Triumph Motorcycles Produces 500,000th in John Bloor Hinckley Era

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

Half a million motorcycles since 1990

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.

Comedy legend and avid motorcycle fan Ross Noble is embarking on a unique tour this month, asking bike fans and Twitter followers to guide him on a trip to find the best of biking Britain. The week-long ‘Sit Down Tour’ (May 24-30), Ross will take in England, Scotland and Wales on board Triumph’s 500,000th bike, a uniquely liveried Speed Triple.
As well as marking the significant milestone of the half-millionth bike to roll off Triumph’s production line since 1990, the tour is also a celebration of Ross Noble’s 20 years on the stand-up comedy circuit and an opportunity for him to recharge his creative batteries while indulging his passion for motorbikes.
Riding the Speed Triple, Ross will be travelling around the UK, guided only by fans via Twitter, to uncover some of Britain’s best biking routes. A few stops are already planned, such as visits to two brand new Triumph stores in Reading and Manchester, while others will be entirely shaped by daily tweets to unearth the great places and characters along the way.
Carrying VIN number 500,000 and sporting a one-off red, white and blue paint scheme, created using a brand new production technique, Ross’s Speed Triple is destined to become a collector’s item.
After the Sit Down Tour is over, Ross will take the Speed Triple to the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 1, where it will be auctioned with all monies raised going to the charity, Riders for Health. The charity has been championed previously by Ross Noble and provides vital motorbike transport for medics to reach otherwise inaccessible parts of rural Africa.
Commenting on the Sit Down Tour, Guy Masters, general manager of Triumph UK, said: “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. 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.”
The Sit Down Tour leaves Triumph’s Hinckley factory on Tuesday May 24 and finishes in Ross’s home town of Newcastle, at the Triumph North East dealer, on Bank Holiday Monday, May 30.
Follow Ross’s progress via his own Twitter feed (@therealrossnoble) or Triumph’s (@officialtriumph) and for more information go to Triumph’s official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/officialtriumph).
Ends
For further information, please contact St John White or David Price at Prova Public Relations on 01926 776 900 or email stjohnw@provapr.co.uk or davidp@provapr.co.uk.
About Triumph
First established in 1902 and now based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, Triumph Motorcycles is the largest British-owned automotive manufacturer, producing around 50,000 bikes per year.
At the heart of Triumph’s philosophy is a commitment to developing truly unique motorcycles that offer a blend of distinctive design, intuitive handling and performance. The innovation and engineering passion that gave birth to the iconic Bonneville of the 60s has today created a broad range of bikes suited to all motorcycle riders, including the striking 2.3 litre Rocket III, the unmistakable Speed Triple and the SuperSports Daytona 675. With an impressive 2011 product portfolio in place, including two brand new adventure bikes, and a strong future model development programme in place, Triumph is set to continue to enhance its status in the market place. Triumph currently employs around 1,200 personnel worldwide and has offices in the UK, America, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and Benelux, plus a network of independent distributors. Triumph has manufacturing facilities in Hinckley, Leicestershire and Chonburi, Thailand.

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

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