1925 Triumph 550cc Model SD & Gloria Sidecar

Registration no. PR 5358 Frame no. 312873 Engine no. 104127 10R

• An older restoration
• Part of a private museum collection since 2011
• Kept on static display
• Requires re-commissioning

The first Triumph motorcycle of 1902 used a Belgian Minerva engine but within a few years the Coventry firm - originally a bicycle manufacturer founded by German immigrants Siegfried Bettman and Maurice Schulte - was building its own power units. The first of these - a 298cc single-cylinder sidevalve - arrived in 1904. This first engine was not without its weaknesses: pistons and bores wore out quickly and the curious 'tandem downtube' frame in which it was installed broke, but these shortcomings were soon sorted and within a couple of years 'Triumph' was a byword for reliability.

The company was soon involved in racing, and the publicity generated by competition success - Jack Marshall won the 1908 Isle of Man TT's single-cylinder class for Triumph having finished second the previous year - greatly stimulated sales. By the outbreak of The Great War the marque's reputation for quality and reliability was well-established, leading to substantial orders for 'Trusty Triumphs' for British and Allied forces.

Triumph's famous 3½hp model first appeared in 1907. Originally of 453cc, its sidevalve engine was enlarged to 476cc in 1908, and finally to 499cc in 1910 before being superseded by the 4hp (550cc) model in 1914. Equipped with three-speed Sturmey-Archer gearbox, it was Triumph's revised 4hp - the Model H - that did such sterling service in WWI, some 30,000 'Trusty Triumphs' seeing action with Allied forces. Up-dated with chain final drive for 1920, it became known as the 'SD' (Spring Drive) because of its clutch-mounted coil-spring shock absorber, and formed the basis of the later four-valve Ricardo model.

Restored at some point, this beautifully presented Triumph motorcycle combination (featuring Triumph's own Gloria sidecar) has formed part of a private museum collection since 2011. Kept indoors on static display, the machine will require re-commissioning before returning to the road. An ideal mount for next year's Banbury Run.
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