The Triumph Speed Triple RR is perhaps one of the fastest cafe racers on the market. Be it a straight line or in the twisties, its 1,160-cc inline triple and roughly 180 horsepower will keep you thrilled like very few bikes can.
But what if you could add a supercharger to it and boost the output to an insane 400 horsepower? That’s exactly what the UK custom shop Thornton Hundred set out to do.
Now, before we delve further into this manic motorcycle, it’s noteworthy that the end product is not merely a display-only item. It’s completely street-legal, even with all the adaptive aerodynamic tech on board. But that would most probably come at the cost of melting your tires.
Addressing the elephant in the room – 400 horsepower. The Rotrex C30 supercharger is responsible for the frenetic output. It is mounted next to the engine on a custom case.
What's weird is that the setup is missing an intercooler. And while I was admiring how the custom shop ran the chain through the swingarm, I realized that the charger is fed methanol from the billet aluminum swingarm. As a result of these alterations, the wheelbase is extended by 7 in (180 mm).
For better performance, you get a titanium exhaust and forged engine internals. Even at 150 mph (241 km/h) in sixth gear, according to Thornton Hundred's Jody Millhouse, the rear wheel spins up the moment you twist your wrist. Keep in mind the bike is pretty light as well, at merely 412 lb (186 kg), and its suspension is set up to put more weight up front.
Now, when you pit its performance against the Kawasaki Ninja H2R, you truly realize what these guys have created. For reference, the H2R sports a 998cc supercharged inline-four that makes 300 horsepower and has been recorded hitting 250 mph (402 km/h) once.
As of right now, the supercharged RR is limited to 230 horsepower. If you dare, you can surely crank the taps back up. But it does come with lights, turn signals, and a license plate, and it’s, in essence, road legal. So you could very well rip it off on your way to work.
But doing so would probably be unwise. That's mainly because this is a drift bike. Just take a look at its pivot point on the swingarm in relation to the rear axle – it wouldn't exactly be great for turning on the tarmac, especially on power.
So, if you’re into rolling burnouts and drifting and the rest of that stuff, this manic machine might as well be your poison of choice. There are plenty of folks who ride stretched Busas and GSX-Rs for this kind of riding. This custom Triumph would smoke all of those in the blink of an eye.
But if making the engine stupid fast wasn’t enough, the Thornton Hundred team ditched all of the existing bodywork and replaced it with super lightweight carbon components, while also adding active aero in the form of wings connected to accelerometers and a computer.
So when you brake, the wings turn to act as air brakes. And when you jump on the throttle, they feather out to allow for maximum speed. Apparently, the aero system can also detect when you’re turning and deploy some wing action for downforce.
Not only that, but the bike also features carbon wheels, special brakes, and an AI chatbot to add just the right amount of weird. You can play games with the chatbot, and when you switch on the bike, the speakers will also call out your name.
This customized Triumph Speed Triple RR from Thornton Hundred Motorcycles is a one-of-a-kind, non-production item. It took about seven months to construct and was completed just a few days prior to the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it first made an appearance.
It is now being sold by Thornton Hundred for £55,000, which is just north of US$70,000. Now that’s not the kind of price you’d expect to pay for an average motorcycle, but if you take into account the build quality, the sheer insanity of the construction, and the bragging rights that come with owning a street-legal 400-horsepower drift bike, it might just be a steal.
Source: Thornton Hundred
