2013 Triumph Trophy SE – First Look
2013 Triumph Trophy SE in Lunar Silver.
Rider Magazine
June 22, 2012
Filed under Latest News, Sport + Sport Touring Motorcycle Reviews, Top Stories, Triumph Motorcycle Reviews
Triumph is jumping back into the heavyweight sport-touring arena with an all-new motorcycle for 2013 wearing the familiar Trophy model name, but looking nothing like the bike last seen in 2004. The 2013 Trophy is the third new bike to be launched by the company in the last 18 months. It’s based upon the same liquid-cooled, 1,215cc transverse in-line triple found in the Tiger Explorer with a six-speed transmission and 6.6-gallon fuel tank. The powerplant is mounted in a twin-spar aluminum frame with a WP 43mm male-slider front fork and fully adjustable WP remote reservoir rear shock suspending the single-sided swingarm/shaft final drive. Throttle-by-wire provides both traction control and cruise control, and the base model also features an electric windscreen and linked ABS. The rider’s seat height is adjustable between 30.3 and 31.1 inches, and 31-liter side cases are standard. A 55-liter top box is optional along with heated seats and more. Claimed wet weight for the base model is 662 pounds without the side cases.
2013 Triumph Trophy SE instruments.
Here in the U.S., for 2013 we will only be getting the top-line Trophy SE version of the bike, which adds an integrated audio system with Bluetooth technology compatible with headsets and GPS devices, USB input and iPod/MP3 player compatibility, as well as electronic adjustability for the suspension. Riders select their preferred damping setting—Sport, Normal or Comfort—then match it with the bike’s load—Solo, Solo and luggage or Two-up—all displayed on an LCD screen. The SE also has a tire pressure monitoring system and an additional 12V power outlet for the passenger.
The Trophy SE will come in Pacific Blue or Lunar Silver paint schemes. Full pricing is slated to be confirmed in early September, with the first bikes available in dealerships in the U.S. in January 2013.
 2013 Triumph Trophy SE in Lunar Silver. |
 2013 Triumph Trophy three-cylinder engine. |
 2013 Triumph Trophy SE switch cube. |
 2013 Triumph Trophy SE with optional top box. |
Who mashed that bodywork together? That is one butt-ugly bike.
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henry hawk Reply:
July 11th, 2012 at 7:13 pm
in comparison to the r1200rt. i actually like the looks of the throphy better, because some of sharp jagged points you find all over the beemers front fairring have been rounded off. which for me personally is a little more easy on the eyes.
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henry hawk Reply:
July 11th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
one other point in detail. how much of the traffick coming up from behind will you actually be able to see, when it looks like all your gonna get is your fist, handlebar gripps and bottom sides of your forearms?
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henry hawk Reply:
July 11th, 2012 at 9:12 pm
the perfect touring bike for me would be a 1979 r1200rt with 2 valves pushrods, direct fuel inj. and elec. ignition. look at what motus did with a single cam, pushrods , 2valves , direct inj. i did mean 1979.
kingndi Reply:
July 12th, 2012 at 11:50 am
Hey Henry, the mirrors will work great. The Honda ST1100 had a similar arrangement, the the rear view was the best ever out of my 50 or so motorcycles I have owned! The pictures above are a little misleading. You can bet the Triumph engineers looked at the design of the mirrors carefully.
henry hawk Reply:
July 11th, 2012 at 9:51 pm
for those of us who may have wondered what a double hump camel would look like with sidecases look no further than the big new and high dollar touring machines on the market today. BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!!
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woody Reply:
July 11th, 2012 at 10:26 pm
Ugly? Please send your own picture, we’ll judge.
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Summer Reply:
July 12th, 2012 at 8:47 am
This bike and the BMW look like a well sculpted man. It just doesn’t appeal to you, that is why they make Harleys.
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henry hawk Reply:
July 12th, 2012 at 11:57 am
and they did’nt let you guys read all my replys. and i could,nt care much less than i do now about harleys are their owners. i ride a 01 cal. ev
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henry hawk Reply:
July 12th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
all the big touring bikes new, allthe sport bikes, all the large adv. bikes look like all the players came to my five year old son gave him a straight edge and a charcoal pencil and ask him to draw his version of what a bike should look like , and he replied transformers and power rangers and they shook their head yes.
John Reply:
July 13th, 2012 at 9:24 pm
No one cares what you ride, man. We all ride what we like and could care less about your opinions of others. Does bad-mouthing other riders somehow make you feel superior?
henry hawk Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 11:21 am
john, i have heard , that h- d will be adding water to their head.
Sounds good. It would be nice, if Rider could give us a photo of the instrument panel.
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Sorry, I meant a close-up photo. Maybe, several close-up photos.
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eddie Reply:
October 5th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
I owned a 2006 rt 1200 bmw and could not stand the sound of elec/ hydraulic brakes. Sounds like a worn out steering pump , so i am glad they changed it. Also dont like the way it gets pushed around in the wind on the hwy with crosswinds. Being the lightest sport tourer also has some real disadvantages. But on every other score the bmw ranks very high. In fact if you could remove strong california desert winds that never let up completely ever, the bmw rt 1200 is a great bike but I want something that can be more stable in wind and not just a heavy harley so i hope one of the new connies or triunph or ? will be that bike. When you go far enough in 1 day you hit all that weather and more than just once. stability is a plus.
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I guess they figure they’re competing with BMW, they needed the same butt-ugly styling that BMW’s have. At least make the panniers echo the lines of the exhaust so they don’t look like they’re mounted crooked on the bike.
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Don Thornton Reply:
July 11th, 2012 at 6:35 pm
It does, a little, but so does the new Goldwing. The new Wing looks more like the BMW than the BMW does….if that is possible.
This Trophy, though, I would like to do a demo ride. I had a 500 back in the 70s. Haven’t ridden one since. I’m impressed with what I’m reading about the Triumphs nowadays, for sure.
I’ll be waiting for a road test report from Rider.
Be blessed, DT
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henry hawk Reply:
July 12th, 2012 at 7:39 pm
being that the rear drive is a single side, i wonder if it will give better service than the later model beemers have that i recently been reading about? i honestly believe this will be a great bike for triumph, with the quality, and dependability. my grumbles have just been in the details.
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henry hawk Reply:
July 11th, 2012 at 7:06 pm
i agree, i noticed that instantly on triumphs web. also the clutch reservoir sits cocked crooked when compared to the controlls on the handlebar.
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henry hawk Reply:
July 11th, 2012 at 9:31 pm
the front brake reservoir is also cocked down toward the inside when compared to the other hand controls
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Summer Reply:
July 12th, 2012 at 12:44 pm
Again, BMW look like muscles on a well sculpted man, you just don’t care for it. I like that the Trophy weighs less than other tour bikes of it’s class.
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henry hawk Reply:
July 12th, 2012 at 2:31 pm
the lines of a well sculptured man when he rolls over isn’t going to stabb you . bravo!!!! bravo!!!! bravo!!!! as my five year old son would say ” oh ya! oh ya! oh ya ! ” !!!!
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John Reply:
July 13th, 2012 at 9:27 pm
Please try to make sense so others don’t have to suffer with your comments.
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You guys are pretty critical. The sports touring class needs competition and this scooter seems well equipped. A price point might help
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Haters gotta hate, I guess.
I think it looks great.
But of course, it’s not a crotch rocket/American bike/V-twin/enduro/whatever the haters’ pet niche is, so it must be criticized, not for anything specific, but by using the vague kindergarten insult, “You’re ugly!”
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What no electronic cruise control?
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SAHornet Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 2:54 am
It does have electronic cruise control
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We have 4 Beemers at MotoFantasy Vacations that are 4 of the most beautiful bikes ever made, in my opinion. However, I agree that the K1600 series and the R1200RT, and the GS for that matter, are wonderfully executed mechnically but stying wise, well, you either love ‘em or hate ‘em, I guess.
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John Reply:
July 13th, 2012 at 2:29 pm
All of BMW’s look like their styling was done by a either a robot, or a group of accountants that were trying to use-up all the old inventory of various bikes.
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Final remark on the Triumph is that it does appear someone tooo a styling lesson from BMW here. Kinda disappointing.
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Why oh why did they have to mount the antenna up front??!?? I can only imagine how annoying it will be to see that thing moving around in your peripheral vision.
Either work up a hidden antenna solution or mount it out back. ACK!!
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They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The same may be said for Butt Ugly!
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Agree the bags look like they are installed wrong and what a place for an antenna. Rite in your field of vision.
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This is the bike from Triumph that I’ve been waiting for! Make mine Pacific Blue, please!
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First the Tiger XC, then the Tiger Explorer, and now the Trophy – how many more bikes do they want to copy from BMW??
Isn’t it time to come for Triumph up with some own design?
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I did ride st 1300 honda, also had a fjr . I now have bmw r1200 rt. I like the looks and specks of this bike.It should sell well.
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It looks just like my BMW R1200RT!
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I always thought Triumph had better styling sense. I had a Honda ST1300 that looked just like it. Why design a brand new bike when you can Photoshop another make and call it yours?
It makes good financial sense. Look at all the R&D money Triumph saved. Truly a bolt-on design borrowed from here and there.
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I disagree. It’s a beautiful bike, stylish, and the specs look very good.
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[...] how the U.S. model is coming equipped, you can't help but see the parallels with our K1600GTLs. 2013 Triumph Trophy | Rider Magazine Bluetooth, ABS, radio, electronically controlled suspension settings, etc., etc. No pricing yet, [...]
Great seeing Triumph introduce a new model that is keeping with current times. Triumph has always made beautiful and sensible motorcycles this looks like another winner!
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I’ve always liked Triumph for being a little different. The 3 cyl. motor has a proven track record but they keep lightening it every other year, and it looks like they’ve pared the block down to minute ounces. Makes you wonder how fragile it is, or if it could ever be rebuilt in years to come.
Styling looks a bit too much like a BMW, which is never a good thing in my opinion.
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I love it and can not wait to buy it.
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was about to buy a concours when i saw this new triumph in a ad,I think the connie has the advantage in; motor,the economy switch,drive shaft free lash, price,is a proven model.
I think the triumph has the advantage in weight,the cruise control and the factory radio,elect. adjustable suspension,seat heigth (I’m short !)
I’v never even ridden a triumph,like what I see but am also concerened about first year model troubles,can the traction control be turned off if I want to “play”, how intrusive is the”linked brakeing”?
feedback,opinions please ?
Mike
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Sounds like henry hawk’s son comes from the same shallow gene pool. Bravo!Bravo!Bravo!
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