Cycle News Archives
COLUMN
Pretty But Pricey
By Kent Taylor
“It looks,” wrote Cycle News’ editor Jack Mangus of the 1975 Triumph Trident, “like a motorcycle should.”
Puzzling. Didn’t every motorcycle in 1975 have two wheels, an engine, forks, shocks and a fuel tank? Why did this Triumph triple-cylinder machine stand out? Are good looks enough of a foundation to build a serious relationship? Pour a spot (or even a full cup) of tea and travel back to 1975 for an in-depth look at the original Triumph company’s last effort to maintain relevancy in the world of street motorcycles.
Cycle News begins its June 17, 1975, feature on the new Trident with glowing praise for what the motorcycle did not do, which is to leak oil. It may have been an unfair stereotype, but it is a fact that some British machines were indeed slightly incontinent when it came to retaining their fluids. A visit to a well-known Mecca of Machines from Meriden will reveal as much, with each of the vintage British bikes in their collection sporting its own bedpan underneath its belly. It’s a dribble here and a dribble there, but the sight is enough to lead visitors to believe that oil leaks were inherent problems in Triumphs and BSA motorcycles, so right out of the chute, this Triumph is a winner even if it is only because it doesn’t have a problem that it shouldn’t have had anyway.
It seems to have been love at first sight, with CN pointing out that “initial eyeballing of the machine can delay riding it. It’s that pretty.” The big, red (five-gallon) fuel tank catches your eye, the stylish saddle looks like it was hand-stitched, but it is the inline three-cylinder engine that made a motorcyclist quiver like a schoolboy pinning a corsage on his prom date. Big, busty cylinders pump spent combustion into three shiny chrome exhaust pipes. More chrome (but not too much) can be found on the engine cases. There are three old-world Amal carburetors and plenty of open, unused space, which brings a hint of implied beauty to any motorcycle.
Good looks can only take one so far, so it was time for the test crew to see if the Triumph’s performance matched her good looks. A little tickle of the carbs, push the button and the Triumph comes to life. The revamped version of the Trident sang a different song than its predecessor and the staff was a bit disappointed with “an entirely different sound … we preferred the older sound but do admit that the new system is quieter and thus will be easier to live with on long runs.”
Triumph claimed the Trident weighed in at just a pint under 36 stone, which is about five hundred pounds to us independence-minded Yanks. Pushing the bike into the garage required some muscle, but CN claimed that the bike felt lighter at speed. “Handling,” we wrote, “has one quickly thinking ‘small bike.’ Flip it, flop it, it handles—period.”
The “semi-ape” handlebars weren’t too popular with the crew, but became acceptable over the duration of the test. The shocks didn’t necessarily provide a plush ride, but they excelled when the Triumph was taken out into the twisties. Corners and switchbacks are part of its DNA and like other Triumphs before it, the Trident took to the meandering roads like a fish surrounded by chips (French fries, to those same ungrateful colonial rebels).
The seat, while pretty, was uncomfortable, but the electrics were good. Finish was first-rate. But what irked Cycle News about the Trident was its price tag of $2895, more than a thousand bucks higher than a Honda CB750, though comparable to the Harley-Davidson Sportster. Cycle News opined, “At $2495, it is a machine that one would have to weigh the plus and minus features against those of other machines before purchasing. But at the current price, it is a machine that would be passed up in most cases—by most consumers.”
Additionally, the Triumph company of the 1970s is not the same successful brand we know today. Rather, the entity of Norton Villiers Triumph had become a troubled firm, and the company was just coming out of a dark period, which saw one of their plants suffer through a workers’ strike that lasted 18 months. In America, longtime Yamaha exec Terry Tiernan had been brought on board to right the ship and Cycle News sat down for an interview with him for their July 29 issue of that same year.
“I’m very optimistic about the future of Norton-Triumph,” Tiernan said. “I believe we’ve got some outstanding products and a first-rate engineering staff. They know what’s happening.”
However, what was happening was a change in attitude, and most motorcyclists were now feeling differently about their commitments to their two-wheeled companions. The Triumphs were beautiful, thoroughbred machines but also pricey, and the dealer network was beginning to break down. It did indeed look like a motorcycle should. “It is amazing,” wrote Leo Tolstoy, “how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.” CN
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