Speed Triple
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The Speed Triple is a series of motorcycles produced by the Triumph Motorcycle Company. In 1994 the reborn Triumph became one of the earliest adopters of a new style of motorcycle referred to as a Streetfighter. This new class of bike was essentially a modern sportbike or race replica motorcycle but without the aerodynamic plastic fairing. As one of the pioneers of the factory produced Streetfighter and through continued production of quality machines, Triumph has maintained an advantage in this market.
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[edit] Origins
[edit] Early Bikes
The new bike was first released to the public in 1994, and in a nod to the historic Triumph Speed Twin was dubbed the "Speed Triple". The original 1938 Speed Twin was powered by a 498 cc vertical twin cylinder engine, and was considered a high performance machine in it's day. The new Speed Triple was based on the new Triumph Triple series of modular engines, which also powered the standard Trident, Daytona sportbike, and the Thunderbird retro bike. This engine came in two displacements as a triple; 750 cc for some European markets, and 885 cc for all other markets. The Speed Triple originally was equipped only with the 885 cc engine, but just before significant changes to the bike were made in 1997 a very few 750 machines were produced using leftover Euro spec engines.
Early Speed Triples were all carbureted, and were designated T300 series bikes (Technically, T309). 1994/1995 models came with the standard 885 cc water cooled engine and a rugged five speed transmission. Subsequent Speed Triples all had the same engine with six speed transmissions, except for the brief run of 750 cc bikes. As with all the modular Triumphs, the T309 series Speed Triple had a very large single steel tube backbone frame, and used the engine as a stressed member. Front and rear suspension were fully adjustable, and were made by the well known company Showa. At the rear was a single monoshock with a progressive linkage, and at the front were standard hydraulic forks fitted with dual disk brakes. Colour choices were limited to a basic black, the yellow used on the Daytona, or the iconic Fireball Orange.
[edit] Performance
Initial reviews of the Speed Triple were favourable, perhaps due to the still fresh memories of the troublesome Triumphs of the 1970's. At a claimed 98 crankshaft horsepower the Speed Triple did not possess the power of many of it's contemporaries, but it did have a wide and forgiving torque curve. Praised also for it's brutal appearance, reliable engine, and ease of operation, the new Triumph did have it's downsides. Due to it's steel backbone chassis the bike had a high center of mass. This contributed to it's lacklustre handling, but also aided it's stability. These factors contrasted to it's competitors (notably the Ducati Monster) who favoured lightweight and agile chassis that could be a challenge for inexperienced riders. The new Triumph also quickly built a reputation for rock solid reliability that it's competitors couldn't match.
[edit] Racing
In 1994 Triumph Motorcycles sponsored a racing series with the intention of spotlighting it's new image. Dubbed "The Speed Triple Challenge", it was similar to IROC in that all the competitors rode identical Speed Triple motorcycles. This made up for the fact that in factory trim the Speed Triple wasn't a competitive machine in normal racing circles. On the other hand, a few privateers had some success on highly modified bikes based on the Triumph Triple engine, often using Spondon chassis. Some modified Speed Triples also were observed racing in B.E.A.R.S. (British European American Racing Series).
[edit] Legacy
The final T309 Speed Triple was built in 1997, as were most of the T300 series of Triumphs. Only the various retro-bikes and the semi-off road bike the Tiger retained the carbureted 885 cc engine. However, with the new Fuel Injected engine being developed, Triumph had further plans for it's hot selling naked sportbike. Rumours flew that rather than the Speed Triple being a stripped down Daytona, The Daytona would in fact be a fully faired Speed Triple. At this point it was clear that this bike would continue to be a part of the new rumours Triumph lineup, although the rumours of the connection between Speed Triple and Daytona turned out to be untrue.
[edit] Generations
[edit] T509
Following the end of the T309 run of Speed Triples, Triumph released the first of it's new generation of fuel injected sportbikes, the T509 Speed Triple. The new bike was a total redesign of the basic concept, and did away with many of the shortcomings of the earlier series. While the all new engine still displaced 885 cc, it now produced a claimed 108 horsepower and was fitted with an engine management system by SAGEM, a French company that built fuel injection systems for automobiles. Surrounding the new engine was an all new aluminium perimeter chassis, and a single sided swingarm. These two new features combined with upgraded suspension components made the new Speed Triple a vast improvement over it's older sibling in terms of handling.
This bike also was the introduction of the twin "Bug Eye" headlamps which are a Triumph trademark to this day. There was also a change away from the low mount clip-ons, and a standard handlebar was fitted. This improved rider comfort and low speed handling. With more horsepower available and much improved handling the reborn bike once again became a serious competitor in the realms of Streetfighter culture.
Unfortunately the bike was not without it's problems. The SAGEM fuel injection was difficult to modify for upgraded parts, requiring a trip to the dealership at least or expensive aftermarket equipment. A twitchy throttle and sometimes vague (though otherwise excellent) brakes also plagued the new Speed Triple. While it did have more peak power than the T309, it came at the expense of power at lower RPMs. Even with it's new increase in horsepower it still could not compete with most of it's contemporaries, due mainly to the fact that they also had increased in performance.
In spite of these difficulties, the T509 Speed Triple sold well for it's brief life span. However, in 1999 things were about to change.
[edit] T595
When the 1997 T509 Speed Triple received the 885 cc Fuel Injection engine, the Daytona received an upgraded 955 cc engine producing 130 crankshaft horsepower. For 1999 the new Speed Triple was officially upgraded to T595 status and also received the bigger engine. Due to tuning differences it did not make as much horsepower as it's fully faired contemporary, but it did have a substantially broader torque curve than it's T509 predecessor. This made it more forgiving to ride and began a trend back to the characteristics of the original T309 Speed Triple.
Cosmetically the T509 and the 1999 T595 Speed Triples were nearly identical, and they shared many of the same components. As such, they shared many of the same idiosyncrasies, as well as the dual headlamps and single sided swing arm. Small fairings referred to as "Bikini Fairings" were popular on these bikes, as well as other aftermarket accessories that wouldn't normally be of use to a fully faired Sportbike. From this point on, Speed Triple sales continue to improve.
[edit] 955i
For the years 2000 and 2001 the Speed Triple changed little other than cosmetically. Both the Speed Triple and the Daytona came to be referred to as 955i bikes, which ended some confusion from the earlier T500 series designations (Officially they were still called T595 series, but 955i was clearly displayed on the bodywork.) Due to it's flexible engine, excellent brakes, and good handling the Speed Triple continued to impress reviewers.
In spite of this much of the motorcycling community considered it a niche bike because it's peak power was not as great as the big four Japanese motorcycle companies, or even some of the exotic European manufactures. Another problem was weight. Although these bikes had acceptable horsepower for their displacement and good torque curves, their power to weight ratio was lacking. At 432 pounds dry weight, it couldn't compete with sportbikes that made 20% more horsepower and weighed 10% less. In the year 2002 there was a substantial change to the engine casings of the 955i engine that decreased weight by roughly 17 pounds and the horsepower was slightly increased. In reality this was too little and too late to make the bikes competitive in the motorcycle horsepower wars.
[edit] 1050 and beyond
In 2005 Triumph released it's fourth generation Speed Triple. While this was not a redesign of the scale of the T509, there were many changes to the bike. The engine was still the venerable and reliable fuel injected engine used since 1997, but it had been increased in capacity to 1050 cc's. This was accomplished by lengthening the stroke. Also fitted was an all new Fuel injection and engine management system made by the Japanese company Keihin. Other engine modifications resulted in a claimed 129 horsepower and an even broader, flatter torque curve. Speed Triples had always been easy to ride, and favourites for the Stunt Riding community. With the new engine's increased performance this bike became one of the best choices for this kind of riding.
Other improvements included inverted forks, radial brake calipers and a redesigned electronic gauge cluster which included a trip computer. Handling was once again improved, and the brakes were considered excellent (See "Controversy" below.) With all these improvements, and the fact that the Streetfighter style of motorcycle was becoming quite popular, the Speed Triple once again rose to the top of it's competitors. When compared to other bikes in it's class such as the Ducati Monster, the Buell Lightning, the Benelli TNT, or any other contemporary, it's performance was just as good or better. Combined with it's lower price it immediately became a favourite with reviewers and enthusiasts alike.
The new Speed Triple shared it's engine with the new Sprint ST and later the 2007 Triumph Tiger, but 2006 was to be the last year of the 955i Daytona. In it's place was a new bike, the Daytona 675 . The new Daytona 675 had an all new smaller displacement engine and a completely new modern chassis. It garnered excellent reviews, as well as many rumours and suppositions that a new naked version would soon be available as a "Baby Speed Triple". To date these rumours have proved false, but the option remains open for Triumph to do so.
[edit] Controversy
One of the few controversial things about the Speed Triple occurred with the 2005 1050 cc models. These new bikes were fitted with all new radial brake calipers by the Japanese company Nissin. Although the brakes performed excellently initially, after time it was found that many bikes evolved problems. After as little as a few days, or as much as a few weeks, the brake lever would develop increased travel, and what was described as "Mushiness". The characteristic was often compared to the feel of brakes with air trapped within it's hydraulic system. The initial response from Triumph was that this was "Normal", and was designed to be this way. Triumph called this characteristic "Progressive Feel" brakes.
Many riders refused to accept Triumph's explanation, and after much complaining several "fixes" were developed. The original, official Triumph fix, was the replacement of the piston seals inside the brake calipers. Very quickly this was found to be temporary at best, and enterprising riders and mechanics developed other temporary fixes for the problem. Bleeding the brakes was one temporary fix, as was a technique of compressing the caliper pistons and then pumping them back full of fluid. Many other things were tried, but all of them produced only temporary relief.
In 2006 with the release of the Daytona 675 (which had the same brakes) Triumph released a second official fix for the problem, still without admitting that there was a problem. This fix was the install of specially coated brake caliper pistons. However, at the time of this writing some riders have reported success with this modification, and some riders have reported no change to the situation.
