2013 Triumph Trophy Se
2013 Triumph Trophy SE
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
A corner-carving sport-tourer with all the big-rig bells and whistles
PAUL DEAN
IT’S NOT EXACTLY A CASE OF DAVID CHALLENGING GOLIATH, BUT IT’S close—real close. With the new 1200 Trophy SE luxury-tourer, Triumph, a comparatively small bike manufacturer, is challenging one of the industry’s giants when it comes to producing frontline over-the-road motorcycles: BMW. The Boys in Bavaria run a potent auto and motorcycle operation that has been building touring bikes of one flavor or another for many decades. So, when the movers and shakers at Hinckley decided to throw down the gauntlet against that powerhouse, it was like taking a knife to a gunfight.
But, as it turns out, that knife is a pretty sharp one. The Trophy SE is the most complex motorcycle Triumph has ever produced, and it takes direct aim not at BMW’s K 1600s but instead at the R1200RT Boxer. The SE isn’t a luxury-tourer in the K1600GTL, Gold Wing or Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic sense; it’s a luxury sport-tourer. It lets you enjoy all the amenities of those superslab-devouring heavyweights— and a few that even some of those don’t offer—while you’re ripping through the twisties.
“We started working on this project in 2008,” said Simon Warburton, Triumph’s Product Manager. “We looked at three bikes that were considered the models of choice at the time: the Honda Pan-European (ST 1300 in the U.S.), Yamaha FJR1300 and BMW R1200RT. Our evaluations proved that the RT was the best of the three, so that was the bike we targeted.”
That’s why the Trophy SE matches the RT point for point, and then some: ABS, linked brakes, 31-liter detachable saddlebags, cruise control, tire-pressure monitors, electrically adjustable windscreen, adjustable seat height (by more than 3A in.), electrically adjustable headlights and shaft drive. And whereas traction control and electronically adjustable suspension are optional on the RT, they’re standard on the SE. The Triumph also has an elaborate FM/Bluetooth sound system that’s iPod compatible and will play other formats (FLAG, WAV, MP3, OGG, ACC).
Inclusion of all this equipment, especially a 6.9-gallon gas tank, has taken its toll in the perception of the Trophy’s physical size. When you first climb aboard, the fairing ahead of your knees splays out so far and wide that you almost feel like you’re looking down onto the deck of an aircraft carrier.
But by the time you’ve ridden the SE a few blocks and snapped it around a couple of simple corners, that perception starts to change. You soon forget about the mass of plastic in front of you and marvel at how light and agile the big Triumph feels when moving. The tall, wide handlebars provide lots of leverage, and the 1215cc inline-Three grunts out gobs of usable torque—a peak of 89 ft.-lb. at 6450 rpm, claims Triumph, and it remains above 74 ft.-lb. from 2500 to 9500 rpm—that effortlessly whisks the SE away from a stop and off of corners. The overall effect is that you feel like you’re riding a bike that’s at least a hundred pounds lighter than its 662-pound claimed wet weight (without saddlebags) would imply.
Providing that always-at-the-ready power is a dohc, 12-valve, ride-by-wire engine that’s almost identical to that in Triumph’s Tiger Explorer adventure bike. The exhaust system is different, and the fuel-injection mapping has been tweaked to deliver less-abrupt throttle response than on the Explorer. Plus, the Trophy has a taller sixth gear more suit able for its sport-touring mission. But everything else-cam specs, compres sion ratio, valve sizes and throttle bod ies-is the same, yielding a claimed 132 horsepower at 8900 rpm.
By today's performance standards, the Trophy isn't exceptionally fast, but its strong, linear torque allows it to ac celerate crisply and steadily in any gear at any rpm. Just give the throttle a twist and the Trophy springs forward, never pinning your eyeballs to the back of your skuilbut always rushing the bike down the road with authority.
That power delivery is even more lovable on a twisty backroad. Whether those roads are mirror-smooth or choppy and uneven, the Trophy always remains agile and flickable, willing to snap over into a turn almost instantaneously with only light pressure on the grips. Combine that outstanding cornering ability with an engine that pulls hard in every gear and you can arc through many corners without the need to downshift.
“That’s what we wanted to accomplish,” said Warburton. “It was our top priority. Triumphs are about excellent handling, and we wanted the Trophy to be no different.”
Ergonomically, the SE is configured more like a big-rig tourer than a sport tourer, but that's just one of the things that contribute to the bike's "luxury" role. The rider sits upright, the seat-to-footpeg dimension is uncramped (especially with I \ the taller stock seat), and the P \ seat itself is well-shaped and reasonably wide. The area below the front of the seat is a bit wide, which may prevent short-legged people from getting both feet firmly on the ground at a stop, but the optional 3/4-inch-lower seat should be a remedy for many of those riders.
On some of the rough roads encountered during the SE’s press introduction in northern Scotland, the ride was a bit on the taut side but far from harsh if the suspension was set on Comfort; on Normal, the ride got a little choppier but the stability in fast corners was better; and on Sport, the SE was rock-steady through the turns but closer to rock-hard in the rough. Overall, the suspension is close to ideal for the Trophy’s calling as a sport-tourer.
But not your typical sport-tourer. The SE complements Triumph’s other sporttouring model, the Sprint GT, which favors the “sport” part of the equation more than “touring,” while the Trophy SE reverses those priorities. Neither is it a serious challenger for the Gold Wing or other bikes of that ilk, though it holds its own on long runs on the open road.
Triumph has set the MSRP for the SE at $18,999. Yeah, that’s a tall stack of cash. But when you assess all you get on a motorcycle that can do what the Trophy SE can do, 19 Large seems like a bargain.
