Men and Motors
Men and Motors
  • 7 months ago
This program pays homage to the iconic Triumph motorcycle, showcasing a collection of beloved classics that defy their status as mere museum artifacts. Spanning from the 1909 Roadster to the 1976 Bonneville, these motorcycles have earned Triumph a prominent place in households worldwide, transcending borders. Triumph's presence in the export market thrived, gaining further recognition through notable figures such as Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, and James Dean, all proudly riding Triumph motorcycles in America.

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Transcript
00:00 [MUSIC]
00:10 [MUSIC]
00:35 There is something truly magnificent in the lines of a classic Triumph motorcycle.
00:41 Even the Hollywood film industry favours the Triumph above the home-grown Harley Davidson,
00:48 with such heroes as James Dean, Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando all recorded for celluloid posterity riding Triumphs.
01:00 It's been said in Hollywood that "the man who saves the world rides a Triumph motorcycle" and we certainly wouldn't argue with that,
01:09 although our riders today for this programme would always modestly claim that the motorcycles are the true stars of the show.
01:20 [MUSIC]
01:34 The story of Triumph has far humbler beginnings and dates back to 1887,
01:41 when Siegfried Bettmann founded the Triumph Cycle Company in Coventry to manufacture bicycles.
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01:52 With the coming of motorised transport at the turn of the century, Triumph produced their first powered motorcycles in 1902
02:01 and by 1905 the factory output reached 500 motorcycles per year.
02:09 The Triumph reputation grew steadily and when World War I broke out in 1914, the "trusty" Triumph was supplied to the Allied forces.
02:20 Interestingly, Colonel Claude Holbrook, who procured motorcycles for the War Office, later joined Triumph as General Manager in 1919.
02:33 Throughout the 1920s, Triumph enjoyed constant growth, acquiring an automobile division,
02:40 with cars and motorcycles produced under the same banner until 1935 when the two were split.
02:49 The storm clouds of war were yet again gathering and at the outbreak of hostilities in 1939,
02:58 Triumph once more had a part to play in the nation's defence.
03:03 During the Second World War, the government took nearly all of the motorcycles manufactured by Triumph
03:11 and even when the factory at Coventry was destroyed in the Blitz, output continued from alternative sites at Warwick and then Meriden.
03:22 The post-war years saw Triumph work its way back into the civilian marketplace,
03:29 but by 1951 they had been taken over by BSA Motorcycles.
03:35 However, the Triumph name was retained and the company remained a separate concern under the BSA umbrella.
03:45 Triumph faced the threat of new Japanese imports through the 1960s and by the 1970s,
03:53 the once hugely successful BSA parent company was facing financial ruin.
03:59 BSA merged with Norton Villiers and the new Norton Villiers Triumph was sponsored by the government of the day.
04:10 When it was announced that the Triumph plant at Meriden was to close, there was a workers' sit-in that brought production to a halt.
04:18 Eventually, the Meriden Workers' Cooperative was formed, but despite further government support, the cooperative went into liquidation in 1983.
04:35 This could have been the end for Triumph, but rescue came in the person of John Blore, an English property developer who injected new life into the old classic.
04:46 Unlike such British motorcycle giants as BSA, Norton, Royal Enfield and Ariel,
04:59 all consigned in the most part to the history books, Triumph had a future thanks to inspiration and investment.
05:07 By the 1990s production was back on track and today Triumph remains at the forefront of modern motorcycling.
05:17 Yet there's nothing quite like a touch of nostalgia to thrill and delight.
05:28 The future of Triumph does indeed look to be set fair, but for the next 50 minutes we'll be celebrating Triumph's classic past,
05:37 enjoying a fascinating journey back in time to the golden age of the motorcycle.
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06:20 In 1907, just after the turn of a brand new century, with technology advancing in leaps and bounds,
06:28 Triumph began to be known as true pioneers in the field of motorcycling.
06:34 This 3.5 horsepower, 500cc machine is acknowledged more than any other model or make built within the same time frame
06:47 as being hugely influential in the blossoming motorcycle industry.
06:51 Triumph undoubtedly helped influence the mass acceptance of the motorcycle,
06:57 which was still looked at with suspicion and fear by the general public before this model.
07:04 In itself, the bicycle had been of immense importance as an instrument of social change.
07:13 For the first time in history, the common man could afford to travel and explore new horizons.
07:19 No longer was the "village idiot" a tragically inevitable accident of birth,
07:26 as with the bicycle came the opportunity for people to move around the countryside.
07:32 Consequently, the gene pool was strengthened and the working classes became a strong and intelligent force to be reckoned with.
07:43 However, the new fangled motorcycles were simply bicycles with engines attached
07:48 and both men and women soon realised the freedom this means of transportation offered.
07:55 Triumph was quick to exploit the new marketplace and went into production on a grand scale,
08:03 making motorcycles like the one you see here an aspirational commodity.
08:11 Of course, it helped a great deal that the popular Isle of Man TT race was won in 1908 by this single cylinder side valve motorbike.
08:21 This boosted the sales of the Triumph Roadster enormously
08:25 and a special TT Roadster soon appeared in the trade catalogues of 1909.
08:33 The continued reliability of these early models off the production line soon led to later models becoming known as "trusty" Triumphs.
08:43 This reliability, coupled with a nifty turn of speed, came from some solid engineering work that gained the company a great reputation that they still hold to this day.
09:02 The belt-driven Roadster had a three-speed rear hub that was similar to the ones used on the ordinary pedal bicycles.
09:11 The difference here was that it was fitted with a clutch incorporated into this very hub.
09:18 A twin barrel carburettor of Triumph's own design was fitted in 1908, in the year of the Isle of Man TT race win and a Magneto system.
09:31 As was the case with these early motorised bicycles, the weight of construction was very light indeed, coming in at around 175 pounds.
09:44 The engine was a simple side valve design which managed a comfortable 499cc and a top speed of 55mph and used a direct belt drive to the rear wheel as mentioned before.
10:00 The hub gear and clutch made for a much easier life than the alternative fixed gear, which meant a run and bump start after every stop.
10:12 The TT model Roadster that was produced briefly had a somewhat shorter frame than the standard model and the pedalling gear was also dispensed with.
10:24 Two sets of adjustable footrests were also supplied.
10:32 The Isle of Man TT race was a great advertisement for the continued sales success of the Triumph Roadster 3.5hp model.
10:42 Not only did this machine win the single cylinder category in 1908, but it also managed to be placed well in the 1909 and 1910 TT races too.
10:56 This kept the Triumph name in the public eye and allowed the sales figures to steadily climb into profitability.
11:05 In 1911, a motorcyclist called Ivan Hart Davies proved the endurance and reliability of this Triumph Roadster beyond any reasonable doubt.
11:18 He completed the famous route from Lands End in Cornwall
11:23 (music)
11:27 to John O'Groats in Scotland.
11:31 John O'Groats is the furthest village from Lands End on the British mainland, an end-to-end route with both points separated by 876 miles.
11:45 The name of John O'Groats derives from Jan de Groot, one of three brothers who arrived in the area in 1496
11:53 with a commission from King James IV to operate a ferry between the mainland and the remote island of Orkney.
12:02 The name of Lands End, way down south of John O'Groats, is, to be honest, rather self-explanatory.
12:12 Ivan Hart Davies, riding his trusty Triumph Roadster, managed this colossal distance in just less than 30 hours
12:20 and it was the very last time such a record non-stop run was permitted.
12:27 This wonderful old Triumph was the flagship of the industry, building on the standard set by the earliest 3hp model
12:38 and produced for just a two year run between 1905 and 1907 before being succeeded by this more advanced machine.
12:47 The capacity had been increased by over 163cc and the improvements were all in the detail.
12:55 (music)
13:02 The new Roadster ran for a longer period than its immediate predecessor with an unbroken 7 year run from 1907 through to 1914.
13:12 It was the machine that set the stamp for the Triumph Engineering Company Ltd.
13:18 and also prepared the public for the sonic sound of the motorcycle.
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15:41 The Triumph 100 was the most successful of the medium range motorbikes that Triumph developed and produced both pre-Second World War and post-Second World War.
15:52 The two examples we have here represent both of those eras in the Triumph Tiger 100's history.
16:00 The Triumph Tiger was introduced to the general public in 1938 and it created a truly sensational buzz.
16:10 Previously it had been used for 12 months as a touring model to help iron out any irregularities and mechanical problems that might have developed.
16:20 This was a policy thought up by Edward Turner, Managing Director of Triumph and also their Chief Designer.
16:29 He believed that the sports model should be as close to perfect as it was humanly possible to achieve when it went on general sale
16:39 This inspired thinking put Triumph ahead of the game when it came to any competition.
16:45 The British press raved about this amazing machine, the public clamoured to buy them and Triumph had the template of a motorcycle that they would be building and modifying for the next three decades.
17:00 The first batch of Tiger 100's were just a sportier version of the touring model with a bigger and stronger cylinder base.
17:10 This was accompanied by a gas flowed cylinder head and a compression ratio of 8 to 1.
17:18 The forged flat top pistons had valve cutaways in the crown to accommodate the very impressive 7,000 revs per minute which could be achieved at full throttle.
17:30 The parallel twin engine characterised development in the British motorcycle industry from the 1930's right through until the 1960's.
17:44 Originally the Triumph Tiger 100 was simply intended for clubman racing as it was fitted with a detachable silencer that allowed the tailpipe, end cap and baffle to be manually removed by the owner.
17:59 This gave an amplified roar from the engine rather like sticking the exhaust next to a megaphone and was simply to impress other riders and racers.
18:13 Clubman racing was purely sport orientated with riders competing just for the fun of it rather than for prize money or trophies that may have been on offer by the organising club.
18:26 It was very popular in the early years of motorcycling on testing tracks when gentleman racers would pit their strength, agility and handling skills against each other for nothing more than the thrill of the chase.
18:43 The Tiger 100's were very popular in this field of clubman racing and the first run of these speedy machines were an instant success for the dedicated enthusiast and the general public alike.
18:58 In 1939, masses of riders on their Tiger 100 machines descended like swarming ants onto the famous testing circuits of Brooklands in Surrey and Donington Park in Derby, both in the heart of England for their Clubman's Day.
19:18 This 1939 model of the Tiger 100 could well have been racing around the oval circuits in good-natured competition with fellow riders and racers.
19:29 The two-cylinder, four-stroke engine of the Triumph Tiger 100 delivered 32 brake horsepower at 6,500 revs per minute.
19:42 It was also very light on its feet which allowed a top speed of 90mph.
19:48 After such a grand mass testing at Clubman level, Triumph took note of the minor quibbles and suggestions and added a full skirt piston to their existing model.
20:08 They also decided to add check springs on the stiff girder front fork to allow it more give and a handy speedometer was placed on the tank that showed the rider a gear-by-gear revs-per-minute scale.
20:25 However, it was not long after these additions that the production of the Tiger 100 model metaphorically skidded off the track, hit a safety wall of tyres and came to an abrupt stop.
20:41 The popularity of these fast-paced 498cc twins with their pre-unit construction of separated engine and gearbox was never in any doubt.
20:53 But the advent of the horrific and brutal Second World War saw factories and raw materials used in the building of motorbikes turned over to military use.
21:06 This Tiger 100 model that was produced in the same year as the atrocities of war began would have been a rare sight to see gliding around the countryside, especially once petrol rationing kicked in.
21:20 It truly was a marvel of modern engineering for the time and it's easy to see why so many people fell in love with it.
21:32 When the Second World War came to a close and VE Day heralded victory for the Allied forces against Nazi Germany in 1945,
21:42 the British nation were eager to celebrate and get back to the peaceful and prosperous way of life that had been the normal routine of the 1930s.
21:54 Triumph had already begun production of their post-war range of the Tiger 100 before the celebrations had even begun in their new factory at Meriden in the West Midlands.
22:06 They were soon rattling out their own metaphorical Triumph big guns once the real shooting had finally stopped.
22:18 When the first post-war Tiger 100 models were released for sale to the public at large, there were a lot of subtle differences to these magnificent machines.
22:29 The pre-war model, as we've just seen, was an entirely different beast.
22:35 The newer models had telescopic forks rather than stiff girders and the look and appearance of the crankcase had undergone a major revamp too.
22:47 This resulted in there now being a separate magneto and dynamo at the front and rear of the motorbike, instead of the earlier magdyno combined electrics.
22:59 Although the Tiger we're now looking at is of 1960s vintage, there were further significant developments in the years between these two machines.
23:11 The big clamour from the motorcycling enthusiasts during peacetime was the need for rear springing to increase the comfort in riding the new Tiger 100.
23:22 This would have required a major frame redesign which was out of the financial budget of Triumph at the time, especially after the cutbacks and poor economy of the immediate post-war months.
23:37 However, they were always mindful to listen to their loyal customer base and so a large diameter hub containing its own springing system was added instead.
23:48 This was called the sprung hub and became part of the rigid frame for an extra £20 on the purchase price.
23:58 This did the trick for the time being and saved Triumph a fortune in new production costs without shortchanging their customers.
24:07 The new Tiger 100 was said to possess something of a Jekyll and Hyde personality by one review in 1952.
24:18 It was described as docile and gentle when the occasion demanded, such as in heavy traffic, and then possessed of truly Tiger-like characteristics when given space on the open road.
24:31 Another change from the 1939 model we saw earlier is the changing of position that takes place for the instrument dials.
24:45 A fork-top headlamp nacelle now replaced the tank-top instrument panel, which had been such a significant design of the earlier Triumph Tiger 100.
24:56 The tank-top parcel grid was put in place of the old instrument panel on these new models.
25:05 The comfortable riding position of the Tiger 100 is indisputable with the rearward sweeping handlebars, the close-set footrests and the large twin seat providing all the ease with which to endure long rides in the saddle.
25:24 This was helped by the reduced size of the tank, even though the capacity had been increased to hold a hefty 4 gallons, ensuring that the rider's legs weren't in direct competition with the oncoming wind.
25:38 The Tiger continued to roar and prowl through various little changes as the years went by.
25:48 A pivoted rear fork finally replaced the patented sprung hub in the late 1950s to allow more movement at high speeds, and a twin carburettor head was also added.
26:01 The new light-alloy cylinder head lost the parallel inlet tracks and became much more splayed.
26:10 This was to replace the pre-unit construction of the pre-war model. You can see that the engine and the gearbox were no longer separate entities and were now produced as a single union.
26:23 This of course made the later Triumph Tiger a much faster machine, heading up to 150mph at best.
26:34 The Tiger had come a long way from the days way back in 1937 when Edward Turner, the designer and director of the Triumph company, had dreamt of creating a twin engine machine that was no bigger in width than the popular singles.
26:51 This he did, whilst also managing to make it £5 lighter in weight, but only £5 more expensive to make.
27:02 From the outset, the Tiger 100 was designed for people with a limited budget and was user-friendly as far as the mechanics were concerned.
27:11 This became a rare occurrence as time went on as later machines had different specifications as designers and directors cared less for their customers and more for their turnover.
27:26 This motorcycle, now of pensionable age and just as feisty as it always was, is still giving pleasure to thousands of riders just as it did back before the Second World War.
27:39 The post-war Tiger 100, with the many redesigns and modifications, were undoubtedly faster and better at road handling but they were beginning to lose that stylish edge.
27:54 They were also becoming, odd as it may seem, less reliable because of the quality of bought-in and non-Triumph components like electrics and carburettors used in the construction.
28:08 The quest to maximise profit and to cut costs saw the steady decline of these proud beasts.
28:18 The Triumph Tiger 100 ran from the late 1930s until the late 1960s and was beloved by everyone who owned one.
28:33 It was an unashamedly populist motorbike which appealed across the board.
28:41 It roared, you listened. When it purred, you wanted to stroke it. When it bit, it left marks.
28:49 This was a real Tiger of a motorcycle.
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30:20 The Triumph Bonneville is arguably the most famous Triumph ever made.
30:25 It was named after the famous Bonneville salt flats which stretch across Utah in the United States of America.
30:33 The Bonneville salt flats are one of the most unique natural features in the world.
30:39 Stretching over 30,000 acres, it became an ideal place for straight-line speed records to be challenged.
30:49 Since the first speed record attempt in 1914, hundreds of records have been set and broken in a variety of automotive and motorcycle classes,
31:00 including the only discredited one that was set on a streamlined Triumph motorbike by Johnny Allen.
31:09 He'd been timed at 214 miles per hour in 1956, which the American authorities accepted as a new world record,
31:19 but the FIM, the world governing body, refused to acknowledge it on a technicality.
31:26 In 1959, the Triumph Bonneville T120 model was produced in response to public demand.
31:36 At that time, America was Triumph's biggest market, which is no doubt what Edward Turner,
31:42 the man responsible for naming the bike, had in mind when he called it Bonneville,
31:48 in honour of Johnny Allen's record-breaking attempts on the famous Utah salt flats.
31:55 The publicity for the new Triumph was also increased when the company took legal action to verify Allen's record
32:05 and since the earliest days, the Bonneville has always been synonymous with speed.
32:11 The popular Triumph T100 was the design on which the T120 was based,
32:19 with added twin carburettors, a single-piece camshaft and splayed inlet ports.
32:26 The demand had been created by performance-minded riders customising their T100s with a twin carburettor conversion,
32:35 so it was only natural that Triumph would want to get in on the action and actually make these riders buy a new version rather than update an old one.
32:52 The very first production run of the T120 still bore the same shape and silhouette of the T100, which caused initial problems.
33:01 The powerful 649cc engine, with a peak output of 46bhp at 6,500 revs per minute,
33:13 could not achieve an easy 115mph and this created too many wobbles and vibrations for the less sturdy chassis of its immediate predecessor.
33:25 In the 1959 catalogue, there was no Bonneville to be seen, as it had been rushed through production so quickly that the publicity office got caught unawares.
33:38 However, in the hastily produced brochure and promotional material, Triumph trumpeted their new T120 Bonneville with some pretty high claims.
33:49 "The best motorcycle in the world", they boasted.
33:53 "The Bonneville 120 offers the highest performance available today from a standard production motorcycle" was a brave statement,
34:05 and Triumph categorically insisted that "this is the motorcycle for the really knowledgeable enthusiast who can appreciate and use the power provided".
34:16 However, despite the Americans being the ones pressurising Triumph to design and produce a twin carburettor 650,
34:25 the look of the bike was off-putting for the average motorcyclist.
34:31 The T100's headlamp, heavy mudguards and swept-back touring handlebars, which came as a package with the initial frame,
34:39 were not particularly sporty looking and in 1960 they were dropped altogether.
34:45 The frame was revamped with a twin cradle design and new forks, sportier mudguards, a separate headlamp was added, as was a better saddle.
34:59 The 1960 T120 Bonneville was the real deal and made the cash register's ring at a respectable £285.
35:09 From then on, the Bonneville was regularly updated, with a new coil ignition being fitted as standard to all the Triumph 650 machines.
35:21 The most notable addition to the Bonneville T120 was a unit construction engine and gearbox, which set them together rather than making them separate.
35:32 This made a more compact power unit with which to outclass its rivals.
35:39 The top-notch performance and assured handling of this speedy machine, combined with its lightened weight of £400 when dry, was the key to the Bonneville's continued success.
35:51 The sales statistics alone suggest that this was the ultimate bike to own throughout the 1960s.
36:01 Riding the bike is a pleasure and joy, with one reviewer comparing it to the controlled elegance of a dressage horse rather than the skittish danger of a wild stallion.
36:13 The rider's perspective is totally uncluttered, with no indicators, no switchgear, no mirrors flapping about, no dials or digits or flashing warning lights.
36:26 A simple pair of clocks and a great shining headlamp are all that's needed on this classic motorcycle.
36:34 Throughout the production history of the Triumph T120 Bonneville, it was raced with great success all over the globe, broke world records for speed and was a permanent fixture on the winner's podium at the Isle of Man TT race.
36:52 In fact, one of the most memorable appearances was by a Bonneville TT Special in Las Vegas, USA.
36:59 This was the bike that super stunt star Evel Knievel used in his attempt to jump over the fountains at Caesars Palace Casino in 1968.
37:13 After successfully clearing the 151 feet of fountains, he lost control on landing and his injuries put him in a coma for a month.
37:25 In 1971, this great motorcycle was replaced by a larger 750 model, the T140 Bonneville, consigning the T120 to the history books, but this is nevertheless a classic motorcycle that will never be forgotten.
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38:27 The Triumph TR6 Trophy is probably best known for being the motorcycle from the World War 2 Prisoner of War movie, The Great Escape.
38:37 It was the high-flying machine, a 1961 model, that almost allowed famously cool film legend Steve McQueen to avoid recapture after escaping from a Prisoner of War camp.
38:53 In real life, Steve McQueen owned 200 motorbikes and Triumph was one of his favourite manufacturers.
39:00 In 1961, Triumph launched the TR6 Trophy, which was an upgrade from the sporty 498cc TR5.
39:13 Whereas the TR5 was designed primarily for racing, the TR6 had a distinct leaning towards the open road rather than the oval racetrack.
39:25 Edward Turner, Chief Designer and Managing Director of Triumph Engineering Company Ltd, had never been happy that the TR5 had been developed, designed and prepared in his absence and without his initial consent.
39:43 He was a man who was opposed to racing, even though it created so much success for Triumph and helped sell so many motorbikes.
39:52 So, when it came to the TR6 Trophy, he kept a watchful eye on production.
40:05 Essentially, the TR6 Trophy was almost identical to the popular Triumph Bonneville, but this new bike had a single 30mm carburettor instead.
40:16 Although the Bonneville outsold this new version, popular opinion amongst classic bike enthusiasts today suggests that the TR6 was actually the better machine.
40:30 They cite the sleeker and more stylish design, coupled with the low revving flexibility and the cleaner carburetion.
40:40 Two years later, in 1963, the TR6 Trophy, along with the different engine-sized Triumph Bonnevilles, became a one-unit machine with the construction of a combined engine and gearbox instead of them both being separate and it also received a new coil ignition too.
41:01 In the USA only, Triumph released a TR6 SC, which was specifically designed to race in the desert.
41:10 This was another favourite of Steve McQueen's, who was an experienced and successful desert racer in his heyday.
41:19 The TR6's twin-cylinder, overhead valve, four-stroke engine had a capacity of 48hp at 7,250 revs per minute and was air-cooled.
41:33 It had a high compression and two gear-driven camshafts with dry-sump lubrication.
41:41 This chunky motorcycle also had pressure-fed big ends and a four-speed gearbox with a chain-driven transmission.
41:51 A new alloy cylinder head was fitted and two exhaust pipes swept up into one silencer.
41:59 Criticism has been levelled at the TR6 that of all things, the silencer works too well. Ah, the irony.
42:10 Instead of hearing the throaty, tiger-esque roar of a 650cc engine, the rider hears a gentle kitten-like purr.
42:20 The frame of the TR6 is a cradle type with a swingarm rear suspension.
42:30 The fuel capacity is 18 litres, that's nearly 5 gallons, the weight of the bike is an impressive 420 pounds and the top speed is just over 100mph.
42:42 That's with a good tailwind and a rider who's lighter than a bag of feathers.
42:50 As with all Triumphs, the road holding at high speed is exemplary and the expanding front and rear brakes do the job they're designed for with expert precision.
43:02 In 1967, larger valves from the Triumph Bonneville motorcycle range were fitted onto the TR6 Trophy bike, as was a new exhaust camshaft with a slightly wider single carburettor.
43:19 The reason behind this was simply to give the rider of the TR6 a smoother glide over the tarmac at low speed, but with a beefy and much improved acceleration when speed was a necessity.
43:34 The energetic horsepower was sparked off at easily accessible engine speeds.
43:42 One Triumph motorcycle expert was quoted as saying that this was "bringing the revs flooding in at a tweak of the grip".
43:50 The new and revised power delivery made this a landmark model for Triumph and it was one of their most suitable machines for two-up motoring because of that very attribute.
44:06 The production of the Triumph TR6 Trophy ran right up until 1983, but by then it had been sadly neutered by a reduction in engine size to 600cc and these were never as popular.
44:21 There were many variants of the TR6 during its years in production, but it essentially stayed looking the same.
44:30 The thick saddle seat joining to the classically shaped fuel tank and the sleek, elegant styling of the exhaust all make this unmistakably a Triumph.
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46:02 The Triumph Bonneville in its lifetime had been a huge success on racetracks and with the motorcycle buying public.
46:09 This was truly an iconic motorbike to be seen on, which is probably why the Triumph became such a great favourite with the Hollywood film industry.
46:21 Marlon Brando sat moody and magnificent on his in "The Wild One" and James Dean posed handsomely on his Triumph as the eternal rebel without a cause.
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46:37 After the huge success of the Triumph T120 Bonneville, which was based upon a pre-war design but gradually updated to keep up with each modern piece of technology, the Triumph company decided to produce a bigger and bolder version of their most popular bike to date.
46:56 The year was 1973 and aside from the production of this new Bonneville, the big news was the official declaration of the end of the Vietnam War, which had been held in stalemate between the Vietnamese and the Americans by Richard Nixon.
47:14 It was also the year of the infamous Watergate scandal, which eventually lost Richard Nixon his presidency of the United States of America.
47:25 The arrival of the Triumph T140 Bonneville with the bulkier engine and frame took over the role of the much smaller but universally loved T120 Bonneville model with bulldozing tactics.
47:40 This was very much like Richard Nixon taking over the presidency of the USA, having previously tried to bulldoze his way past the popular and more handsome John F. Kennedy.
47:54 Whereas JFK had been a continued success and a definite hit with the public, Nixon was an overblown version who failed to last very long past the initial fanfare of arrival.
48:08 The analogy fits the T120 and T140 very well indeed.
48:16 The first T140 Bonneville appeared in 1973 with a 744cc twin cylinder, overhead valve, four stroke engine that was basically a bored out 650 version with very few modifications and alterations.
48:35 It adopted most of the motorcycle parts of the T120, including a new front disc brake.
48:44 However, 1973 was a time of trouble for this new Bonneville, much like it was for President Nixon in the Watergate scandal.
48:53 Rumours were spreading like wildfire that the Triumph factory was about to close.
48:59 This base of production for so many motorbikes was situated in the little village of Meriden in the borough of Sullyhull between Birmingham and Coventry.
49:11 The village itself was also notable for being the alleged centre of England, which should be the exact point you could balance the whole of the United Kingdom on the tip of a pencil.
49:23 If you had a big enough pencil of course.
49:26 The wayside cross standing in the centre of the village green has a plaque that reads
49:34 "The ancient wayside cross has stood in the village for some 500 years and by tradition it marks the centre of England."
49:44 However, whisper it quietly, the real centre of England, according to a global positioning satellite, is a farmhouse in Leicestershire, which perhaps isn't quite as exciting.
49:59 The Meriden factory in the not quite centre of England was home to an 18 month sit-in by the workers as fears of the imminent closure threatened.
50:09 No new Triumph Bonnevilles were produced through 1974 until production was restarted by a workers' cooperative in 1975.
50:22 The T140 Bonneville still received little development with its 4-speed chain and reliance on an engine that took its original specifications from a 40-year-old Triumph Speed Twin.
50:37 The left foot, 5-speed gear change was added on as an attempt at modernisation, as were the flashing indicators.
50:45 But this air-cooled pushrod unit machine was rooted in the classics of the past.
50:54 It was softly tuned, more so than the earlier T120, and the engine strengthened with an extra holding down stud to achieve 49bhp at 6,500 revs per minute with a top speed of just over 110mph.
51:14 Sadly, with this increased speed and horsepower, the vibrations from the parallel twins were considerably more noticeable and this meant that people still preferred the earlier T120 Bonneville, which was still being produced alongside its successor.
51:34 Because of the troubles at the Meriden factory and the lack of money for redevelopment, the T140 Bonneville was struggling up its own Mount Everest wearing sandals and a bikini.
51:46 It didn't stand much chance of reaching the top, which was a pity as it was as aesthetically pleasing a design as the T120 and by the late 70s was a reliable and powerful ride.
52:03 There was even a limited edition Jubilee model built in 1977 to mark Queen Elizabeth's 25 years on England's royal throne.
52:13 These limited edition T140 Bonnevilles were handcrafted in silver and chrome with red, white and blue stripes.
52:23 Special commemorative badges were placed on the tank and side panels too.
52:30 The accompanying Triumph brochure for America stated that "Only 1,000 specially customised Bonnevilles will be offered in America. We invite you to be one in a thousand."
52:43 The T140 Bonneville struggled on through liquidation of the company and a successful takeover by private businessman John Blore until 1988.
52:57 This butch and beefy machine was the powerful but often overlooked big brother of the Bonneville range and deserved, but rarely got, the classic accolade of its predecessor.
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54:13 As our time enjoying these classic Triumph motorcycles draws to a close, this mark of all the great British classics has the rare distinction of still being in production.
54:27 There's over a hundred years of history behind Triumph as a privately owned British company and that same philosophy, responsible for the creation of such iconic motorcycles as the Bonneville, Rocket, Thunderbird and Tiger, is still very much alive and well and manufacturing motorcycles that will become the design classics of the future.
54:52 The principle is the same as it's always been, with a steady commitment to producing unique motorcycles that are distinctive in looks, design and performance.
55:03 Whichever model is chosen, a vintage or modern Triumph will deliver a great riding experience through the fusion of a well balanced, easy to handle chassis and strong, flexible engines.
55:19 Nevertheless, however laudable such principles undoubtedly are, in terms of the British motorcycle industry, this is far from being rocket science.
55:30 There were many of Triumph's contemporaries who were equally as innovative and produced, some would argue, much better motorcycles.
55:40 Why then did Triumph survive, while such great names as Norton, Vincent, Royal Enfield, BSA and Ariel formed by the wayside?
55:50 It's a fascinating question and to find the answer we need to look at three major incidents in the 20th century that quite literally changed the world.
56:03 The First World War, fought between 1914 and 1918, forced the fast developing motorcycle industry to put any innovations on hold.
56:14 The armed forces required thousands of motorcycles and reliability combined with durability was far more important than speed and performance.
56:27 Manufacturers that rose to the challenge flourished and the trusty Triumph was no exception.
56:34 It's interesting to note that before World War I, the Rex was known as the king of motorcycles and the British company that manufactured them was much larger than Triumph.
56:48 However, Rex did not secure any military contracts and consequently struggled for survival in the post-war years.
56:57 Undoubtedly, the years after World War I were the most innovative and successful that the British motorcycle industry would ever know and Triumph went from strength to strength.
57:11 But just as the world of commerce was getting back to normal, the depression hit and the British motorcycle industry once more faced a drastic fall in sales.
57:22 Many companies ceased trading but Triumph along with the reduced number of motorcycle manufacturers who survived the depression forged ahead competitively.
57:36 Triumph had weathered the storm and when World War II broke out in 1939, the company once more turned to military contracts for the five-year duration of the hostilities.
57:50 Again, it was the motorcycle companies that produced machines for the armed forces that strengthened their positions and BSA were able to take over Triumph in the early 1950s due in part to their wartime successes.
58:06 Ironically, it was Triumph that survived whilst BSA along with associated motorcycles failed to stand the test of time.
58:19 When Rudyard Kipling spoke of Triumph and disaster in the same breath in his great poem "If", his words had an appropriate resonance for the Triumph Motorcycle Company.
58:32 Triumph had stood so close to disaster throughout its more than a century of trading yet each time it has survived.
58:42 The motorcycles featured in this program are a tribute to that endurance because at the end of the day, with a name like Triumph, perhaps failure is simply not an option.
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