A BRITISH LEGEND - TRIUMPH MOTOR CYCLES:
Tuesday 1st September saw members of the Probus Club of Coleshill gathering at the Coleshill Hotel for the start of the autumn season of meetings and to which they welcomed a return visit by Ray Sturdy to talk about the history of Triumph Motor Cycles. It was fact filled history charting the rise, fall and regeneration of a great British Tradition with a strong Midlands connection.
1887 to 1914:
The story began in London in 1887 when the partnership of Messrs Bettman and Shorts began copying and marketing bicycles, then a rapidly developing form of personal transport and without the inconvenience of maintaining your own horse. Realising that the Midlands had better resources and engineering expertise the business was relocated to Coventry (Priory Road) from where they rapidly expanded; Mr Sturdy showed us several advertisements for Triumph Cycles taken from newspapers and magazines of the period and illustrating that even in the Victorian period the use an attractive young lady made an excellent selling feature.
Logically the next move was to add a motor to the cycles to ease the burden on the cyclist and to achieve this Triumph imported engines from Belgium (a 2 Horse Power Minerva) as there were no suitable British made units available: It was obvious from a photograph that this was a modified cycle where only the main frame had been redesigned to accommodate the engine, this Mark One version was introduced in 1896/7. 1902 saw the first custom designed motor cycle with a 2.5 HP Engine, however the basic cycle frame was still evident, it had no clutch or gearbox and stopping was achieved by switching off the engine and applying normal cycle brakes, very basic and fundamental but a great innovation at the time. Ray said that Harley Davidson brought out their first machine a year later that was very similar in design and operation to the Triumph ‘First’.
Put a group of like minded and equipped young persons together and it not long before competitiveness comes along (as it has done for millennia). Consequently motor cycle racing began, (as it had with cars) and in 1907 Triumph became an established name at the TT Races on the Isle of Man. A photograph of the time was later used by the Post Office to advertise the introduction of motor cycles for the speedier delivery of letters. At this same time (1907/8) Triumph were producing 12,000 bikes per year and competition was rife with other firms such as BSA, AJS, Norton, Velocette and Royal Enfield many of which had also originated from bicycle manufacture.
Tuesday 1st September saw members of the Probus Club of Coleshill gathering at the Coleshill Hotel for the start of the autumn season of meetings and to which they welcomed a return visit by Ray Sturdy to talk about the history of Triumph Motor Cycles. It was fact filled history charting the rise, fall and regeneration of a great British Tradition with a strong Midlands connection.
1887 to 1914:
The story began in London in 1887 when the partnership of Messrs Bettman and Shorts began copying and marketing bicycles, then a rapidly developing form of personal transport and without the inconvenience of maintaining your own horse. Realising that the Midlands had better resources and engineering expertise the business was relocated to Coventry (Priory Road) from where they rapidly expanded; Mr Sturdy showed us several advertisements for Triumph Cycles taken from newspapers and magazines of the period and illustrating that even in the Victorian period the use an attractive young lady made an excellent selling feature.
Logically the next move was to add a motor to the cycles to ease the burden on the cyclist and to achieve this Triumph imported engines from Belgium (a 2 Horse Power Minerva) as there were no suitable British made units available: It was obvious from a photograph that this was a modified cycle where only the main frame had been redesigned to accommodate the engine, this Mark One version was introduced in 1896/7. 1902 saw the first custom designed motor cycle with a 2.5 HP Engine, however the basic cycle frame was still evident, it had no clutch or gearbox and stopping was achieved by switching off the engine and applying normal cycle brakes, very basic and fundamental but a great innovation at the time. Ray said that Harley Davidson brought out their first machine a year later that was very similar in design and operation to the Triumph ‘First’.
Put a group of like minded and equipped young persons together and it not long before competitiveness comes along (as it has done for millennia). Consequently motor cycle racing began, (as it had with cars) and in 1907 Triumph became an established name at the TT Races on the Isle of Man. A photograph of the time was later used by the Post Office to advertise the introduction of motor cycles for the speedier delivery of letters. At this same time (1907/8) Triumph were producing 12,000 bikes per year and competition was rife with other firms such as BSA, AJS, Norton, Velocette and Royal Enfield many of which had also originated from bicycle manufacture.
Triumph 11 WORLD WAR ONE and THE INTER-WAR YEARS:
With the advent of the First World War in 1914 Triumph were asked to supply motor cycles for Despatch Riders conveying messages and orders from Head Quarters to battalions stationed on the Western Front. There were also motor cycles armed with a Lewis Gun, that Ray explained, were not without their own problems such as the tendency for the ‘bike’ to travel backwards due to the recoil from the gun!
Many motor cycle manufacturers were also into cars and museums have examples; this was the case with Triumph and in 1922 the company split into two separate units – Triumph Motors (cars) with Clive Holbrook employed as the Managing Director, and Triumph Motor Cycles. Mr Sturdy has a separate talk on their cars but on this occasion we would only be concerned with the motor cycles. [Triumph Cars of course continued as one of Coventry’s major motor vehicle companies eventually finishing up with British Leyland and as Rover-Triumph with such well known models such as the Herald, the Stag, the Dolomites and the TR Range]. In the 1930’s Triumph head hunted Edward Turner the Chief Designer for the Aerial Company, - who had designed the ‘Square-Four’ motor cycle engine capable of achieving a 1000cc capacity, - as a new M.D. who initiated major changes on the design front and many of their better known models date from this period.
The design of the machines changed and even the ‘on-road names’ became meaningful. Turner introduced the ‘Triumph Tiger’ range; the name designating the achievable on-road speed (in miles per hour) such as a Tiger 50 (= 50mph), Tiger 60, Tiger 80 up to a Tiger 120. It was also in this period that they began using twin cylinder engines because up until then all bikes had a single cylinder giving a maximum capacity of 250cc. A Triumph ‘Trophy’ machine was also developed for trials use following successes achieved by Triumph’s in various off-road – cross country events that became popular in the 1930’s; the ‘Trophy’ was specifically designed for off-road use having ‘knobbly’ tyres on both wheels, a redesigned engine and telescopic dampened front forks (other manufacturers quickly followed suit.
1940 to the Present:
For the Second World War Triumph received an order for 50,000 bikes from the M.O.D. for use by the armed forces that was to be capable of roadside repairs by any competent engineer. The designed version had a 350cc single cylinder engine and was very popular with its users and gave very little trouble. In fact at the end of the war a large surplus of unused machines was sold back to the company, who re-sprayed them maroon and sold them to the general public. In November 1940 the Triumph Factory suffered the fate of much of Coventry thanks to the Luftwaffe but very little production time was lost as contingency plans had been made and they quickly re-established them selves at their Meriden Factory where production remained until the 1980’s.
Triumph 17 Immediately after WW II Edward Turner realised that the company should continue to support, encourage and compete in the Motor Cycle Racing world since it is from technological advances in this field that new innovations can be developed and applied to the normal on-the-road-civilian market. Very much as is still done to day in Formula One by major manufactures such as BMW, Renault Ferrari and Toyota. A 500cc racing bike was subsequently developed that gave Triumph many circuit successes and an enhanced reputation in the 1950’s and 60’s. In the early 1950’s Edward Turner visited the USA where he established a chain of dealers because due to their racing success Triumph’s were in high demand especially once Marlon Brando bought one and motor cycle films such as ‘The Wild One’ were released. It was whilst visiting America that Turner was inspired by a Totem Pole on an Indian Reservation that represented a ‘Thunderbird’ and utilised this when naming a new machine with a 650cc power unit. The Triumph Thunderbird became a best selling machine. Following successes at Bonneville (Utah) on the Salt Flats using a specially designed bike fitted with the Thunderbird 650cc engine a land speed record of 240.4 mph was achieved; this lead to the production release of the Bonneville Machine in 1958 this survived in production until 1983. The Thunderbird and Bonneville rapidly became every teenager’s desire (including our Speaker, as he admitted and there were confirming nods in the audience); of course these were the days when you could pass your single test on a 50cc machine one day and then go out on a 500cc – or greater – the next and crash helmets were not mandatory. No doubt many readers remember these as ‘good old days’. There is no doubt that the 50’s and 60’s were the heyday of British designed and built motor cycles: not just for Triumph but also for Aerial, Matchless, Norton and BSA etcetera as a visit to the National Motor Cycle Museum [M42-A45 Junction 6] will confirm.
During this period the reviving Japanese economy began to arise (like the sun in the east) and Honda produced a ‘Moped’ unfortunately the well established Motor Cycle Industry (including Triumph) chose not to see this threat mistakenly thinking they were immune. Success on the racing tracks, speed records and off road trials are good for reputations and, as was said above, good for research and development but they were not always economically viable in the world of the second half of the 20th Century. There were financial problems in the Industry as a whole and BSA acquired an interest in Triumph as early as 1951, by 1972 Triumph was given a reprieve with the creation of “Norton-Villiers-Triumph” but this was short-lived; Triumph struggled on through various ‘rescue plans’ largely surviving by export trade with the USA who took 60% of their production. In 1983 John Bloor (a Property Developer and Motor Cycles enthusiast) bought the Meriden site (which is now a residential development) but also the ‘Triumph’ name and all the manufacturing rights. The Triumph revival at Hinckley will be discussed later.
Readers will be aware that the decline resulted from the influx of Japanese motor cycles and Italian Scooters (Lambretta’s (Innocenti) and Vespa’s primarily) – does anyone admit to having owned a Douglas Vespa? British manufacturing costs rose and could not compete with the selling price of the Japanese imports - simple economics that British complacency allowed to happen. There were attempts to counteract the Japanese influx and Triumph produced the ‘Tiger Cub’ with a 150cc engine (and similarly the BSA Bantam) aimed at first time buyers/learners. The scooter market was unsuccessfully tried with 150cc Tina and 250cc Tigress and as illustrations showed these were no competition for the Vespa’s and Lambretta’s.
John Bloor’s interests were developed at the Hinckley site in very strict secrecy using the very best motor cycle designers that money could hire with the development of a water cooled three cylinder 750cc engine (and a 900cc version) known as the Speed Triple (built on Triumph’s first automated production line). This engine was an immediate success on the racing circuit at Daytona in USA which resulted in a sports bike appropriately named the ‘Daytona’ being marketed. Other machines have followed as well as 4 cylinder (1200cc) engine to cover the whole spectrum. An all terrain machine resurrecting the old name of the ‘Tiger’ was also introduced that can go off road in both desert and alpine conditions.
Triumph RocketHarley Davidson had had some success by producing ‘Retro’ bikes (modern technology to reproduce much earlier popular models) so Triumph used the same techniques to reproduce the classic Thunderbird model with a 900cc power unit and in spite of major fire in their Paint Shop (2002) produced and sold 30,000 bikes within 3 months. Triumph has re-arrived and able to take on their Japanese rivals and have also continued to participate with their own team on the racing circuits of the world.
Mr Sturdy spoke for some time on the National Motor Cycle Museum both before and after the disastrous fire and told how one famous Triumph bike, known as ‘Slippery Sam’ has been lovingly restored by the donation of parts from enthusiasts all over the world that when completed achieved speed of 163 mph at Brands Hatch, go to the Museum yourself and ‘Sam’ is the machine that greets you in the foyer. Looking to the future amongst their many offerings is a Retro Bonneville with a 900cc engine looking like the classic of the 60’s but built entirely with modern technology. The latest machine developed to compete with Harley Davidson is the ‘Triumph Rocket Three’. If you own a Triumph you are in good company, it was a Triumph ridden by Steve McQueen in the ‘Great Escape’ and we also saw a photograph of Formula One ace, Michael Schumacher riding one for pleasure: the Triumph Motor Cycle Owners Club is well worth joining if you are an enthusiast and not already a member.
Mr Sturdy’s talk lasted over an hour and proved that he was indeed a dedicate enthusiast with a strong love motorcycling; he currently owns a ‘Retro Thunderbird’ machine that is used regularly. Of course readers will appreciate that space forbids including many of the facts, figures and anecdotes that he told us during the talk. His illustrations chosen (over 100 slides) were obviously carefully selected and helped to bring over the points made in his talk. Thank you Mr Sturdy.
Jerry Dutton
Press Secretary
Mr Sturdy spoke for some time on the National Motor Cycle Museum both before and after the disastrous fire and told how one famous Triumph bike, known as ‘Slippery Sam’ has been lovingly restored by the donation of parts from enthusiasts all over the world that when completed achieved speed of 163 mph at Brands Hatch, go to the Museum yourself and ‘Sam’ is the machine that greets you in the foyer. Looking to the future amongst their many offerings is a Retro Bonneville with a 900cc engine looking like the classic of the 60’s but built entirely with modern technology. The latest machine developed to compete with Harley Davidson is the ‘Triumph Rocket Three’. If you own a Triumph you are in good company, it was a Triumph ridden by Steve McQueen in the ‘Great Escape’ and we also saw a photograph of Formula One ace, Michael Schumacher riding one for pleasure: the Triumph Motor Cycle Owners Club is well worth joining if you are an enthusiast and not already a member.
Mr Sturdy’s talk lasted over an hour and proved that he was indeed a dedicate enthusiast with a strong love motorcycling; he currently owns a ‘Retro Thunderbird’ machine that is used regularly. Of course readers will appreciate that space forbids including many of the facts, figures and anecdotes that he told us during the talk. His illustrations chosen (over 100 slides) were obviously carefully selected and helped to bring over the points made in his talk. Thank you Mr Sturdy.
Jerry Dutton
Press Secretary
Triumph TT600
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