TRIUMPH
THUNDERBIRD
The
world's most inviting motorcycle market in the 1950s was the USA.
where Triumph boss Edward Turner, in particular,
was eager to exploit the potential presented by hordes of
performance-hungry motorcyclists and a struggling home industry.
Turner's enthusiasm led directly to one of Triumph's most significant
models, because it was largely American demand for more cubes and
power that led to the Thunderbird, the British firm's fastest bike
yet.
Essentially
the T-bird, as it was commonly known, was a 650cc version of
Triumph's existing 500cc Speed Twin. Enlarging the pushrod-operated
parallel twin engine to 649cc gave a peak output of 34bhp at 6300rpm,
a gain of 7bhp over the Speed Twin (4bhp over the sportier Tiger
100), plus a healthy increase in torque throughout the range. This
resulted in a significant performance boost because at 3851b (175kg)
the Thunderbird weighed barely more than the smaller models.
Triumph
launched the Thunderbird in September 1949 at the banked circuit of
Montlhery, near Paris, where the first three bikes off the production
line were ridden for 500 miles (805km) at an average speed of over
92mph (148km/h), with a last lap of over 1OOmph (161km/h). Apart from
minor modifications including fitment of rearset footrests and racing
tyres, they were standard, so it was an impressive introduction.
Predictably
the T-bird was well received in Britain and abroad.
More
even than its top speed, it was the torquey 650's ability to maintain
a high average that impressed testers. 'So fast is the Thunderbird
that during the test the maximum speed at which the machine could be
cruised, without engine fatigue becoming apparent, was never
determined,' reported
The
Motor Cycle.
'When
road conditions permitted, speeds of 80, 85, 90mph [129, 137,
145km/h] were often held for as long as the rider could withstand the
buffeting force of wind pressure.'
TRIUMPH
THUNDERBIRD High excitement
Triumph Thunderbird custom |
In
America,
Cycle
magazine's test declared the T-bird almost faultless, though the
original model's blue colour was unpopular. Triumph's American
advertising emphasized the performance, screaming: 'See the most
exciting motorcycle ever!" from the pages of the 1950 New York
Show programme. 'Why be satisfied with second-rate performance,
choose a Triumph and get ahead.'
Thousands
did just that, and the Triumph Thunderbird became a huge success for Triumph,
firmly establishing the marque on the American market. The model
received a boost in 1953 from the movie The
Wild One, in which Marlon Brando's lead character
rode a 1950 model Thunderbird.
Until this point, motorcycles
had appeared in films with their
tank badges covered up. But the T-bird starred in all its glory, and
plenty of extra sales resulted.
Handling
was good without being outstanding, and was improved in the mid-1950s
when Triumph introduced a new twin-shock frame, replacing the
original model's option of hard-tail or sprung-hub rear suspension.
A further chassis improvement
came in 1960, when the Thunderbird was also one of numerous models to
receive Triumph's controversial 'bathtub' enclosed rear end. By this
time the T-bird had been relegated to a touring role by the faster
Tiger 110, but its place in Triumph's history was assured.
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