There’s been substantial buzz on several automotive sites and blogs regarding British bike maker Triumph’s big bikes in India, which seem to have suddenly suffered a loss of power on paper, if one is goes by the official Triumph website page. This has caused confusion among Triumph clients and much heartbreak for existing patrons, not to mention a threat of putting a blot on Triumph’s reputation.
The official line just in from Triumph is that their popular Bonneville, Street Triple, Speed Triple, Daytona 675R and Daytona 675 ABS have been put through the Automotive Research Association of India’s (ARAI) power output testing procedure, from where come different, new figures. The power output figures mentioned on the Triumph India website, till the changes were updated, were to European standards as tested by Triumph.
However, Triumph also confirms that the bikes sold to date by them across India always made the same power as is now being spoken of, and is updated to their website, making this clearly, not a case different specification bikes, then and now.
Triumph has been doing clients a disservice by selling lower powered bikes, than were advertised. What seems likely is that Triumph has had to de-tune some of their motorcycle engines to various degrees in order to meet stringent Indian ARAI pollution or sound norms, which could well be the likely explanation for a loss of power as compared to the same bikes abroad.
Triumph’s Street Triple has, on paper lost the most power, reducing a whole 26bhp, a hefty penalty for a 675cc engine. Similarly, the Triumph Daytona ABS loses 9bhp of power and the Bonneville 6.8bhp. The question of why Triumph waited as long as a year to reveal the correct figures to the Indian public can only be answered by Triumph, the company.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
