Triumph 1700 twin

**huck farley** · 26th January 2008, 06:30

The motorcycle was spotted in Wales, in almost complete form, just missing a few Triumph Badges. Originally thought to be a 1500cc machine it looks like the engine has now been upped to 1700cc.

Do you think this is a good move for Triumph? Or do you think the British firm has sold out to the US market?

Have your say about the new motorcycle by adding your comments.

**huck farley** · 26th January 2008, 06:36

Me thinks it is a wise move by Triumph and very brave to not copy the HD style of cruiser. This bike will add to Triumph's already range of bikes that cover just about everything. Would you buy one?

I would depending on the price that is. I can't wait to find out more about this bike and it's specs. The Engine in the bike spotted looks as if it's water cooled. Wow a 1700 parallel twin. I bet it sounds nice!! And has a heap of grunt!! It looks like it has forward contols, but can't tell for sure on the spy shot.
Cheers
Huck

**tri boy** · 26th January 2008, 11:09

Sorry Huck, but I totally hate the look of the pig.
Triumphs used to be light nimble sickles that carried their riders all around the planet. That looks like a bloated carcass expanding in the sun.
If it weighs less than 280kg I will be very surprised.
I tolerate the monstrous triple cruiser they made, solely cause it's a massive jump to the left of being conventional, but that thing is just plan fat n ugly.

**xwhatsit** · 26th January 2008, 11:17

It looks like some fat 1980s Yamaha `custom'. Christ, the wheels alone...

**Sully60** · 26th January 2008, 11:32

Originally Posted by tri boy

Sorry Huck, but I totally hate the look of the pig.
Triumphs used to be light nimble sickles that carried their riders all around the planet. That looks like a bloated carcass expanding in the sun.

Fair point and I cannot disagree with your opinion on the looks etc. But that's the type of viewpoint which caused the once thriving British motorcycle industry to fall over.
The "middleweight" cruiser segment is one of the biggest sectors in the western world's motorcycle market.
And any manufacturer of Triumphs size or bigger would be totally stupid to completely ignore it.
With "big" cruisers now being 2 litres or plus and "small" ones being 800's or 1000's the "middleweights" are all 1500 -1800 cc's and pretty much all of these bikes are V-twins. Triumph as a manufacturer have to have a point of difference and from what we see here they've done a good job.

Proof's in the pudding though, we shall see how this one works out for the Hinkley men.

**Pussy** · 26th January 2008, 11:34

I reckon it doesn't look too bad! I wouldn't buy one, though, still like sprot bikes, and probably will for quite some time

**Ixion** · 26th January 2008, 11:40

Dunno about the looks, I'm not a crusier person. I imagine it'll be popular with old folk, easy to mount, and they don't care about performance.

But from an engineering point of view , that motor has to be a dogs arse.

DOHC? On a 1700 twin? How high do they think it's going to rev?

And those headers look far too small to scavenge 850cc. And apparently only two valve ?

I hate to think what the vibration will be like, even with a balance shaft.

Doesn't seem to me to be a bold new anything, seems more like the sort of thing that Meridan would have come up with in the 1980s.

**YellowDog** · 26th January 2008, 12:11

Originally Posted by huck farley

The motorcycle was spotted in Wales, in almost complete form, just missing a few Triumph Badges. Originally thought to be a 1500cc machine it looks like the engine has now been upped to 1700cc.

Do you think this is a good move for Triumph? Or do you think the British firm has sold out to the US market?

Have your say about the new motorcycle by adding your comments.

I think it is a bad choice myself. Cruisers are very much in vogue and selling in heaps. Boulevard M109 is one of my favourite beauties that I will not be buying (but would if I was after a cruiser). This bike will not sell. I agree that it is a fat heavy ugly pig.

**Ixion** · 26th January 2008, 12:31

But you can get all those with a SOHC and rockers (or pushrods, for that matter). Rockers allow any desired combustion chamber shape, they are even more verstile than DOHC (where the valve angle has to be perpendicular to the camshaft).

Actually, given the somewhat 'retro' nature of crusiers, and the fact that the engines are large, slow revving and not expected to produce large power, I'd have thought a flat head would be the wya to go. Think of the torque then!

MD · 26th January 2008, 13:49

I'm looking forward to seeing what new big twin eventually comes out from Triumph. I hope it looks a lot like the current America.

I wouldn't get all excited praising or flinging shit at the looks of that spy photo. That's most likely just a mule bike for testing parts, engine etc. The final product will probably look nothing like it.

It makes sense for them to fill the gap between their massive 2300cc Rocket and the America, Bonnie, Speedmaster twins. As much as I like the current cruiser twins the 865cc motor is just too weak. I took a Thruxton out last week.

Triumph have admitted that they are building a bigger twin because the yanks aren't keen on buying smaller cruisers but find the Rocket too big.

**xwhatsit** · 26th January 2008, 14:15

Originally Posted by Ixion

But you can get all those with a SOHC and rockers (or pushrods, for that matter). Rockers allow any desired combustion chamber shape, they are even more verstile than DOHC (where the valve angle has to be perpendicular to the camshaft).

That's quite right. My SOHC single has rockers and has a very decent valve angle with all four valves, pretty much a hemispherical combustion chamber. Certainly didn't need the two cams that the RFVC head needed to accomplish the same thing.

I take it this model is pre-production? If so, it quite possibly has some random parts-bin tank/guards/seat/tail to disguise it. KTM was doing that quite recently with Cagiva fairings (I think). Well I hope they'll change it, because quite honestly it looks like any run of the mill Jap-cruiser with a parallel twin in it (reminds me of that Suzuki Savage 650 single with twin pipes).

**banditrider** · 26th January 2008, 16:00

Not too bad from the front, although maybe a bigger headlight (just 1 big round sucker) would look better. Rear end is just like any other cruiser - pretty crap looking, whay can't they be a bit more inventive? Engine from the left side anyway looks quite nice - way better looking than the Rocket III. Nice that they are maintaining a point of difference by having a parallel twin but is that what the cruiser crowd want?