BMW & Triumph Motorcycles
Alamo BMW Triumph
25600 IH West, Boerne, Texas 78006 (210) 828-5511
History of BMW Motorcycles
BMW began as an aircraft engine manufacturer before World War I. With the Armistice, the Treaty of Versailles banned any German Air Force and thus there was no need for aero engines. After attempts at other industries, in 1923 it turned to manufacturing motorcycles and saw the arrival of a complete motorcycle under the BMW name, the R32.
In 1937, Ernest Henne rode a supercharged 500cc overhead cam BMW 173.88 mph, setting a world record that stood for 14 years due to the intervention of World War II. Ernest Henne died at the age of 101 in 2005.
During World War II, the BMW motorcycle copied the Zundapp KS750, it performed exceptionally well in the harsh environment of the North African deserts. At the beginning of the war, the German Army needed as many vehicles as it could get of all types. Although motorcycles of every style performed acceptably well in Europe, in the desert the protruding cylinders of the flat-twin engine and shaft drive performed better than vertical and V-twin engines, which overheated in the hot air, and chain-drives, which were damaged by desert sand.
The end of World War II found BMW in ruins. Its plant outside of Munich was destroyed by Allied bombing. After the war the terms of Germany’s surrender forbade BMW from manufacturing motorcycles. Most of BMW’s brightest engineers were taken to the US and the Soviet Union to continue their work on jet engines which BMW produced during the war.
When the ban of on the production of motorcycles was lifted in Allied controlled Western Germany, BMW had to start from scratch. The first post-war BMW motorcycle in Western Germany, a 250cc R24, was produced in 1948. In 1952 BMW introduced its first postwar sporting motorcycle, the R68, the rarest postwar BMW motorcycle.
In the 1950s, motorcycle sales plummeted. In 1954, BMW produced 30,000 motorcycles. By 1957, that number was less than 5,500. However, by the late 1950’s, BMW exported 85 percent of its boxer twin powered motorcycles to the United States.
During the 1960s and 70s, U.S. sales of BMW motorcycles were strong, however, BMW was in financial trouble. Through a combination of selling off its aircraft engine division and obtaining financing, BMW was able to survive. The turnaround was thanks in part to the increasing success of BMW’s automotive division.
The 1970’s brought a revamped product line of 500 cc, 600 cc and 750 cc, 900 cc, and in 1975 the kick starter was eliminated.
In early 1983, BMW introduced the 1000 cc in-line four-cylinder, water-cooled engine to the European market, the K 100. In 1985 the 750 cc three-cylinder version of the new four-cylinder water cooled engine was introduced. The R1000 RT, boxer powered sport touring bike was reintroduced in 1987. In 1989 BMW introduced their full-fairing sport bike, the K1, it’s based upon the K100 engine. During this period, they also introduced the R Series and F Series.
In 2004 the K Series was launched with the K1200, designed as a Super Sport motorcycle. After a few problems were discovered and fixed in 2005, the K 1200 S set a land speed record for production bikes in its class at the Bonneville Salt Flats, exceeding 174 mph.
In October, 2008, BMW launched three new 1300 cc K-series models; the K1300R, K1300S and K1300GT. The K1300 models feature increased in engine capacity and new exhaust systems. For more information about BMW motorcycles, go to www.alamobmw.com or call our sales staff at (210) 828-5511.
History of Triumph Motorcycles
In 1902 the first motorcycle emerged from Triumph’s Coventry works. Known since as “No 1”, it was essentially a strengthened bicycle with a 2.25 bhp Minerva engine gung from the front down tube. Engineer Moritz Schulte chose the Belgian made Minerva engine simply as a matter of quality – he was a perfectionist and, at that time, the cutting edge of internal combustion technology was coming out of continental Europe. By 1905, Triumph had produced an entirely in-house machine, the Model 3PH, capable of reaching speeds of 45 mph.
Triumph motorcycles had proved themselves worthwhile machines and in 1910, a new advance was made to make riding a Triumph even easier – the ‘free engine’ device. This device meant that the engine could be started with the bike on its main starting or pedaling furiously for 30 yards or so. At the outbreak of World War I, the British government placed orders with Triumph in order to equip Army dispatch rider at the front. The Triumph Type H was in service from late 1914 and earned the nickname, ‘the Trusty’ in the face of the mud and misery that existed for its riders in the Great War. The decade ended in a sour note as Schulte parted company with Triumph in 1919 after disagreeing with Triumph Founder, Siegfried Bettmann’s desire to diversify Triumph’s manufacturing capabilities.
In the 1920s, Triumph unveiled another evolutionary motorcycle, the Type SD, the first Triumph chain-driven rear wheel. With a capacity of 550cc it was too big to enter the Senior TT so Triumph developed a new single cylinder engine of 500cc capacity. The ‘Riccy’ as it became known, went on to collect many world speed records, including the flying mile with a speed of 83.91 mph.
During the 1930s, Bettmann was making decisions that would lead his to his firms demise, others, such as John Young Sangster were learning the ropes of the bike industry. Known as Jack, John was the son of Charles Sangster, who until his death in 1934 had headed a large engineering company, Components Ltd. Components Ltd owned Ariel, a firm with a reputation for building top quality motorcycles. Like Triumph, the Great Depression was draining Components Ltd. of cash and in 1932 the company folded but Jack, through his own intuition, networking abilities, private wealth and application of Schulte-style values (rationalization and concentration on few models) turn the Ariel business around.
Triumph in the meantime was struggling, with cars in particular proving extremely difficult to turn a profit. The pedal bike plant went first, in 1932 and then four years later Jack Sangster purchased the motorcycle division. Ironically, Val Page, an ex-Ariel man and extremely talented engine designer had joined Triumph in 1932 and had set about designing a brand new range of bikes. 1937 proved a landmark year for Triumph with the launch of a range of revamped singles (known as Tigers) together with the remarkable 498cc Speed Twin (T100). This model revolutionized motorcycling,it stated well, had a reported top speed of over 90 mph and simply defined everything a modern motorcycle should be.
The outbreak of WWII put a different complexion on Triumph’s commercial aspirations, as all production was geared up for the armed services. Then on the night of November 14, 1940, the Triumph factory was completely demolished in the blitz of Coventry. Undaunted, production was resumed in temporary facilities in Warwick while a new factory was built in Meriden and opened its doors in 1942. Post war sales consisted of three models, and by the end of the decade these bikes had evolved to enclose the headlight and clocks. The off road 500cc Trophy, and 649cc Thunderbird was built in response to an American plea for more power.
The 1950s was a golden decade although it started with the sale of the firm to rivals BSA. Triumph continued to be run separately however and in 1953 a new breed of Triumph bike arrived, the 149 cc OHV Terrier. The 199cc Tiger Club followed a year later, which proved a massively popular bike. The same year also saw the introduction of the Tiger 110, in essence a ‘sports’ makeover of the 649cc Thunderbird twin but with swinging arm rear suspension and a bigger front brake.
In 1955 Johnny Allen set a new world motorcycle speed record of 214.5 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats using a 649cc Triumph engine in a streamlined vehicle. His record was rejected due to alleged timing gear problems but it inspired one of Triumph’s most famous ever motorcycles… The T120 Bonneville.
The 1960s proved a fabulous decade for motorcycles and Triumph had a winning formula. The Bonneville was the definitive sports twin both in Britain and the United States. Socially acceptability of motorcycles was at an all time high. Bikes were appearing in the coolest films along screen stars such as Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando. Added to this was the birth of the rebellious teenager. Triumph’s output peaked at around 50,000 bikes a year with sixty percent exported to the United States.
The 1970s were disastrous for Triumph. With two outsiders had the helm, management as a whole was in a state of flux, constantly changing. Thanks to the internal confusion, and the rapid progress of the Japanese factories, Triumph was in deep trouble. In 1973, in a government sponsored move, a new company was formed, Norton-Villiers-Triumph and moved its headquarters to Small Heath, Birmingham. Although there were some noteworthy bikes build during this period – such as the ’77 Bonneville Jubilee Special and T140D Special with cast wheels – the writing was on the factory wall.
The factory closed in early 1983, the site was bulldozed into rubble in ’84 and houses built. It seemed like the end of the Triumph motorcycle.
Property developer and self-made millionaire John Bloor rescued the Triumph name and a new privately owned company – Triumph Motorcycles Limited – was born. The earlier designs were outdated and pretty much unusable so the new company returned to the drawing board. For three years, the new Triumph Company put plans in action in total silence and secrecy. During this time a new factory was built in Hinckley, Leicestershire and a range of models were developed. Featuring three and four cylinder engines with water-cooling, four valves per cylinder and double overhead camshafts, these were quite unlike anything Triumph had built before.
Six brand new Triumph motorcycles were unveiled to the bike industry and press at the Cologne Show in September 1990. Based around two different engine formations, these models employed a modular concept, meaning that many parts were common to all. They were well received and the lineup evolved over the next few years. Every growing volume brought the opportunity to evolve away from the modular concept. The end of the decade also saw an expansion to Triumph’s production facilities with work completed on a second Hinckley manufacturing facility. Have they haven’t looked back since.
For more information on Triumph Motorcycles, go to www.alamotriumph.com or call (210) 828-5511 and ask for sales.