Classic British Motorcycles
Lets take a short look at the history of the Classic British Motorcycle to get a better handle on just why we love these motorycles and why we specialized in repair, rebuilding and restoring of them.
Triumph Motorcycles
According to the official Triumph Motorycle website, Triumph Motorcycles Ltd is the largest British motorcycle manufacturer, established in 1983 by John Bloor after the original company Triumph Engineering went into receivership. The new company (initially Bonneville Coventry Ltd) continued Triumph’s record of motorcycle production since 1902. During the 12 months preceding June 2017, Triumph sold 63,400 motorcycles.
From the Triumph Heritage section of the Triumph website (https://www.triumphmotorcycles.com/triumph-world/triumph-history) [All contents copyright 2018 Triumph Motorcycles Limited]:
Triumph Heritage
Through the Fifties and Sixties, names such as Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando cemented the Triumph legend, while numerous land speed records and race track successes gave bikes like the Thunderbird, Bonneville, Tiger and Trident iconic status.
1902 – The first Triumph motorcycle is produced, powered by a 2.2hp Minerva engine and subsequently known as No. 1.
1907 – A new 450cc motor making 3.5 hp is produced. As annual production reaches 1,000 units, the factory moves main production to a larger site on Priory Street in Coventry.
1915 – Triumph is chosen to supply the Type H ‘Trusty’ motorcycle for Allied military service. Of 57,000 manufactured, 30,000 of the 499cc air cooled single cylinder bikes see active service.
1927 – The Coventry factory, now standing at 500,000 sq ft and employing 3000 people, produces 30,000 units per annum.
1936 – Triumph’s car and motorcycle businesses are split. Edward Turner is appointed as chief designer.
1937 – Turner unveils the 498cc Speed Twin (T100) that has a top speed of over 90 mph. It is the definitive British motorcycle and establishes a pattern for Triumph bikes that will last more than 40 years.
1940 – Over 50,000 motorcycles are sold to the military as motorcycle production is geared towards the war effort. The Priory Street factory is demolished on November 14, 1940 in the blitz of Coventry. Temporary premises in Warwick are used until a new plant opens in Meriden in 1942.
1946 – With the return of peace, the company focuses on three models, the Tiger 100 (piloted to a maiden win at the 1946 Manx Grand Prix by Eric Lyons), the Speed Twin and the smaller touring 349cc 3T. All models feature a telescopic front fork.
1954 – Marlon Brando rides a 650cc Thunderbird 6T in ‘The Wild One’.
1955 – Johnny Allen hits 193 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats, riding a streamliner powered by a tuned 650cc Thunderbird motor. It’s the start of a remarkable era of performance dominance, when Triumph held the absolute motorcycle land speed record for 15 consecutive years, except for one brief 33-day period.
1959 – The iconic T120 Bonneville 650 is introduced. Named in honour of the location of the setting of countless World speed records, the Bonneville is destined to become one of the greatest motorcycles, and the highest selling British twin of all time.
1963 – A TR6 650 Trophy is ridden, jumped and crashed by Bud Ekins, and more famously Steve McQueen, in ‘The Great Escape’.
1966 – Buddy Elmore wins the Daytona 200 on a factory-prepped 500cc Tiger. The Gyronaut X-1, a streamliner powered by two Triumph 650cc motors, records 245.6 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
1967 – Gary Nixon proves that last year’s Daytona 200 win was no fluke by repeating the feat aboard a Tiger 100. Further racing success is enjoyed in the Production TT by John Hartle on a production TT. 28,700 Triumphs are sold in the USA.
1968 – The 750cc Triple finally makes an appearance, powering both the Trident and the BSA Rocket 3. Evel Knieval attempts to jump the fountain at Caesar’s Palace casino in Las Vegas on a Bonneville.
1969 – Malcolm Uphill wins the Production TT on a Bonneville. In the process he puts in the first-ever lap over 100 mph on a production motorcycle. Motorcycle production at Meriden peaks at approximately 46,800 units.
1970 – Malcolm Uphill again wins the production TT on a Triple destined for further fame and subsequently referred to as Slippery Sam.
1975 – Bonneville production continues after the workers form a co-op to keep the Meriden factory going. Slippery Sam wins the ten lap Production TT for the fifth year running.
1983 – The Meriden factory closes its doors. John Bloor acquires the Triumph name and Meriden site and licenses a small number of Bonnevilles to continue to be produced by Les Harris in Devon.
1987 – The first ‘new‘ Triumph motor, a 1200cc four cylinder, runs on a test bench.
1990 – Triumph returns! Six new models are unveiled at the Cologne Show: The unfaired Trident 750 and 900 Triples, the touring Trophy 900 Triple and 1200 Four and the sports-oriented Daytona 750 Triple and 1000 Four.
1994 – The game-changing Speed Triple is introduced and secures Triumph’s return to motorcycle sport at the inaugural ‘Speed Triple Challenge Race’. Triumph confirms is return to the USA with the introduction of a new subsidiary, Triumph Motorcycles America being founded. Planning permission is granted for a new factory on a 40 acre site in Hinckley.
1995 – The Triple Connection clothing range and accessory range of products are launched Production stands at around 12,000 units per year. The 30,000th Hinckley Triumph manufactured, a Thunderbird, ships to Australia.
1996 – The Daytona T595 bursts onto the scene. It’s stunning styling contributed to lengthy deposit lists. 12 months later, a T595 became the 50,000th motorcycle to be manufactured at Hinckley.
Norton Motorcycles
According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Norton Motorcycle Company (formerly Norton Motors, Ltd.) is a British motorcycle marque, originally from Birmingham, UK. It was founded in 1898 as a manufacturer of “fittings and parts for the two-wheel trade”.[1] By 1902, the company began manufacturing motorcycles with bought-in engines. In 1908, a Norton-built engine was added to the range. This began a long series of production of single and eventually twin-cylinder motorcycles, and a long history of racing involvement.
Production of the military Model 16 H and Big 4 sidevalve motorcycles was Norton’s contribution to the WWII war effort, almost 100,000 being manufactured.
When major shareholders started to leave Norton in 1953, the company declined and Associated Motor Cycles bought the shares.[2] Although motorcycle sales went through a recession in the 1950s, and Norton Motors Ltd was only a small manufacturer, Norton sales flourished. A series of Norton Dominator Twins of 500 cc, then 600 cc, then 650 cc and then the 750 cc Norton Atlas kept sales buoyant, especially with sales to the USA.
In 1968, the new 750 cc Norton Commando Model appeared, with the engine/gearbox/swingarm unit isolastically insulated from the frame with a series of rubber mountings. This kept the vibrations from the rider, giving a smooth comfortable ride. The Commando was a best seller, and voted #1 Motorcycle of the Year a number of times in Britain. 850 cc models appeared for 1973, giving more torque. For 1975 an electric start arrived in the 850 Mk3.
The largest UK motorcycle manufacturer at the time was BSA-Triumph, comprising Birmingham Small Arms Company in Birmingham, and Triumph Motorcycles in Meriden. BSA-Triumph faced difficulties caused by poor management, outdated union practices, old-fashioned motorcycle designs and antiquated factory conditions. A merger with Norton Motorcycles was proposed; but although Dennis Poore’s Norton Motorcycles was by far the smaller partner, Poore effectively secured a take-over of BSA-Triumph, forming Norton Villiers Triumph (NVT). The Triumph factory Meriden was the least modern; but workers engaged in a “sit-in”, forming a workers’ co-operative. Poore was CEO of Manganese Bronze Holdings, a company apparently more concerned with asset stripping than with motorcycle production. Subsequent political manoeuvrings led to the downfall of NVT, as taxpayer-assisted wranglings over amalgamations and sell-offs all but killed the once extensive UK motorcycle industry.
In late 2008, Stuart Garner, a UK businessman, bought the rights to Norton from some US concerns and relaunched Norton in its Midlands home at Donington Park where it will develop the 961cc Norton Commando,[3] and a new range of Norton motorcycles.
BSA Motorcycles
From ClassicBritishMotorcycles.com (http://www.classic-british-motorcycles.com): an on-line index of British classic motorcycles.
http://www.classic-british-motorcycles.com/bsa-motorcycles.html
BSA MOTORCYCLES RULE THE WORLD!
From the mid-1930’s through the early 1960’s, BSA was the world’s largest producer of motorcycles. But their motorcycle division was just one small corner of the gigantic BSA financial empire at that time. In fact, BSA was one of the largest companies in the world for many years. At the opening of the 1960s, they were successful, well-respected, flushed with cash, and poised for greatness. Instead, they stumbled their way into receivership and obscurity. A true pity.
BSA IS NUMBER ONE
As the 1950s came to a close, BSA Motorcycles was on top of the world. The BSA Gold Star was a mega hit, on the track & in showrooms, and the BSA A7 (500 twin) and A10 (650 twin) non-unit twins were solid sellers with a great reputation. BSA also owned Triumph, Ariel, Sunbeam & New Hudson, and this was just a small part of the BSA empire, which also included cars, buses, steel, heavy construction equipment, agricultural & industrial powerplants, machine tools, weapons, ammunition, military equipment, bicycles & more. They were a bona fide industrial giant, capable of accomplishing almost anything & in far better financial shape than just about anyone else in the motorcycle business. By 1970, the once-mighty BSA was broke & irrelevant as a motorcycle company. Even Triumph, the jewel in BSA’s crown, already on death’s door, was taken over by its workers in their failed attempt at independence. How the mighty fall.
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