Is there a name more evocative of motorcycling than Triumph? The company was founded in the late 1800s by a German immigrant who initially went into the bicycle business and who, by 1902, produced its first motorcycle. Triumph survived both world wars to enjoy its most significant period from the late 40s to its eventual demise in the 70s. Many of the models are the very epitome of the British motorcycle.
It was Triumph that first introduced the parallel-twin engine in a form that was acceptable to the public and which every other motorcycle manufacturer would copy in an attempt to keep up once the second world war was over and production could return to civilian motorcycles. Once held up as an example of everything that was wrong with the British motorcycle industry that eventually led to its demise, Triumph is once again at the forefront of motorcycling in the 21st century, having been resurrected in the early 90s.
Updated April 2023: The history of the Triumph line of motorcycles has been so long that it is hard to pick just a few that deserve to be in the limelight. So, for that reason, instead of going off on a different topic, the staff has decided to refresh this list and add a few more models for you to discover. All these models may be familiar to die-hard bike lovers, but refreshing the memory is never a bad idea.
15 Triumph Model R Riccardo - 1921
In its early days, Triumph was relatively cautious when adopting new technology, preferring to stick to tried and tested methods for reliability. All that changed in 1921, when Triumph approached engine specialist Harry Riccardo to design a new overhead-valve engine with no fewer than four valves for the single cylinder and producing an impressive-for-the-time 20 horsepower. The problem was that metallurgy hadn't entirely kept pace with engine development, and the four-valve heads were initially unreliable. The Model R continued in production until 1927, and today, they command high prices whenever they come up for sale.
14 Triumph Speed Twin - 1938
Revolutionary when it first appeared in 1938, the Triumph Speed Twin was fitted with Edward Turner's neat parallel twin engine. It was barely any larger physically than the twin-port singles it effectively rendered immediately out-of-date. The benefits were smooth running and good power throughout the rev range, with much better acceleration than an equivalent single. More importantly, the Triumph Twin engine, arriving as it did on the eve of the Second World War, gave Triumph a considerable lead when civilian motorcycle production was re-commenced in 1946.
13 Triumph Tiger Cub - 1954
Developed from the 149cc Terrier of 1953, the 1954 Triumph Tiger Cub had a displacement of 199cc, but, more importantly, the Cub looked exactly like a miniature twin-cylinder Triumph. One of Edward Turner's excellent skills was as a stylist, and Triumphs were arguably the best-looking machines of the 30s, when he joined Triumph, through to the end of the 60s. The Cub was not just an excellent road bike but also proved highly effective in racing, both on-road and off-road, with trial versions performing exceptionally well with their lightweight and good power-to-weight ratio.
12 Triumph TR6 Trophy - 1956
The 1956 Triumph TR6 Trophy bike was a multipurpose bike designed for use on and off the beaten path. In today's terminology, it was an adventurer, or an enduro, capable of traveling on the pavement or the dirt. In fact, the all-new alloy heads dubbed the "Delta Head" were so powerful and reliable that many bikes were converted to run in off-road and desert races. They were so popular that police forces in the UK used them for several years as their go-to police motorcycles.
11 Triumph Bonneville - 1959
The Triumph Bonneville is a legend! In 1956, Texan Johnny Allen piloted a streamlined 'motorcycle' to a speed of 214mph at the Bonneville salt flats in Utah. Even though the F.I.M. did not ratify the record, Triumph gained massive publicity from the attempt. When a new performance model was on the drawing board, only one name could be used: Bonneville. The T120 designation came from the claimed top speed. Speed was the new big-ticket sales tool. The Bonneville became the sports bike of the 1960s and is today regarded as an icon of motorcycling.
10 Triumph Trident - 1968
The Triumph Trident is the 'nearly' motorcycle. The Trident was still an impressive motorcycle, with an ultra-smooth and powerful (compared to the parallel-twin design) engine. However, the squared-off Ogle styling left a lot to be desired. Later models would revert to more traditional Triumph styling. The Trident T150 had drum brakes and a kick-start, however, later models gained a single front brake disc and an electric start. But the writing was on the wall for the British motorcycle industry, and the Trident was to be the last new mass-produced British motorcycle for over two decades.
9 Triumph Daytona - 1992
The first - and possibly most crucial - thing that new Triumph owner John Bloor realized when production of ‘new’ Triumphs commenced in the early 90s, was that a link back to the illustrious history of Triumph was essential and the easiest way of doing this was by resurrecting model names for the new bikes. Thus, the new models bore the names Trident, Trophy, and Daytona. All of a sudden, here were British motorcycles that could fight on equal terms with anything the Japanese, Italians, and Germans could produce: a thoroughly modern motorcycle.
The Trident was a naked roadster, the Trophy a sports tourer but the flagship of the range were the Daytona Supersport models, with either 900 three-cylinder or 1200 four-cylinder engines. They were fully faired in the manner of Japanese superbikes, but had their own distinctive style and were somehow, utterly British. They were also excellent motorcycles, impressing contemporary testers and customers alike with their engines and chassis behavior.
8 Triumph Tiger 900 - 1993
Triumph might have resurrected itself from the ashes in the early 1990s, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t aware of what was happening in the wider motorcycling world. In the early 1990s, the adventure bike craze hadn’t yet reached the level it would in the 2000s and beyond, but the market for large displacement ‘trail’ bikes was in full swing and Triumph brought out the Tiger 900 to play in that market. The Tiger 900 was another modular creation, using the engine from the Trident in a tall frame to give a modicum of off-road ability, although, in reality, the Tiger 900 was more of a touring bike, capable of covering large distances in comfort.
Always more popular on the European continent where the market for Paris-Dakar-style bikes was huge. Speed is also much appreciated by the Europeans and the Tiger 900 was the fastest of the breed, with its 85 horsepower triple-cylinder engine that was smooth and had bags of character. Eventually, of course, the Tiger 900 and Tiger 1200 range would develop into pukka adventure bikes as customers demanded more and more off-road ability to go with the long-distance touring role.
7 Triumph Speed Triple - 1994
Before too long, Triumph realized that to try and compete with the Japanese and Italians in the faired super sports field was a hiding to nothing and would soak up more capital than they would ever generate in sales. Thus, Triumph concentrated on another big market in Europe: the naked sport bike, or Streetfighter, market. The Speed Triple first appeared in 1994, the name an obvious play on ‘Speed Twin.’ Original Speed Triples were powered by a 885cc, three-cylinder engine producing 98 horsepower and contained in a steel backbone frame and fitted with clip-on handlebars.
In 1997, the Speed Triple received a complete engineering make-over, with an all-new triple-cylinder engine housed in a new tubular perimeter frame with a single-sided swing-arm and featuring distinctive twin ‘bug-eye’ headlights. From that point on, the Speed Triple was steadily developed, with ever larger engines culminating in the 1200cc models for 2021-onwards.
6 Triumph Bonneville - 2001
In 2001, Triumph all but invented the 'modern classic' craze when it launched its retro-styled Bonneville model. The 'new' Bonneville looked exactly like the 1960s T120 and certainly wasn't an attempt to modernize the looks, although the engineering was fully modern. The parallel-twin engine was there but now with balancer shafts to iron out the vibrations. The Bonneville was a huge success and gave rise to a whole new range of motorcycles - roadster, Scrambler, cruiser, bobber, and - each as successful as the original.
5 Triumph Rocket III - 2004
To power the Rocket lll, Triumph designed a frankly ridiculous longitudinally-mounted, 2,294cc, three-cylinder engine producing 148 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. The first generation Rocket IIIs were conservatively styled, perhaps trying too hard to appeal to the American cruiser market. Triumph later re-designated the Rocket as a 'muscle bike,' competing with the Yamaha V-Max and the Ducati Diavel. In 2022, the Rocket 3 (note the name change) has ditched much of the cruiser pretension early models possessed and has pitched itself as a performance muscle bike that is still perfect for long-distance touring.
4 Triumph Thruxton 1200 - 2016
The Triumph Thruxton 1200 is one of those bikes that you dream about. The 2-cylinder four-stroke engine vibrates under you as the throttle opens up, and the 96 hp takes full advantage of on the open road. A vivid imagination could even put you sitting on top of a classic British racing bike because of the similarities but have no fear because the Thruxton has been updated with the most modern engine and drivetrain upgrades available. To top it all off, the 1200 received its fair share of suspension upgrades to improve comfort and handling, making the Thruxton an entirely modern beast.
3 Triumph Street Scrambler Sandstorm - 2022
Triumph has been methodically working through its bike lineup to meet the Euro 5 updates, with the Scrambler models getting their turn in 2022. Thankfully, most of the changes made to the lineup were inside the engine and did not affect the bike's performance. The Street Scrambler still holds the 900cc engine that can produce up to a claimed 64 horsepower. The Sandstorm edition is a throwback look to commemorate the bikes used to race in the desert in the '60s but with modern technology used to design and assemble them.
2 Triumph Tiger 1200 - 2023
The Triumph Tiger is a motorcycle built for the modern era, it is full of rider aids, such as cruise control, anti-lock brakes, and traction control. Some of the more innovative goodies are yet to come, but what is important is the 1215cc engine that produces up to 135 horsepower at 9,000 RPM. This is plenty of power to get the bike down the road or across the hillside along the dirt track. The other options that can be opted for make this bike an exploration bike ready for all terrain at any comfort level imaginable.
1 Triumph Scrambler 900 - 2023
The Triumph Scrambler 900 is not what you may think, considering the name that it has been given. The sturdy tubular steel frame helps cushion the blows from the road. The 865cc engine can pump out up to 64 bhp, pushing the bike up to its top speed of 125 miles per hour. The Scrambler is a great all-around bike that can be used for everyday riding or for those long cross-country trips you take once a year.