c1967 Triumph TR6 Trophy 650cc Motorcycle

Description

Originally introduced in 1956 as a replacement for the successful T110, the TR6 was initially known with the 'Trophy-bird' model designation, a nod to the famous Triumph Thunderbird bikes of the past. The 650cc 'Parallel Twin' motor was taken from the T110 but was given a new alloy cylinder head and initially produced 42bhp. A competition variant, known as the 'Desert Sled', was very successful in several forms of bike racing and was known to be a favourite of the actor Steve McQueen- in fact a TR6 was used in one of his big movies, 1963's The Great Escape. For 1961 the TR6 lost the Trophy-bird name and from that point on they were known more simply as Trophies. American markets received TR6C (competition) and TR6R (road) designations. In 1963 a big step forward was made when the bikes moved to unitary construction, and in 1967 a compression ratio hike (to 9:1) and the adoption of the big-banger Bonneville's exhaust valve resulted in a 5bhp power increase. Whilst only 262 'home-market' TR6 were built for 1967, the total production including the American market and Police specials reached over 7000 units for the first time.