Triumph Motorcycles – A Brief History
Think about the World War I and what is the first scene that comes to your mind -a rugged soldier riding a motorcycle and chances are that the motorcycle would most like be a Triumph Motorcycle. Triumph Motorcycles were first Triumph motorcycles were produced in 1902 and within a year, the motorcycles sales were up to five hundred.
In 1905, Triumph Motorcycles produced its first in-house designed motorcycle. The company had more than two hundred and fifty in that design by the end of the year. By 1907, the production of the company reached around one thousand bikes. This year also saw the launch of their second brand, which catered to the lower end of the market – Gloria. This was designed and produced in the original plant.
The advent of World War I saw a need of a new type of transport – rugged and quick, and ready to bear the brunt of the natural elements as well as the stray bombing. This gave rise to a new breed of bulky, strong and dependable motorcycles, and the Triumph truly triumphed in these conditions.
Triumph motorcycles saw quite some changes during the war era, the World War I as well as the World War II. After the Depression, motorcycle operations were bought over by Jack Sangster, making the Ariel and Triumph sister products now. The company started its first exports to the United States of America in 1936.
The Triumph Motorcycle has always been considered to be one of the sturdiest motorcycles ever. Its various brands and models have stood the test of time ever since they were first released. The brand Bonneville has been considered to be the greatest motorcycles of all time.
Triumph Motorcycles also have a sort of ‘strong guy’ image in the media, its roots in the 1953 movie, The Wild One, where Marlon Brando rode a 1950 Thunderbird GT. A majority of Triumph motorcycles have been used by movie stars for a better accentuation of their wild and rough image, including Marlon Brando, Richard Gere and Clint Eastwood. And who can forget Steve MacQueen’s ‘The Great Escape’?
By 1969, the production of Triumph motorcycles reached up to forty eight thousand motorcycles. However, the British motorcycle faced a bad phase soon and the closure of the Triumph plant was announced in 1973, even after the creation of the North-Villiers-Triumph in 1972. In 1974, the Meriden Motorcycle Cooperative is created, which resumes the Triumph Plant. The Cooperative is created with government backing.
By 1973, Triumph went bankrupt and the brand was bought by John Bloor, including the production right. In 1990, a new, state-of-the-art plant is opened in Hinckley. 1990 also saw a deluge of new Triumph models. In 1995, Triumph came back to USA, and was distributed by the Triumph Subsidiary which was set up in 1994. In 2000, Triumph motorcycles relaunched its most famous model, the Bonneville.