Triumph Motorcycles have confirmed that they will be launching a new engine platform for the 2027 Moto2 world championship – replacing the 765 triple used in the series since 2019.
The British brand have been the sole supplier to the class in that time and are currently signed up to continue until at least 2029. The new motors will arrive on the grid next year alongside a new wave of 850cc premier class MotoGP machines .
The capacity of the new Moto2 engine remains unknown at this time, however Triumph’s Chief Product Officer, Steve Sargent has confirmed that it will be larger than the current Street Triple-derived 765cc output, not 800cc, and smaller than the incoming 850cc MotoGP designs.
“The big talking point in 2027 is changes to engine capacity and there will also be a change in Moto2,” Sargent told MCN. “We will be revealing the exact capacity at a later date.”
The changes come following around 1,196,843 miles (1,926,132km) of data logging during racing competition – with the new engine designed and developed by the brand’s 40-strong racing division at their headquarters in Hinckley, Leicestershire .
“It really came from us coming to our own decision as to where we thought we wanted to be and then having a conversation with [MotoGP organisers],” Sargent continued. “Where we’ve landed is a place I think we’re all happy with.”
According to Triumph, this project has been bubbling away in the background for the past two and a half years, with running engines now being put through their paces by development riders at a number of venues.
“The first time we build a completely new engine it will go on an engine test rig,” Sargent added. “We can’t put a rider on a bike with a completely new engine – that wouldn’t be sensible or right.
“We then do what we call a track endurance process where we use either ex-racers, or sometimes even current racers and we will get them to do lap after lap after lap at as close to race pace as you can do safely. We don’t want them to be on the limit because we don’t want them to crash.”
The main focus for the change has been placed on increasing airflow to the cylinders and as such, there’s a new cylinder head, and redesigned low-inertia valve train – plus a new combustion chamber plus higher flow ports – helping to increase the compression ratio and up the torque across the rev range.
The engine has also lost 2kg of weight, with new crankcases and internals to cope with a claimed 6% increase in peak power.
On top of this, alterations to the chassis mounting points and air intake position will mean new frames will also need to be developed for the championship – with Sargent confirming that Moto2 will not move to 100% sustainable fuel in 2027 to avoid too many key championship changes in one season.
“We have been doing work on sustainable fuels,” he continued. “At the moment in Moto2, we’re on 40% sustainable. There’s still an ongoing discussion as to when we’re going to move in Moto2 to 100% sustainable because one of the things we were conscious of from next year was not changing too many things at the same time.
“From a development point of view that probably makes it twice as hard.”
This is a huge undertaking and showcases Triumph’s commitment to the Moto2 racing program. On top of this, it likely signifies incoming changes to their road model line-up, with the brand stating that the new platform will feed into future development.
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