1995 Triumph Speed Triple – $8,900
1995 Triumph Speed Triple for sale
SELLER SAYS: Own the bike that put Triumph back on the map. This first-generation Speed Triple 900 is the ultimate raw, bare-bones streetfighter—essentially a stripped-down, Daytona with the legendary, bulletproof 885cc triple-cylinder engine. This example is in exceptional condition with tasteful, high-quality updates. The triple carburettors were freshly dialled in by Retro Motor Co (Fremantle). Starts first pop and runs flawlessly. Brand new paint and decals, paired with Cerakote headers. The fabulously preserved carbon fibre cans that sound incredible. Single-seat cowl installed, easily converts to a pillion seat. Contact Dan on 0401 135 600 (West Busselton, Western Australia).
EDITOR TERLICK SAYS: When British billionaire John Bloor reincarnated Triumph motorcycles in 1990, he instantly delivered a winning formula – Japanese quality mixed with British history. The Japanese quality was always deliverable of course – all it needed was a backer with very deep pockets to enable top-shelf manufacturing and quality control. But the ‘British history’ bit was more difficult or, more to the point, would have been very easy to cock up. Had Bloor and his team re-launched Triumph with a range of Japanese-looking bikes with old-British names, the whole thing would have probably been a flop. Building modern Japanese-looking bikes with old-British names probably would have been the cheaper path than the one he took, and it’s very likely that some of his advisers (especially the accountants) advised him to do exactly that. But he didn’t. Bloor took ‘retro’ design to a new level, with convincing old-world styling that truly captured the vibe of Triumph’s glory days. The heart of the relaunch was the Bonneville, featuring spoked wheels, a single round headlight, twin shocks, right-way-up forks, and major components like the mudguards, mufflers, petrol tank and even engine profile all being a pretty impressive copy of the Bonnie from the 1970s. Performance was adequate, which sounds like an insult but isn’t. The Bonneville was kinda slow, even by modern standards, but it was fast enough to satisfy the market. That reborn Bonneville was so wonderfully authentic, that Bloor was free to (quite rapidly, really) evolve the product line from that point. It was brilliant. He “resumed” Triumph, so he was able to go forwards rather than stay stuck in the 1970s. The Speed Triple hit the market as an unashamedly-modern motorcycle steeped in the history of its ancestors, tapping into the iconic 1938 Speed Twin and the 1968 three-cylinder Trident that went toe-to-toe with Japan’s four-cylinder machines of the early ’70s. Great stuff.
