FOUR FIRST!

Great to see John Young’s 1200 Triumph in RC238. However, the fourth cylinder was most definitely not added on the right. Both triples and fours have their engine centre on the chassis centre line. Because they share the same petrol tank, the cam drive is visible peeping out from under the tank on the wider engine whereas it’s more hidden on the triples.

The fours were actually designed a few months before the triples.

Martyn Roberts, member

It’s kind of difficult to accept that my 1200 Trophy is 32 years old: VMCC eligible! When I started riding in 1977, my first ‘big bike’ after passing my test was a 1961 350cc Triumph 3TA. My riding friends at the time all thought it was really old… 16 years old, half the age of the apparently still-modern Trophy 1200.

John Young, member

I bought a 900 Trident brand new in 1993. I was taking my current bike back to Bridge Garage for its warranty service and it had broken again on the way there. Fed up, I told the workshop foreman not to start the service and was wandering around the showroom looking for something, anything, to get rid of the troublesome and fragile Harley sportster.

I bumped into the salesman who had sold me the piglet, and after a short conversation he threw the keys to the Trident demonstrator at me. He said ‘Go for a ride. Don’t rush, give it an hour or two. I’m going to get my hair cut.’

I came back about 90 minutes later after a mixed ride of small roads, swinging A-roads and a motorway blast. I was thoroughly impressed. A new one was well out of reach financially and I wasn’t prepared to take a loan for a bike. However, the salesman played a blinder. He took me around the corner and showed me a pre-registered, brand new 900 Trident in the browny-red colour. On top of that he gave me what I’d paid for the Harley. The upshot was a new bike for a couple of hundred quid!

Ian Myers, member