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Go Your Own Way
Born, bred and proud to be British.
With over 100 years of history behind us, Triumph is
a privately-owned British company. Our motorcycles
are designed, developed and built at our factory,
one of the most technologically advanced plants in
the world, which is located in Hinckley, in the
heart of Great Britain.
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Triumph has always had its own distinctive character
and a history of creating bikes that become design
classics. And we've not lost that touch - the
inspiration and engineering passion that birthed the
iconic Bonneville of the 60's has today created
bikes like the stunning Rocket III and the
unmistakable Speed Triple.
At the
heart of our philosophy is a firm commitment to
developing truly unique motorcycles that are
distinctive in looks, design, and performance. Our
aim is to craft bikes that deliver a great riding
experience through the fusion of a well-balanced,
easy to handle chassis and strong, flexible engines.
The result is an inspiring range of motorcycles
delivering intelligent, usable performance.
Triumph currently employs 980 personnel worldwide
and has offices in the UK, America, Thailand,
Malaysia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and
Benelux. |
Triumph Motorcycle Timeline (1902 to Today) |
The origin of Triumph motorcycles dates back to the
late 19th century when founding entrepreneur,
Siegfried Bettmann, settled in Coventry, England and
capitalized on the English bicycle market. Bicycles
soon became motorcycles and the evolution of one of
the most famous names in motorcycling began.
1900's
In 1902 the first motorcycle emerged from Triumph’s
Coventry works. Known since as ‘No 1’, it was
essentially a strengthened bicycle with a 2.25bhp
Minerva engine hung from the front down tube. Drive
was via a belt from the engine’s crankshaft to the
rear wheel while the bicycle’s pedals, chain and
crank were retained. Schulte chose the Belgian-made
Minerva engine simply as a matter of quality – he
was a perfectionist and, at that time, the cutting
edge of internal combustion technology was coming
out of continental Europe.
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By
1905 Schulte – in collaboration with Triumph
Works’ Manager Charles Hathaway, himself a
gifted designer and motorcyclist – had
produced an entirely in-house machine, the
Model 3HP. Featuring a 363cc single cylinder
side-valve engine, it was claimed the Model
3HP produced a heady 3bhp at 1,500rpm and
had a top speed of around 45mph.
Schulte now concentrated on refining and
developing this machine and while other
manufacturers tried to move too quickly,
Triumph kept on a consistent path of
evolution, always proving their machines. |
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Engine capacity grew as the years clicked on and by
1908 the Triumph engine was displacing 476cc,
putting out 3.5bhp and came equipped with a
‘variable pulley’ to deal with difficult inclines.
An Isle of Man TT win (with Jack Marshal at the
handlebars) the same year further underlined
Triumph’s reliability and road worthiness. As was
said at the time, ‘Eight Triumph’s started, and
eight finished…’ |
1910's
Triumph motorcycles had now proved themselves
worthwhile machines and in 1910, a new advance was
made to make riding a Triumph even easier - the
‘free engine’ device. This device meant that the
engine could be started with the bike on its main
stand, via the pedals, rather than by bump starting
or pedalling furiously for 30 yards or so.
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By the outbreak of the First World War the
Type A, as it was known, had a 550cc engine
slugging out 4bhp. The British Government
placed orders with Triumph in order to equip
army despatch riders at the front. The now
legendary Triumph Type H was pressed into
service from late 1914 onwards and, in the
face of the mud and misery that existed for
its riders in the Great War, earned itself
the nickname ‘the Trusty’.
The decade ended on a sour note though as
Schulte parted company with Triumph in 1919
after disagreeing with Bettmann’s desire to
diversify Triumph’s manufacturing
capabilities. |
1920's
Deciding to diversify Triumph’s manufacturing base,
early in the ‘20s Bettmann purchased a former car
factory in Coventry and started producing a 1.4
litre saloon. Produced under the name of the Triumph
Motor Co, this foray away from two wheels was to
prove the eventual undoing of Bettmann’s empire.
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On the motorcycle front, two years after the
end of hostilities in Europe, Triumph
unveiled another evolutionary motorcycle,
the Type SD, the first Triumph to dispense
with belt final drive in favour of a
chain-driven rear wheel.
With a capacity of 550cc the Type SD was too
big to enter the Senior TT so Triumph
developed an all-new single cylinder engine
of 500cc capacity. The ‘Riccy’, as it became
known, went on to collect many world speed
records, including the flying mile with a
speed of 83.91mph. |
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Other models followed including the basic Model P,
which sold 20,000 units, and the TT (or Two Valve,
as it was called), which became the mainstay of
Triumph’s range. |
1930's
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While Bettmann was making the decisions that
would lead to his firm’s demise, others,
such as John Young Sangster, were learning
the ropes of the bike industry.
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Known as Jack, John was the son of Charles
Sangster, who until his death in 1934 had
headed a large engineering company,
Components Ltd. Components Ltd owned Ariel,
a firm with a reputation for building top
quality motorcycles.
Like Triumph, the Great
Depression was
draining Components Ltd of
cash and in 1932 the company folded but
Jack, through his own |
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intuition, networking abilities, private
wealth and application of Schulte-style
values |
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(rationalisation and
concentration on fewer models) turned the
Ariel business around.
Triumph in the meantime was struggling, with cars in
particular proving extremely difficult to turn a
profit. Bicycles and motorcycles, which were still
produced under the Triumph Cycle Co guise, were held
up for sacrifice. The pedal bike plant went first,
in 1932 and then four years later Jack Sangster
purchased the motorcycle division.
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Ironically, Val Page, an ex-Ariel man and
extremely talented engine designer had
joined Triumph in 1932 and had set about
designing a brand new range of bikes.
Sangster immediately installed two of Page’s Ariel
ex-colleagues at the new Triumph Engineering Co Ltd;
Edward Turner became Works’ Manager and Bert Hopwood
was appointed designer. 1937 proved a landmark year
for Triumph with the launch of a range of revamped
singles (known as Tigers) together with the
remarkable 498cc Speed Twin (T100). |
This model revolutionised motorcycling – it started well,
ran well, had a reported top speed of over 90mph and
simply defined everything a modern motorcycle should
be. |
1940's
The outbreak of WWII put a different complexion on
Triumph’s commercial aspirations, as all production
was geared up for the armed services. A prototype
350cc twin – the 3TW – was on the blocks and
approved as the standard service bike when, on the
night of the 14th November 1940, the Triumph factory
was completely demolished in the blitz of Coventry.
Undaunted, motorcycle production was resumed in
temporary facilities in Warwick, while a brand new
factory was built in Meriden. The new plant opened
its doors in 1942.
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In the late ‘30s the Speed Twin (T100) had
impressed the American flat track racing
community, and when hostilities ceased
Turner sensed the potential for strong US
growth. Shrewdly he’d maintained
correspondence with Bill Johnson, Triumph’s
west coast distributor, throughout the war
years and 1945 visited the US to cement the
relationship.
Post war the range on sale consisted of
three models - the Tiger 100 and Speed Twin
plus the smaller ‘touring’ 349cc 3T – and in
1946 Irishman Ernie Lyons won the Manx Grand
Prix on a Tiger 100, |
beating a host of Nortons. By the end of the decade
the styling of these bikes had evolved to enclose
the headlight and clocks in a nacelle – a unique
(and instantly recognisable) feature at the time and
two new models had been added: The off road 500cc
Trophy, and the big bore (649cc!) Thunderbird, built
in response to an American plea for more power. |
1950's
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The 1950s was a golden decade for Triumph, although
it started with the sale of the firm to rivals BSA.
Triumph continued to be run separately however and
in 1953 a new breed of Triumph bike arrived with the
advent of the 149cc OHV Terrier.
The 199cc Tiger Cub followed a year later,
which proved a massively popular bike. The
same year also saw the introduction of the
Tiger 110, in essence a ‘sports’ makeover of
the 649cc Thunderbird twin but with swinging
arm rear suspension and a bigger front
brake.
Two years later Johnny Allen set a new world
motorcycle speed record (214.5mph) on the Bonneville
Salt Flats using a 649cc Triumph engine in a
streamlined vehicle. His record was rejected, due to
alleged timing gear problems but it inspired one of
Triumph’s most famous ever motorcycles…
The T120 Bonneville.
The very essence of café-racer cool the Bonneville
had the right, spartan look and just as importantly,
the performance to go with it. It was a truly
special motorcycle and arrived just in time to take
full advantage of what was to become a very special
decade… |
1960's
The
‘60s were to prove a fabulous decade for
motorcycling in general and Triumph had a winning
formula. The Bonneville was a fantastic success -
the definitive sports twin of the ‘60s - both in
Britain and in the States and competition success at
the Isle of Man TT and Daytona spawned a myriad of
models.
Social acceptability of motorcycles was at an all
time high. Bikes were still at the heart of everyday
transport for many people but were also appearing in
the coolest films of the decade, alongside screen
stars such as Steve MacQueen and Marlon Brando.
Added to this was the birth of the rebellious
teenager, who turned their motorcycles into cult
café racers. Triumph’s output peaked at around
50,000 bikes a year with sixty percent of exported,
primarily to the US.
Harry Sturgeon, an ex-MD of a BSA group subsidiary,
took over from Turner in 1967 and continued
Triumph’s policy of evolution rather than
revolution.
But rumors of a Japanese 750 became more persistent
and eventually could not be ignored so Sturgeon gave
the go ahead to the development of a three cylinder
750. The design was pushed through and became the
Triumph Trident (T150) and BSA Rocket Three.
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1970's
The
1970s were disastrous for Triumph. Sturgeon died
three years after taking the helm and Lionel Jofeh
replaced him – a man who, like Sturgeon, was on the
‘outside’ of the business. He didn’t last long and
was replaced by Brian Eustace. Management of the BSA
group as a whole was in a state of flux, constantly
changing and with no consistent strategy.
Ironically, the three cylinder motor was proving
almost unbeatable on the race track and in its
‘Slippery Sam’ guise won the IoM Production TT five
years on the trot from ‘71-‘75, as well many Formula
750 races.
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Thanks to the internal confusion, and the
rapid progress of the Japanese factories,
Triumph was in deep trouble, with the BSA
group recording a loss by 1971 of £8.5m.
A year later a £3.3m loss was posted and
things were looking bleak. In July 1973, in
a government sponsored move, a new company
was formed - Norton-Villiers-Triumph.
Against the wishes of the Triumph workforce
Norton Villiers Triumph planned to move
Triumph production to the BSA factory at
Small Heath, Birmingham. |
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As a result the Meriden workers staged a sit-in that
lasted almost two years. It ended finally when in
March 1975 a workers’ co-operative was set up purely
to manufacture the Bonneville in 750cc form,
primarily for the American market.
Although there were some noteworthy bikes built
during this period – such as the ’77 Bonneville
Jubilee Special and T140D Special with cast wheels -
the writing was on the factory wall. |
1980's
The
Meriden factory closed its doors in early 1983. The
cash had simply run out and liquidation followed
along with the sale of the company assets. The
Meriden site was bulldozed into rubble in ’84 and
houses built. It seemed like the end of Triumph and,
with it, the British motorcycle industry.
Fortunately it wasn’t.
Property developer and self-made millionaire John
Bloor rescued the Triumph name and a new, privately
owned company - Triumph Motorcycles Limited - was
born.
Initially Devon-based firm Racing Spares (who’d
previously been making parts for Triumph) were
licensed to build the final incarnation of the
Bonneville, principally to keep the Triumph marque
alive, while the new company laid plans for
Triumph’s return to the world stage.
The designs on the table from the co-operative were
outdated and pretty much unusable so the new company
returned to the drawing board. From 1985, for three
long years while Racing Spares built Bonnies, the
new Triumph company put plans in action in total
silence and secrecy. During this time a new factory
was built in |
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Hinckley, Leicestershire and a range of models were
developed. Featuring three and four cylinder
engines, with water-cooling, four valves per
cylinder and double overhead camshafts, these were
quite unlike anything Triumph had built before. |
1990's
Six
brand new Triumph motorcycles were unveiled to the
bike industry and press at the Cologne Show in
September 1990. Based around two different engine
formats, these models – the unfaired Trident 750 and
900 triples, the touring-oriented Trophy 900 triple
and 1200 four and the sports-slanted Daytona 750
triple and 1000 four - employed a modular concept,
meaning that many parts were common to all. They
were well received in all quarters and the line up
evolved over the next few years.
But it was the advent of the Speed Triple in 1994
that really caught the press and the publics’
imagination. Just as the hopped-up Thunderbird had
metamorphosed into the Bonneville in the ‘50s so the
new Speed Triple captured a piece of café racer
chic. It had a ton of character, plenty of
performance and a raw look that was just right for
the time. It also had its own one-make race series,
which ensured that the public saw what the Speed
Triple was capable of on a racetrack.
Ever growing volumes brought the opportunity to
evolve away from the modular concept and in 1997 the
T595 Daytona was launched to an expectant world.
Dispensing with carburettors its brand new
three-cylinder engine
used state of the art fuel
injection, which at the time was a rarity. It also
had a chassis the match of pretty much any
production sports bike available and marked
Triumph’s ability to not only exist as a
manufacturing entity, but to lead once again. |
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Subsequently the fuel-injected engine was adopted to
power new versions of the Tiger and Speed Triple,
together with the unveiling in 1998 of a brand new
sports-touring machine – the Sprint ST.
The end of the decade also saw an expansion to
Triumph’s production facilities with work completed
on a second Hinckley manufacturing facility. |
2000's
The
dawn of the 21st Century saw Triumph build its
100,000th bike at the Hinckley plant and release two
brand new motorcycles. The first, the sports
middleweight TT600, met the Japanese manufacturers
squarely on their turf. With a 599cc fuel-injected
inline four-cylinder engine and a chassis that was
won universal praise the TT600 was the only
non-Japanese contender in the class. Perhaps even
bigger news for Triumph was the unveiling of the
second new model – the Bonneville. An evocative
790cc air-cooled parallel twin, the new Bonnie
combined the look, feel and soul of the legendary
late ‘60s T120. It was an immediate success and the
cruiser-style Bonneville America followed hard on
its heels, specifically designed for the US rider.
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Then fate intervened again. Just as Triumph geared
up for the busy coming season, the factory was
devastated by fire. The blaze of 15th of March 2002
saw the complete destruction of the main stores,
injection moulding area, chassis and final assembly
lines while the rest of the plant was heavily smoke
damaged.
Undeterred, even though the fire was one of
the largest industrial conflagrations ever to occur
in Britain, Triumph immediately set about rebuilding
and almost six months to the day, the rebuilt
factory was fully operational. |
R & D was unaffected by the fire and soon after the
factory re-opened the the four-cylinder Daytona 600
supersports bike was shown publicly for the very
first time.
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Spearheading a return to racing the Daytona 600
competed successfully in the British Supersports
championships of 2003 and 2004 and scored a win at
the Isle of Man TT at its first attempt.
Other new models have followed since including the
amazing Rocket III, the first production motorcycle
to break the 2-litre barrier and most recently a
brand new Sprint ST and Speed Triple. |
With a comprehensive ongoing model development
programme and continual factory investment who knows
what the rest of this decade may bring. |
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