Triumph Motorcycles Ltd. is the largest surviving British motorcycle manufacturer. When Triumph went into receivership in 1983, John Bloor bought the name and manufacturing rights from the Official Receiver. The new company (initially Bonneville Coventry Ltd) continued Triumph's record of motorcycle production since 1902, making it the world's longest continuous production motorcycle manufacturer.
Triumph motorcycles was founded by (believe it or not) two Germans named Siegfried Bettman & Muaritz Shulte. Siegfried changed his old company name to Triumph, and the company was born in 1902. The first thing they did was take a small Minerva engine to a bike and their was their first motorcycle. Later they designed their own engine.
Around the First World War Triumph developed the H model, later followed by the Model R and the popular 1920s model P with a 500cc engine. Despite the high production of motorcycles during these times, Triumph hit financial problems in 1936 and was sold to Jack Sangster.
Jack Sangster appointed Edward Turner as manager which was an excellent move. Edward managed to turn Triumph around and by upgrading the old designs and renaming them Tiger 70, Tiger 80 and Tiger 90 increased the sales tremendously.
In 1937 Edward launched the Speed Twin 500cc model which started the competition with the then traditional single engines. A smart trick was that the Engine of the Speed Twin fitted nicely into the Tiger 90 frame. The overall pricing at the time wasn't much more that the single models. The Speed Twin became a huge success.
Triumph upgraded the Tiger 90 to (yes, you guessed right) the Tiger 100 model and together with the Speed Twin dominated the market for a while. The Tiger 100 was said to be able to reach the 100 mph mark - a highlight at the time.
Once again the older models were updated and for the overseas market (USA) the Thunderbird model was introduced in 1950 with a 650cc engine (T-Bird was it's nickname). Nine years later the famous Bonneville was launched from the development of the tiger 110. The Bonneville nickname came from the Bonneville salt flats where the modified model was timed at an amazing 214 mph (345 kph) in 1956 - however it was never recognized.
The Bonneville model was updated many times over the next years but it kept most of it’s original design. By 1972 over 250.000 models had been sold. In 1969 the three cylinder T150 Trident was launched. A powerful (740cc) retro model. The frame which was used was that of a Speed Twin, adjusted for its time. The ride was said to be good but not everybody like the style in those days.
The triple cylinder engine used in the Trident was also used to Triumph X-75 Hurricane. A custom style bike which led the Japanese factories to their versions of custom bikes later on.
But between 1973 and 1983 the company had hard times keeping its head above the water. Even a redesign of the Trident to a modern T160 Trident, which had a remarkably good reputation on the market, could not help the financial struggle of Triumph. Triumph was fighting against the high tech designs that companies like Honda were making. Triumph went into liquidation in 1983 after which it was bought by John Bloor.
John Bloor decided to develop a new range of Triumph Motorcycles in secret before launching them. It took 8 years to develop a range of 6 roadsters which could use many of the same components and had same styling features. All major cost savers.
The base model to all roadster was the Trident model with a three cylinder 750cc or 885cc engine. The bikes used a strong frame with Japanese brakes and suspensions. The Trophy 1200 and Daytona 1000 were launched and a great success.
In 1664 the street look bike was launched called the Speed Triple also the 885 cc engine. Carefully timed Triumph launched a new Thunderbird model with a stylish retro look at was also based on the 885cc triple engine. The old stylish look was a great success worldwide.
Have monitored the Japanese market closely for the past years Triumph adjusted it’s modular building of motorcycles and developed the first purpose built model - the Daytona TT600. Triumph proved it could compete against the design of Japanese bikes with this successful range of models. The launch of the new 2003 model was even more stylish. Also sports touring models were developed like the Sprint ST & RS.
John Bloor pulled a great introduction of the super famous Bonneville. With a very similar look Bloor introduced the Bonneville model again to a new market which now once again trusted the triumph brand again. The same stunt was done with the speed twins.
Above is a modern-day Triumph Bonneville motorcycle. Technologically, it owes little to the original 650cc T120 model, first produced in 1959. The 1969 Bonneville is regarded as the classic model and whilst the engineering has moved on, much of the 60's styling has been carefully preserved in the modern machine. The Bonneville is still manufactured by Triumph Motorcycles Ltd, a privately-owned British company.
The "Bonnie's" formula for success was its spartan simplicity and outstanding performance, and of course the evocative Bonneville name itself, in honour of the Texan racer Johnny Allen's high-speed runs in the "Texas Cigar" streamliner at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the mid-1950s. The Texas Cigar was a methanol-fuelled motorcycle with a streamlined body shell and a 650cc twin-cylinder Triumph engine. It achieved over 214 mph in timed runs, though the FIM - the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme - didn't ratify Allen's speed as a world record because there were no approved observers present. The production Bonneville T120 didn't quite manage the 120 mph top speed its name suggested, but it could reach more than 110 mph.
The Triumph Bonneville's celebrity status as the "World's Fastest Motorcycle" was boosted at various times by showbiz appearances. Stuntman Evel Knievel used a Bonneville TT Special for his attempt to jump over the fountain at Caesar's Palace casino in Las Vegas in 1988. Clint Eastwood rode a Bonneville in a chase scene through New York's Central Park in the movie 'Coogan's Bluff'. Richard Gere co-starred with a 750cc T140E Bonnie in 'An Officer and a Gentleman'. Other Triumph riders in movies are Marlon Brando (The Wild One - a 1950 Thunderbird 6T), Steve McQueen (The Great Escape - a 650cc Triumph Trophy TR6), 'The Fonz' (Happy Days - various Triumphs and other bikes), and Ann Margret (The Swinger - Tiger T100).
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