Posts tagged as “tt600”

Featured Listing: 2000 Triumph TT600

Published March 23, 2021 by Mike

Update 7.10.21: This bike has SOLD! Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc

Spring has sprung and we are just starting to see the tendrils of growth that promise to make this another banner year. And right on queue comes this wonderful Triumph TT600 Featured Listing. While perhaps not as rare or expensive as some bikes in collecting circles, the Triumph is a wonderful and unique machine that certainly fits into the rare and unusual category here on RSBFS. We don’t see them all that often, and these 600s represent an inexpensive way to get into a quality sport bike riding the road less traveled.

Featured Listing – 2000 Triumph TT600

In 2000, Triumph was the only manufacturer outside of Japan to take on the Big Four at their own game: the 600cc hyper sport segment. To be successful in this ultra-competitive space, the Hinkley, UK-based constructor needed to bring some serious mojo to the design table. What they crafted was a powerful, fuel-injected inline four cylinder screamer housed in a twin-beam aluminum frame. Eager not to fall into the trap of “not invented here,” ancillary components were sourced from the best that the Japanese had to offer, putting the TT600 on the same footing as the competition. Brakes were excellent Nissin units (310mm front, 220 rear), and front and rear suspension pieces were provided by Kayaba. In an attempt at cutting edge, Triumph engineers fitted the TT600 with a Sagem digital fuel injection unit. This ensured that the bike was firmly rooted in the new century (producing power AND fewer emissions), but Triumph was to discover the this new technology was not without pitfalls.

From the seller:
2000 Triumph TT600 for sale in great condition. Has 13,000 miles on the unit. The unit is rated at 110 HP, I have replaced the stock exhaust with an aftermarket pipe. I do have the original pipe to go with the bike. I have purchased a rear fork jack for storage. The bike has Diablos for tires currently. The bike comes with a cover and also a tank and rear foot peg video or go pro attachment. I also have a TT600 jacket that is in red and silver color. New battery as 11/2020. The bike runs well, it will need service on oil and brake fluid before taking it out for a long ride. The bike has an excellent riding position for long rides or tearing up the corners. There are very few left in the market place.

Price: $4,000

Reviewers of the day lavished the bulbous Triumph with high praise, being extremely comfortable despite being a competitive crotch-rocket. The Kayaba suspension was set up a bit softer than the other middleweights, and the engine was a estimated 110 HP powerhouse that pulled hard in the upper revs – although suffered from some fuel injection stumbling at lower throttle settings. Handling was reported to be excellent as the alloy chassis was ultra stiff – even when compared to the Japanese competition. Overall build quality was up to a very high standard as well, making these motorcycles as exotic in the US as other European brands. Here is a video shot by the seller of this exact bike:

The TT600 model evolved in the 3 short years of its existence, paving the way for the Daytona series. Today these are relatively rare models, and difficult to find in decent condition. Today’s Featured Listing is a well-cared for rider that has the miles to prove the TT600 concepts works well, yet still looks as rare and unique as it did 20 years ago. In fact, given that most of the competition maintains a very angular design language, one might argue that the Triumph has aged far better that its peers; it certainly makes a distinctive statement in 2021. The exhaust upgrade helps with sound, performance and looks (win win win), and the overall package is listed for just $4,000. The Triumph TT600 is a great looking bike that owns a rightful place in history as a serious 600cc contender. Check out all of the pictures and video and then talk to the man.

From the Jaws of Victory – 2000 Triumph TT600

Published November 21, 2015 by Donn

Built in 2000-03, the Triumph TT600 hoped to compete directly with the fleet of 600cc sportbikes from the east, and for a renewed effort from a legacy manufacturer, was an amazing endeavor. Though a combination of small detractions limited its success in the showroom, the strides made with the TT600 led to the more successful Daytona.

2000 Triumph TT600 for sale on eBay

Though fuel injection programming woes left the 599cc inline four was labeled as an uneven performer, it has pretty good power at 108 hp. A very well designed alloy perimeter chassis and light weight made the bike a nice handler. Kayaba suspension is found fore and aft, 43mm forks and monoshock rear, both fully adjustable. Nissin brakes are 310 front and 220mm rear. The fairing is well done but along with the handlebar and seating position, was too generous for the market segment and belied its development by styling committee rather than race engineers.

Purchased early on and adding only a few hundred miles each year, the owner has taken great care of this TT600. The extra fast yellow paint is in great shape. Not much mentioned about the maintenance history but at 5,800 miles that would be ideal. From the eBay auction:

Rare bike, always garage kept, never exposed to weather. I am the second owner, I purchased it in 2003 when it had about 3500 miles on it, and I rode it only 100 to 200 miles per year. Excellent+ condition (it has one small scratch on the lower part of fairing, as shown in photo). Over $1000 worth of extras included — two seats, shop manual on CD, seat cowl, cloth bike cover, leather/kevlar official matching racing jacket. You will not find one in this condition! $4000 firm, cash only. Buyer will arrange pickup only, will not ship. If interested, I can email you a youtube video of the bike running.

A distinctive brand in a commodity market, this Triumph 600 appears in great shape and ready for more riding. Named for the Tourist Trophy week-long motorcycle event on the Isle of Man, the TT600 marks an interesting period for Triumph fans, introducing the brand in the US after being revived from bankruptcy in the 1980’s, and before the offshoring of production in 2002. Unmolested and with a few nice accessories, the Triumph presented here might be a good choice for an aficionado of the marque or just a rider looking for an offbeat middleweight…

-donn

Cheap and Fun: 2005 Triumph Speed Four for Sale

Published August 3, 2015 by Tad Diemer

Look, I love the Bimota Tesi and the Honda RC30 as much as the next guy. But if you stare too long at the sun, you’ll go blind.

Also, I can’t afford those bikes.

So while I do love to look and lust after them, I also love to look around for more affordable exotica, Rare Sport Bikes for Sale that ordinary shlubs need not just aspire to, but ones we can actually afford. Sometimes with what we can find digging in the couch cushions.

Something like this Triumph Speed Four

TT600 on which the Speed Four was based was an also-ran: up against the technical perfection of the Japanese 600cc sportbikes of the period, it would have been nearly impossible to compete in quantifiable terms. So the 600 was a bit of a flop: not fast enough, or reliable enough to satisfy the mind, and too bland to thrill the heart.

But the Speed Four took that slightly underpowered engine and put it into a package where a few bhp didn’t matter and created a rip-roaring little naked that had basically no competition. While the Japanese nakeds were heavier and slower than their fully-faired counterparts, Triumph didn’t really have things like “new frame” in the budget or “previous generation engine” lying around, so the the Speed Four is remarkably similar to the TT600 on which it’s based. They basically slapped on some headlights and a flyscreen, along with those weird intake tubes that make it look like some sort of two-wheeled mosquito, fit the engine with some softer cams with fuel injection to “match” [more on that in a minute] and let it loose.

The formula worked, and reviewers on both sides praised the handling of the new naked. The only fly in the ointment, aside from the love-it-or-hate-it looks was the relatively primitive fuel-injection that made for an unpleasant in-town experience, something that was even more pronounced in the TT600. Fortunately, a bit of work with a Power Commander can smooth that out for you. The Speed Four had about 85rwhp, some 10 down on the TT, but that’s still plenty to have fun with and was good for a top speed of 135mph, which gets pretty windy on a naked bike…

From the original eBay listing: 2005 Triumph Speed Four for Sale

A 599 cc inline four cylinder with 20k miles.
Fun bike that is home on the track or on the road.
I use the bike to commute to work daily.
Garage kept.
New rear tire.
Dealer serviced.

I much prefer these in black, as it reduces the impact of those nostril-thingies. But these also came in orange and a vivid lime green as well, and you can’t beat that for something that flips a middle finger at society, before you even thumb the starter.

With a Buy It Now price of just $3,500 it’s pretty hard to top this in terms of bang-for-the-buck if you want something that offers more than just outright speed. This bike does have some miles on it, but appears to be in good condition and that really does just speak to the fundamental goodness of the package.

Cheap, fast, practical, and tons of fun, it’s a bike you can hoon around on. It might benefit from a set of handlebars to replace the clip-ons, but that’s a relatively easy thing to fix. Quality construction should see even high-mileage examples cleaning up well, although some parts might be annoying to source. Luckily, that wouldn’t include bodywork!

-tad

6 Responses.

The other 600: 2002 Triumph TT600

Published March 14, 2015 by Marty

Here is one we haven’t had on RSBFS before, a 1st gen Triumph TT600. Despite being the first 600cc sportbike with fuel injection, the introductory triumph 600cc bikes have been pretty much forgotten about, which is a shame because they are actually excellent “intro/learner” bikes for people new to 600cc sportbikes.

2002 Triumph TT600 for sale on ebay

The first generation TT600 always had excellent handling and brakes but also suffered a marked lack of power low down and too much throttle hesitancy. Also the styling was considered slightly “meh” with oddball molded air intakes and a somewhat overly large exhaust silencer/canister.

The engine mapping issues were resolved for 2002 but the bike still had a few recalls which isnt surprising given it was a completely new engine for Triumph. The real problem was that even after the fixes there wasn’t really anything to make the TT600 into an object of lust. Also the 600cc Triumph was still more expensive than the japanese models.

I suppose its not surprising the that the Triumph 600cc models didn’t really start selling until the next generation, the Daytona edition. Sales really going at the next generation of the 600cc, the excellent 675 but the 2002 and onward TT600 are still really good bikes, especially for newer riders.

This particular TT600 looks to be in excellent shape, with just a few scrapes/small cracks in the fairing. Mileage is actually a bit higher than I expected at over 14000 miles but this does show that the bike isn’t fragile. However no mention is made of service history so recall fixes should be verified. Also any buyer might want to assume fluids and new rubber as part of the ownership cost.

Is this TT600 worth the asking price of $3,200 USD. To be honest, probably not…even though it is a bit of a rare sportbike, KBB retail seems to be slightly over 2,000 USD so some haggling would probably be in order. Also, unlike the 1st generation Triumph speed triple, these bikes will probably never appreciate significantly….but they are a bit of a rare sportbike and are a good, basic 600cc sportbike. Perhaps a RSBFS fan in florida could pick this one up as a daily rider or to introduce a younger family member into the joys of owning something different.

-Marty/Dallaslavowner

2 Responses.