Triumph - from the very top to the bottom and back

21.05.2019

Photos: Triumph

What you are looking for is a motorcycle company that has strong German roots, sometimes made bicycles, cars and sewing machines, disappeared completely from the market and is now back – exactly: Triumph.

German roots

To make a long, eventful history short: Two German emigrants from Nuremberg, Siegfried Bettmann as founder in 1884 and the engineer Mauritz Johann Schulte (joined the company in 1887), decided to sell bicycles and later build them. In 1896 they founded a branch in Germany, but it was not until 1898 that Bettmann decided to produce motorcycles.

It took four years for the first motorcycle with Belgian Minerva built-in engine to do the first mucks (the machine, later known as No 1, had only 2.25 hp). In the early years, Triumph always built its motorcycles with third-party engines. In 1903, the production of motorcycles began in Germany in addition to bicycles. It was not until 1907, after years of development work, that Triumph introduced its first motor of its own. It was a single-cylinder four-stroke engine with 450 cm3 and 3.5 hp.

Newly emerged from the ashes

The First World War in 1914 was intrusive for Triumph in several respects. Because of the impending war, the German works were split off in 1913. At the same time, the war was good for the business of the new Type H Trusty motorcycles. The Allied forces were able to equip Triumph from 1915, the Type-H-Trusty produced 57,000 and 30,000 were used in active service.

Another milestone was set in 1923: the production of cars started in the same company, which was split off from the motorcycle factory in 1936. During World War II, it was similarly exciting for Triumph. In 1940, the Coventry plant was completely destroyed by a German air raid. In Meriden (West Midlands) just outside Coventry, a new factory was built, from where 49,700 motorcycles left the factory until the end of the war, most for the military – again a war led to good business.

In the 50s to the early 1970s, the company was dazzling. The shops were running, and the Hollywood celebrity could be seen on the bikes. Among them were Steve McQueen, Marlon Brando or Clint Eastwood, and Triumph got free advertising through the film appearances.

From top to bottom

However, the taste of the times changed. Especially the new Japanese superbikes, especially Honda's CB 750 Four, made the British bikes look old. A confused model policy, strikes and plant closures prolonged the suffering until 1983 was finally over.

Final? Not quite, because after a seven-year hiatus, there was a new beginning in Hinckley in 1990 by the entrepreneur John Bloor. After the collapse, he had bought not only the work, but also the naming rights. This new beginning was well planned. As early as 1984, there were initial considerations about what a modern Triumph family should look like. The plant was finally built in 1987.

The new triumphs have nothing to do with those before the collapse. Modern two-, three- and four-cylinder engines are now in the range, with the emphasis on the three-cylinder. The original Triumph plant was destroyed by a major fire in 2002, but two other works continued. In addition, a plant was built in Thailand in 2004.

Thick thing

In 2004 there was something special: the Cruiser Rocket III, with the largest motorcycle engine in mass production to date. It is a longitudinal in-line three-cylinder engine with a displacement of 2.3 liters, an output of 140 hp (103 kW) and a maximum torque of 200 Nm at 2500 rpm.

Today Triumph is a niche brand similar to Ducati or Moto Guzzi, and it is successful as such. The modern machines have a fixed fan base, so a third restart should not be necessary.