1959 Triumph T110
What’s in a name? The Triumph T100 got its moniker because it would go 100 mph, the T110 because it went 110 mph ? Actually, ‘The Motorcycle’ magazine in Great Britain was only able to get it up to 109 mph but some others claim they got it up to 114 mph…so calling it the 110 seems a pretty good compromise. And, the T120 Bonnevillle (next in line) got its name from a T110 (a highly modified T110 mind you) that went 214.17 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats. As legendary radio broadcaster Paul Harvey would say, “and now you know…the rest of the story”.
The Triumph T110 was first debuted in October of 1953 at the Paris Salon. It was the first Triumph to have a swinging arm rear suspension, (quite an improvement over the plunger rear end), it had a higher compression ratio, different cam and bigger carburetor than its predecessor. The first T110’s came with the cast iron barrels and head but was quickly switched over to the newer, lighter, better alloy head. With all these improvements the new T110 was a great sporting motorcycle. In a few short years however, Triumph brought out the twin carb, lighter, faster Bonneville and the T110 became the ‘red headed stepchild’ in the line. But really, the T110 with its single carb and good (by British standards) reliability, was the better choice for daily riding.
I found a beautiful Triumph T110 on ebay today that is in such a condition that I would not want to change one thing. This particular bike seems to be a bit of a mongrel that came out pretty much right? The seller says it’s a 1955 T110 with a 1959 Bonneville motor and it’s titled as a ’59 T110. It doesn’t really matter, your local DMV will be able to work it out…unless you’re in California.
This Tiger is a rider not a show bike and that’s a great thing. The owner had done all the good services, a bit of upgrading and in general taken good care of the bike. A lot of times I comment that a bike would be a good candidate for the Cafe’ treatment but this particular bike…leave it just as it is. I like the solo seat but the seller also offers up the stock dual seat…nice.
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1959 Triumph T110