TR7T Tiger Trail
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The Triumph Tiger Trail was a motorcycle model manufactured by Triumph Motorcycles at the Meriden factory. The Tiger Trail was made from 1981 to 1982 in both 750 cc (TR7T) and 650 cc (TR65T) capacities, and under 180 examples were built. Emission regulations precluded export to the USA but otherwise the model was available to all Triumph's other markets particularly in many
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nations and western Europe.


History

Triumph manufactured the Tiger Trail in response to their French importers', C.G.C.I.M., request for a large capacity dual purpose machine to compete with the
BMW R80G/S The BMW R 80 G/S is a motorcycle that was manufactured in Berlin, Germany, by BMW Motorrad from 1980 to 1987. Production totalled 21,864 bikes. It was the first in the BMW GS family of specialised Dual-sport motorcycle, dual-sport bikes, of whic ...
model. The importers had visited Meriden with a prototype based around the
Triumph Bonneville T140 The Triumph Bonneville T140 is a standard motorcycle with a capacity engine that was designed and built by Triumph Engineering at Meriden near Coventry. The T140 was a continuation of the second generation in the Bonneville series develope ...
which the factory judged too powerful. Instead, Meriden's director of engineering
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based the proposed model around the 750 cc TR7V
Triumph Tiger Triumph Tiger is a name used by a number of former ...
with its single 30 mm Amal carburettor and
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by
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. Alterations included lowering the compression giving at 6,500 rpm and fitting
camshaft A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition syst ...
profiles from the
Triumph Trident The Triumph Trident is a Straight-three engine, three-cylinder motorcycle of either 750 cc or 900 cc capacity. These bikes were produced from 1991 to 1998 at Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, by Triumph Motorcycles Ltd, the successo ...
. The secondary gearing was also altered by fitting an 18-tooth gearbox sprocket and 47-tooth rear chain sprocket. Overall weight was down from the road models to dry. To this end, with two exceptions to fulfill a Trinidad police order, no electric start was fitted as standard. A factory decal advised not travelling beyond upon the standard tyres, although top speed was tested as reaching just over . The 750 cc model was first shown by the factory at the 1980 Paris motorcycle show and introduced for the 1981/1982 season. ''Bike'' magazine reported that the French importers were to have entered two 750 cc Tiger Trail bikes in the
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. Certainly, French magazine ''Moto Verte'' entered and reported upon a 750 cc Tiger Trail in the Paris-Tunis rally and whilst failing to finish, praised the engine feeling only suspension adjustments rather a complete chassis redesign was needed. Competition success soon came in June 1981 when Tony Beaumont of the Federation of Police Motor Clubs team sponsored by
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beat BMW R80G/S and Japanese opposition to win the 750 cc and above class of the Rallye des Pyrénées, a tough on/off-road timed race.''Tiger Feat'' (''Classic Bike'') September 2012 Triumph exploited this fact both in press advertisements and in a publicity poster featuring their sales manager Bob Haines leaping through the air upon a TR7T, describing it as "The Bike For Adventure". An Englishman, Jez Billing, rode a suitably modified 750 cc Tiger Trail in his around-the-world attempt from 1986 to 1988. White Tiger Trails were also made for the
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sponsored
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display team.Rosamond, John (2009),''Save The Triumph Bonneville ! The Inside Story Of The Meriden Workers' Co-Op'', Veloce Publishing The frames of these white Tigers omitted the
pillion A pillion is a secondary pad, cushion, or seat behind the main seat or saddle on a motorcycle or moped. A passenger in this seat is said to "ride pillion". The word is derived from the Scottish Gaelic for "little rug", ''pillean'', from the Latin ...
footrest brackets to accommodate the new silencer which was of a different box-type design whilst their tanks sported metal badges instead of decals and being of later Italian manufacture, had 'flip-up' petrol caps. The front mudguard also had a perforated lower end. In their review of the TR7T, ''
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'' had suggested that the recently introduced
Triumph TR65 Thunderbird The Triumph TR65 Thunderbird is a motorcycle made by the Triumph Engineering Co Ltd#The Meriden Motorcycle Co-operative, Triumph worker's co-operative at the Meriden, West Midlands, Meriden factory from 1981 to 1983. The TR65 was a reintroducti ...
's engine was more suitable off-road so it was not surprising that a 650cc version of the Tiger Trail, the TR65T, was introduced for 1982. This was despite opposition from Meriden's non-executive board member and political sponsor Geoffrey Robinson that both this, a proposed 125cc learner motorcycle and the 650cc
Triumph TR65 Thunderbird The Triumph TR65 Thunderbird is a motorcycle made by the Triumph Engineering Co Ltd#The Meriden Motorcycle Co-operative, Triumph worker's co-operative at the Meriden, West Midlands, Meriden factory from 1981 to 1983. The TR65 was a reintroducti ...
itself would take away sales from the more profitable 750cc range. The co-operative's board stated justification was that sales of the 650cc models were not substitutes for the 750cc range but were instead incremental leading up to the eventual purchase of the larger models. Despite this, both the 750cc and 650cc Tiger Trails were marketed at the same price, the smaller bike justifying this by being to a higher specification with a tachometer and centre stand fitted as standard. Press reviews of both versions of the bike were generally favourable but with often common criticism particularly of the off-road-biassed Mudplugger tyres' road and wet weather performance, as well as the overall weight, suspension travel off-road, and a too short protective engine guard. In comparison with market rivals, the BMW R80G/S and the
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Camel, the Tiger Trail did well, German magazine ''
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'' judging the 750 cc engine superior and ''SuperBike'' placing the 650 cc version second to the Camel off-road (with the BMW R80G/S being third) and second to the BMW on-road. Testing the TR7T, Dutch publication, ''Motor'', adjudged it very comfortable but functional, it's off-road performance 'surprisingly good'; particularly on sand being 'pure pleasure'. ''SuperBike'' tested the TR7T, calling it, 'an attractive, alternative, serious dirt bike' and 'a hand-crafted, quality, all-rounder.' Both models were deleted from general production at the end of 1982 due to lack of demand, popularity only ever having been gained in Australia, Germany and Switzerland. The last TR7T was completed as part of a Ministry of Defence order entering service on 9 August 1982 until 20 April 1989.


TR7T description

With the exception of the aforementioned white military 750 cc Tiger Trail, the model came in one colour only, 'Sunburst Yellow', and featured yellow plastic mudguards and side panels. The petrol tank of the smaller two gallon 'USA' type in the same colour, had a stylised 'T' decal affixed on either side, the first use of main styling decals for Triumph. The tank had two Italian Paioli petrol taps for main and reserve. The 'semi-western' handlebars, braced and fitted with Doherty rubber grips, together with the petrol filler cap were black powder-coated whilst the two-into-one exhaust system and silencer were black chromed. The tachometer was omitted, its pod being filled with a warning light panel and ignition switch. Braking was by the standard
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Lockheed 10.25 inch front brake and a newly introduced 7 inch single-leading-shoe rear drum brake. The turn indicators, not featured in the 1981/1982 brochure photo, were black plastic ULO items from Germany who also supplied the rear stoplamp. Also German were the rear view mirrors by Bumm.
Rear suspension Suspension is the system of tires, tire air, spring (device), springs, shock absorbers and Linkage (mechanical), linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels and allows relative motion between the two. Suspension systems must support b ...
were
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'Euro 74' units from Italy, at 335mm, 22 mm longer than either the standard Girling units or Marzocchi types later fitted to road models. The front suspension was the same as for road models albeit with gaitors fitted as standard and sharing the satin black finish for the range that season. The front wheel rim was 3.00 x 21 inches and like the rear, a 4.00 x 18 inch item, was a chromed item supplied by the Italian firm, Radaelli, both featuring security bolts and both shod with Avon Mudplugger dual purpose tyres. The
headlamp A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for t ...
was smaller than on the road models in size, its bucket finished in satin black and sporting a separate chromed mesh stone guard. The seat was a 3/4 length item, unique to the model. A black-painted bash plate was fitted to the underside of the frame stopping just short of the sump plate. The silencer was a cut-and-shut version of the standard roadster 'barrel' type. The centre stand was an optional item with only a sidestand originally supplied. Pillion footrests, too, were omitted, the high level silencer precluding passengers. Later production models cured this by fitting a wire guard to the silencer and a footrest extended out to clear the same. No passenger grabrail was ever fitted. Rider footrests were short, black-painted metal items that, unlike the roadster models, were not rubber mounted but could fold back against a spring.


TR65T description

The 650 cc TR65T Tiger Trail came out in early 1982 and was based around the newly introduced
Triumph TR65 Thunderbird The Triumph TR65 Thunderbird is a motorcycle made by the Triumph Engineering Co Ltd#The Meriden Motorcycle Co-operative, Triumph worker's co-operative at the Meriden, West Midlands, Meriden factory from 1981 to 1983. The TR65 was a reintroducti ...
engine albeit suitably altered for the trail and with
electronic ignition Ignition systems are used by heat engines to initiate combustion by igniting the fuel-air mixture. In a spark ignition versions of the internal combustion engine (such as petrol engines), the ignition system creates a spark to ignite the fuel-air ...
. Whilst the press road test version was finished exactly as per the 750 cc model, the 1982/1983 brochure shows the 650 cc version, again in 'Sunburst Yellow' (''Bike'' also reported a 'Lime Green' colour scheme for the TR65T which only appeared on Triumph's exhibition stand at the 1981
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Motorcycle show with a perforated sheet alloy guard curved over a TR7T silencer), to have different stylised 'T' tank decals with longer tails, the engine completely finished in satin black, a rectangular box silencer with perforated sheet alloy guard, extended bash plate, 'dog leg' clutch and front brake levers, no headlamp stoneguard, centrestand as standard and the adoption of the roadster's instrumentation with centralised ignition/warning lamp panel and
tachometer A tachometer (revolution-counter, tach, rev-counter, RPM gauge) is an instrument measuring the rotation speed of a axle, shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. The device usually displays the revolutions per minute (RPM) on a calibrat ...
. Passenger footpegs on the 1982/3 brochure TR65T (and like the example held by the
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), in the absence of the usual subframe footrest brackets (omitted to accommodate the new style muffler/silencer), were instead welded upon the
swingarm A swingarm ( or swinging arm), originally known as a swing fork or pivoted fork, is a single or double sided mechanical device which attaches the rear wheel of a motorcycle to its body, allowing it to pivot vertically. The main component of the ...
as on the 1973/4 TR5T Trophy Trail. However, the TR65T press bike supplied to ''Dirt Bike Rider'', ''Motorcycling'', ''The Biker'' and ''SuperBike'' did not feature this or any cosmetic change from the TR7T. Ex- International Six Days Trials Gold Medallist, Ken Heanes, reported on a TR65T for ''Dirt Bike Rider'' (which erroneously referred to it as a TR7T in their by-line to the piece), rating it very highly as a competition machine.


References


Sources

* Roy Bacon ''Triumph T140 Bonneville & Derivatives'' (Niton press) * Harry Woolridge ''Triumph Trophy & Tiger Bible'' (Veloce Press) {{Triumph motorcycles Meriden Tiger Trail Motorcycles powered by straight-twin engines