Triumph Tigress That was then...
The Motor Cycle magazine was full of praise for Triumph’s latest product. How much of this was justified, and how much was out of loyalty to the manufacturer, is purely a matter of speculation.
249cc Triumph Tigress
Sleek overhead valve twin-cylinder scooter providing comfort and economy with a high standard of mechanical and exhaust quietness.
Outstanding cleanliness of line is but one striking feature of the Triumph Tigress TW2, most recent creation from the versatile Edward Turner’s drawing board. Beneath the Tigress’ sleek bodywork (finished in metalescent blue) is a lusty 249cc overhead valve, twin-cylinder designed more on car than on orthodox motorcycle or scooter lines. Among the more unusual features of the power unit is an oversquare bore and stroke ratio (56 x 50.62mm). A single light alloy die casting is utilised for the cylinder block, crankcase and gearbox shell and the cylinder liners are cast in. Lubrication is on the wet sump principle with the oil contained in a deep steel pan of 2.5 pints capacity bolted to the underside of the crankcase. The valves are disposed laterally across the head: The inlet valves are vertical while the exhaust valves are steeply inclined to the right and left of the unit. Exhaust gases are therefore discharged sideways and the twin exhaust pipes lead to a bulbous, triangular silencer with a single outlet located in the tail of the body pressings.
The engine displays a number of attractive characteristics. For example, the combination of twin-cylinders and coil ignition provides true tickle starting. From cold it is necessary only to open the fuel tap by exerting an upward pull, open the starting jet by depressing a rod atop the Zenith carburettor, switch on the ignition and, with a TW2/S version such as that tested, pull the knob of the electric starter switch. The response was invariably instantaneous. After a few seconds the throttle could be opened, thus automatically closing the starting jet. Immediately, even with the engine temperature just above stone cold, the idling speed was low, regular and reliable. On the TW2/S model the kick-starter is retained. Starting by that means was equally effortless, even with the emergency circuit in use whereby the twin six-volt batteries are switched out of circuit and current is fed to the ignition coils direct from the alternator. As soon as the engine fired, the batteries could be brought back into circuit.
In general, the clutch freed perfectly but the plates were reluctant to free after, say, an overnight stop. Clean engagement of bottom gear on such occasions demanded that the clutch should first be freed by depressing the kickstarter with the clutch disengaged before the engine was started. Thereafter the clutch freed completely and was smooth and snatch free in its take up of the drive. Clutch actuation was finger light.
Gear changing is by means of a rocking pedal protruding through the floor for convenient operation by the rider’s right foot. To engage bottom gear from neutral the pedal is moved forward. To make subsequent upward changes the pedal is moved backward (and of course forward again to change down). The change is ultrafast, light and positive. Changes were usually accomplished by a click that could be heard rather than felt as the pinions engaged. The very light pedal movement resulted in neutral being somewhat elusive from bottom or second gear when the machine was at rest with the engine idling. A neutral-selector pedal protrudes through the floor, close to the position occupied by the rider’s right heel. But, it too, proved not always positive.
Mechanical and exhaust quietness are of a very high order. At idling speeds the machine was inaudible to a person only a few feet away. Ridden normally in traffic, the Tigress could barely be heard by the rider above the sound of other vehicles. Acceleration was extremely brisk, so much so that from traffic halts the machine could be swept ahead of the traffic stream within a few yards, and without fuss or ostentation. On the open road the Tigress would cruise comfortably
Acceleration was extremely brisk, so much so that from traffic halts the machine could be swept ahead of the traffic stream within a few yards
at 55mph, whether one-up or two-up and would breast normal main road gradients with barely any slackening of its gait.
There was virtually no vibration and pinking occurred only when commercial grades of fuel were used. Bottom end power was excellent and brisk acceleration could be achieved from as low as 10mph in third gear. From a standing start the Tigress covered a measured quarter mile in 22 seconds. As for fuel consumption, it varied between 75 and 85mpg, depending on whether it was being used in or out of town. Even for economy of that order, the fuel tank capacity, at 1.5 gallons, was considered barely adequate.
Full marks were awarded to the riding position. The seat height is 28in, which means that riders of below-average stature can place both feet firmly on the ground. Concealed within its shapely pressed cover plate, the handlebar provided a natural angle for the wrists. (A snag about the shroud was that it obscured the 40mph mark on the speedometer.) The reach to the front brake and clutch levers was such that they required no great hand span. The twin seat proved a shade hard after three consecutive hours had been spent on it and it became warm from the heat of the engine, particularly in traffic.
The front suspension layout, though unconventional, provided comfort of a very high order. At the base of the steering column is a forked yoke, from which two parallel telescopic members project downward on the left hand side. The forward leg embodies hydraulic damping while the rearward member houses the spring. The sliding ends of the units are formed in a light-alloy casting which carries the stub axle and serves also as the brake plate. The action was firm enough to eliminate any tendency to pitching yet soft enough to take care of road irregularities at in-town speeds. The rear springing too, is hydraulically damped and it provided satisfactory comfort whether the machine was being ridden one up or with a pillion passenger.
Wheel diameter is 10in, a factor that contributed to the machine’s good stability. At traffic light halts the machine was normally ridden to a dead stop before it was necessary to drop a foot. The angle of bank on left hand corners was limited by the centre stand which occasionally grounded.
One of the most outstanding features of the Tigress in the early stages was the potency of the front and rear brakes. The machine could be stopped in 36 feet from 30mph. However, after some 1000 miles had been covered the rear brake lost a good deal of its efficiency.
Among the extra accessories fitted to the test model was a handlebar screen which, in conjunction with the weathershield, provided exemplary weather protection. More than that, when the machine was used in wet weather the body remained free from wash at the wheels. Also fitted were a spare wheel and carrier, both available at extra charge.
For night riding the beam provided by the headlamp was more than adequate for the machine’s full performance. The fact that the lamp is mounted on the weathershield and hence does not turn with the front wheel was inconvenient only when the scooter was being wheeled in awkward passageways or being ridden in rural areas along winding lanes.
The Tigress is finished in shell-blue sheen and chromium plated beading embellishes the footboard and weathershield edges. The effect is one of extreme smartness.