While the sun has set on much of the British Empire, it seems virtually certain that the Triumph motorcycle will always endure. This two-wheel icon from the glory days of British bikes has witnessed wars, economic downturns, and other upheavals that forever changed the United Kingdom’s motor vehicle industry and has emerged from them more desirable than ever, with its heritage intact. From a distinguished roster of great British motorcycle brands that included BSA, Norton, Ariel, and Vincent, only Triumph has survived.
This story was originally published in the Spring 2004 issue of Robb Report Motorcycling and has been re-edited.
Triumph’s most recent rebirth neither left it a producer of tepid retro-bikes assembled from outsourced components nor delivered it into foreign hands, as was the fate of Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, and Bentley. Today’s Triumphs emerging from a modern factory in Hinckley, Leicestershire, at a rate of some 150 each day, are well-engineered, high-performance machines built by Britons working for a British company. As such, they can rightly be considered a continuation of tradition, even though outside forces have halted production more than once.
Some of the model names in the current Triumph catalog will be familiar to riders with a sense of history. Bonneville, Thruxton, Tiger, and Thunderbird are all evocative of bygone days, yet each bike seems poised to write some fresh history of its own. Others, such as the America, Daytona, and Rocket III, may not stir such strong memories. Still, they have plenty of appeal for today’s riders, offering competitive alternatives to superbikes from Japan and Italy and large cruisers built in the United States.
However, for at least as long as there are older riders with strong feelings for the name, Triumph’s fame will rest with its parallel-twin-powered motorcycles, and the most renowned of these is the eternal Bonneville. The 2004 model is a visual tribute to the original Bonnie of 1959, especially when configured in its T100 trim.
The debut Bonneville was not Triumph’s first twin—that honor goes to Val Page’s 1933 model 6/1—but it traces its roots to the company’s 1937 Speed Twin. Designed by engineer Edward Turner, who much later created a compact, powerful V-8 engine used in some Daimler automobiles, the Speed Twin established a basis from which all Triumph twins were derived through 1983.
Speed Twins, along with the later T100s and post-World War II Thunderbirds, were familiar to motorcyclists in North America and prized for their suitability for both touring and competition.
However, one bike, a 1950 Thunderbird, permanently established the Triumph marque in the United States. As the mount for Johnny, Marlon Brando’s mumbling, sullen, and confused outlaw rider in the 1954 film The Wild One, the Thunderbird received more screen time than any motorcycle previously and perhaps more than any other bike enjoyed until Easy Rider hit the big screen years later. More importantly, at least from the company’s perspective, Johnny’s Thunderbird appeared with its Triumph badges clearly visible, an unusual occurrence in films of that era.
Off-screen, Hollywood was already familiar with Triumphs. James Dean, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly rode Triumphs, as did more long-lived stars. Steve McQueen was a Triumph rider and used a TR6 for his stunt double Bud Ekins‘ fence-jumping exploits in the 1961 film The Great Escape. By historical standards, these celebrities were latecomers to the Triumph mystique. The company was celebrating four decades of motorcycle production the year that Dean left his bike at home and went for that last, ill-fated drive in his Porsche 550 Spyder.
In fact, the company itself was even older. German immigrant Siegfried Bettmann founded the Triumph Cycle Company in 1887 and was turning out bicycles two years later. By 1902, Bettmann had expanded his line to include embryonic motorcycles, little more than bicycles with Minerva powerplants bolted to their frames. Within three years, the first real Triumph motorcycle, powered by a 363cc single-cylinder engine designed and manufactured by Triumph, was being built at the company’s Coventry factory. Annual output rose to some 3,000 motorcycles by 1909.
A mere two decades after its initial motorcycle appeared, the Triumph factory had been enlarged to more than a half-million square feet, in which a workforce of 1,000 was producing as many as 30,000 machines each year. Bicycles still made up a significant part of the company’s business, as did automobiles (after 1923).
Unfortunately, success had its price. Diversification was causing problems for Triumph management, which was also confronted with the worldwide economic crisis of the 1930s. As a result, it divided the company into three parts and sold off the bicycle operation in 1932 and the automotive business in 1935. The Standard Motor Company eventually acquired the latter and renamed it Standard-Triumph in 1939. Amid the changes, Triumph’s motorcycle division was sold as well. The new owner was Jack Sangster, proprietor of the Ariel Motorcycle Company.
While the Triumph break-up was in its final stages, the motorcycle business began three decades of prosperity. World War II provided the initial stimulus. The advent of the war brought contracts to supply motorcycles to Britain’s armed forces. Even The Blitz of 1940, during which Coventry sustained heavy damage from the German bombing raids, could not halt production entirely. However, the destruction of the Triumph factory made it necessary to relocate, first to temporary facilities in Warwick, then to a factory in Meriden, which would continue to serve Triumph for many years.
Triumph resumed its civilian motorcycle manufacturing operation in 1946. Demand rose quickly, both in Europe and in North America, where the company soon re-established its sales and service network. During this time, the firm was sold yet again, to the BSA Group, which continued to offer both BSA and Triumph bikes. Then, Marlon Brando introduced his two-wheel co-star.
Hollywood was not the only place where Triumphs were making an impression. Stars rode them, but so did top racers in Britain, Europe, and North America. Whether on road courses, off-road circuits, or dirt ovals, Triumphs were winners. A modified Triumph engine scored on the Bonneville Salt Flats, powering a streamliner driven by Johnny Allen to a class-record speed of over 190 mph—not bad for a mere 650cc powerplant.
From this accomplishment came the Triumph Bonneville. Essentially a T100 Tiger with a dual-carbureted engine, the Bonnie was a hit, much to the surprise of Edward Turner, who was nearing the end of his long association with the firm. Turner had feared the new model would bankrupt the company.
Turner was wrong. Bonnevilles and other Triumphs, including the three-cylinder Trident beginning in 1969, poured into the United States at a rate of more than 600 per week during much of the 1960s. There was, it seemed, a Triumph to suit almost every rider, whether he (motorcycling was almost exclusively a male pursuit in those days) was an executive heading to work, a weekend enthusiast setting off for a tour, a racer out for trophies, or an outlaw bent on raising hell.
Although Triumph faced some competition—other British and a few Italian and German bikes were vying for the first three types of riders, while Harley-Davidson offered bikes for the latter group—the motorcycles from Meriden were firmly established among all four categories.
As the 1970s dawned, however, it all seemed to go sour. First, the Japanese entered the market. Their initial forays might have been taken lightly by the major builders. “Who would choose a puny 50cc scooter over a 650cc road burner?” they asked. Then, more serious designs from Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki soon followed. In time, the Japanese were building direct competitors to Triumph’s bikes, challenging their performance, quality, and price.
Moreover, the Japanese went straight to the most lucrative market of the day, the clean-cut citizens of Middle America. In their advertising, the newcomers from Asia appealed directly to “the nicest people.” When these folks raced, it was on cleanly paved road courses or at family-friendly off-road events. Motorcycling was becoming good, wholesome fun in the eyes of the general public. Riders of certain motorcycles, including Triumph, which had long had an edgy image, were on the periphery.
Worse was to follow. The early 1970s were difficult years for British industry. Labor troubles and official policies led to government-ordered mergers among vehicle manufacturers, including combining the BSA Group with Norton Villiers. The new Norton Villiers-Triumph operation solved none of Triumph’s problems. In fact, NV-T exacerbated matters when it ordered the closing of the Triumph factory in 1974. Workers organized a sit-in, and production came to a halt. Though the workers ended up owning the factory—purchasing it with a government grant—and production resumed, the business was declared bankrupt in 1983.
This is when John Boor purchased the Triumph name and then spent the next six years building the ultramodern Hinckley factory and overseeing the design and testing of a new series of Triumph motorcycles. The first of these, an inline-four-powered model called Trophy, went on sale in 1991. Three-cylinder Tridents and four-cylinder Daytonas followed.
Though none of these machines shared more than basic configuration with earlier Triumphs, the company was, and remains, well aware of the value of its heritage. This was made especially clear when the Bonneville was added to the lineup in 2000. The legendary twin was reborn and, though it also represented an all-new design, every attempt was made to connect it to the company’s history in terms of its feel and appearance.
With both past and future in mind, Triumph has organized its 14 models into three broad categories: touring, sport, and classic. In the first group are the Sprint and Tiger series, large, long-distance cruisers emphasizing speed and comfort. Sport bikes—the Daytonas (600 and 955i), Speed Triple, and Speed Four—are high-tech dazzlers designed to compete head-on with the best from Europe and Japan. The classics—America, a large cruiser, Bonneville, Thunderbird, and Rocket III—are aimed at riders looking for history combined with modern riding characteristics and quality manufacture.
In truth, the Rocket III, introduced just last year, deserves to be placed in a category of its own. It has the largest engine in a modern motorcycle, a three-cylinder unit that develops a hefty 140 horsepower from 2.3 liters. A five-speed gearbox and drive shaft take the power back to a huge 240/50 x 16 rear tire. Everything on this imposing 704-pound flagship is scaled to suit, from frame and brakes to a 6.6-gallon fuel tank.
At the other end of the scale are the Bonnevilles. Appearing delicate by comparison, the Bonnies are nimble, speedy, and, in modern terms, simple. Though they retain an old-fashioned appearance and a traditional vertical-twin engine design—twin balance shafts have smoothed out the engines’ firing pulses—their frames, suspension, and brakes are completely up-to-date. A new-for-2004 variant, the Thruxton, is a basic Bonnie modified with clip-ons, repositioned footpegs, a bored-out (from 790cc to 865cc) and tuned (from 61 to 69 horsepower) engine, and upgraded suspension.
During its first 70-plus years, Triumph developed a solid reputation for offering high-quality, high-performance motorcycles. The new Triumph follows the same path, building sophisticated bikes that appeal to a wide range of riders.
