There’s no beating around the bush, our team at ZA Bikers show a proclivity towards Triumph motorcycles. Characterful in their motors, impressive in build quality and timeless in design, this is what modern Triumph is known for—it’s a fashionable timepiece that’s both engineered to perfection and a practical daily wear around.
Triumph has, over the years, demonstrated to the motorcycle industry how it can diversify its range and stay current, sometimes even setting the trends. They’ve done so by attracting all breeds of gearheads thanks to great partnerships and vision to cater not only to their renowned modern classic customers, but to those who are looking for models with a variety of capabilities in the adventure segments, high-performance sport segment with their Street and Speed Triple lineups and also accessibility with their 400 cc Scrambler and Speed range. One thing that has always been evident and a big catalyst for why people tip their hats off to the British brand is that Triumph puts the same amount of detail into their entry-level Triumph motorcycles as they do on their top-of-the-range models. A Speed 400 parked next to a Speed Twin 1200 doesn’t feel out of place, and there are very few brands, if any, that do it like Triumph do.
Praise aside, the rumours of Triumph bringing an MX and Enduro range to the market have been around for some time now, and we were pleased to put the myth and speculations to bed with the welcoming of two Triumph Enduro models this weekend at Legends Adventure Farm.
Triumph showed up to Rhino Park in force with demo bikes for the public to ride, a full factory-esque setup with fan wear, a bike wash and a full team of sales and technicians to talk riders through one of Europe’s newcomers. The dirt bike industry isn’t used to riding demo machines at local trails; it’s a rare thing that only one other brand has been able to do and do very well through their passionate dealers. Triumph has always believed in getting riders on saddles, even before we’ve had a chance to ride them ourselves. Having demos available at a Triumph dealership is the norm for the brand, allowing prospective buyers to ride almost any model seen on the floor, and that’s a big deal for a buyer who struggles to part with his or her money when statistics and overseas articles are all they have to go off of.
What do Triumph bring to the dirt party? Well, a summary of parts cannot tell the full story, but just like reading a book cover, it gives you the idea of how well the book or story reads. And both TF 250-E and TF 450-E do not disappoint. Triumph’s two new Enduro acronyms are equipped out of the box with Traction control, Launch control, Quick shifter, Dual engine maps, D.I.D. DirtStar aluminium wheels, Michelin Enduro 2 tyres, Pyramid non-slip seat cover, Galfer discs, Neken triple clamps, Pro taper Evo bars, ODI grips, fully adjustable KYB 48 mm coil spring forks and KYB coil spring shock and braking performance is taken care of by Brembo callipers.
Who cares about specs? Well, dirt bike riders and racers do, and looking at the components Triumph have specced their machines with, it’s clear to see that they aren’t trying to play in the “wannabe” space but actually take on the competition. Thanks to Triumph’s development riders Ivan Cervantes (five-time Enduro World Champion) and Paul Edmondson (four-time Enduro World Champion), the motor and chassis complement the hardware.
From a looks perspective, these dirt weapons look sophisticated, besides the splash of “Performance Yellow” on the fairings, both Enduro models look like winter test machines that are running high-spec development parts. They really do look good, but in a typical Triumph-like way. One could have the opinion of adding a bit more anodised bling like KTM does with their KTM SIX DAYS, but others prefer the simpler look, tomato, tomahto, right? One thing that did impress was the build quality and the finer details. Yes, Triumph have still pulled out all the stops and has added typical Triumph flair into the motor castings and swingarm, both showing off Triumph’s logos, similar to what you’d see on their Tiger 900 and 1200 models.
There are so many instances where I’m sure a Japanese manufacturer would have pulled their hair out and wonder why spend all the extra money on these details. Triumph really could have made a cheaper bike, and the dirt bike masses wouldn’t have really cared, but that’s not how Triumph do things, and that is where the hat tips forward once again.
Motorwise, we see some clever and lighter materials used, seeing both bikes running lightweight magnesium motor covers, 6-speed gearbox, forged KÖNIG piston, titanium valves, Exedy Belleville clutch and a Dellorto 44 mm throttle body. What numbers do they put out? The TF 250-E puts out 28 Nm of torque and 42.4 hp, with a maximum engine RPM of 12,800, while the TF 450-E thumps out with an impressive 57.7 hp and 49.3 Nm of torque, with a maximum engine RPM of 10,500 RPM.
With an open slot available, our good mate and regional racer Hardus Venter swung a leg over the TF 450-E for a 45-minute speed date…
Hardus Venter: “At first glance, the impeccable build quality and finish drew my attention, and the same was said by the other riders at the demo day. The bike’s styling is quite a lot different to the rest of the machines on the market, but I do enjoy the looks. Once you get around the looks and build quality, you start to notice how the two bikes are equipped with standard equipment that’s comparable to what you get on the Six Days KTM or top-of-the-range Husqvarnas, which are priced a tad higher.”
“The rider triangle or ergos of the Triumph feel extremely close to what I’m used to on my Husky, which made me feel right at home. The handlebars are nice and flat, giving a race-bike feeling, while the footpegs are the perfect size and shape for enduro riding. The bike also feels narrow between the legs, even with the tank sitting higher in the frame.”
“I was extremely impressed with the mapping on the 450 as it provides me with a very forgiving engine character at low RPMs, but a typical powerhouse when the big-bore motor starts revving out. The standard Enduro spec suspension is extremely soft, but it works really well at slow speeds, single-track type of riding. I think a bit of suspension setup could really help dial the bike even more so and make it a good all-rounder.”
“Overall, with very little riding time, I think Triumph’s ‘TF-E’ range shows some promise and is a range worth considering when looking at a four-stroke enduro bike.”
As for the rest, Triumph has started with a big bang, bringing high-spec products with competitive pricing to the market. We look forward to seeing how Triumph plan on penetrating the Enduro market in SA, and we too look forward to seeing how Triumph’s TF-E models manned by Mikael Persson compete on the world stage at this year’s upcoming International Six Days Enduro.
Triumph TF 250-E and TF 450-E:
For more information on the motorcycles featured in this article, click on the links below…
