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Driving report Triumph TT 600

Now it’s getting serious

Triumph has worked hard and wants to get to grips with the four established 600 super athletes. Does the TT have what it takes? In France, the British asked for the first rendezvous.

Yes, the British made a great effort. Still, the Triumph TT 600 doesn’t really knock you off your feet. Four cylinders, four cycles, around four hundredweight easily ?? This means that the new one from the island fits seamlessly into the ranks of the four super-sporty middle graders from the Far East. So nothing special, at least at first glance. Apart from the electronic injection and the unregulated catalytic converter for Germany. The neighbors are allowed to go without, but hopefully not for much longer.
And otherwise? A sturdy, black painted aluminum chassis, 43 mm telescopic fork, 180 mm slippers at the back, two snorting intake nostrils and a plastic cover that will certainly fit the Honda CBR 600 F. But whether the TT 600 turned out deliberately like an English CBR or just coincidence has shaped the similarity is pretty much irrelevant at the moment, because the newcomer is warm in the back of the box, right? known concept or not? We’re really excited to see what the Triumph technicians will push under our bums.
Warm up? Why run warm? Because with the TT 600, despite electronic injection, you have to pull the gas very carefully when it is cold so that it doesn’t jerk and rattle. It is reluctant to take on the gas and seems to be rather poorly tuned. Water temperature 70 degrees ?? and now let’s go on the hilly test course of Pau-Arnos. Do not you know? It’s no wonder either. Is pretty hidden in the southwest of France, but has everything a motorcycle can upset. A wickedly twisted downhill hairpin, the crisp right-left chicane, a treacherous hilltop to take off at 150 km / h and 200 km / h curves that eat up the knee pad in no time at all. None of this is an issue for the Triumph chassis. As if nailed to the ground, the TT 600 tears its rider through mountains and valleys. And with the brakes, top notch at Triumph, you can even master braking points that are selected too late. Provided that you bring the rear wheel, which is stamping when downshifting down, to rest by means of a lightly applied clutch. Otherwise there is serenity, because the conventional telescopic fork cannot be lured from its reserve even when there are bumpy spots.
Nice that the Bridgestone BT 010 tires? front in J specification ?? TT circles all kinds of corners with a lot of grip and absolute neutrality. Bumps, lateral grooves, longitudinal joints, none of this is an issue, the Triumph holds the course. Don’t ask for fussy corrections. It doesn’t matter whether you sweep the curve scenario in an upright Schorsch Meier style with your knees on the tank or in a sporty, correct hanging-off.
With which the TT 600 is clearly committed to the compromise formula between sport and everyday life. The handlebar halves clamped on over the triple clamps and the flowing, comfortable transitions of the tank-seat combination alone indicate the desired versatility.
The fact that this foolproof curve sharpening is bought at the price of a not so easy handiness is secondary. Although equipped with feather-light cast wheels, a sustained pull on the handlebars is required to turn the TT 600 around the corner at higher speeds. But much more important than maximum maneuverability, and the Triumph development team understood that, is a sport bike that everyone can control, without fidgety nervousness, without deviousness, without ifs or buts. Last but not least, the tightly designed spring elements contribute to this, which may be a bit too uncomfortable for very sensitive people, but guarantee crystal-clear feedback. Thanks to the firm, flat upholstery, the bench also promotes contact with the road without reducing comfort. well done.
Bottom line: The Triumph doesn’t have to fear the established Japanese when it comes to chassis and brakes. On the contrary ?? Hardly any Nippon athlete can move with such stability and steering precision. And that without technical magic. In fact, many of the TT’s chassis components come from Japan, only they were tuned and combined differently by the British. The dropouts of the swing arm, the tension-free mounted motor mounts via threaded spindle, the fittings, the switches, levers and reversing levers to the central spring strut also follow the Japanese model. The keyword is globalization. English bikes with Japanese know-how? Why not?
To the engine. Four cylinders as usual, but here with injection. But unfortunately the British have not found an optimal coordination of injection and engine management. The extremely short-stroke Triumph engine gurgles asthmatically out of the airbox at under 4000 revs before the gas flows are sorted and give the engine a certain liveliness from 5000 rpm. Not great, but still. Pulling through, that defines a Yamaha R6 engine in more concrete terms. The low-vibration TT drive, on the other hand, takes its time. Too much time. It doesn’t help much that the English foursome turns obsessively on the gently starting limiter at 14,000 rpm. A little more liveliness and a more aggressive acceleration couldn’t harm the Triumph from a sporting point of view.
There are also wishes left unfulfilled in rural road operations. Sufficient power and torque are only available when things are moving quickly. However, the load change reactions interfere here, due to the slightly rough use of gas at medium speeds. The switch box is also rather brittle and hooked in this area. But the gears lock firmly into place and do not jump out of their position even after sloppy gear changes.
Ob the TT 600 can hold its own against the Japanese mid-range armada? Well ?? with the engine tuning it will be difficult. But this can only be determined reliably in the comparison test. In 14 days. Here in MOTORRAD.

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