The Triumph X-75 is considered by many to be both the first factory custom and the very first cruiser. Designed by famed American fairing guru, Craig Vetter, the X-75 originally started out as a BSA project. After the company bet all its chips on its Bert Hopwood (and Doug Hele)-designed triple, it was left in a bad spot. The design wasn’t very attractive and was getting increasingly long in the tooth — a fact that was about to become much more evident upon Honda’s debut of the CB750.
There’s a common misconception that BSA commissioned Vetter for this project, however BSA’s higher-ups knew nothing of it until it was complete. The entire project was bankrolled via petty cash, and intentionally kept secret from BSA’s head office. Don Brown, then Vice President and Director of BSA’s US division was concerned that the triple wouldn’t be a popular seller in the US, so an arrangement was made with Vetter to gussy up the British scoot.
The result was a sleek unibody that took inspiration from both chopper and flat tracker aesthetics. Starting at the steering-head, the fiberglass body swept down and back, feeding into side-panels that covered the model’s battery and oil-tank before wrapping around the back of the seat. Finishing out the factory custom were an orange and yellow livery, a smaller, reshaped tank, and a trio of upswept pipes running along the X-75’s right side.
At the heart of the Hurricane was an air-cooled, 741cc (45ci), OHV inline-triple that put down a claimed 58 bhp at 7,500rpm. The British triple came from the factory equipped with a trio of 27mm Amal carbs, a 12v alternator, twin cradle chassis, four-speed constant mesh transmission and a single diaphragm dry clutch . Though the X-75 was essentially produced for the US market, increasingly strict noise emissions regulations in the states wound up being the nail in the coffin for the model. In total, less than 1,200 (1,172 to be exact) units were produced in ’72 and ’73.
This particular 1973 example was restored by British moto specialists Baxter Cycle in Marne, Iowa, before ending up in a private collection. It appears to be a great shape both mechanically and cosmetically, and as it currently stands, there are 6,300 miles on the odo.
Today, Triumph’s X-75 Hurricane is a highly sought after model that commands a surprisingly high price tag. Though Hagerty says an X-75’s average value is around the $17K mark, examples have been known to sell for around $30K. Last year a clean 1973 X-75 example sold at a Mecum auction for a cool $27K. Though as the old saying goes, “Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.”
For a much more thorough look at the history and story of the X-75, I recommend checking out Margie Siegal’s article on the X-75 for Motorcycle Classics. There’s also a very extensive piece on the X-75 on Craig Vetter’s website that tells the story from his perspective.
You can find this 1973 Triumph X-75 Hurricane (VIN: PH00512) for sale here on Craigslist in Boulder, Colorado with a price of $26,500.