The praises of Triumph’s three cylinder motor are often sung high; confirmed when a cursory tug on the throttle gave the game away - just the muted exhaust note, out of the carbon fibre clad silencers, had me all agog. I played with the throttle like some twelve year old kid might. The rather strange hydraulic clutch failed to intimidate me but I would've like less of an agricultural clunk when first gear was engaged on a cold motor (with the water cooling they do take a while to warm up).
I defy anyone, even race replica addicts, not to be impressed by the way the Triumph takes off. Smouldering the rear tyre, putting the front wheel up around cagers’ earlobes or just taking off fast and controlled, like a heat sinking missile at warp speed. Arms were torn out of sockets, my neck was nearly broken and anyone silly enough to sit on the marginal pillion perch was all but thrown right off the back.
Roll-on acceleration was, if anything, even more impressive because it was a touch easier to control, letting me really get down to the job in hand. The major problem came not from any component on the bike but from our silly speed limits. The Super 3 was so competent it made 75mph feel like 60 and 90mph feel like 70mph! Doing the ton was such a natural thing, just a matter of a mild amount of throttle, that it was almost impossible to run along at lower speeds.
The riding position wasn't as radical as a GSXR but it did push me towards using as much speed as conditions allowed. The relationship between bars and pegs was good, letting me do a couple of hours of high speed cruising without having to start cursing the bike. My wrists were the first to complain, the throttle and clutch turning rather heavy after 200 miles of madness. A quick stop for fuel was all that was needed to sort myself out.
It was only at low speeds that the 465lbs of metal (dry) made itself felt, doing a miraculous disappearing act from 50mph upwards. The Super 3 is a touch lighter than the standard Daytona, to the tune of 11lbs, although it'll probably take areal racer to pick up the differences. Half of that weight loss comes from using Cosworth manufactured crankcases, which are stiffer and yet thinner than stock. They look very nice, too. The rest of the weight loss comes from using carbon-fibre for some minor chassis components. A nice start in the weight reduction program but considering that Honda's four cylinder CBR900 weighs 420lbs there must be another 500lbs in there to lose eventually.
The weight does help the Triumph sit well on the road, completely absent are the twitchy and jittery feel of some race replicas. Tyres are fat Dunlop radials which grip so well that even in the wet I wasn’t frightened to use the throttle. If you want to see some progress in motorcycle design, ride a ZX-10 (my previous bike) alongside a Super 3 in the wet. The former bike is more likely to kill you than arrive safely at your destination. That’s one thing European bikes have going for them, they are tested and developed on the roads where they are used.
Right at the bottom of the rev range the three cylinder engine felt a bit gruff, was quite likely to take a moment to respond when in top gear. The engine preferred working hard on the throttle and smooth gearbox, to lolling along in the taller gears. It really went crazy with more than 6000 revs up, a result of much wilder cams and a higher compression ratio than the stock Trident engine. If you were only going to ride the bike as a poseur then the latter mill would be a better bet, thanks to its amazing low end and midrange punch.
Top speed was over 140mph, but I don’t know by how much as I chickened out by then, wanting to keep both my licence and my sanity (threatened by a dose of paranoia and plain fear from the effect of the velocity). The engine was still pulling strong so at least 150mph, maybe 160mph. The red zone starts at the point of maximum power output, 9500, which I thought rather strange but by keeping the power concentrated below 10000 revs the engine longevity for which these bikes became quickly famed remains intact. I spoke to one Trident owner who'd done 76000 miles with just regular maintenance, although by then there was a bit of clutch and valve rattle, whilst the finish was dull with most fasteners speckled with rust - it had been used through a couple of winters. Fit and finish on the Daytona was certainly better, as good as anything I've seen from Japan or Europe.
It had trouble, though, keeping up with my mate’s CBR600 in the curves. We were both working our six speed gearboxes hard in the series of country road lanes, but even though the Triumph would accelerate better, the Honda could take a more radical line through the curves and needed a lot less effort to twitch from side to side. On the plus side, a series of punishing bumps that hammered through the suspension did little to upset my bike but had the CBR’s wheels all over the place.
At one point I tried to nudge inside the Honda, which tightened its line on me, causing me to twitch upwards and stomp on the front brake in complete panic mode. The bike gave an almighty lurch that almost tore my arms off, twitched once and then serenely continued on the new trajectory, taking us over to the wrong side of the road, much to the horror of a caged moron who braked harshly enough to let me edge by his front bumper. I didn’t stay around long enough to check if he had an heart attack, instead played a symphony on the exhaust, hollering after the disappearing Honda. It was a bit of a disappointment that in the real world I couldn't stomp on the CBR, it was such a well put together package that for ordinary riders it became almost unbeatable. It’s enough to make you cry!
The Triumph had upgraded disc brakes, calipers machined from solid aluminium alloy. These six piston calipers are hot stuff indeed, combining brilliant braking with a very sensitive feel, allowing me to take the front wheel right up to the point where it was about to lock up. Furthermore, that feedback doesn’t do a runner when they are used in anger during emergency stops. Couldn't fault them, the pads about two-thirds worn with 6500 miles on the clock.
The tyres were changed at 4500 miles when there was slightly more than 2mm of tread left, as the bike had become a tad sensitive to road markings in the wet. Well, I could only afford TPF&T insurance, so there was no way I was going to chance coming off due to old rubber. The new tyres took 200 miles before they were scrubbed in and settled down to responding properly. I didn't realise this, took off immediately with a dose of throttle and nearly had the back wheel slide right around. It was such a shock to the system that I nearly dropped a load.
Fuel was always poor even when the motor was used mildly, giving a best of 45mpg and worst of 25mpg. I could average 35mpg for most of the time but doing 40mpg required so much restraint that I might as well have been riding a 250cc twin. I thought maybe the carbs needed a balance but when checked at 4500 miles they turned out to be spot on. The three cylinder motor runs a balancer for smoothness which may not help economy but I think it’s more likely to be because the engine’s optimised for running in the 6000 to 10000rpm range. If I wanted economy I would’ve bought myself a C50!
In yellow and black the Super 3’s a stunning looker that turns more heads than your average Porsche. The engine sounds soul stirring and the acceleration is highly addictive. It’s not really that pleasant at town speeds due to heavy handling, awkward riding position and a slightly reluctant motor but I do use it for the daily commute through London, so it can't be that bad. Most people will find the bargain priced 900 Trident totally adequate, the Super 3's for those willing to spend a bit more dosh on something unique, that at the moment represents the best of British.
Liam O'Connell