Photos by Blake Connor
A Bike in Every Garage We're beginning to suspect that the guys at Triumph aren't a bunch of idiots. First they brought back a dead company from scratch by using a modular technology that allowed them to build multiple engine configurations and displacements inexpensively. Then they release a completely redesigned, high-tech, lightweight, sportbike with a distinct identity and performance that allows it to run with the best of its competition -- and all at a lower price than their previous machines. And through all of this, Triumph continues to produce retro versions of the bikes of the original marque that made it all worth dredging up the old Triumph name in the first place.
The first of the new for '99 Triumphs to be released is the Legend TT, which is based on the retro looking Thunderbird that the company has been building for a number of years now. The Legend was conceived to provide first-time buyers the opportunity of owning a Triumph, together with offering a less expensive Triumph for those who could never quite afford the big dollars necessary for one of the company's other models. The Legend TT gives an enthusiast the option of starting out with a Triumph rather than having to work his way up to eventually owning one.
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| The TT is powered by a mild version of the re-born Triumph Thunderbird power plant. |
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In concert with making the machine more monetarily accessible, Triumph also made the Legend TT more physically accessible. It has a seat height of barely 28.5 inches, which puts it at the inseam of your average individual of 5 feet 2, with eyes of blue. That's right, Triumph hopes to attract female motorcyclists with the Legend, too. And the seat feels even shorter than its measured height because it is narrower also, which makes it even easier to reach the ground.
In many ways the Legend TT is a UEM (Usual English motorcycle), to put a twist on an acronym some bike magazine editor came up with years ago to describe bikes from Japan. Considering that there hasn't been such a thing in 25 years, a UEM should be much appreciated in the marketplace. The Legend TT is the new English standard. Or is the Legend TT a cruiser? The bars are high, the pegs are low and somewhat forward, and it's a Triumph. You decide. Personally, I'm not sure where the line lies between standard and cruiser. All I know for sure is that the TT is not a sportbike. The cost cutting measures taken by Triumph to build the Legend TT were generally accomplished by adding less to the package, rather than by cheapening out the product. The Legend uses many components from its brother Thunderbirds and, in keeping with the tradition of what bikers like to do most, Triumph offers many options for upgrading the machine. You could over time just about make this thing into a full-blown Thunderbird. The TT is powered by a mild version of the re-born Triumph Thunderbird power plant. The Legend has one front brake rotor rather than two, it comes in only single color paint schemes, it has less chrome do-dads than its brothers have, and the engine is a milder version of the 900cc triple found in the upscale Thunderbird. Although the bike is sort of cruiserish, it has a sportier look than the retro Triumphs of two years ago because of the 17-inch rims on both ends. Before I mentioned that about the rims I bet you were looking at the pictures trying to figure out why the bike doesn't look half bad. It took me a few minutes to figure it out.
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| The new, 17" aluminum spoked rims give the TT a classic yet racy look all at once. |
The Thunderbirds used to have 18-inch front and 16-inch rear rims, giving those bikes that distinctly non-performance cruiser look. These rims do just the opposite in a big way. The Legend's 17-inch spoked aluminum rims are the best looking rims on any bike of any class available today. Picture what your whatever sportbike would look like with a set of these. Very classy. But how well they'll hold up after repeated stoppies, I don't know. What I do know is that I'd like to see these rims on the T509 Speedtriple.
The Legend TT also doesn't look half-bad because of the features that it sports which are unique to the TT. Its stripped down look is clean and handsome and the pipes are a two-into-one and one-into-one combination, with reverse cones giving the bike a nearly symmetrical appearance and the classic, pipes-on-both-sides look. It looks just like the kind of bikes we used to make café racers out of before the manufacturers started doing it for us.
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| The legend has the high bars of the Thunderbird and a really nice rubber tank pad that protects both the paint and the jewels. |
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Once we had a chance to ride the machine, we were struck by how it's actually a very nice bike. It's a bit low tech and spartan but it also has a nice big torquey engine that makes riding it very easy. It's claimed horsepower isn't of the hang-on-for-your-life variety, but the TT does pull smooth and strong throughout its rev range. Smooth acceleration, with no high rpm kick is just what someone buying this kind of machine is probably looking for. And that kind of power curve is certainly not unappealing to someone who has always wanted a new Triumph but just couldn't afford one. It's not a small twin but with a low center of gravity it rides like one, causing the torque of its engine to be a constant, delightful surprise. And though it's heavy for an entry-level machine, the width of the Legend's handlebars also makes the steering feel light.
A sportbike it's not, but a competent motorcycle the Legend TT is. It's unquestionably much more than just a cheap bike thrown together to please short people who are short on cash. The Legend has real life accommodations for two that won't make you wish you'd left your nagging, uncomfortable passenger at home. And its mono-shock suspension, rather than dual outriggers, doesn't interfere with the bike's looks while providing a modern, progressively suspended ride. It's true that I found myself dragging the pegs through turns, within the short period of time that I was allowed to ride the machine, but I've been told that not everybody rides like that. Also, it's great to find a motorcycle that is comfortable and confidence-inspiring for novices to operate yet still have tons of power for carrying passengers and taking long trips on the open road.
 There was a security guard nearby when we were photographing the Legend TT in Portland, Oregon, and it was sad to hear him moan about how the new Triumphs are all a bunch of rice-rocket rip-offs. And he was saying this about all of their products, from water-cooled four-stroke triples with backbone frames, to sportbikes with the smartest efi in the business and aluminum frames unlike anything ever seen before. I guess such pining for air-cooled twins that leak oil is just another example of the powerful romance we have for motorcycles. But I think it's unreasonable to condemn Triumph for not living in the past completely. Some guys are just never happy.
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| Dual reverse cones help give the Legend TT its classic look. Note the 11-foot long photographer's leg reflected in the cone. |
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