Rare Project – 1957 Triumph TWN Cornet

In Germany, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: This Triumph sold for $2,550 after 14 bids on eBay in Pickerington, Ohio.


OK, this is going to need a little bit of an explanation, because most people think Triumph is an English motorcycle company. They’d be right, but they might not realize that the company was started as a bicycle manufacturer by a German named Siegfried Bettman in 1886. A decade later, Bettman created another bicycle company in his hometown of Nuremberg – he called it the German Triumph Cycle Company. 7 years later, the German Triumph started making motorcycles.

After World War I, the German Triumph was rebranded Triumph Werke Nuremberg (TWN) , and though the companies were independent, TWN occasionally used “real” Triumph engines. One of their more common motorcycles was the Triumph TWN Cornet, which featured a 2 stroke twingle (two-piston, single cylinder) and 12 volt electric start. For a little bit more on TWN, head on over to this write-up from Motorcycle Classics.

This example (VIN: 514406) has 4,842 miles and the seller has some approximate history – the original owner had it from ’57 to ’64, the second owner had it until 2020, and presumably he (as the third owner) is sort of flipping it as he has cleaned it, drained the tank, removed the spark plug, hand cranked to check the pistons, cleaned the petcock and float, and installed a new 12V battery to replace the 2 6Vs. He hasn’t tried to start it “in fear of causing damage,” and notes that the horn doesn’t work and a few pieces are missing: air filter, lower chain guard, right grip, tool kit, and key for the tank lockbox.

Find this Triumph for sale in Pickerington, Ohio with bidding up to $510 and the reserve not yet met here on eBay.