NEW TRIUMPH TT600 This one's been rumoured for quite a while, but receives its official launch today (November 4th) at England's NEC bike show. The Triumph press release doesn't really go into much detail but we do have a selection of shots and some specs to go on. The new TT600 represents a milestone for the British company who, until just a few years ago, made their complete line up from a modular concept, with different engine capacities being made up by playing with the variations offered by differing the number of cylinders and having a couple of different piston sizes. That all changed with the introduction of the T series bikes in 1997, the T595 getting a 955 cc in line triple and the T509 getting a tuned down 885 cc version. Only now however, have Triumph decided to wade into the hot and super competitive 600 market, and with an inline four to boot. A quick look at the specs shows that the TT looks to be (on paper) right there with the other sport 600's. Dry weight is a very respectable claimed 170 Kg, along with a max power of 108 bhp and torque of 50.5 ftlb.
Cosmetically, it looks like a bit of a cross between a Honda F4 and the older Yamaha YZF 600. The frame is a perimeter beam type (painted black), which moves away from the T series tube type, and back towards more conventional thinking. Likewise with the two sided swingarm, which may not look as trick as the T series single sided jobbies, but is probably a chunk lighter. Suspension up front is by conventional 43 mm cartridge forks, equipped with adjustable preload, compression and rebound damping. Fuelling is by the seemingly now standard of fuel injection (which Triumph seem to have got right to date), with the aid of ram air induction, scooped in by two circular intake ducts, positioned just below and to either side of the head light. All in all, a rather conservative approach to their introduction to the 600 class. That may not be a bad idea, so long as the TT can keep up with the competition on the road. A lot will also depend on the asking price. The tough competition in this class keeps technology at the forefront but pricing competitive. If Triumph can match the others here, then we could be seeing one more step by the Hinckley firm into mainstream motorcycling.
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