All the Duels – Duel Speed ​​Triple S Vs XSR900: households with three – Two roadsters that send heavy!

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Duel Speed ​​Triple S Vs XSR900: three-way households

All the Duels - Duel Speed ​​Triple S Vs XSR900: households with three - Two roadsters that send heavy!

The maxiroadsters segment, boosted in recent years by supercharged bi- or 4-cylinder motorcycles, saw the arrival in 2016 of two new 3-piston machines: the Triumph Speed ​​Triple and the Yamaha XSR900. Site compared them… Duel !

Two roadsters that send heavy !

It is true that at first glance, pitting an 850 cc motorcycle against a 1050 cc one may seem unfair. Especially when they share the same engine architecture: 3-cylinder in-line, 4-stroke, 16-valve, 120 ° set, liquid cooling, electronic injection, etc..

But handlebars in hand and straight grips screwed on toc (engine modes on "A" and "Track", for info), Site realizes that in the specific case of the XSR900 and the Speed ​​Triple S, the encounter is fairer. -play than it looks. The test of times on the last report is even won by the "small" engine !

Equipped with a more lively mill at low and mid revs, pulling a little shorter on 6th gear (500 revs faster at 130 km / h) and returning 17 kg to the "big" Triumph, the Yamaha leaves it no luck at the exit of the slums or on the acceleration lanes…

The British "Tripeul" may well be weaker – it develops 25 horsepower and 24.5 Nm more than the Japanese CP3 – it is no match for the weight! At least not on the first two-thirds of the tachometer, where the Yamaha clearly takes the advantage. Beyond, however, the Triumph takes over thanks to a better extension.

Speed ​​Triple owners are therefore warned: when an MT-09 (or its more "vintage" twin) shows up in their mirrors, MNC advises them to drop a pair of gears to avoid catching a cold! They may have a bigger one, it’s clearly not the size that matters here.

The match is balanced on the intermediate reports where one can familiarize himself with the red zones without – too much – fear of the radars (on condition of remaining on the motorway of course, German preferably). At high revs indeed, the Speed ​​is aptly named and passes in front of the XSR.

MNC is all the more tempted to run away with the English as she is much more stable than the Japanese. Whether under full acceleration or launched at – very – high speed, the front axle of the Speed ​​Triple remains riveted to the ground, which is very reassuring and encourages people to stay on the throttle..

Big acceleration on the XSR900

On the XSR900, on the contrary, the front wheel struggles to stay on course! The direction is seriously reduced past the 7000 rev / min, regime where the CP3 raises the tone while the rise in regime remains linear on the "Tripeul". The compromise between fun and serenity is clearly not the same on the two motorcycles.

At this stage on the Yamaha, the slightest imperfections in the asphalt are reflected in movements in the wide handlebars (the hands are 51.5 cm apart on the Yam, against 48 on the Triumph). On the Speed ​​Triple, the fork erases shocks much better: we therefore continue to accelerate !

Courageous but not reckless, the Yam ‘pilot admits defeat on bumpy roads. On a cleaner surface and at more reasonable speeds, on the other hand, it has a lot of fun and can even work, if it wishes, its rear wheels (MNC then recommends the softer B mode, but ultimately just as powerful).

The scenario is repeated in the winding: initially, the XSR900 leads the dance thanks to its remarkable agility. Its handlebars (81 cm max against 76 on the Speed ​​Triple) further facilitate the pilot’s task in the series of small turns. The Yamaha is therefore back in the lead.

Despite the more closed geometry of its front axle (see technical sheets on the last page), the Speed ​​Triple is less incisive. Beyond 60 km / h, swinging the 212 kg of the beast from one angle to the other – with its muscular and heavy rump – becomes physical. Much more in any case than on the Yamaha of 195 kg.

The XSR900 is a weapon on departmental: beware of burrs! Strong acceleration between two turns can quickly cause the Japanese to deviate from its trajectory and while the front no longer steers, the rear sinks generously and then bounces a little too much. The pilot undergoes…

On the Triumph, the attitude adopted naturally by the pilot corresponds much better to the sporting program reserved for this type of roadsters. Without reaching the radicalism of sports – shunned by French bikers … -, the English allows piloting both more rhythmic and controlled.

The Speed’s footrests are higher and set back than those of the XSR, its fuel tank is shorter and its handlebars are closer. More wedged to the front of his machine, the pilot stands better during acceleration and handles his front wheel more precisely.

In addition, the Triumph quickly and firmly sits on its fork when entering a curve. The Yamaha takes longer to settle: a little too loose on big compressions, it lacks rigor and the use of the brake on the angle disturbs it more.

Big arsouilles with the Speed ​​Triple

Site therefore dares to enter the bends harder on the English handlebars, especially when the surface is irregular. The exits are also more obvious on the Triumph: its traction and stability are foolproof, which is not the case with the Yamaha..

Easier to handle gently in the rough portions, the XSR900 does not like being abrupt. Unlike the Triumph, the more abrupt the Yamaha, the less pleasure it takes. At one point, therefore, the Speed ​​Triple ends up doing the brakes on the XSR and turns in the lead..

Braking question precisely, the Yamaha tilts at nothing because of a lever a little too spongy and an attack erased – delayed – by the diving of the fork. When it comes to power, on the other hand, its star-studded "first-generation R1-style" calipers have nothing to be ashamed of against their British transalpine competitors !

Despite its Brembo one-piece radial calipers, the Triumph doesn’t have the bite of a Superbike. On this point, the Speed ​​Triple is not equal to one, but its braking is not so bad. Compared to the Yamaha this time, the Triumph has a better attack and brakes just as hard..

Heavier than the Yamaha (+ 8.7% according to the clever calculations of Site), the Triumph is much more demanding on its brakes – and their job increases exponentially depending on the speed! She was therefore right to afford cutting-edge equipment.

The only downside: the "two-stroke" operation of the right lever, a phenomenon which was very present on the but which had disappeared from the … and which was completely absent from the, yet equipped with the same set as the S (calipers , pads, master cylinder, ABS, etc.) !

On our test Speed ​​Triple S, a small backstop was perceptible when the lever was first engaged, was no longer when the front brake was quickly resumed, and then reappeared … This lack of consistency could be detrimental to the precision of some of our braking: in a bend that closes, or during blind braking, behind a van for example.

Contacted by Site, Triumph France confirmed to us after investigation that the calipers of "our" Speed ​​were faulty and that they were going to be replaced in order to give this copy – reserved for the specialized press – its powerful braking, not excessively biting and perfectly dosable.

The Yamaha triumphs on the other hand in terms of the rear brake thanks to a caliper (however single piston, double on the Speed) offering more response. Less straightforward and less powerful, the English Nissin system is less easily dosed. So less good for those who like to refine their trajectories with the right foot…

But the program of a roadster, even sporty like the Speed ​​or explosive like the XSR900, is not limited to only acceleration or arsouilles on small roads. To complete this duel, Site had to address a series of other equally important subjects: click on the next page…

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