Triumph Is Developing a New Moto2 Engine. Guess What This Could Mean for the Street Triple

Ahead of MotoGP's return from the summer break, Triumph has announced that it's developing a new Moto2 race engine. This unit will power the Moto2 machines starting in 2027, but development and testing have been going on for years. By the sounds of it, the gains riders can expect are significant.

According to Triumph, this engine marks the most significant step up in performance since the manufacturer became the Exclusive Engine Supplier in 2019. We can't get into the nitty-gritty of how much more performance Moto2 riders will get—performance numbers aren't publicly available—only that they'll have more power and weigh less.

Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer, Triumph Motorcycles, said, "Today’s announcement marks a significant step forward in the partnership between Triumph Motorcycles and MotoGP. We have always strived to develop the Moto2 World Championship ever since we began powering the middle-weight class in 2019. We’ve introduced more power, we’ve seen gearbox changes, and now we’ve introduced a brand-new, high-performance race engine that will be powering the Moto2 series from 2027."

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To develop the new, higher-powered race engine, Triumph focused on achieving a higher airflow into the cylinders. A new cylinder head, with completely redesigned low-inertia valve train and higher flow ports and a new combustion chamber design, all help to produce a higher compression ratio with more torque throughout the rev range.

The British manufacturer has also redesigned the crankcases and all internal components to cope with the additional power and torque. Together, the changes deliver an overall weight reduction of 4.4 lbs while increasing peak power by around 6%. These are great numbers from an engine that was already at the pinnacle of performance, but Triumph had 1,196,843 miles of real-world data to go off from the current Street Triple 765 RS-derived Moto2 engine.

Photo by: Triumph

The introduction of the new race engine means chassis manufacturers will also have to develop completely new chassis for 2027, particularly with regard to how the air intake is positioned and also the engine mounting points. But Triumph has been working with these manufacturers for the past year, giving them the info they need. 

Speaking on the engine's development, Sargent said, “The new engine has undergone a vigorous testing program which has allowed us to really assess its performance, longevity, and reliability to ensure it continues to deliver the quality of racing we’ve seen over the last seven seasons. Updates to the cylinders, bringing in more air, achieving higher compression ratios and more torque have all been expertly crafted and we’re really excited by the results we’ve seen. We can’t wait to see it on track and watch our partnership with MotoGP and the Moto2 World Championship continue to grow over the seasons to come.”

The most interesting aspect of all this, however, is the timing. When I tested Triumph's excellent Street Triple 765 RX earlier this year, I hypothesized that it might be the end of that iteration of the model, especially now that Triumph has the 800 platform. Triumph uses the development of its Moto2 765 powerplant to develop its road-going Street Triple engines, and will continue to use its 2027 Moto2 engine to develop its road-going bikes. So it stands to reason that this engine will lay the foundation of the next iteration of the Street Triple in 2027, and I couldn't be more excited at the prospect.

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