In 2000, great things were hoped for from the revitalised Hinckley-based company when it announced it was entering the 600cc Supersports market. The bike it produced was one of the finest handling in the class, albeit with one – quite major – fault: the innovative fuel-injection system lacked the immediate response of rivals’ carb set-ups.
If it were a case of ‘last man home buys the bacon butties’, the TT600-owner would be left considerably out of pocket.
Triumph fixed the problem within a couple of years and the TT600 was then almost as good as its competitors. It was superseded by the bigger-engined, still four-cylinder ‘TT650’. Today, Triumph’s sole representative in the Supersports class is the ‘Daytona 675’, a triple.
In something like the Isle of Man TT, however, handling is all, and as long as a healthy power output can be generated somehow, a skilled rider can cope with peakiness and lack of torque. As a result, several TT600s were raced.
The example you see here, for sale by auction at Bonhams’ 28 April Stafford Motorcycle Sale, is a typical example and carries the livery of well-known British Triumph distributor Jack Lilley. Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000.
| Related Links To find out more, please see the listing of this rare racing motorcycle in the Classic Driver Marketplace |
Text: Steve Wakefield (Classic Driver)
Photos: Bonhams
