Post Sale Update: This Hurricane project sold for $16,600 after 69 bids on eBay in Tampa, Florida.
Considered by some to be the world’s first “factory custom”, the Triumph Hurricane was the brainchild of Craig Vetter (well known as a motorcycle designer and manufacturer of custom motorcycle fairings) and Don Brown (General Manager of BSA). Brown wanted a better looking British triple, as he believed the Trident and Rocket III weren’t selling well in the US because of blocky styling.
Vetter worked his magic and the bike was initially going to be released as a BSA in 1972. Minor issue – BSA was about to go bankrupt. So the Hurricane was instead branded as a Triumph. Unfortunately, within a year America had released stricter noise standards from motorcycles and the Hurricane couldn’t meet them. Just like that, the bike was done. Want to learn more? Craig Vetter has a story on how this bike came to be here on his website.
This example is being offered with no reserve though the seller calls it a non-running project. “The motor did spin over for me when I rocked it in gear today, but it has not run for some time.” Good news is that it seems to be complete, there are 9,508 miles on the odometer, it’s got original paint, and it’s numbers matching. The seller includes over 50 photos for you to evaluate the cosmetic condition. If you’re interested, find this Hurricane project for sale in Tampa, Florida with bidding up to $12,200 here on eBay.