Triumph Quadrant
Encyclopedia
The so-called Triumph Quadrant (aka "Quadrent") was a "bitsa" designed and built in secret by Doug Hele
in 1973. It was a 1,000 cc four-cylinder
motorcycle made up from Trident
parts (although the camshaft was sourced from outside the factory). Essentially, the fourth cylinder came from grafting on an extra middle crankcase unit; but since the primary chaincase and final drive sprocket could not be relocated, the fourth cylinder protruded on the right hand side of the bike. The top speed was reputedly 125 mph.
Quite why Hele developed this motorcycle is something of a mystery, as the lopsided machine could never have reached production to compete with modern Japanese machines such as the Honda CB750 or the Kawasaki Z1
. An inside view is that Hele's efforts in building the Quadrant was a waste of precious resources that (given NVT's precarious status) should have been directed elsewhere, such as getting the 900 cc triple "Thunderbird III" to market sooner.
Doug Hele
Douglas Lionel Hele was a pioneering British motorcycle engineer with Triumph and other firms: BSA, Douglas and Norton. He was born in Birmingham in 1919 and died in Hagley, Worcestershire on the 2 November 2001.-Career:...
in 1973. It was a 1,000 cc four-cylinder
Four-cylinder engine
A four-cylinder engine is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders. There are four common configurations:* Inline-four engine* V4 engine* Flat-four engine...
motorcycle made up from Trident
BSA Rocket 3/Triumph Trident
The BSA Rocket Three / Triumph Trident was the first true modern superbike and the last major motorcycle developed by Triumph Engineering at Meriden. It was badge-engineered to be sold under both the Triumph and BSA marques. The Rocket3 / Trident was part of Triumph's plan to extend the model...
parts (although the camshaft was sourced from outside the factory). Essentially, the fourth cylinder came from grafting on an extra middle crankcase unit; but since the primary chaincase and final drive sprocket could not be relocated, the fourth cylinder protruded on the right hand side of the bike. The top speed was reputedly 125 mph.
Quite why Hele developed this motorcycle is something of a mystery, as the lopsided machine could never have reached production to compete with modern Japanese machines such as the Honda CB750 or the Kawasaki Z1
Kawasaki Z1
The Z1 Kawasaki was a motorcycle introduced in 1972 by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. It has sometimes been described as the world's first superbike. The Z1, along with Honda's CB750 from 1969, introduced the four-cylinder, across the frame, disc-braked layout to a wider public...
. An inside view is that Hele's efforts in building the Quadrant was a waste of precious resources that (given NVT's precarious status) should have been directed elsewhere, such as getting the 900 cc triple "Thunderbird III" to market sooner.