1970 Triumph 649cc TR6C Trophy
Frame no. TR6C KD59887
Engine no. TR6C KD59887
International Six Days Trial successes in the late 1940s prompted Triumph to adopt the ‘Trophy’ name for their off-road-styled twins, at first for the 500cc TR5 and then for the 650cc TR6, introduced for 1956. The bigger Trophy retained its sporting character but became more of a roadster as time passed, ending up, in effect, as a single-carburetor T120 Bonneville, whose specification in all other respects it closely followed. More tractable than the Bonnie and more economical too, the Trophy gave little away in terms of outright performance, its standing quarter-mile time and top speed being within a whisker of its twin-carb sibling’s. The Trophy continued in this form when Triumph’s 650cc twins changed to unitary construction of the engine/transmission in October 1962. Styling and mechanical updates coincided with the Bonnie’s from then onwards.
However, although the pair possessed an impeccable engine, Triumph’s larger models were widely recognized as lacking in the handling department, especially when compared to rivals Norton. Following the wholesale changes of frame layout in the late pre-unit era, a single down-tube design was introduced on the 650cc ‘unit’ twins for 1963, although even this would undergo several detail alterations over the next eight years. By the decade’s end the 650 Triumphs had arrived at what most enthusiasts agree is the models’ ultimate incarnation, and today these late, pre-‘oil-in-frame’ 650s are becoming increasingly sought after by collectors on both sides of the Atlantic.
This TR6C is reported as totally original, even down to its Dunlop Trials Universal tires, which were a factory option preferred by many riders for serious off-road use. The machine is offered with Certificate of Title.
