OUR CLASSICS
What it’s like to live with a 1926 500cc, 4.4hp Triumph Model Q
We’ve gone all vintage! Julie Diplock on living with a 1927 4.4hp Triumph Model Q
JULIE DIPLOCK
CB contributor Julie is an active participant in the classic bike scene, organising and participating in various events. Loves a good vintage Triumph.
After my exploits in France this summer on the Model Q, I’ve been asked what it’s like living with a 1926 Triumph. Why do I ride such an unsophisticated old machine, while otherwise normal motorcyclists reckon they could never ride a hand-change bike?
Well, here’s some history. Going by the common wisdom that we all hanker after the machines of our youth, I ought to be a Japanese bike fan, as I passed my test in the late ’70s on a Honda CB250 K4. However, after a spell of dispatch riding with a succession of Hondas, by 1985 I had gone British, swopping my Honda CB500/4 for a 1960 BSA A10 Super Rocket. On the dispatch circuit a good turn of speed was important, and overtaking everything ahead became usual. Once on civvy street, I realised the combination of this style of riding and the natural urge for a bigger, better bike would lead to a loss of licence or worse.
I continued to go back in time, becoming more fascinated with older machinery and the history. Plus, there’s a sense of achievement that comes with mastering the controls and getting a good performance out of an elderly motorcycle.
After a brief foray into ownership of a 1928 300cc sidevalve OK Supreme came the long-term loan of a superb flat-tank Norton 16H to take part in the Banbury Run. Various machines followed, including a 600cc Ariel Square Four and culminating in a 1938 Royal Enfield Model K V-twin solo. The romance of a late ’30s V-twin is shattered when you realise the large capacity and low-down torque were aimed at sidecar and commercial use, where good pulling power trumped handling and acceleration.
After selling the Enfield, my late partner Steve Burniston was at Stafford auction in 1996 when he bought the Triumph on impulse as something to put his money into.
Built at the Priory Street factory in Coventry, the Triumph Model P was launched at the 1924 Olympia Motorcycle Show at a cost-cutting price of £41-10-0d, compared to the equivalent BSA model which cost £45. It was very much made to a budget, and to the casual observer is identical to a 1914 veteran Triumph. It’s surprising that Triumph Motorcycles got away with selling such an old dinosaur, as it still has a manual oil-pump plus, as original, the valves run directly into the head because no valve guides were fitted. This is the upgraded Model Q, with flat handlebars, an improved gudgeon pin and nickel-plating to various
components including the exhaust, silencer and valve caps.
When we bought the bike, it had been asset-stripped of its registration number, speedometer and original lighting set, and was tatty but complete. It was also missing the gearchange quadrant, which made riding it just that bit more challenging – but very satisfying when you got the hang of locating gears solely by feel.
With no speedo, and before the days of satnavs, I used the mileages on direction signs to judge when to pump the oil, which needs to be done every four miles, along the lines of ‘eight miles to Tenterden, so another pump when I’m four miles away’. Goodness knows how Triumph got away with that antiquated hand oil-pump in 1926, but they also claimed just one pump of oil was necessary every 12 miles, which was good for their economy figures but not so good for engine survival. This was proven in 2011 when a dear chum borrowed it to enter the Banbury Run and I didn’t fully explain the workings of the oil-pump! The engine seized up after 14 miles from cold, so I think once every 12 miles might be cutting it a bit fine.
Exterior appearance leads you to believe that the front brake is a fairly standard drum, whereas it’s actually an expanding-band, with a very limited pivot-angle that guarantees extremely limited braking performance. The rear brake is a veteran block-type that operates in the
‘TO A CASUAL OBSERVER IT’S IDENTICAL TO A 1914 TRIUMPH’
vestiges of the belt-drive rim, and is crude but effective. Over the years a gearchange quadrant and speedo have been fitted, and the engine had a rebore and a replacement piston after the 2011 Banbury Run. If you need parts quickly, that can be a problem – but be patient and you can generally find what you need, although we ended up having to fit a modified BSA piston as we couldn’t source an original Triumph piston. Fuel economy is good, but the range is less than 100 miles because the tank is split into two, with one section holding around one gallon of petrol, while the other section holds engine oil.
On the road, despite its 500cc it’s not a fast machine, but that’s in line with the rudimentary suspension and braking. I used to take the view that on modern, sealed roads I should be doing as close to the speed limit as possible in a 30mph limit, and faster on the open road. However, I’ve found that this just isn’t sustainable on long journeys, or over several days of riding.
Personal motorised transport only became available to the masses after the end of the World War I. Less than a decade later, in 1926, people were very pleased to be achieving average speeds of 25mph, as this was far better performance than that of the bicycle they had graduated from – and it could be maintained for comparatively long distances. At 25mph, there’s a lot less wear and tear to both rider and machine, and the lower speed gives enough time to pick your course to negotiate hazards and potholes.
Avoiding hazards results in less stalling, and therefore less restarting and less wear and tear on the rider. As ever, it’s also essential to ride to your brakes. The fast work was left to the racers and dire warnings were published in the motorcycle press that the ‘45mph speed merchant’ would soon come unstuck on the road – at best damaging their machine, at worst coming off.
The Model Q is a great family bike, being sturdy and pretty forgiving to ride. It’s not exotic, but over the years it’s given a lot of people an introduction to vintage motorcycling. It’s slow, it’s old and it’s uncomfortable... but I wouldn’t swap it for the world!
‘THE LOWER SPEED GIVES TIME TO NEGOTIATE POTHOLES’