The Triumph Tiger Trail was a motorcycle model manufactured by
Triumph Motorcycles at the
Meriden factory. The Tiger Trail was made from 1981 to 1982 in both 750 cc (TR7T) and 650 cc (TR65T) capacities, and under 180 examples were built. Emission regulations precluded export to the USA but otherwise the model was available to all Triumph's other markets particularly in many
British Commonwealth
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
nations and western Europe.
History
![TR7T](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/TR7T.jpg)
Triumph manufactured the Tiger Trail in response to their French importers', C.G.C.I.M., request for a large capacity dual purpose machine to compete with the
BMW R80G/S
The BMW R 80 G/S is a motorcycle that was manufactured in Berlin, Germany, by BMW Motorrad from 1980 to 1987. Production totalled 21,864 bikes.
It was the first in the BMW GS family of specialised dual-sport bikes, of which over 500,000 have been ...
model.
The importers had visited Meriden with a prototype based around the
Triumph Bonneville T140
The Triumph Bonneville T140 is a standard motorcycle with a capacity engine that was designed and built by Triumph Engineering at Meriden near Coventry.
The T140 was the second generation in the Bonneville series developed from the earlier ...
which the factory judged too powerful.
Instead, Meriden's director of engineering
Brian Jones
Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...
based the proposed model around the 750 cc TR7V
Triumph Tiger
Triumph Tiger is a name used by a number of former motorcycles historically made by the British company Triumph Engineering and more-recent models by its modern successor, Triumph Motorcycles Ltd.
Current models:
* Triumph Tiger Sport 660, produ ...
with its single 30 mm
Amal Amal may refer to:
* Amal (given name)
* Åmål, a small town in Sweden
* Amal Movement, a Lebanese political party
** Amal Militia, Amal Movement's defunct militia
* Amal language of Papua New Guinea
* Amal (film), ''Amal'' (film), 2007, directed ...
carburettor and
electronic ignition
An ignition system generates a spark or heats an electrode to a high temperature to ignite a fuel-air mixture in spark ignition internal combustion engines, oil-fired and gas-fired boilers, Rocket engine#Ignition, rocket engines, etc. The widest ...
by
Lucas
Lucas or LUCAS may refer to:
People
* Lucas (surname)
* Lucas (given name)
Arts and entertainment
* Luca Family Singers, also known as "lucas ligner en torsk"
* ''Lucas'' (album) (2007), an album by Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities
* ''L ...
.
Alterations included lowering the compression giving at 6,500 rpm and fitting
camshaft
A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams, in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition systems ...
profiles from the
Triumph Trident
The Triumph Trident is a three-cylinder motorcycle of either 750 cc or 900 cc capacity. These bikes were produced from 1991 to 1998 at Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, by Triumph Motorcycles Ltd, the successor business to the defu ...
.
The secondary gearing was also altered by fitting an 18-tooth gearbox sprocket and 47-tooth rear chain sprocket.
Overall weight was down from the road models to dry. To this end, with two exceptions to fulfill a Trinidad police order, no electric start was fitted as standard. A factory decal advised not travelling beyond upon the standard tyres, although top speed was tested as reaching just over .
The 750 cc model was first shown by the factory at the 1980 Paris motorcycle show and introduced for the 1981/1982 season. ''Bike'' magazine reported that the French importers were to have entered two 750 cc Tiger Trail bikes in the
Paris-Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar"; formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally") is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal, ...
. Certainly, French magazine ''Moto Verte'' entered and reported upon a 750 cc Tiger Trail in the
Paris-Tunis rally and whilst failing to finish, praised the engine feeling only suspension adjustments rather a complete chassis redesign was needed.
Competition success soon came in June 1981 when Tony Beaumont of the Federation of Police Motor Clubs team sponsored by
British Petroleum beat BMW R80G/S and Japanese opposition to win the 750 cc and above class of the
Rallye des Pyrénées
The Rallye des Pyrénées, also known as the Circuit des Pyrénées and formerly as the Pau-San Sebastián Rally,''Johnny's French Lettres'' ( Bike 9/81) p. 40–44 was a two-day international motorcycle competition in late June set in the Pyren ...
, a tough on/off-road timed race.
[''Tiger Feat'' (''Classic Bike'') September 2012] Triumph exploited this fact both in press advertisements and in a publicity poster featuring their sales manager Bob Haines leaping through the air upon a TR7T, describing it as "The Bike For Adventure".
An Englishman, Jez Billing, rode a suitably modified 750 cc Tiger Trail in his around-the-world attempt from 1986 to 1988.
White Tiger Trails were also made for the
Gulf Petroleum
A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodies ...
sponsored
Royal Military Police
The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operation ...
display team.
[Rosamond, John (2009),''Save The Triumph Bonneville ! The Inside Story Of The Meriden Workers' Co-Op'', Veloce Publishing] The frames of these white Tigers omitted the
pillion
A pillion is a secondary pad, cushion, or seat behind the main seat or saddle on a horse, motorcycle, bicycle or moped. A passenger in this seat is said to "ride pillion". The word is derived from the Scottish Gaelic for "little rug", ''pillean' ...
footrest brackets whilst the silencer was of a different box-type design and their tanks sported metal badges instead of decals and being of later Italian manufacture, had 'flip-up' petrol caps. The front mudguard also had a perforated lower end.
In their review of the TR7T, ''
Motor Cycle News
''MCN'' or ''Motor Cycle News'' is a UK weekly Motorcycle, motorcycling newspaper published by Bauer Verlagsgruppe, Bauer Consumer Media, based in Peterborough, United Kingdom. It claims to be "the world’s biggest weekly motorcycle newspape ...
'' had suggested that the recently introduced
Triumph TR65 Thunderbird
The Triumph TR65 Thunderbird is a motorcycle made by the Triumph worker's co-operative at the Meriden factory from 1981 to 1983. The TR65 was a reintroduction of the Triumph Thunderbird model name first used on the original 6T Thunderbird of 1 ...
's engine was more suitable off-road so it was not surprising that a 650cc version of the Tiger Trail, the TR65T, was introduced for 1982. This was despite opposition from Meriden's non-executive board member and political sponsor
Geoffrey Robinson
Geoffrey Robinson (born 25 May 1938) is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Coventry North West for 43 years, from 1976 to 2019. He was Paymaster General from May 1997 to December 1998, resigning after ...
that both this, a proposed 125cc learner motorcycle and the 650cc
Triumph TR65 Thunderbird
The Triumph TR65 Thunderbird is a motorcycle made by the Triumph worker's co-operative at the Meriden factory from 1981 to 1983. The TR65 was a reintroduction of the Triumph Thunderbird model name first used on the original 6T Thunderbird of 1 ...
itself would take away sales from the more profitable 750cc range. The co-operative's board stated justification was that sales of the 650cc models were not substitutes for the 750cc range but were instead incremental leading up to the eventual purchase of the larger models.
Despite this, both the 750cc and 650cc Tiger Trails were marketed at the same price, the smaller bike justifying this by being to a higher specification with a tachometer and centre stand fitted as standard.
Press reviews of both versions of the bike were generally favourable but with often common criticism particularly of the off-road-biassed Mudplugger tyres' road and wet weather performance,
as well as the overall weight, suspension travel off-road, and a too short protective engine guard.
In comparison with market rivals, the BMW R80G/S and the
Moto Morini
Moto Morini is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded by Alfonso Morini in Bologna, in 1937.
Earlier, Morini had also manufactured motorcycles together with Mario Mazzetti under the name MM. Moto Morini came under Cagiva control in 1987, t ...
Camel, the Tiger Trail did well, German magazine ''
Motorrad Motorrad is the German word for motorcycle.
* ''Motorrad'' (magazine), German motorcycle magazine
* BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand of BMW, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division. It has produced motorcycles sin ...
'' judging the 750 cc engine superior
and
''SuperBike'' placing the 650 cc version second to the Camel off-road (with the BMW R80G/S being third) and second to the BMW on-road.
Testing the TR7T, Dutch publication, ''Motor'', adjudged it very comfortable but functional, it's off-road performance 'surprisingly good'; particularly on sand being 'pure pleasure'. ''SuperBike'' tested the TR7T, calling it, 'an attractive, alternative, serious dirt bike' and 'a hand-crafted, quality, all-rounder.'
Both models were deleted from general production at the end of 1982 due to lack of demand, popularity only ever having been gained in Australia, Germany and Switzerland. The last TR7T was completed as part of a Ministry of Defence order entering service on 9 August 1982 until 20 April 1989.
TR7T description
With the exception of the aforementioned white military 750 cc Tiger Trail, the model came in one colour only, 'Sunburst Yellow', and featured yellow plastic mudguards and side panels. The petrol tank of the smaller two gallon 'USA' type in the same colour, had a stylised 'T' decal affixed on either side, the first use of main styling decals for Triumph. The tank had two Italian Paioli petrol taps for main and reserve. The 'semi-western' handlebars, braced and fitted with
Dohertey rubber grips, together with the
petrol filler cap
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic com ...
were black powder-coated whilst the two-into-one exhaust system and silencer were black chromed.
The tachometer was omitted, its pod being filled with a warning light panel and ignition switch. Braking was by the standard
Automotive Products
Automotive Products, commonly abbreviated to AP, was an automotive industry components company set up in 1920 by Edward Boughton, Willie Emmott and Denis Brock, to import and sell American-made components to service the fleet of ex-military truc ...
Lockheed 10.25 inch front brake and a newly introduced 7 inch single-leading-shoe rear drum brake. The turn indicators, not featured in the 1981/1982 brochure photo, were black plastic
ULO items from Germany who also supplied the rear stoplamp. Also German were the rear view mirrors by
Bumm.
Rear suspension
Suspension is the system of tires, tire air, springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels and allows relative motion between the two. Suspension systems must support both road holding/ handling and ride q ...
were
Marzocchi
Marzocchi is an Italian manufacturer founded in 1949 by brothers Stefano and Guglielmo Marzocchi. The company profile doesn't include hydraulic industrial pumps anymore but only suspension components for motorcycles and bicycles. The Marzocchi Pom ...
'Euro 74' units from Italy, at 335mm, 22 mm longer than either the standard
Girling units or Marzocchi types later fitted to road models. The
front suspension
Front may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film
* ''The Front'', 1976 film
Music
*The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and ea ...
was the same as for road models albeit with gaitors fitted as standard and sharing the satin black finish for the range that season.
The front wheel rim was 3.00 x 21 inches and like the rear, a 4.00 x 18 inch item, was a chromed item supplied by the Italian firm,
Radaelli Radaelli is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Fernando Chemin Radaelli (born 1982), Brazilian footballer
*Giuseppe Radaelli (1833–1882), Milanese fencer and soldier
*Mario Radaelli (1912 – ?), Italian hurdler
*Mauro ...
, both featuring
security bolts and both shod with
Avon Mudplugger dual purpose tyres.
The
headlamp
A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for ...
was smaller than on the road models in size, its bucket finished in satin black and sporting a separate chromed mesh
stone guard
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
. The seat was a 3/4 length item, unique to the model. A black-painted bash plate was fitted to the underside of the frame stopping just short of the sump plate. The
silencer was a cut-and-shut version of the standard roadster 'barrel' type. The centre stand was an optional item with only a
sidestand
A kickstand is a device on a bicycle or motorcycle that allows the bike to be kept upright without leaning against another object or the aid of a person. A kickstand is usually a piece of metal that flips down from the frame and makes contac ...
originally supplied. Pillion footrests, too, were omitted, the high level silencer precluding passengers. Later production models cured this by fitting a wire guard to the silencer and a footrest extended out to clear the same. No passenger
grabrail was ever fitted. Rider footrests were short, black-painted metal items that, unlike the roadster models, were not rubber mounted but could fold back against a spring.
TR65T description
![1983 Triumph TR65T Tiger Trail 650 motorcycle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/1983_Triumph_TR65T_Tiger_Trail_650_motorcycle.jpg)
The 650 cc TR65T Tiger Trail came out in early 1982 and was based around the newly introduced
Triumph TR65 Thunderbird
The Triumph TR65 Thunderbird is a motorcycle made by the Triumph worker's co-operative at the Meriden factory from 1981 to 1983. The TR65 was a reintroduction of the Triumph Thunderbird model name first used on the original 6T Thunderbird of 1 ...
engine albeit suitably altered for the trail and with
electronic ignition
An ignition system generates a spark or heats an electrode to a high temperature to ignite a fuel-air mixture in spark ignition internal combustion engines, oil-fired and gas-fired boilers, Rocket engine#Ignition, rocket engines, etc. The widest ...
.
Whilst the press road test version was finished exactly as per the 750 cc model, the 1982/1983 brochure shows the 650 cc version, again in 'Sunburst Yellow' (''Bike'' also reported a 'Lime Green' colour scheme for the TR65T which only appeared on Triumph's exhibition stand at the 1981
Earls Court
Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...
Motorcycle show with a perforated sheet alloy guard curved over a TR7T silencer), to have different stylised 'T' tank decals with longer tails, the engine completely finished in satin black, a rectangular box
silencer with perforated sheet alloy guard, extended bash plate, 'dog leg' clutch and front brake levers, no headlamp stoneguard, centrestand as standard and the adoption of the roadster's instrumentation with centralised ignition/warning lamp panel and
tachometer
A tachometer (revolution-counter, tach, rev-counter, RPM gauge) is an instrument measuring the rotation speed of a shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. The device usually displays the revolutions per minute (RPM) on a calibrated anal ...
.
Passenger footpegs on the 1982/3 brochure TR65T (and like the example held by the
London Motorcycle Museum
London Motorcycle Museum displayed a range of over 150 classic and British motorcycles. It closed in October 2019, partly due to inability to meet the running costs.
A charitable trust, it opened in May 1999 at Oldfield Lane South, Greenford, ...
), in the absence of the usual subframe footrest brackets (omitted to accommodate the new style muffler/silencer), were instead welded upon the
swingarm
A swingarm, or "swinging arm" (UK), originally known as a swing fork or pivoted fork, is a single or double sided mechanical device which attaches the rear wheel of a motorcycle to its body, allowing it to pivot vertically. The main component of ...
as on the 1973/4
TR5T Trophy Trail. However, the TR65T press bike supplied to ''Dirt Bike Rider'', ''Motorcycling'', ''The Biker'' and
''SuperBike'' did not feature this or any cosmetic change from the TR7T. Ex-
International Six Days Trials Gold Medallist,
Ken Heanes
Ken or KEN may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer.
* ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film.
* ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine.
* Ken Masters, a main character in t ...
, reported on a TR65T for ''Dirt Bike Rider'' (which erroneously referred to it as a TR7T in their by-line to the piece), rating it very highly as a competition machine.
References
Sources
* Roy Bacon ''Triumph T140 Bonneville & Derivatives'' (Niton press)
* Harry Woolridge ''Triumph Trophy & Tiger Bible'' (Veloce Press)
{{Triumph motorcycles Meriden
Tiger Trail
Motorcycles powered by straight-twin engines