TT 600 gets naked

Triumph is thought to be ready to launch a naked TT600 sports bike after this successful experiment in Italy.

Italian Triumph importer Numero Tre has built a run of 50 unfaired bikes and dubbed it the ” Baby Speed ” .

Creator Carlo Talamo ditched the bodywork because fashion conscious Italians didn’t like the British bike’s looks. Naked bikes go down a storm in Italy. It is, after all, the home of the Monster.

The bike has gone down so well that they are now being built by the factory, according to sources. Insiders say the bike is already on the production lines at Hinckley though Triumph itself is refusing to comment.

” A naked 600 is a possibility, but we are working on a lot of things at the moment ” said spokesman Bruno Tagliaferri.

The production bike is expected to look almost identical to the Italian bike, not surprising considering that the Baby Speed is built almost entirely with official Triumph parts.

With the fairing removed the new bike is likely to use the same front lights, from the T509 Speed Triple, as Talamo fitted to his creation.

The two air-scoops which protruded through the fairing on the TT600 are set to stay on the naked bike, however it is likely they will be restyled both to make them blend in with the bikes style and to help them work better.

Much of the rest of the bike will stay the same as the TT, however the low slung clip-ons will be swapped in favour of flat bars more in keeping with the naked bike looks. Chrome mirrors, like those found on both the T509 and Thunderbird Sport, are likely to replace the plastic items on the TT.

With the weight saving from removing the fairing the new bike should tip the scales at around 185kg (408lb), a 12kg (26lb) saving on the stock TT600.

The gearing on the new bike will almost certainly be lowered.

” There is definitely a market there for a naked 600 Triumph. I am sure it would sell very well ” said Geoff Haigh of Middlesex dealer Jack Lilley.

The factory version of the bike is expected to be shown first at the NEC Show in Birmingham on November 9.