Two relatively small motorcycle manufacturers from Italy, Laverda and Benelli, have announced plans to develop and manufacture three-cylinder, 900cc sportbikes in the near future. Indeed, Benelli's Tornado is expected to go into production later this year, for delivery to dealers in early 2001.
Laverda's timetable for its yet unnamed three-cylinder 900cc sportbike is less clear, but, provided sufficient funding is available to Laverda (something now being negotiated), the Laverda triple could see production in 2001.
Both of these new bikes are being designed from the ground up as the basis for a potential World Superbike assault. World Superbike rules allow a 750cc maximum capacity for four-cylinder bikes, 900cc for three-cylinders, and 1000cc for two-cylinders. The 900cc formula is presently untried in World Superbike competition, which features four-cylinder 750s and 1000cc v-twins, exclusively. Both Benelli and Laverda intend to change that fact.
What about Triumph? Triumph has manufactured three-cylinder bikes since its rebirth in 1990 (and, indeed, the "old" Triumph manufactured a three-cylinder street bike, as well). The Triumph triples are well respected in Europe, and getting respect throughout the world with the introduction of the Sprint ST and Sprint RS. Triumph's three-cylinder sportbike, the Daytona 955i, is a competent sportbike, but far too heavy to be competitive with the latest hardware from Japan.
At a claimed dry weight of 436 pounds (and a probable dry weight much higher -- given its measured wet weight), the 955i is edging toward the "sport tourer" classification. Furthermore, Triumph has avoided the 900cc capacity limit set by World Superbike competition rules, and has openly stated it has no present intention to conduct a factory-backed racing effort. The question is whether Triumph will allow Laverda and Benelli to develop cutting-edge 900cc Superbikes while remaining content with its current design. I doubt it.
The 955i, although refined each year, has been around since 1997. Its engine, although refined and lightened, is still based on the original 885cc, carbureted triple developed by Triumph in 1990. It is expected that both the Laverda and Benelli engines will be far more compact and lighter, and that their overall motorcycle weights will be more in line with Japanese Superbikes (approximately 400 pounds dry weight, or lighter).
Although Triumph has just recently developed a four-cylinder 600cc sportbike, it is hard to imagine that Triumph will abandon the three-cylinder formula, or be content with its current, dated designs in that arena. We expect Triumph to announce a 900cc Superbike contender within the next model year. With the existing engine now residing, largely unchanged, in the Sprint ST and Sprint RS, Triumph has its development costs for that motor more than covered. Moreover, with the lessons learned in the development of the 600cc four-cylinder (which, according to Triumph, is more than competitive power-wise and weight-wise with the best from Japan), Triumph will have tried-and-true engine design parameters for use in a lightweight, high output 900cc three-cylinder Superbike motor.
As for Laverda and Benelli, Benelli is clearly the more stable financially at this point, and Laverda's financial problems could result in significant delays, or even ultimate abandonment of its 900cc project. We hope both projects will go forward and into production, however, and that World Superbike will very soon have 900cc triples contending for the championship.