Triumph Speed Twin 5T
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| Triumph Speed Twin | |
| Manufacturer | |
|---|---|
| Also called | Speed Twin 5T |
| Production | 1937 |
| Engine | Twin, OHV |
| Compression ratio | 7:1 |
| Top Speed | 145 km/h / 90 mph |
| Ignition | 6V, magdyno |
| Transmission | 4 Speed |
| Suspension | Front: Girder Rear: Rigid, spring loaded saddle |
| Brakes | Front: Drum, 178 mm / 7 in Rear: Drum, 178 mm / 7 in |
| Weight | 166 kg / 365 lbs (dry), |
| Manuals | Service Manual |
It could reach a top speed of 145 km/h / 90 mph.
Engine[edit | edit source]
The engine was a Air cooled cooled Twin, OHV. The engine featured a 7:1 compression ratio.
Drive[edit | edit source]
Power was moderated via the Wet, multi-plate.
Chassis[edit | edit source]
Stopping was achieved via Drum, 178 mm / 7 in in the front and a Drum, 178 mm / 7 in in the rear. The front suspension was a Girder while the rear was equipped with a Rigid, spring loaded saddle. The bike weighed just 166 kg / 365 lbs.
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
Triumph Speed Twin 5T
Today it's easy to overlook just how radical this bike was when introduced. But
Edward Turner's masterpiece was a wake up call to rival manufacturers that the
day of the single was coming to an end, and that "multis" were in the
ascendancy. The Speed Twin's revolutionary "built up" crankshaft coupled with
innovative alloys and a simple, compact design gave Triumph the performance edge
it needed to boost it from the 1930s doldrums. This bike, incidentally, was
built at Triumph's Dale Street works in Coventry.
The bike that helped bring the post-Victorian, Empire building, white-is-right Brits up to swarthy continental speeds was the 37 Triumph Speed Twin, one of the shrewdest, slickest, most accomplished commercial moves in the history of British biking.
Designed by Edward Turner, then managing director of Triumph Engineering Company Ltd, the Speed Twin gave the market exactly what it needed (but didnt know it wanted) and at a time when it would most appreciate it.
This, after all, was the era of increasingly worrying Spanish, Italian and German fascism; an age when, having endured the war to end all wars and having struggled through years of depression, Britain was desperate for somethinganythingto help lift the gloom and roll out a carpet to a better, cleaner, brighter and faster future.
Not that the Speed Twin alone was the panacea the country needed. But it was, however, a small and very distinct gem twinkling in a world of despair that would become hugely more despairing less than two years later.
| Make Model | Triumph Speed Twin 5T |
|---|---|
| Year | 1937 |
| Engine Type | Twin, OHV |
| Displacement | 498 cc / 30.4 cub in. |
| Bore X Stroke | 63 x 80 mm |
| Cooling System | Air cooled |
| Compression | 7:1 |
| Exhaust | Two-into-two, chrome |
| Ignition | 6V, magdyno |
| Starting | Kick |
| Max Power | 20.9 kW / 28 hp @ 6000 rpm |
| Clutch | Wet, multi-plate |
| Transmission | 4 Speed |
| Final Drive | Chain |
| Front Suspension | Girder |
| Rear Suspension | Rigid, spring loaded saddle |
| Front Brakes | Drum, 178 mm / 7 in |
| Rear Brakes | Drum, 178 mm / 7 in |
| Wheels Front | 3.25 x 20 in |
| Wheels Rear | 3.50 x 19 in |
| Dry Weight | 166 kg / 365 lbs |
| Top Speed | 145 km/h / 90 mph |
| Colours | Black, Maroon with gold striping |