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Triumph-Powered Moto2 Bikes Break Lap Record at Jerez During Testing


It was never going to be a surprise that the 765cc triples provided by Triumph to Moto2 teams for the 2019 season would eclipse the power output of the previous four-cylinder 600cc Honda engines. The surprise, perhaps, is that the first time the Triumph-powered bikes were on track for official tests at Jerez this last week, Moto2 lap records would immediately fall.

Developed over several years, the Honda-powered engine/chassis combinations fielded for Moto2 produced a circuit record at Jerez in the mid-1:42 second range with an outright fastest lap of roughly 1:41.9 seconds. You can see lap records for Jerez for all three classes here.

On the dry second day of the Moto2 test that was just completed, four riders dipped into the 1:41s with both Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini) besting the fastest Moto2 lap time ever achieved by a Honda-powered machine. As the Triumph-powered Moto2 bikes develop further this year, don’t be surprised if they set lap records at some circuits that are less than three seconds off the best MotoGP pace.


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29 Comments

  1. Fred_M. says:

    I love triples and this one looks like a gem.

    But I think that Dorna has made a mistake having this be such a huge jump in power and size compared to a Moto3 bike.

    At various times, the GP classes included 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 80cc, 50cc bikes. It made sense. A young rider might start out on a 50cc or 80cc machine. He’d graduate to a 125cc, then a 250cc, and then a 500cc bike, maybe with a 350cc bike thrown in between the 250 and 500.

    Now they’ll be jumping from a 250cc single that makes less than 55hp to a 765cc triple that makes about 140hp when they go from Moto3 to Moto2. That’s a very big jump.

  2. Pacer says:

    I think this package is made to order. Dorna wanted a certain performance, and Truimph built an engine to fulfill the need. As mentioned below, this bike will help prepare riders for the GP bike. It is also pretty impressive for the road models. In it’s hottest form (RS) it puts about 125 to the ground and 419 wet. Compare that to an FZR1000 about 125, 520 wet. 25ish years later, and we have quite a sweet ride. The RS is more comfortable than the FZR, with a much improved chassis.

    Off topic, but say goodbye 600cc I4 supersports. The next class to emerge will be superlights for those looking for razor sharp rides. With no racing class to define engine size we are going to see a lot of cool interpretations. We have the Husky Vitpilen, Aprilia is teasing with their 650, who else wants to play. I believe racing classes stifle imagination (adversely they do drive ingenuity).

    As far as the current midsize performance bikes? We have the Street Triple, 790 Duke, FZ09, Monster, GSXR750, Z900, etc. (Can you think of any more) All bikes excel on the road, and are not cookie cutter sportbikes. I like the direction the industry is heading.

  3. John B says:

    ” at some circuits that are less than three seconds off the best MotoGP pace”

    This is interesting, given time the frame separates the MotoGP field at the end of a race, could these guys finish as high as say 5th in a MotoGP race?

    Sort of making the classes bunch up and the 250’s will look like they’re running at a snails pace..

    • guu says:

      No. Lap times are not the same as race performance. For example the V2 500 GP racers almost or even just as fast as the V4s but really had no chance in a race. You can not use the advantages of a less powerful bike in a real race. The faster bikes will pass you on the straights and block you line in the corners.

    • mickey says:

      That’s 3 seconds slower PER LAP. Times 27-30 laps. They would get lapped by nearly everybody in the MotoGP field.

    • ChrisRR says:

      What Mickey says. The 500cc 2 strokes could qualify with the same lap times as the 4 strokes but in the races were out-muscled out of the corners and out-gunned down the straights. A bike that is 3 seconds slower would be a lapped backmarker. This also applies to WSB – while they can turn laps almost as fast as MotoGP, in a head-to-head race it wouldn’t be that close.

  4. MacSpoone says:

    Just a thought, but why not make the class 750cc?

    • Bob K says:

      Why? Who but Suzuki makes a 750? Not like those are flying out the doors. Besides, what does CCs have to do with engine configuration? Moto3 is a single, GP is a 4, what’s the point of having another 4 cylinder so close in size to a GP bike? GP downsized to 800cc because they thought 990cc was too fast to be safe. Damn things were even faster in the corners.

  5. Craig Brooks says:

    I can’t imagine Triumph not using this to make a Daytona M2 version of now missing sport bike. I hope it happens and having owned the 675 R – I can only verify that the sound, performance and even the reliability is all there. If I buy again, Triumph 765 RS or Daytona would be on the very short list.

    • Pacer says:

      The Street Triple has enough performance for the street, and super sports are out of favor. Triumph has said they would build it if there was enough demand.

      • Bob K says:

        Enough is never enough. There’s always a time when someone wishes for a little more.
        .
        I’ve wanted a Daytona since 2006. Never bought it because I wasn’t interested in a revvy 675. Always wanted it to be the 1050 Daytona.

        • Pacer says:

          You sound like a liter bike kind of guy. 🤠 That 1050 would be nice, but that makert is sitting on showroom floors.

        • todd says:

          Or install a resistor in the lead to the tach so it reads 6,000 instead of 8,000. What’s the difference in an rpm number? Performance is performance. Shift later and grin.

        • dt-175 says:

          I wanted a speed triple (black, natch) in 96!!!

  6. Allwold says:

    I hope there is some trickle down to street bikes.

  7. dt-175 says:

    will the 765 teach a kid to challenge for the motogp championship? the Honda 600 was equal for everybody, but has not seemed to prepare anybody for 40+ minutes of 280 rwhp. franco and zarco are doing okaaay, I guess, but dovi and horhay never rode those things…

    • Dave says:

      There’s this guy, Marquez. He came from Moto2 and he’s ok on the bike bike. 😉

      The Espargaro’s, Rins, Vinales, Zarco, Redding, and Iannone were all Moto2 guys and they’re all doing well, even if some don’t have the equipment to race for the front. I have to believe a Moto2 is better prep than a 250cc 2T.

  8. Neil says:

    It’s interesting. Almost like the 800 MotoGP bikes. The industry is deciding that at that level 600cc bikes are definitely not as relevant as they used to be. It would be nice to see a web site filled with past and present motorcycle sales. What is the point of the class? Training future riders is working at either 600 or 765 engine specs. It will be more exciting with a bit more power and the sound of those great triples echoing in the distance. Nice motor.

    • Dave says:

      I’m inclined to agree. There are three other manufacturers of 600c/I4 engines, all of whom should’ve been able to easily outbid Triumph. My guess is that they couldn’t see much ROI from Honda’s participation. Being a smaller, more performance focused company, hopefully Triumph can make some marketing success for their street products via this avenue.

  9. joe b says:

    the previous Honda engines, were intentionally made the same, to a low performance spec, and after dyno testing, grouped so each event would have similar engine output. 200 engines were in the cycle of engine rebuilding, every 3rd race everyone got a new engine. There is a lot of work that went into the repetitive process, so each engine was identical to all the others. it was 600cc. Moto 2 next year will be more interesting to watch, cant wait. I did get a new TV and WOW, what a difference. might even buy the computer motogp and hook it up to my laptop, life is good.

  10. Mark says:

    If they don’t blow up this is a feather in Triumphs cap.

    • Fivespeed302 says:

      Only if they ever come out with the Daytona 765. I doubt this will do much for the Street 765 sales.

      • Bart says:

        If I get a refreshed motor every third weekend I’d buy!

      • Superlight says:

        With Supersport sales in the doldrums I don’t see a Daytona 765 in Triumph’s future.

        • Dave says:

          It’s tough to predict without knowing how the 675 did for them relative to market expectations. They are a smaller volume brand, with presumably fewer dealers than the Big-4, and the market is recovering, even if it’s not rewarding 600cc SS bikes.

          Maybe it’s something a little different? The lack of wind protection is a deal breaker for me, that puts me completely out of the naked bike market, and I can’t be the only one who feels that way. I’d love to see something higher performance, with a half fairing, something like a premium Superhawk or SV650/1000s would be exciting to me.

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