1952 Norton Model 7 1952 NORTON MODEL 7 BACKGROUND Following Triumph’s lead, Norton, along with nearly every other British motorcycle...
1947 Triumph Speed Twin 1947 TRIUMPH SPEED TWIN LEADS THE WAY At the end of World War II, civilian production...
1966 Matchless G12 1966 MATCHLESS G12 BACKGROND In the 1950s, Matchless and AJS were the diamonds in AMC’s (Associated Motor Cycles) crown, but by the 1960s, their fortunes had turned for the worst. Matchless had launched the G12 and AJS Model 31 650 twins in 1958, with high hopes for...
1973-74 CB200 Engine Engine Type 198 cc, air cooled, 2 – cylinders parallel, 4-stroke Bore and Stroke 55.5 mm x...
1970 Royal Enfield Interceptor 1970 ROYAL ENFIELD INTERCEPTOR BACKGROUND Royal Enfield hopped up its 692cc Constellation and created a new...
1960 Triumph T100 Tiger “Bathtub” 1960 TRIUMPH T100 TIGER BATHTUB STYLING Bathtub styling was part of a brief flirtation with enclosed bike that infected England from the mid-50s to the mid-60s. After WWII, Brits were in dire need of basic transportation, and most couldn’t afford cars, so they commuted on...
1965 BSA A65 1965 BSA A65 LIGHTNING The Lightning was the high-performance roadster in the 1965 BSA A65 lineup, with...
1968-69 CB160 Sport 160 Engine Engine Type OHC parallel twin cylinders Displacement 161cc Displacement Duel carburetors DRIVETRAIN Transmission 4-speed CHASSIS...
1958 Ariel Cyclone 650 OHV Vertical Twin 1958 ARIEL CYCLONE A VERY RARE BIRD Ariel was early to the vertical twin party started by Triumph with the 1938 500cc Speed Twin. Their first entry was the model KH 500cc parallel twin launched in the first year of civilian production following...
1974 Norton Commando A 1974 NORTON COMMANDO FOR EVERY TASTE The Commando was available in a variety of configurations, all...
1969 CB175K3 Early model Super Sport 175 Engine Engine Type OHC parallel twin cylinders Displacement 174cc DRIVETRAIN Transmission 5-speed CHASSIS...
1970 Rickman-Triumph 1970 Rickman-Triumph Background This 1970 Rickman-Triumph is typical of many of the Rickman desert racers of the era, and represents years of development of an excellent design. After years of racing motocross in the 1950s in England and Europe, brothers Don and Derek Rickman decided to design their...
1977 Honda CB250T Dream Engine Engine Type Air cooled, four stroke, twin cylinder, OHC, 2 valve per cylinder Displacement 249cc...
1970 Triumph TR6 1970 TRIUMPH TR6 BY THE NUMBERS For 1970, the Triumph TR6 was again known as “Tiger”, as...
1951 Norton Model 7 Dominator 1951 NORTON MODEL 7 BACKGROUND Following Triumph’s lead, Norton, along with nearly every other British motorcycle manufacturer, entered the parallel twin race with its own new 500 twin in 1949. Known as the Model 7, its basic layout followed the established norm of a 2-main...
1966 Triumph TR6 1966 TRIUMPH TR6 BY THE NUMBERS For the 1966 model year, the model lineup were TR6, TR6R,...
1964 Triumph Thunderbird 1964 TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD AS A COMMUTER? When the 6T Thunderbird launched in 1950, it was the first...
1973 Norton Commando ABOVE: 1973 Norton Commando 750 Roadster was more or less the “standard” Commando. BACK ON TRACK After the dismal finish of the 1972 model year, thanks to the Combat engine, 1973 was a good year for Norton Motorcycles. The entire model line had benefited from the engine...
Honda CA125 Rebel Engine Engine Type Air cooled, twin cylinder, four stroke Displacement 125cc Max. Power Output 8 kW (11...
1976 Triumph TR7 1976 TRIUMPH TR7 IS A FIRST The 1976 model year was the first full model year under...
1968 Triumph Daytona 500 1968 TRIUMPH DAYTONA – WHAT’S IN A NAME? Triumph derived the name of this bike from Buddy Elmore’s win at the 1966 Daytona 200 at Daytona Beach FL riding a Triumph T100T Tiger 500 twin. It was Triumph’s first-ever Daytona victory, with an average speed of...
1952 Triumph T100 Tiger 1952 TRIUMPH T100 TIGER LEADS THE PACK At the end of World War II, civilian production...
1962 Triumph TR6 1962 TRIUMPH TR6 NOMENCLATURE Of course, this is tFor the 1962 model year the only Triumph TR6...
1969 Honda GL175 Scrambler Engine Engine Type OHC parallel twin cylinders Displacement 174cc Cylinders Vertical DRIVETRAIN N/A CHASSIS / SUSPENSION / BRAKES N/A DIMENSION N/A OTHER It was similar to the CL175K3 Notice the short (one-person) seat and the enclosed chain surround The headlight and speedo were enclosed in one...
1954 Triumph Speed Twin 1954 TRIUMPH SPEED TWIN BACKGROUND In a few short years, the 5T Speed Twin went from...
1956 Triumph Blackbird ABOVE: The 1956 Triumph Blackbird was essentially a 6T Thunderbird painted black. This earned it the name...
1967-69 CL125A Scrambler 125 Engine Engine Type OHC twin cylinder Displacement 124cc Fuel delivery Single CV carburetor DRIVETRAIN Transmission 4-speed CHASSIS / SUSPENSION / BRAKES N/A DIMENSION N/A OTHER Color Candy Blue with Metallic Silver Candy Red with Metallic Silver Bright Yellow with Metallic Silver Black with Metallic Silver The...
1959 Triumph TR6 1959 TRIUMPH TR6 NOMENCLATURE 1959 was the last year that the TR6 did not carry a letter...
1970 Honda Motosport SL175K0 Engine Engine Type OHC parallel twin cylinders Displacement 174cc Exhaust 2-into-1 DRIVETRAIN Transmission 5-speed Clutch manual...
1948 Triumph T100 Tiger 1948 TRIUMPH T100 TIGER BACKGROUND Immediately after the end of World War II, Triumph quickly reverted back to civilian production and hit the ground running. Prior to the war, their two top models were the 500cc 5T Speed Twin and its hotter cousin, the T100 Tiger,...
1946 Triumph Speed Twin 1946 TRIUMPH SPEED TWIN – IN WAR & PEACE World War II had been hard on...
1980 Twinstar CM200T’80 Engine Engine Type 4-stroke OHC parallel twin cylinders Displacement 194cc DRIVETRAIN Transmission 4-speed CHASSIS / SUSPENSION /...
1968 Norton Commando ABOVE: The first 1968 Norton Commando was the Commando Fastback, pictured here in this British racing green, with silver side covers, which is correct for a 1968 Norton Commando. HOW IT ALL BEGAN The first Norton Commandos were all Fastbacks, designated Model 20M3, although they weren’t referred...
1967 Norton Atlas 750 1967 NORTON ATLAS HISTORY The story starts not with a Norton at all, but with the...
1963 BSA A65 NEW MODELS The 1963 BSA A65 was, of course, the second model year of the new unit...
1956 Matchless G9 500 Twin 1956 MATCHLESS G9 BACKGROUND Matchless Motorcycles cut their teeth on the depressed British home market, depressed both before World War II and after. They did good business selling reliable single-cylinder bikes to commuters who used them as their only means of transport to and from...
2010 Triumph Bonneville 2010 TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE BACKGROUND Of course, the original Triumph Bonneville was introduced to the world in 1959,...
1947 Triumph T100 Tiger 1947 TRIUMPH T100 TIGER LEADS THE PACK At the end of World War II, civilian production...
1959 Benly Touring 125 (C92 and CA92) Engine Engine Type 124cc OHC parallel twin Carburetor Single Starter both electric start and kick start DRIVETRAIN Transmission 4-speed CHASSIS / SUSPENSION / BRAKES N/A DIMENSION OTHER Colorst Scarlet Red Blue Black The headlight was square and the headlight shell housed the speedometer...
1961 Triumph Speed Twin 1961 TRIUMPH SPEED TWIN HAS A “BATHTUB” The British home market had been hungry for cheap...