Triumph May Become Official Moto2 Engine Supplier

Triumph has finalised a deal to supply engines to the Moto2 class when the current deal with Honda ends in 2018, latest reports indicate. According to Bike Sport News, the deal has now been signed with Dorna and Triumph is set to become the new official engine supplier for Moto2 from 2019.

The engine could be based on a new triple Triumph is building for release in 2017, in all likelihood the same 765cc engine Triumph is rumoured to be working on for the updated Street Triple, which will be launched on 10 January 2017. Triumph currently has a middleweight supersport in the Daytona 675R, but it's been around for sometime and the Hinckley-based firm is keen to upgrade its high performance engines with a new triple.

(2017 Triumph Street Triple)

Honda currently supplies CBR600RR engines, but this four-cylinder Honda hasn't seen much sales in recent times. Honda hasn't updated the 600cc engine for Euro4 norms, so the CBR600RR will not be sold in Europe and the Japanese manufacturer may be completely stopping production of its middleweight sports bike. The replacement, reports say, will be Triumph's new engine, which will make around 160bhp, significantly higher than the 128bhp the Honda engines currently make.

Triumph has been reportedly negotiating since mid-2016 with Dorna for a new engine supplier. The project is expected to be presented in detail in the opening season in Qatar in March 2017. Triumph has a strong foothold as a maker of modern classic, cruiser and adventure motorcycles. With the Moto2 plans, Triumph will have a significant opportunity to gradually build a strong image of a sportbike manufacturer as well. That in itself, is expected to expand Triumph's portfolio and market share in the sportbike segment. The key, will be the new engine, soon to debut on the latest Street Twin.