1952 Triumph Thunderbird
1952 Triumph Thunderbird Background & History
The 1952 Triumph Thunderbird, and all ’T-birds’ were known by the model designation “6T”, referencing the 650cc engine displacement, as opposed to the Triumph 5T’s Speed Twin's 500cc’s, and the “T” standing for Triumph, of course. The 1952 Triumph Thunderbird saw a switch from an Amal Monobloc carburetor to an SU Type MC2 carb in the interest of better fuel economy. This setup suited the 650 twin well and remained in service this way until 1959. The new SU carb required a new intake manifold. And a large forged steel lug was brazed into the vertical frame pedestal (behind the carburetor) that incorporated a round ‘eye’ through it running front-to-back to allow a connection between the single carburetor and the new Vokes D-shaped air filter. This “hole-in-the-frame” is a trademark of all 1952-58 Triumph Thunderbirds and is a way that collectors quickly identify a 6T frame.
1952 Triumph Thunderbird Running Gear
The headlight nacelle and fork covers were enlarged on the 1952 Triumph Thunderbird to accommodate a new 7-inch pre-focused block-type Lucas MCF700 headlamp with an attractive underslung pilot light attached to the fork covers. The tank now had a central welded seam, there was a new oil tank and the D-type air filter, accessible only after removing the battery and battery box. Otherwise, the 1952 Triumph Thunderbird looked almost identical to the previous two model years.
Rear brake drum and sprocket were now integrated into one single piece on the 1952 Triumph Thunderbird, rather than bolted on, as before. Internal changes were made to the gearbox. A color-coded Lucas electrical harness was adopted for the first time and changed everything over from negative-ground to positive-ground, an English quirk that persisted well into the late 1970’s.
This beautiful 1952 Triumph Thunderbird is made even more so by the interesting single pannier (or saddle bag) on the left side of the bike. Again, Britons used bikes like this as their daily commuter so having some luggage capacity was important.
This 1952 Triumph Thunderbird was well-equipped with the single pannier on the lft and the triangular toolbox on the right. Note the sprung rear hub.
1952 Triumph Thunderbird Specifications
|
Engine type Displacement Bore & Stroke Compression Carburetor Ignition Engine output Primary drive Primary sprockets Clutch Gearbox Ratios, overall: 1st, bottom 2nd 3rd 4th, top Final drive Final drive sprockets Frame Type Suspension, front Suspension, rear Brake, front Brake, rear Tire, front Tire, rear Wheelbase Seat Height Ground Clearance Fuel capacity Dry weight |
Air-cooled OHV vertical twin, non-unit 649cc / 40.0 ci 71mm X 82mm / 2.79″ X 3.23″ 8.5:1 (US & export); 7.0:1 (UK) 1- Amal Monobloc, 1″ Lucas magneto 34 bhp @ 6500 rpm 1/2″ X .335″ X 5/16″ chain, 70 links 24T X 43T Multi-plate, wet 4-speed constant mesh, right foot shift 11.9:1 8.25:1 5.81:1 4.88 5/8″ X .400″ X 3/8″ chain, 101 links 18T X 46T Brazed lug, rigid Telescopic fork, hydraulic damping Sprung rear hub, rigid frame 7″ SLS drum 7″ SLS drum 3.25″ X 19″ 3.50″ X 19″ 55.25″ / 140.3 cm 31″ / 77.5 cm 5″ / 12.7 cm 3 Imp gal (US); 4 Imp gal (UK & export) 370 lbs / 168 kg |
1952 Triumph Thunderbird Books
More Triumph Thunderbird Pages
1950 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1951 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1952 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1953 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1954 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1955 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1956 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1957 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1958 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1959 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1960 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1961 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1962 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1963 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1964 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
1965 Triumph 6T Thunderbird
Hope you're enjoying my website. Glad you're here, take some time to look around. I'm just getting started though, with lots of great content, pictures and specs on literally hundreds of classic British motorcycles left to go. It is my goal to cover every year of every make, and every model of British bike. You can join me in my quest. If you have a classic Brit bike, take and/or send me some great photos of it along with a description. Email coming soon. More pages coming soon. Please be patient, and hold on to your hat. Thank you for visiting ClassicBritishMotorcycles.net.
Copyright 2024 by ClassicBritishMotorcycles.net. All rights reserved.
