Another Star of Stage and Screen – 1958 Triumph TR5

In England, Standard by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

Introduced in 1949 the TR5 was another iconic Edward Turner design that really worked and resonated with motorcycle riders and fans. James Dean bought one after he saw Marlon Brando in The Wild One (Brando rode a 6T) and had a series of photos taken with and on his motorcycle. Many of the photos and the motorcycle itself is in the James Dean gallery on permanent display.

Steve McQueen owned at least one TR5, and his friend and sidekick stuntman Bud Ekins (himself a Triumph dealer) owned, rode and prepped several. Not the least of which was the 1949 TR5 that Fonzie (Henry Winkler) rode in the epic sitcom “Happy Days”.

The 1958 Triumph TR5 used a 498 CC (30.5 CID) air cooled four stroke overhead valve vertical twin which produced 25 HP with a 4 speed transmission (the motor and transmission were separated in non-unit design). Full cradle frame with rigid rear and hydraulically dampened front and drum brakes on both wheels completed the package.

This particular 1958 Triumph TR5 is in Barrhead, Alberta, Canada and is listed as a 6,842 mile unmolested original. Seller states that he doesn’t think it has ever had a wrench put on it. I find that incredibly hard to believe simply due to the amount of vibration these bikes had. He further states that he has put ‘maybe 100 miles on it’ in 30 years. This potentially 100% original bike is available with a Buy It Now price of $15,000