1964 Triumph 6T Thunderbird Combination

Lot details
Registration No: BFB 22B
Frame No: 6TDU13330
Engine No: 6TDU1330
cc: 650

The Thunderbird had originally been introduced in pre unit form with a sprung hub or rigid frame during 1950 and had rapidly earned an enviable reputation as a long distance touring mount capable of high average speeds. For 1955 it adopted the swinging arm frame first seen the previous year on the newly introduced Tiger 110. The next significant revision came in 1963 when the Thunderbird, together with the Trophy and Bonneville adopted unit construction for the engine and gearbox. In this form the Thunderbird was offered with the distinctive headlamp Nacelle and attractive partial enclosure, commonly referred to as the "skirt" that had replaced the full bathtub enclosure which had afflicted the big touring twins from 1960. The models last year of production, 1966, saw the machine stripped of the "skirt" completely but otherwise unchanged. When "Motor Cycle" tested an example of the 1966 model they found that "The 6T is the machine for gobbling up miles. Delightfully comfortable , with that peculiar but effective Triumph swept back handlebar, and with a surprisingly high top speed , in the region of 100 mph, the Thunderbird is ideal for long distance touring." Unfortunately for the Thunderbird the market, on both sides of the Atlantic , was increasingly focused on performance and so production ended.
The example offered, fitted with an attractive Watsonian single seat sidecar represents the unit Thunderbird at its zenith. Dating from 1964 it is fitted with the partial rear skirt in addition to the unit construction engine and is finished in the correct silver and black livery. Last used in 1980 it shows only 16,218 miles on the odometer which is believed to be correct, the vendor having purchased the machine from its original owner.