It was less than a month ago that Triumph’s 500,000th production motorcycle, a special Speed Triple with commemorative paint job, rolled off the line. World-famous auction house, Bonhams, has recently announced that it will put the special Trumpet on the auction block on July 1, 2011, during the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Comedian Ross Noble has completed his Sit Down Tour of Great Britain with the milestone Triumph, and now the bike is ready to raise money for Riders for Health charity. Bonhams estimates the bike could see bids as high as £5,000-7,000 (approximately $8,000 – $11,300) — an interestingly low anticipated opening bid for the very special Triumph when we consider a run-of-the-mill Speed Triple retails for a little more than £8,600 (approximately $13,900). Nevertheless, any money raised for this charity is helpful.

Riders for Health provides motorcycle transport for health workers in Africa, thereby making it possible for millions of people to receive regular, reliable health care, often for the first time in their lives.

Triumph Produces 500,000th Motorcycle

Triumph is celebrating the 500,000th motorcycle produced in the John Bloor era with a tour across the United Kingdom with English stand-up comedian Ross Noble.

The landmark motorcycle, a one-off Triumph Speed Triple, is the 500,000th unit produced by the modern Triumph Motorcycles company since Bloor revived the brand in 1990.

Carrying VIN number 500,000, the milestone Speed Triple features a special red, white and blue color scheme with the triple-cross of the Union Jack on the fuel tank. The paint was applied with a new production technique Triumph says it will begin adopting for other production models in the autumn. The special edition Speed Triple is also equipped with a matching fly screen, belly pan and seat cowl.

Noble, a popular British comic, will ride the 500,000th Triumph across the United Kingdom as part of his Sit Down Tour May 24-30. Noble will document the tour on his Twitter page, @realrossnoble. Following the tour, Noble will take the Speed Triple to the July 1 Goodwood Festival of Speed where it will be auctioned to benefit Riders for Health to help provide motorcycle transport to medics in rural Africa.

“Reaching the 500,000th bike in just twenty years is a terrific achievement and a credit to the hard work of everyone at Triumph and our dealer partners globally,” says Guy Masters, general manager of Triumph U.K. “To mark the occasion and also to celebrate our British roots, we wanted to do something that gave our customers a chance to get involved. We were delighted when Ross agreed to help us mark the milestone with his Sit Down Tour, which will involve dealers, riders and fans across the UK.”

More pictures and the official press release after the jump. Continue Reading »