Triumph Motorcycles

British motorcycling pride: Triumph motorcycles

Triumph motorcycles are synonymous to the upper echelons of British motorcycling. The roots of Triumph motorcycles trace back all the way to 1883, when Siegfried Bettmann first came to England from Germany .

In 1884, Bettmann began importing bicycles and sewing machines from Germany and selling them under the name S. Bettmann & Co. In 1886, Bettmann changed the name of his company to the Triumph Cycle Company because he feels "triumph" is a word easily understood in most languages.

The first Triumph motorcycles weren't built until 1902, when Maurice Schulte attached a 2 hp Minerva engine onto a bicycle frame. It was in 1904 that the founders decided to produce their own motorcycles instead of clipping on other people's engines onto a frame. And then finally, in 1905, the first all Triumph as well as the first all British motorcycle was created. It boasted a 3 hp side-valve engine with a cruising speed of up to 30-40 mph.

Triumph motorcycles enjoyed much prosperity during the sixties until the mid seventies. However, after that period, they faced a financial problem that nearly jeopardized the Triumph name. However, the company stood fast and came back in the eighties with new engines and a new line of motorcycles that deserved the name Triumph.

Triumph motorcycles were and continue to be the cream of the British motorcycle crop. Antique models are sought after by every collector because they truly are a testament to great engineering and the British pride of motorcycles.