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The most
Long Lived
British Make
Like so many other of the pioneer marques Triumph started as a mechanical production company which went into bicycles and then added auxilliary engines and then made their own. Triumph motorcycles appeared by 1902 and had their own engines by 1905. The British Motorcycle industry started to flourish and Triumph is the most longlived, still lives, although it has had many managements through time

Triumph little twostroke nicknamed "the Baby Triumph"were a pioneer in two stroke technology. The first World War made Triumph put the success away as they consentrated on deliveries of their trusty model H. When the war was over the construction was a bit outdated, but other marques had developed its idea elsewhere. Many claims that the American Cleveland and some of its contemporary lightweights in USA are developments of the Baby Triumph.

Not many Triumphs were imported to Norway in the teens and twenties. It was not a particularly popular marque
Raakens beautiful Baby Triumph
Sadly not mine
Catalog image of a 1930 NSD
Catalogue presentation of a 1930, like mine

The end of the twenties saw the end of motorcycles as an all out necessity for transport in Norway as the roads had improved and cars became more accessible. Motorcycles also became a resource for sports and recreation from then on. The British systems of classification by capacity for sport caught on and the best British makes became known and were imported for sports and personal use.

My oldest Triumph is a heavy duty side car hauler but in solo version; the very simple and cheap, but big capacity 1931 550 cc NSD de Luxe.

One feature of the late twenties and early thirties British motorcycles is that the ohv 500s often shared the same engine base components with the company's more sedate 550 or 600 cc sidevalve versions,

After the crisis of the early thirties, the surviving British manufacturers including Triumph, were again expanding their programs and by 1935 they were offering seven different overhead valve five hundreds.

Mine is a basic ohv 5 S/2 , a twin exhaust push rod engine with a cast iron cylinder and head, and possibly Triumph's last model ever to offer the option of a hand change gear box.

This is the last year before the famous constructor Ed Turner would change these sporting singles into "tigers, and eventually introduce the speed twin in 1938


Look here for more on these bikes later


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