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Triumph 5T Speed Twin 1955

Absolutely superb Triumph Speed twin 5T this example benefits from an overhaul in 2017 with a number of receipts in the paperwork detailing an engine rebuild among other things. Matching numbers and ready to use!

Although Edward Turner’s Speed Twin caused a sensation when it appeared at the 1937 Motorcycle Show, few of its admirers can have guessed how influential the design would prove to be. True, there had been vertical twins before, but Triumph’s established a formula that would be adopted by all of Britain’s major motorcycle manufacturers in the succeeding decade. And whereas previous vertical twins had suffered from excess bulk, Turner’s was lighter and narrower across the crankcase than the single-cylinder Tiger 90, and from certain angles looked just like a twin-port single. Performance proved exemplary for a road-going 500, better than 100mph being attainable under favourable conditions. The example offered here dates from 1955, by which time the Speed Twin had been upgraded with a stronger 8-stud cylinder barrel (replacing the original 6-stud) and Triumph’s own telescopic front fork.

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