New urban sports bike is a Triumph

British-based motorcycle manufacturer Triumph has chosen BASF’s Terblend® N for the fairing panels on its new Daytona 675 urban sports bike. Triumph wanted not only to build the most exciting and useable sports bike that’s ever left their Hinckley factory, but also to steal the crown for the most beautiful sports bike in the market. The reaction from the motor cycling press suggests that they may have succeeded. Bike magazine described the new Daytona 675 as “staggeringly beautiful”. The fairing panels are injection moulded in-house by Triumph Motorcycles in Leicestershire, using BASF’s Terblend N supplied by Ultrapolymers. Terblend N belongs to the PlasticsPlus™ line of BASF’s styrenics.

Lower density reduces weight

Weight is a very important factor on modern sports bikes. Terblend N is much tougher than ABS, and has a lower density than the polycarbonate blends used in similar applications, enabling Triumph to produce thinner, lighter panels that help to reduce the overall weight of the bike. The Daytona 675 weighs 165kg, and reviewers have said that it feels even lighter.

The polyamide component in Terblend N improves heat resistance. Performance up to about 110°C is mainly determined by the content of amorphous ABS, but beyond this the semi-crystalline polyamide takes over, allowing finished parts to retain their shape at up to about 160°C.

Terblend N’s higher softening point has allowed the designers to position the fairing panels close to the engine and exhaust system. This, together with Triumph’s three-cylinder engine, has helped to achieve a very narrow front aspect to the bike.

Good resistance to high temperatures

The 123 bhp Daytona 675 – available in Scorched Yellow, Tornado Red, and Graphite – is painted at Hinckley. Terblend N’s good resistance to high temperatures helps to reduce any problems in the high temperature stoving process Triumph uses to harden the paint. The surface does not need to be pretreated and paint adhesion is good. Triumph Production Engineer, John Phillips, says Terblend N is easy to process. “It does not exhibit many of the cosmetic problems associated with painted ABS components.”

Terblend N, a blend based on ABS and polyamide, combines the good properties of the individual components and also reduces the disadvantages of PA, such as the shrinkage and inadequate low-temperature impact strength. Terblend N offers an interesting combination of important material properties: extraordinary impact strength even at temperatures below freezing, excellent toughness, ease of processing, outstanding chemical resistance, good dimensional stability under heat, high-quality surface finish as well as a pleasant feel.

The automotive industry uses Terblend N for centre consoles, air vents, gear levers and airbag covers as well as for radio faceplates and glove compartments. It has also proven to be a good choice for applications for car bodies, bumpers and spoilers.

PlasticsPlus™

BASF has bundled a product line of specialty plastics comprising high-performance styrene plastics, biodegradable materials and foams under the umbrella of PlasticsPlus™. Whenever high requirements have to be met, our experts, working with the products of PlasticsPlus, can provide a great deal of diversity, reliability, partnership as well as innovative solutions.

Triumph Motorcyles Ltd. can be found on the Internet at www.triumph.co.uk. Additional information about Terblend N is available by e-mail at the Infopoint: styrenics.infopoint@basf.com, in the BASF Plastics purchasing portal, www.plasticsportal.com or at www.terblend-n.com.

Press photographs can be downloaded from www.basf.de/pressphotos under the key word “plastics”. The text and the image will be available soon in the press release archive of BASF Plastics at www.basf.de/plastics/pressreleases

Contact Information

Waldemar Oldenburger

BASF

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