1960 Triumph 649cc TR6 Trophy

1960 Triumph 649cc TR6 Trophy
Registration no. 237 XUD
Frame no. D2648
Engine no. TR6 D2648
Success in the International Six Days' Trial (ISDT) in the late 1940s prompted Triumph to adopt the 'Trophy' name for their off-road-styled twins, at first for the 500cc TR5 and then for the 650cc TR6. Introduced for 1956, the 650cc Trophy featured the new aluminium-alloy cylinder head of the Tiger 110 sports roadster. Its off-road pretensions were more style than substance though, amounting to little more than the fitting of a smaller fuel tank, quickly detachable headlamp, and larger-section rear tyre. The Trophy retained its sporting character but became more of a roadster as time passed, ending up, in effect, as a single-carburettor T120 Bonneville when reintroduced, after a five-month absence from the range, in February 1961. More tractable than the Bonnie and more economical too, the Trophy gave little away in terms of outright performance, the bike's standing quarter-mile time and top speed being within a whisker of its twin-carb sibling's.

Supplied new to Comerfords of Thames Ditton, this Trophy is one of the first to be have the duplex frame, which was only manufactured for two years, and it also has more the reliable alternator electrics, replacing the preceding dynamo. The Triumph's current registration dates from 2007. Acquired by the current vendor in April 2011, the machine is offered with photocopies of expired MoTs and V5C documents.