NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Triumph Motorcycles

Triumph Motorcycles is an English motorcycle manufacturer, originally based in Coventry. A new company in Hinckley took over the name rights after the collapse of the company in the 1980s. Image File history File links Triumphactual. ... Hinckley is a town in south-west Leicestershire, England. ... Leicestershire (IPA: , abbreviated Leics) is a landlocked county in central England. ... A motorcycle or motorbike is any two-wheeled vehicle powered by an engine. ... A motorcycle or motorbike is any two-wheeled vehicle powered by an engine. ... garment redirects here. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Revenue is a U.S. business term for the amount of money that a company earns from its activities in a given period, mostly from sales of products and/or services to customers. ... Image File history File links Green_Arrow_Up. ... ISO 4217 Code GBP User(s) United Kingdom Inflation 2. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... 2006 (MMVI), a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up Slogan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A website (or Web site) is a collection of web pages, typically common to a particular domain name or subdomain on the World Wide Web on the Internet. ... 1963 Bonneville from Bert Knoester The Triumph Bonneville refers to two different motorcycles. ... The Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) was a British manufacturer of vehicles, firearms, and military equipment, and still exists as an airgun sport manufacturer and distributor. ... Manganese Bronze Holdings PLC is an engineering company based in Coventry, England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification - by Athelstan AD 927 Area - Total 130,395 kmÂ² (1st in UK) 50,346 sq mi Population - 2005 est. ... A motorcycle or motorbike is any two-wheeled vehicle powered by an engine. ... Hinckley is a town in south-west Leicestershire, England. ...

History

The company began in 1883 when Siegfried Bettmann emigrated to Coventry in England from Nuremberg, part of the German Empire. In 1884 aged 20, Bettmann founded his own company, the S. Bettmann & Co. Import Export Agency, in London. Bettmann's original products were bicycles, which the company bought and then sold under its own brand name. Bettmann also distributed sewing machines imported from Germany. 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Precinct in Coventry city centre. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification - by Athelstan AD 927 Area - Total 130,395 kmÂ² (1st in UK) 50,346 sq mi Population - 2005 est. ... Nuremberg (German: NÃ¼rnberg) is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. ... Motto: Gott mit Uns (German: God with usâ€) Anthem: Heil dir im Siegerkranz (unofficial) Territory of the German Empire in 1914, prior to World War I Capital Berlin Language(s) Official: German Unofficial minority languages: Polish (Posen, Lower Silesia,Upper Silesia, Masuria) French (Alsace-Lorraine) Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor - 1871... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

In 1886, Bettmann sought a more universal name, and the company became known as the Triumph Cycle Company. A year later, the company registered as the New Triumph Co. Ltd., now with financial backing from the Dunlop Tyre Co. In that year, Bettmann was joined by another Nuremberg native, Mauritz Schulte. 865cc Triumph Thruxton 900 motorbike, named after a racing circuit in Hampshire, England. ... 865cc Triumph Thruxton 900 motorbike, named after a racing circuit in Hampshire, England. ... 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... People whose family name is or was Dunlop include James Dunlop (1793-1848), Scottish-Australian astronomer John Boyd Dunlop, Scottish inventor and founder of the Dunlop rubber company John Thomas Dunlop, United States administrator Sir Edward Weary Dunlop, Australian war hero Douglas Morton Dunlop, Scottish-American professor of history and...

Schulte encouraged Bettmann to transform Triumph into a manufacturing company, and in 1888 Bettmann purchased a site in Coventry using money lent by his and Schulte's families. The company began producing the first Triumph-branded bicycles in 1889. In 1896, Triumph opened a subsidiary, Orial TWN (Triumph Werke Nuremberg) a German subsidiary for cycle production in his native city. 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1898, Triumph decided to extend its own production to include motorcycles and by 1902, the company had produced its first motorcycle - a bicycle fitted with a Belgian-built engine. In 1903, as its motorcycle sales topped 500, Triumph opened motorcycle production at its unit in Germany. During its first few years producing motorcycles, the company based its designs on those of other manufacturers. In 1904, Triumph began building motorcycles based on its own designs and in 1905 produced its first completely in-house designed motorcycle. By the end of that year, the company had produced more than 250 of that design. 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Year 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1907, after the company opened a larger plant, production reached 1,000 bikes. Triumph had also launched a second, lower-end brand, Gloria, produced in the company's original plant.

World War I

The outbreak of World War I proved a boost for the company as production was switched to support the Allied war effort. More than 30,000 motorcycles - among them the Model H Roadster aka the "Trusty Triumph," often cited as the first modern motorcycle - were supplied to the Allies. Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Franz...

Bettmann and Schulte fell out after the war, with Schulte wishing to replace bicycle production with automobiles. Schulte left the company, but in the 1920's Triumph purchased the former Hillman car factory in Coventry and produced a saloon car in 1923 under the name of the Triumph Motor Company. Harry Ricardo produced an engine for their latest motorbike. Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... 1961 Hillman Minx Hillman is also a suburb of Perth, Western Australia Hillman was a marque of automobile built in Coventry, England from 1907 to 1976. ... The Precinct in Coventry city centre. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Triumph Logo (1978 version) 1934 Triumph Gloria Six 1937 Triumph Dolomite Roadster 1974 Triumph GT6 CoupÃ© The Triumph Motor Company had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann (1863-1951) and Moritz (Maurice) Schulte founded Bettmann & Co and started selling Triumph bicycles, from premises in London and from 1889 started... ira ira irsa ir air ira ira irs ira ira ira ira ira irea ira ira ira ira ira ira ira ira irs rias irsa k5tan ir4aq ira ira iora ira rika ira 9ria ira iras oira ir ri aria ria ria ira ira ira eia iea ieaiea iramieaneianieaie aieanimsnkwjijair...

By the mid-1920s Triumph had grown into one of Britain's leading motorcycle makers, with a 500,000 square feet plant capable of producing up to 30,000 motorcycles each year. Triumph also found its bikes in high demand overseas, and export sales became a primary source of the company's revenues, although for the United States, Triumph models were manufactured under license. The company found its first automotive success with the debut of the Super Seven car in 1928. Shortly after, the Super Eight (which the hotel chain was named after) was born.

1930's

When the Great Depression hit in 1929, Triumph spun off its German subsidiary as a separate, independently owned company, which became part of the Triumph-Adler Company. The Nuremberg firm continued to manufacture motorcycles under the Triumph brand until 1957. In 1932, Triumph sold off another part of the company, its bicycle manufacturing facility to Raleigh. By then, Triumph had been struggling financially, and Bettmann had been forced out of the chairman's spot. He retired completely in 1933 The Great Depression was an economic downturn which started in 1929 and lasted through most of the 1930s. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Raleigh Bicycle Company is an English bicycle manufacturer originally based in Nottingham in central England. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

In 1936, the company's two components became separate companies. Triumph always struggled to make a profit from cars, and after going bankrupt in 1939 was acquired by the Standard Motor Company. The motorcycle operations fared better, having been acquired in 1936 by John Sangster, who also owned the rival Ariel motorcycle company. That same year, the company began its first exports to the United States, which quickly grew into the company's single most important market. Sangster's formed the Triumph Engineering Co Ltd largely led by ex-Ariel employees, including Edward Turner who designed the 500 cc 5T Speedtwin - released in September 1937, and the basis for all Triumph's until the 1990's. In 1939 the 500 cc T100 Tiger, capable of 100 mph, was released, and then the war began. Download high resolution version (950x679, 146 KB) 955cc Triumph Sprint RS motorcycle at a rally in Bristol, England. ... Download high resolution version (950x679, 146 KB) 955cc Triumph Sprint RS motorcycle at a rally in Bristol, England. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1927 Standard Nine Selby Tourer 1933 Standard Ten. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ariel was a British bicycle, motorcycle and automobile marque manufactured in Birmingham. ... // In 1902 Edward Turner was born in London, on the day King Edward VII was proclaimed King, [1],and died at home in his sleep on August 15, 1973. ...

World War II

Motorcycles were produced at Coventry until World War II. The town of Coventry was virtually destroyed in The Blitz (September 7, 1940 to May, 1941). Tooling and machinery was recovered from the site of the devastation and production restarted at the new plant at Meriden, West Midlands in 1942. One of Triumph's wartime products is of particular interest: portable generators for the RAF, using 500 cc Triumph engines with alloy barrels. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Heinkel He 111 German bomber over the Surrey Docks, Southwark, London (German propaganda photomontage) The Blitz was the sustained bombing of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 16 May 1941. ... September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Meriden is a village in the metropolitan borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, midway between Birmingham and Coventry, approximately 5 miles away from Birmingham International Airport. ...

Post war

The Speed Twin designed by Edward Turner before the war was produced in large numbers after the war. Efforts to settle the lend-lease debts caused nearly 70% of Triumphs post war production to be shipped to the United States. The Lend-Lease program was a program of the United States during World War II that allowed the United States to provide the Allied Powers with war material without becoming directly involved in the war. ...

Post War, the Speed Twin and Tiger 100 were available with a sprung rear hub, Triumph's first attempt at a rear suspension.

Privateers put wartime surplus alloy barrels on their Tiger 100 racers, and won races, inspiring the Triumph GP model. By 1950 the supply of barrels was exhausted, and the GP model was dropped. The American market applied considerable pressure to reverse this backward step, and a die cast close finned alloy barrel was made available. The alloy head made the valve noise more obvious, so ramp type cams were intoduced for alloy head models to reduce the noise.

Another motorcycle based on the wartime generator engine was the 499cc TR5 Trophy Twin, also introduced at the 1948 Motor Cycle Show. It used a single carburettor, low compression version of the Grand Prix engine. Britain won the prestigious 1948 International Six Days Trial. The Triumph works team had finished unpenalised. One team member, Allan Jefferies, had been riding what amounted to a prototype version. ^[1]

To satisfy the American appetite for motorcycles suited to long distance riding, Turner built a 650 cc version of the Speed Twin design. The new bike was named the Thunderbird (A name Triumph would later license to the Ford Motor Company for use on a car). Only one year after the Thunderbird was introduced a hot rodder in Southern California mated the 650 Thunderbird with a twin carb head originally intended for GP racing and named the new creation the Wonderbird. That 650 cc motor, designed in 1939, held the world's absolute speed record for motorcycles from 1955 until 1970. This article is in need of improvement. ... Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and the worlds third largest automaker based on vehicle sales in 2005. ... T-Bucket hot rod Hot rods are older, often historical, cars. ... Downtown Los Angeles Skyline Southern California, also colloquially referred to as SoCal, is an informal name for the megalopolis and nearby desert that occupies the southern-most quarter of the U.S. state of California. ...

The Triumph brand received considerable publicity in the United States when Marlon Brando rode a 1950 Thunderbird 6T in the 1953 motion picture, The Wild One. Brando redirects here. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... What are you rebelling against? What have you got? The Wild One (1953) was the very first outlaw biker film, also made memorable by the youthful Marlon Brando playing gang leader Johnny Stabler. ...

The Triumph Motorcycle concern was sold to their rivals BSA by Sangster in 1951. This sale included Sangster becoming a member of the BSA board. Sangster was to rise to the position of Chairman of the BSA Group in 1956. The Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) was a British manufacturer of vehicles, firearms, and military equipment, and still exists as an airgun sport manufacturer and distributor. ...

The production 650 cc Thunderbird was a low compression tourer, and the 500 cc Tiger 100 was the performance bike. That changed in 1954, with the change to swing arm frames, and the release of the alloy head 650 cc Tiger 110, eclipsing the 500 cc Tiger 100 as the performance model.

In 1959, the T120, a tuned double carburettor version of the T110, came to be called the Bonneville. As Triumph and other marques gained market share, Harley became aware that their 1 litre-plus bikes were not as sporty as the modern rider would like, resulting in a shrinking share of the market. The Triumphs were models for a new, "small" Harley Davidson as a result: the now-fabled Sportster, which started out as Harley's version of a Triumph Bonneville. With its anachronistic V-twin, the Sportster was no match for the Bonneville, but it proved a solid competitor in US sales and eventually also in longevity. 1963 Bonneville from Bert Knoester The Triumph Bonneville refers to two different motorcycles. ...

In the 1960s, despite internal opposition from those who felt that it would dilute the macho image of the brand, Triumph produced two scooters; the Triumph Tina, a small and low performance 2 stroke scooter of around 100 cc with automatic clutch and a handlebar carry basket, and the Triumph Tigress, a more powerful scooter available with either a 175cc 2 stroke single or a 250cc 4 stroke twin engine for the enthusiast. The Triumph Tina was a small and low performance 2 stroke scooter of around 100 cc with automatic clutch, and a handlebar carry basket for bringing the groceries back from a shopping trip. ... The BSA Sunbeam badge The Triumph Tigress, also sold as the BSA Sunbeam, was a scooter designed to have good performance and handling for the motorcycle enthusiast, In the 1960s, despite internal opposition from those who felt that scooters would dilute the macho image of the brand, Triumph produced two...

In 1962, the last year of the "pre-unit" models, Triumph used a frame with twin front downtubes , but returned to a traditional Triumph single front downtube for the unit construction models that followed.

From 1963 all Triumph engines were of unit construction. Triumph Bonneville T120 engine Unit construction is a term used to describe motorcycle or motor car engine design where both the engine and gearbox are an integrated unit within the same casing. ...

In 1969 Malcolm Uphill, riding a Bonneville, won the Isle of Man Production TT with a race average of 99.99 mph (160.9 km/h) per lap, and recorded the first ever over 100 mph (160 km/h) lap by a production motorcycle 100.37 mph (161.52 km/h). For many Triumph fans, the 1969 Bonnevile was the best Triumph ever.

American sales had already peaked, in 1967. In truth, the demand for motorcycles was rising, but Triumph could not keep up.

In the 1960s, 60% of all Triumph production was exported, which, along with the BSA's 80% exports, made the group susceptible to the Japanese expansion. By 1969 fully 50% of the US market for bikes over 500 cc belonged to Triumph, but technological advances at Triumph had failed to keep pace with the rest of the world. Triumphs lacked electric start mechanisms, relied on pushrods rather than overhead cams, vibrated noticeably, often leaked oil, and had antiquated electrical systems; while Japanese marques such as Honda were building more advanced features into attractive new bikes that sold for less than their British competitors. Triumph motorcycles as a result were nearly obsolete even when they were new; further, Triumph's manufacturing processes were highly labour-intensive and largely inefficient. Also disastrous, in the early 1970's the US government arbitrarily mandated that all motorcycle imports must have their shift and brake pedals in the Japanese configuration, which required expensive retooling of all the bikes for US sale.

The British marques were poorly equipped to compete against the massive financial resources of Japanese heavy industries that targeted competitors for elimination via long-term plans heavily subsidized by the Japanese government. Triumph and BSA were aware of Honda's ability to make quality motorcycles but while the Japanese were only making smaller engined models, the large engine market was considered safe. When the first Honda 750 cc four cylinder was released for sale to the public, Triumph and BSA were facing trouble. A 3 cylinder engined motorcycle was developed to compete against the Japanese fours: the BSA Rocket 3/Triumph Trident. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The BSA Rocket 3 and Triumph Trident were the first true modern superbike, and the last major motorcycle developed by the original Triumph Motorcycles company. ...

The 1970 Tiger/Bonneville re-design and taller twin front downtube oil tank frame met a mixed reception from Triumph enthusiasts at the time, and was insufficient to win back those already riding the Japanese bikes that had hit the markets in 1969; the Honda 750 Four, and the Kawasaki 500 Mach 3. The Triumph 350 cc Bandit received pre-publicity, before being quietly shelved. Triumph was still making motorcycles, but they no longer looked like the bikes Triumph fans expected. The Trident attracted its own market, but the Japanese bikes were improving more rapidly.

Harley Davidson had responded to Triumph's earlier marketing success by producing sportier models that retained the engine design traditional Harley owners identified with, and had managed to survive. Triumph did not manage to do as well with its redesign. Problems were compounded in 1970 by difficulties with parts supply and the labour force.

The parent BSA group made losses of 8.5 million pounds in 1971, 3 million for BSA motorcycles alone. The British government became involved. The company was sold to Manganese Bronze Holdings, which also owned Norton, AJS, Matchless, Francis-Barnett, James-Velocette and Villiers. A new company called Norton Villiers Triumph (NVT), managed by Dennis Poore, emerged.

NVT collapse

When the BSA group collapsed under its debts, government help led to a merger with the Manganese Bronze subsidiary Norton-Villiers. The three remaining brands to be produced by the company were combined to create the new group name of Norton-Villiers-Triumph (NVT). However, this restructuring would result in a number of closures and redundancies. Without warning, in September 1973 NVT Group chairman Denis Poore announced the closure of Meriden works effective February, 1974. Of 4,500 employees, 3,000 were made redundant. Faced with unemployment and having their products handed over to a rival firm, the workers at the Meriden factory demonstrated against a move to Small Heath, Birmingham, the BSA site and staged a sit in for two years. Image File history File links Bike-2. ... Image File history File links Bike-2. ... Manganese Bronze Holdings PLC is an engineering company based in Coventry, England. ... In 1973, the British governments attempt to rescue the motorcycle industry forced a merger of the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) (including their subsidiary Triumph ) and Norton-Villiers in return for funds to remain in business. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Meriden is a village in the metropolitan borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, midway between Birmingham and Coventry, approximately 5 miles away from Birmingham International Airport. ... Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency shown within Birmingham Small Heath is an area within the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. ...

Cooperative

As scheduled, Trident production moved to the BSA factory in Small Heath in 1974, but as BSA used non-craft labour in manufacturing, quality fell dramatically. In October 1974 the Labour Government announced the formation of the Meriden Cooperative under Tony Benn, with a loan of £5million pounds - on the condition that NVT retained ownership of the name, and continued the sales and marketing of the machines. The cooperative resumed production in March 1975, but dropped production of the lightweight T120, to concentrate on the 750 cc twin machines, the Bonneville and the Tiger, primarily for the USA market. The cooperative needed additional cash, and agreed a deal with Lord Weinstock's GEC company to sell 2,000 Bonnevilles for £1,000,000 together with consultation on setting up a sales force. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Tony Benn about to join March 2005 anti-war demo in London Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (born April 3, 1925), known as Tony Benn, formerly 2nd Viscount Stansgate, is a British politician on the left of the Labour Party. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The General Electric Company plc (GEC) is a British company that was renamed Marconi plc on November 30, 1999 after its defence unit Marconi Electronic Systems was divested and sold to British Aerospace. ...

Meanwhile, NVT stopped production of the Trident in 1975, and also killed off the development of the 1000 cc Quadrant due to cash flow difficulties. A number of key engineers left the company, including Henry Vale, Jack Wickes, Les Williams, Ivor Davies, Arthur Jakeman and Norman Hyde 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

In 1977, after fighting over who had rights to sell Triumph motorcycles for many years, NVT went bankrupt and the rights were sold to the Meriden Cooperative. The limited edition Silver Jubilee T140V was made to commemorate Queen Elizabeth's 25 years on the throne, a T140 Bonnie with hand-striped wheel rim and special sidecover badges. Nominally 1,000 were scheduled for the UK, 1,000 for the US, and about 400 more made for export later. The model sold well, and production increased slowly to 350 machines a week, 60% going to the USA. After this it was all downhill, with no investment in new machines, merely makeovers of the 750 cc twin. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

However, the Bonneville T140D won the "Machine of the Year" award in Motor Cycle News - a questionable honour this late in the bike's life, owing more to the bike's reputation than its competency against the (mostly Japanese) competition. The T140D had Lester cast alloy wheels, a new cylinder head with parallel intake tracts, Amal MKII carbs, Lucas Rita electronic ignition system, and a lower 7.9:1 compression to reduce vibration. MCN or Motorcycle News is a weekly motorcycling newspaper published by EMAP, and based in Peterborough, UK. The title was founded by Cyril Quantrill and bought by EMAP in 1956. ...

In 1980, debt reached £2 million pounds - additionally above the earlier £5 million loan. In October, the British government wrote off £8.4 million pounds owed by Triumph, but still left the company owing £2 million to Britain's Export Credit Guarantee Dept. Triumph experimented with several designs in its last years, none able to stop the decline. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

In 1981 the T140D Bonneville Royal Wedding to celebrate marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana reached the sales rooms, with 250 each for the UK and America. It had electric start, chrome fuel tank and wheels, and a certificate - and after the original SpeedTwin, the launch Bonneville of 1959 and late 1960's derivatives, is one of the most prized models for a collector. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Prince Charles may refer to: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, current heir-apparent to the British throne Any of the previous British royals named Charles, Prince of Wales The former Belgian regent, Prince Charles of Belgium This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that... Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances Mountbatten-Windsor, née Spencer) (1 July 1961–31 August 1997), commonly, but incorrectly, known as Princess Diana, was for fifteen years the wife of HRH The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1982 was the last year of "full" production, with the 8-valve TSS model launched - although a porous cylinder head made by external contractors was its death knell. The company with no money briefly looked at buying the bankrupt Hesketh Motorcycles, and even badged one as a marketing trial - but went bankrupt itself in late 1983 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Hesketh V1000 model Hesketh Motorcycles was an English motorcycle manufacturer, based in Daventry and Easton Neston. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Rebirth

John Bloor

In 1983 the company folded completely and was liquidated. John Bloor, a 53-year-old plasterer turned wealthy English property developer and builder, who had little interest in motorcycles, had for some time wanted to start up a manufacturing business. Touring the Meriden plant, which was scheduled for demolition in 1984, Bloor became interested in Triumph, and particularly its still highly regarded brand name. Bloor bought the name and manufacturing rights - Enfield India lost, bidding £55,000 pounds to the Official Receiver. 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 1984. ...

A new company "Triumph Motorcycles Ltd" (initially Bonneville Coventry Ltd), was formed.

The Harris Triumphs

Because the company's manufacturing plant and its designs were not able to compete against the now-dominant Japanese makers, Bloor decided against relaunching Triumph immediately. Initially, production of the old Bonneville was continued under licence by Les Harris of Racing Spares, in Newton Abbott, Devon, to bridge the gap between the end of the old company, and the birth of the new company. For five years from 1983, about 14 were built a week in peak production - excluding the USA, where due to problems with liability insurance, the Harris Bonnevilles were never imported Newton Abbot is a market town in Devon , England on the River Teign, with a population of 23,580 (2001 census). ... Devon is a large county in South West England, bordered by Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Hinckley Triumphs

Bloor set to work assembling the new Triumph, hiring several of the group's former designers to begin work on new models. Bloor took his team to Japan on a tour of its competitors' facilities and became determined to adopt Japanese manufacturing techniques and especially new-generation computer controlled machinery. In 1985, Triumph purchased a first set of equipment to begin working, in secret, on its new prototype models. By 1987, the company had completed its first engine. 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1988 Bloor funded the building of a new factory in Hinckley, Leicestershire. Bloor put between £70million and £100million into the company between purchase of the brand and break even in 2000. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hinckley is a town in south-west Leicestershire, England. ... Leicestershire (IPA: , abbreviated Leics) is a landlocked county in central England. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

A range of machines using famous model names from the past arrived in 1988. Brand new 750 cc and 900 cc triples and 1000 cc and 1200 cc fours all using a modular design (to keep production costs low) were built and proved successful. As sales built, big fours were phased out of the lineup - Triumph's heritage is tied to parallel twins and triples, and these are the marketing and development focus of Triumph's marketing strategy today. Triumph is now carving out a niche in the motorcycle market based on nostalgic looking engine technologies and design - its core customers are the "40something" males returning to their youth. The 790 and 865 cc iterations of the Bonneville and Thruxton look like slightly revised versions of their 1960s counterparts - so although looking and sounding original, internally they include modern valves and counter balance shafts. Less overt is the use of the inline triple — an engine layout other manufacturers have mostly abandoned, save Benelli's Tornado. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In February 2002, as the company was preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary as a motorcycle maker, its main factory was hit by fire, destroying most of its manufacturing capacity. Nevertheless, the company, which by then numbered more than 300 employees, quickly rebuilt the facility and returned to production by September of that year. Furthermore, in 2003, Triumph opened a new, cutting-edge manufacturing facility in Thailand. Also, assembly and painting facility in Thailand was opened this year (2006) by Prince Andrew. Triumph is building another facility in Thailand supposedly to be engine manufacturing site. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Model range

Triumph is building several models based on the Bonneville engine. The base Bonneville comes with 865 cc parallel twin.

Urban Sport: Daytona 675, Speed Triple, Sprint ST, Tiger 2007 Introduced in 2006, the Daytona 675 is a middleweight sport bike built by Triumph to replace the Daytona 650. ...

Triumph motorcycle models

A list of motorcycles produced under the Triumph brand: // Models TT & Roadster Model H Models P,R,N,Q XO 1933 2/1, 2/5, 3/1, 3/2, 3/5, 5/1-5/5 1934. ...

Company timeline

Contents

History

World War I

1930's

World War II

Post war

NVT collapse

Cooperative

Rebirth

John Bloor

The Harris Triumphs

The Hinckley Triumphs

Model range

Triumph motorcycle models

Company timeline

See also

References

External links

Contents

History GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

World War I

1930's

World War II

Post war

NVT collapse

Cooperative

Rebirth

John Bloor

The Harris Triumphs

The Hinckley Triumphs

Model range

Triumph motorcycle models

Company timeline

See also

References

External links

History