The Five Best Triumph Motorcycles of the 90s

Triumph motorcycles has an interesting history. The company’s origin is rooted in the United Kingdom, but its greatest imprint has been made in the United States. The company’s official start is a little ambiguous to nail down, but it appears that the company was transformed from Bonneville Coventry Ltd. To Triumph Motorcycles limited in 1902. For decades, the company experienced phenomenal success until the Japanese moved into the performance and racing bike industry. The new innovative designs and unparalleled performance of the Japanese bikes led to a decline in sales and market position for the Triumph brand. According to experts, the decline of Triumph was part of a dichotomous opposing force that consisted of union and labor issues and factories and designs that were simply not able to keep up with the Japanese technology.

During most of the 80s, the company froze production with exception of a few models and shut down its outdated factories. This was the beginning of a plan that would usher in a resurgence of the company, ultimately leading to it being the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the United States.
Following the top five Triumph motorcycles of the 90s that help revive the company.

The Daytona

The Triumph Daytona was a direct response to the Japanese racing bikes like the Ninja and GSXR. The Daytona 900 was a clear message that Triumph would not go quietly into the night, that they had something to offer the sporting-bike world. The Daytona quickly became a favorite of American Bike riders. It did not dethrone the Japanese bikes but it did establish the fact that bikes made outside of Japan could be fun and fast. The bike has evolved into a beautiful bike that performs remarkably in the area of speed and agility. The design is straight out of the Japanese playbook. If you did not see the name on the bike, you would not be able to tell the difference.

The Thunderbird

The Triumph Thunderbird was definitely an effort by the company to revisit its roots. There is nothing about this beautiful machine that says Japanese design. The was designed and built for performance, control, and control. The physique of this machine is bold and daring, and the combination of its assets in style and performance make it a formidable threat to any machine in its category. This is not a racing bike, this is a high-performance bike that offers the comfort of a cruiser. One notable feature about this bike is the fact that it is built to make miles magically disappear. It definitely does not lack power. The back has come a long way since it was introduced during the 90s and it has played a vital role in repositioning the company in the market.

The Tr6 Trophy

The Tr6 Trophy model sort of opened up things for the company at the beginning of the 90s. With much of the manufacturing under the official Triumph name being shut down during the 80s, the reentry into the market has to be highly strategic. I mention that manufacturing under the Brand has ceased but they were still making certain brands, like the Bonneville under special licenses that did not carry the Triumph brand name. The Trophy was a subtle design that was simple but popular — allowing the brand to regain their footing and to make their push in the market.

Triumph TT Legend

By the time the 1999 TT Legend hit the market, you could tell that Triumph had regained its swagger in the industry. It was no longer simply looking to keep up, it was setting the pace. The 1999 version of the bike was a more basic version of the Thunderbird with a more sporty appearance. While some saw this design as a step down from the Thunderbird, the consensus was that it offered an overall better ride. While some may have dismissed this design as being soft, it did more than hold its own on the road.

Triumph x90

The x90 turned out to be the perfect merging of a street bike and a racer. With its clean lines and sleek physique, it was able to reach high speeds very quickly although it lacked the fairings that were on most Japanese sports bikes. When you look at the more recent models of the bike, it is easy to see what the designers had in mind. The bike has evolved into a gorgeous machine that is a great bike for new riders but satisfying enough for more seasoned riders.