Triumph TR5 Trophy
The TR5 Trophy was a standard motorcycle made by Triumph Engineering at the Meriden factory between 1949 and 1958.
Development
Based on the Speed Twin, the TR5 was a trials machine designed for off-road use with a high level two into one exhaust and good handling on public roads.The name 'Trophy' came from the three 'specials' that Triumph built for the Italian International Six Day Trial in 1948, which went on to win three gold medals and the manufacturers team trophy. Racing in American Motorcyclist Association Class C until 1969, the American export models included components from the Tiger 100 to create a motorcycle for desert competition.
The original TR5 Trophy models of 1949 used the aluminum cylinder barrels and heads from a generator motor Triumph had supplied for the War Department in WW2. This was Triumph's first aluminum cylinder head/barrel, and factory employees speculated during the War that the alloy heads, with their superior cooling properties, could easily be adapted for a motorcycle. The TR5 Trophy models from 1949 to 1950 used modified versions of these cylinder heads, nicknamed the 'square barrel'. From 1951 the engine was updated with new alloy barrels and heads with finer-pitch finning and a rounded profile, which was shared with the Tiger 100 model. The TR5 was replaced with a new range of unit construction twins in 1959.