Triumph Motorcycle Models

Triumph was started by two Germans, Siegfried Bettman and Mauritz Schulte, and was the company was founded in 1886 making bicycles and based in Coventry. A quarrel led to a split and Schulte continued, focusing on simple reliable machines. Triumph hit financial problems in the 1930's during the depression, and was sold to Ariel in 1936. It was at this point that Edward Turner was appointed Chief Designer, and within a year the '500cc Speed-Twin' was born. In 1951 the company was taken over by BSA and other famous models followed, such as the 'Bonneville' in 1959 and 'Trident' in 1969 but by the early eighties production was slowly coming to an end.