcycle engine has been used in the
Trident
A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm.
The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other mari ...
, Thunderbird, Adventurer, Legend, Tiger,
Speed Triple
The Triumph Speed Triple is a series of motorcycles produced by Triumph Motorcycles. The 1994 Hinckley Triumph was one of the first motorcycles produced in the streetfighter style (a modern sport bike or race replica motorcycle without an ae ...
,
Sprint ST & RS, Sprint Executive, Trophy, Street Triple, and Daytona models. ''
Bike
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bic ...
'' magazine ranked the Hinckley Triumph Triple as the 10th best motorcycle engine of all time.
First generation
The first generation motor from the reborn Triumph company in 1989 was available as an inline 3-cylinder carburated 4-stroke of either called "750", or 885 cc called "900". The primary difference between the two engines was the
stroke. The shorter stroke, higher revving 750 used a bore/stroke of 76.0 x 55.0 mm while the 900 used a longer stroke of 65.0 mm. The 750 engine with its eager revving performance was initially believed to be the finer machine, but the longer-legged 900 proved more popular. As a result the smaller 750 became a budget model and was eventually phased out. Both the 750 and 900 were sold as
roadsters
__NOTOC__
Roadster may refer to:
Transportation
* Roadster (automobile), an open, two-seat, often sporty car
** Roadster utility, an automobile with an open-topped roadster body and a rear cargo bed
* Roadster (bicycle), a utilitarian bicycle, t ...
called
"Tridents". The
Sprint 900, a
sport tourer with a cockpit fairing, joined the Trident range.
1990s variants
The first variation on the 900 triple theme appeared in 1992 with the
Tiger 900. This made use of softer cam profiles to produce a less powerful engine but with an even broader spread of torque. Further changes appeared a few years later with the Daytona Super III. This time Triumph collaborated with the tuning gurus at Cosworth to produce the first high performance variant of the triple. Using higher compression pistons and a redesigned cylinder head claimed power was increased from to .
In 1995 another variation of the ''900'' triple engine was introduced in the
Thunderbird 900, a model intended for Triumph's first foray back into the US market. It had softer cam profiles and new carburettors, so power dropped again in favour of docility. The engine also received a cosmetic overhaul, by adding polished alloy covers and fake
cooling fin
In the study of heat transfer, fins are surfaces that extend from an object to increase the rate of heat transfer to or from the environment by increasing convection. The amount of heat conduction, conduction, convection, or radiation of an objec ...
s on the barrels. In 1997 a sportier machine was produced, the Thunderbird Sport, using the Thunderbird engine with 6 speed gearbox and unrestricted air intake to give more power, as opposed to , twin front discs and other details changes to produce an engine in a remarkably similar state of tune to the original Tiger.
Fuel injection redesign
The triple received its first major update in 1997 with a ground up redesign to produce the
fuel injected
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All comp ...
T595
Daytona Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it.
Daytona may also refer to:
Locations
* Daytona Beach Shores, Florida
* South Daytona, Florida
* The Daytona Beach metropolitan area
* Halifax area, also known as Da ...
engine, and the T509
Speed Triple
The Triumph Speed Triple is a series of motorcycles produced by Triumph Motorcycles. The 1994 Hinckley Triumph was one of the first motorcycles produced in the streetfighter style (a modern sport bike or race replica motorcycle without an ae ...
engine, the latter using the original bore and stroke of the first generation engine. The claimed power outputs for these engines were respectively. Over the next few years the 885 engine grew to 955 cc and was used in the newly launched
Sprint ST and the later Sprint RS. In this updated form it was still claimed to produce , the more powerful being kept for the Daytona. The injected 885 cc triple lived on for another couple of years in an updated Tiger. Triumph made minor updates until 2001, when it performed a major update, first appearing in the
Tiger 955i and soon spreading across the rest of the range. Power and torque was increased across the range and this updated model was meant to remedy the faults apparent with the earlier 955 engine. The most lively performer to use this updated triple was the
Daytona 955i, in this form claiming , the most powerful triple to emerge from Triumph. The 900 triple in its original form lingered on until 2002 in the form of the
Trophy 900, being outlived by its four cylinder relative, the Trophy 1200.
1050 cc redesign
In 2005 the next generation of the triple emerged in the form of the Sprint ST 1050, swiftly followed by the Speed Triple 1050. The last of the 955 engined bikes – the Tiger – was updated, receiving the cases of the 1050 engine and other small changes although staying at 955 cc capacity until replaced by an all new
Tiger 1050 in 2006. 2006 also saw the last year for the
Daytona 955i, ending the production of big bore sporting triples. Coincidentally, this year the Sprint 1050 engine received a higher state of tune by lifting the max torque to occur at 7500rpm, closer to the now discontinued Daytona's 8200rpm point.
2.3 litre Rocket III engine
In mid-2004, Triumph introduced an entirely new triple for use in a new heavyweight cruiser motorcycle, the
Rocket III. The engine is 2294 cc, the largest purpose-built mass-produced motorcycle engine in existence. It is liquid-cooled and mounted inline with the frame. As a first for Triumph it was paired with a shaft final drive. It produces at 6000 rpm and of torque. In 2006, the Rocket III was joined by the Rocket III Classic, a more conservatively styled cruiser.
Middleweight 675 cc engine
In 2006, Triumph abandoned its earlier flirtations with four-cylinder middleweight bikes, and unveiled a 675 cc triple engine to power the all new
Daytona 675 sport bike
A sport bike (sports motorcycle, or sports bike) is a motorcycle designed and optimized for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on asphalt concrete race tracks and roads. They are mainly designed for performance at the expense of comfor ...
. The engine is liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, transversely-mounted and produces at 12,500 rpm and of torque at 11,750 rpm. The Daytona 675 has competed very successfully with the Japanese 600 cc
inline fours that had dominated the market.
In 2007, a de-tuned version of this engine, with a less severe cam and a slightly lower redline, was used in
Street Triple 675 roadster.
Middleweight 765 cc engine
In 2017, Triumph introduced a 765 cc engine, designed for
Moto2
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of ...
(2019 onwards) and the new Street Triple line (not yet Daytona).
Middleweight 660 cc engine
In October 2020, Triumph introduced a 660 cc variant of the 675 cc triple for the new 2021 Triumph Trident budget bike.
1160 cc redesign
In January 2021, Triumph introduced an all-new 1160 cc engine (inspired by the 765 platform and Moto2), designed for the Speed Triple 1200 RS. Bore was increased to 90mm and stroke was decreased to 60.8mm with peak power at the crank increased to 178hp and 92ft-lbs. The redline increased to 11,150 rpm, compression ratio was increased to 13.2 with engine weight reduced by 7kg and powertrain inertia decreased by 12%.
References
{{Triumph motorcycles Hinckley
Triple
Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble":
Sports
* Triple (baseball), a three-base hit
* A basketball three-point field goal
* A figure skating jump with three rotations
* In bowling terms, three strikes in a row
* ...
Motorcycle engines