and enduros . The Trophy needed more horsepower and better handling . In 1955 , it gained a swingarm , then a 650cc engine . By the late 60s the Trophy had morphed into a road bike ; a place it still holds in the modern Triumph line-up . When the swingarm rear suspension came along on the 1955 model , it signalled the end of the ‘ true ’ TR5 , as well as the end of its life as a bike for all disciplines of competition . To the purist , the rigid-tailed TR5 is a bike whose genetic code can be found right through the development of off-road motorcycles . The characteristics that made it a great bike still hold true today – easily manageable power , light weight , good handling , ground clearance and style . Rare , desirable and still one of the bestlooking bikes of all time , the Trophy is also a link to one of the few times the Triumph works became seriously involved in racing or offered its customers a true race replica .
It is this tangible link to the beginnings of off-road riding that appeals to current owner , John Nicholson , a former New Zealand Champion enduro rider . When this rare bike came up for sale he was determined that it would not be sold overseas , stepping in and buying it for himself . The TR5 ’ s days of serious competition work are long over , but neither is it a garage queen . John rides it regularly – mostly on gravel back roads . It sits next to modern machinery , both trials and enduro bikes . To John , it ’ s fascinating to see how off-road bikes have developed over the years of competition . He started riding bikes just like this before the Japanese dirt bike revolution , and on the days when it ’ s fine and history tugs at his own DNA , the warm burr of the Triumph engine can be heard echoing around the dirt roads near his home .
KIWI RIDER 53