Triumph TSX 750

By 1983, Triumph was once again struggling to survive. Public opinion was being led by the nose by openly hostile media who remained vitriolic about the radical decline of the motorcycle sector that had once buoyed the British economy and the British sense of national pride. Worse still, it was Japanese and German companies who had, in many ways, out-competed the British both on the racetrack and on the saleroom floor.

However, the truth was that the Meriden factory was still populated with dedicated men and women who were producing high-quality machines. Admittedly, upper management had, by this stage, completely lost the plot and was desperately looking for an escape. It came in the form of a property developer who had no personal interest in motorcycles but, rather, liked the site on which the famous Meriden factory was located.

In the midst of all this, the factory workers produced 371 TSX 750s: 100 for the US, 200 for the UK and 71 for the rest of the world. Approximately one-third of that total number of bikes were finished in the black which makes this mint example a very exceptional machine indeed. Essentially a restyled Triumph Bonneville, the TSX was distinguished by its lowered chassis and 16-inch-diameter rear wheel, with the engine offset in the frame to accommodate this. Other changes unique to the model included a stepped seat, black-coated engine casings and engine with polished fins, restyled passenger grab rail, shortened front and rear painted mudguards (the latter having a black plastic mount for the vehicle number plate), mirror-polished alloy, short megaphone mufflers, Morris alloy wheels (then made by Performance Machine) and ‘retro’ graphics.

Paioli rear suspension units, with plastic top shrouds, were sited at a more acute angle further back on the swinging arm to lower the seat height. A Brembo rear brake was fitted in place of the usual Automotive Products (AP) Lockheed item, which remained at the front.

All in all, it was a well-supplied piece of kit for the day and one that now captures a unique and defiant period of Triumph history.