Remember y'all that the Big 'Tona 955 according to Triumph was rated a 147bhp, it was it's weight that got in it's way when compared to the other liter bikes. I dont begin to believe that 130bhp is all the 1050 mil is capable of, it's just set up like that for our particular motorcycle, it's a bit slower revving and general tuning (cams) than a superbike type scoot (the current non-existant Daytona 1050) would have. All things being equal (displacement-engineering and physics-wise) a 4 will always make more horses than a triple, and likewise the triple to the twin.
Triumph certainly has the skill and wherewithall to do what is needed to a triple to make comparitive power to an inline 4, look at what they did witht he d675! As time goes on and the superbike class gets more cutting edge performance bits and pieces I suspect that Triumph although they seem to be waiting for something had better do this one right as well when/if they decide to take the plunge in the superbike class and not put out a product that juuust touches the tail end on the best of the superbike class because at the rate these bikes get tweaked and changed twice a leap-year they have to have a production and business model that addresses the perpetual R&D, testing, supply, marketing and manufacturing resources to keep up, all of this has to complement the economics of their manufacturing capabilities. They are tiny and although growing still cant afford to bollox a thing like this up and have the bike be poorly recieved because you dont get endless chances to get things right businesswise (which will still be dependant on the consumers coming into the fold and scooping up product).
Cruisers and retro's are easy and probably offer more profit margin in comparison. Tweak a bonneville all you want, it'll still resemble the good 'ol 68 model and nobody expects it to handle and scream like an R6, Rocket sales and the absence of urgency regarding redesigning it every 2 years is likely pulling in lots of extra foldin' money. Those production lines will likely not need retooling for another 3-4 years considering that bike has been out since '04, Triumph is likely already tooling that new factory in indonesia to address production of the new 675 as we speak (type), 'cos it cant dare look like the way it does for 4 years. The fickle supersport market wont stand for old tech bikes when a drive by wire, slipper clutched, traction controlled, big-banged and finally a true 17.5k redline and even more impractical for the street Yamaha is available right next door from which 99.8% of the target market still wont begin to approach 60% of the machines capabilities. They will still vote with their wallets and eagerly supply the aftermarket and ebay stores with salvaged parts kindly donated by the ever invincible squid.
I certainly am not privvy to any "inside" info but although I'd love to see a big 'tona now, I'd certainly want them to do it right, think about what is coming out for '07..this new Duc, the R1 and a new Gixxer..all stellar products, just like the d675 a new big 'tona cannot dare be mediocre and also like the d675 it's new displacement number will likely not have it qualify for the usual racing organizational groups (AMA, etc.), I think the Sprint covers the "near"-GT arena for Triumph right now and they cant bump the triple displacement too high as to tickle the big-bore market (they did kill development on that busa killer right).
I think a good way to plumpen up the purse will be to put out a cruiser that sits between the Rocket and Speedmaster, I dunno like a 1600 twin after all America loves crusers more than any other and I suspect that they being the bigger ticket item for many manufacturers yet the lowest tech and longer redevelopment cycles easily offer the largest profits...so fatten up the purse and use the extra loot to make sure the big 'tona is done right with no corners cut!
I cant wait to see what emerges..in the meantime I'll gaze at this Italian beauty in blood red..they sure have a way of designing a sexy looking swingarm dont the they?