1959 Triumph 490cc 5TA Speed Twin

1959 Triumph 490cc 5TA Speed Twin
Registration no. 217 JKX
Frame no. H10845
Engine no. 5TA H10845
Although Edward Turner's Triumph Speed Twin caused a sensation when it appeared at the 1937 Motorcycle Show, few of its admirers can have guessed how influential the design would prove to be. True, there had been vertical twins before; indeed, Turner's predecessor at Triumph - Val Page - had designed one a few years previously, but Triumph's newcomer established a formula that would be adopted by all of Britain's major motorcycle manufacturers in the succeeding decade.

When Triumph adopted unitary construction for its vertical twins, the 5TA Speed Twin - introduced in September 1958 - would be the second model of this new family, joining the 350cc Twenty One/3TA launched the previous year. The 500 closely followed the lines of its 350 predecessor, there being little to distinguish it mechanically apart from a larger bore, raised gearing, and larger-section rear tyre. The controversial 'bathtub' rear enclosure introduced on the Twenty One was retained, and the Speed Twin came finished in the model's traditional Amaranth Red.

This matching-numbers 5TA Speed Twin comes with photographs showing it in an un-restored, state, though when it was restored to its present condition is not known. Paperwork on file shows that the Triumph was reregistered with its original number, '217 JKX', in 2014. The machine also comes with a dating letter, DVLA correspondence, a V5C Registration Certificate, and an expired MOT (April 2015).