General Information

Serial #

AC01441T150T

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Motorcycle has dark blue-green painted metal gas tank, fenders, etc. Black leather (?) seat; black rubber (?) handgrips. Large round clear glass headlamp mounted in bright chromed housing. Fitted with mirror on handlebar. Bright chromed metal trim. Red synthetic (?) turning lights.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

235.0 cm

Width

95.0 cm

Height

115.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Motorized Ground Transportation

Category

Motorcycle vehicles

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

TRIUMPH

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Unknown

Period

This motorcycle used from the late 1960s to late 1980s.

Canada

As noted in the Historical Assessment on Motorcycles, “Canadians purchased more motorcycles made by British manufacturers than by any other European makers. Especially popular were those from Triumph, Norton, and BSA.” (ref.4) The Triumph Trident is also identified in the ‘Collection Needs’ portion of the Motorcycle Collection Assessment. (Acquisition Proposal Ref.2) This motorcycle is being donated to the Museum by its original purchaser, Mr. Don Lanctot. It is original, showing some age but is complete and in excellent running order. It was used for trips across Canada (all provinces except Newfoundland, no territories) from the late 1960s to the late1980s. This type of motorcycle is very desirable among Vintage and ‘Survivor’ Motorcycle enthusiasts and collectors. (Acquisition Proposal Ref.3)

Function

To provide means of personal transportation.

Technical

The Triumph Trident was the last major motorcycle developed by Triumph Engineering at Meriden, West Midlands. It was a 750cc air-cooled unit construction (the engine and gearbox components share a single casing) overhead valve engine (OVH engine) with four gears and a conventional chassis and suspension. The OVH engine was an improvement over the flathead engine as the camshaft was installed inside the engine block and valves operated through lifters, pushrods and rocker arms. (ref.1) This type of motorcycle was sold under both the Triumph and Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) marques. Its design varied depending on which name is was sold under: vertical cylinders for the T150 Trident and inclined ones for the matching BSA Rocket 3. This difference had a considerable effect on the overall appearance of the two models and on some of the major engine castings, but did allow the Triumph to retain its own engine style. The Trident was part of Triumph's plan to extend the model range beyond their 650 cc parallel twins. Created to meet the demands of the US market, the smooth 750 cc three-cylinder engine had less vibration than the existing 360° twins. Although BSA experienced serious financial difficulties, 27,480 Rocket 3/Tridents were produced during its seven-year history. Industry and the Trident The British motorcycle industry of the 1960s was wrought with competition. The motorcycle audience of this period was changing and with them came a new idea of what the motorcycle should be and how it should look. Most British companies continued to make bikes based on pre-war design but these models did not interest this new generation. Compounding this problem was the rise in sales of Japanese made motorcycles into US/UK markets. Less expensive than domestic machines, they were more reliable, and showed more innovation and engineering than their British counterparts. The Trident exemplifies this dilemma as even though it was introduced in the summer of 1968 to critical acclaim, its success was short-lived. The Honda CB750 was released shortly thereafter and quickly came to dominate the market. [Ref. 1]

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

"TRIUMPH" appears on both sides of gas tank.

Missing

Unknown.

Finish

Motorcycle has dark blue-green painted metal gas tank, fenders, etc. Black leather (?) seat; black rubber (?) handgrips. Large round clear glass headlamp mounted in bright chromed housing. Fitted with mirror on handlebar. Bright chromed metal trim. Red synthetic (?) turning lights.

Decoration

N/A