From the Meriden Triumph factory production records held by the Vintage Motor Cycle Club, that TR65, made on 1 June 1983, was the last 650 cc motorcycle and the second last motorcycle made at Meriden before the factory's closure that August. The prototype Thunderbird 600 was converted by the factory into a conventional TR65 to fulfil a Ministry Of Defence order.
The scheduled price for this model was £2,181. Planned for 1984, a custom-styled and further sleeved-down TR60 600 cc Thunderbird was exhibited but not produced, the co-operative closing down towards the end of 1983. By then, polished alloy or chromed parts replaced the budget satin black engine finish on the initial 1981 model specification.Ī trail version of the TR65, the TR65T, was also introduced in 1981 but, likely as it was priced the same as the 750 cc version, suffered poor sales and was dropped from the range in late 1982. The economy finish was upgraded for 1982 'export' models although the contact breaker points and drum rear brake remained.ġ983 Triumph Thunderbird with merged exhaust system. The TR65 was priced upon introduction at £1,829.82. Respecting its lineage, the model retained the Turner-designed 'paper dart' logo on its side panels but with a different, updated 'Thunderbird' script. Moreover, whereas Triumph's 750cc range had electronic ignition, the TR65 was fitted with contact breaker points. The Triumph TR65 Thunderbird 650 cc parallel-twin was a short-stroke version of the 750 cc T140 Bonneville engine and was the cheapest model in Triumph's range with budget features such as a drum rather than disc rear brake, the absence of a tachometer, a merged exhaust system, painted rather than polished alloy and economy Dunlop Gold Seal tyres. The Triumph worker's co-operative at the Meriden factory re-introduced the Thunderbird model name to their range in April 1981. Triumph Meriden co-operative: TR65 Thunderbird A 1966 Thunderbird was prominently used by the leads in the popular 2006 romance film, Once. Throughout this time, however, the Thunderbird retained its distinctive nacelle. Before then, in 1963, the Thunderbird, along with Triumph's other 650 cc models, was given the Turner-designed unit engine. This unpopular feature, dropped quickly in the USA market, remained in ever-abbreviated forms for the home market until disappearing altogether for the final year of production, 1966. įrom 1960, the Thunderbird acquired Turner's rear fairing nicknamed the 'bathtub' on account of its shape. In the book Triumph Motorcycles In America, there is reproduced a letter from Triumph's importers objecting to the producers as to the use of their machine in this film about rowdy motorcycle gangs. Triumph obtained further lasting publicity with Marlon Brando's 1953 motion picture The Wild One, in which he rode a 1950 6T Thunderbird. All three machines were ridden to the circuit and back to the Meriden factory. The 6T Thunderbird was launched publicly at Montlhéry near Paris, where three standard-production bikes were ridden around a circuit by a team of riders who between them averaged a speed of 92 mph (148 km/h) over a distance of 500 miles (800 km).
#1950 TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD 6T FOR SALE FULL VERSION#
Note the nacelle, the merged exhaust system and the full version of the unpopular bathtub rear fairing. Previously, it appeared as a decal on the headlamp nacelle.ġ962 Triumph Thunderbird, the last with the 'pre-unit' engine. The 'paper dart' logo was embossed onto the chain case cover on Thunderbirds from 1955 to 1962 and can be seen upon closer examination on the supplied photograph of the 1962 model.
The concept of enlarging the Speed Twin, the Thunderbird name and its 'paper dart' logo were thought up by managing director Edward Turner on one of his regular trips to Triumph's operations in the USA. To capture the American market, the 6T Thunderbird used a variant of the earlier Speed Twin's parallel twin engine, bored out from 500 cc to 650 cc to give the added horsepower American customers demanded.
Original Triumph: 6T Thunderbird Replica of Marlon Brando's mildly customised 1950 6T Triumph Thunderbird from The Wild One, surrounded by publicity stills from the film
The name was used three more times for new and distinct Triumph models. The Triumph Thunderbird is a British motorcycle that was introduced by Triumph in 1949 and produced in many forms until 1966.
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