All Tests – Triumph Speed ​​Triple 2011 Test: the King is back! – Caution: the Speed ​​Triple 2011 arrives!

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Triumph Speed ​​Triple 2011 test: the King is back !

All Tests - Triumph Speed ​​Triple 2011 Test: the King is back! - Caution: the Speed ​​Triple 2011 arrives!

Immediately unveiled at the Cologne Motor Show, as soon as it was tested in Spain: Triumph invited the international press to a first take-up of its latest Speed ​​Triple, on track and on the road. And the novelty 2011 did not disappoint us: try !

Caution: the Speed ​​Triple 2011 arrives !

Yes, the Triumph Speed ​​Triple has been roaming our streets for sixteen years, scouring our roads and squatting our cafe terraces! Admittedly, in hindsight, the first model (the T301 from 1994) looked more like a Cafe Racer than a "Streetfighter" and it was not until 1997, with the arrival of the T509, that Triumph hit a very big blow.

Availability and prices

The new Triumph Speed ​​Triple will arrive in French dealerships in November at a price of € 11,495 (a decrease of – € 5 compared to 2010!), While its ABS version will follow in December for € 12,095..

Since then, let’s not be afraid of words, the English roadster has entered the legend with its double front optic, its double aluminum beam frame, its single swingarm, its double high exhaust … and its Triple, of course! So many key elements that we naturally find on the 2011 model.

Over time, the English three-cylinder has continued to gain muscle: 885 cc in 1994 (with electronic injection in 1997), 955 cc in 1999 and 1050 cc in 2005. Renowned for its flexibility, roundness and sound efficiency, this "one thousand and fifty" has simply been reworked this year.

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"We changed the airbox, modified the exhaust system and its catalyst, gained a kilo on the mufflers, increased the size of the inter-cylinder transfers to reduce energy losses, improved the feeling of the box and revised the efficiency of the radiator", sums up Simon Warburton, product manager at Triumph..

In terms of performance, the 3-cylinder would have gained in the operation no less than 5 horses (it goes from 130 hp to 135) and 8 Nm (from 103 Nm to 111). But the engine evolutions of the Speed ​​Triple seem very minimal in view of the work done on the chassis…

For 2011, Triumph mainly wanted to review the dynamic behavior of its flagship model. Because we must admit that the competitors – but also its little sister Street Triple! – had given the Speed ​​a facelift !

It would have been obsolete to offer a fifth update of the 1997 frame. The engineers at Hinckley did much better to take inspiration from that of the 675! Very quickly – in summer 2007, the little dungeons! – the British have therefore found one of their main areas of work: weight distribution.

For this purpose, they advanced the motor 3 mm and rotated it 7 °. Triumph has even taken the vice further by migrating the battery from under the saddle to just behind the handlebars: in the end, 50.9% of the 214 kg all full of the 2011 Speed ​​Triple are supported from the front. On the 2010 version, the distribution was more than reversed since 51.4% of the 217 kg were at the rear.

Likewise, Triumph engineers have decided to move the rider forward on the bike: he is now 44mm closer to the front wheel axle and 26mm closer to the handlebars. Its footrests are also advanced by 29mm, but are located roughly the same distance from the saddle, although the saddle is 5mm lower. In short, the Cafe Racer attitude of yesteryear is swept away !

Like the frame, the aluminum single-sided arm is brand new. Lighter by a kilo than the previous one, it is also 18 mm longer and radically changes its look: the chain now goes through, isn’it beautiful ?

The rear wheel also has its share of changes since the rim goes from 5.5 to 6 inches and receives a tire of 190/55: "190 to improve grip, 55 to maintain agility"Says the manufacturer. At the same time, it allows the Speed ​​to relieve itself of a mass – not suspended – of 1.5 kg.

The front axle is also well served, if not better: its weight is down 1.4 kg and its inertia reduced by 5% according to the learned calculations of Triumph. We note occasionally that the discs are thinner by half a millimeter and that their 4-piston 4-pad Brembo calipers are unchanged, unlike their Brembo master cylinder, radial type, supposed to improve the feeling and endurance..

And for the very first time, the Speed ​​Triple can be equipped with ABS! The Nissin system – the brand of the rear caliper – does not call into question the presence of Italian clamps … Or how to reconcile class and safety !

A new accessory from Triumph makes its appearance on its maxi-roadster: the TMPS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System), which warns the driver in the event of a decrease in the air pressure in his tires. "Disregard the light on your meters, we have deliberately lowered the pressure for the track", reassure us our guests when getting into the saddle.

Coming as standard this time, the immobilizer with coded key is also a great first. The space under the saddle also allows you to store a large disk block: the thugs of Reims (read our mishap on the sidelines of our) or elsewhere will no longer be able to sting the Speed ​​Triple in the car parks in less than 2 minutes flat. .. And that’s good !

The instrumentation still mixes an analog tachometer with a digital dial, but now has a fuel gauge. "With improved saddle comfort and a better view in mirrors, a more understandable speedometer and gauge were on our customers’ wishlist.", tell us the British.

Aesthetically finally – but the readers of Site, who as everyone knows have a little more luck than the others, already knew – the Speed ​​Triple evolves by touches. As we have seen, the double pot, the visible frame, the single-sided arm are all new but remain faithful to their ancestors. Note, however, the appearance of painted side covers that insist on the side picked up and "all on the front" of the beast..

"Last but not least", the roadster trades in 2011 its two round headlights against two pentagonal elements more in tune with the times, but still so distinctive. To make it clear that the new Speed ​​Triple has arrived? This is what we were able to verify on the sublime Ascari track and on its surrounding roads: it’s time for this first test !

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