1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane
1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane Background & History
The 1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane makes an interesting aside to the Triumph Trident / BSA Rocket 3 story. Triumph engineers cobbled together a 750cc triple out of the hardware from a Triumph 250 Cub in 1963. By 1965 they had a running prototype with plans to start production in 1966 and release the new bike as a 1967 model. This would have changed motorcycle history as we know it. The Triumph Trident would have launched a full 2 years ahead of the game-changing Honda CB750 giving it time to establish itself as the world's first multi-cylinder superbike. Alas, it didn't happen that way, because parent-company BSA didn't like Triumph getting that far ahead of them in the market. BSA was literally jealous of their offspring. So, when Triumph came to them with the Trident proposal BSA brassed slow-walked it, dragging their feet until 1968 when Honda announced its upcoming 4-cylinder bike. Suddenly BSA woke up and got serious about getting the Trident to production, with one caveat: BSA would have it's own version of the bike. Simple enough, right? Just rebadge the thing. But BSA insisted on a BSA frame and an engine that looked different than the otherwise-identical Trident engine. The Trident engine had veritcal cylinders, so the BSA had to had slanted cylinders (by 12 degrees). Sounds simple enough, but it required all new engine cases. BSA also wanted unique sidecovers that gave the engine a more 'BSA-look'. All of this cost money that they didn't have and took time that they couldn't afford. The result was that the 1969 Triumph Trident and BSA Rocket 3 launched just weeks before the mighty Honda and were overshadowed by its omnipotence.
So, BSA resented Triumph for their success in the all-important US market, and they felt they needed to do something to show them who's boss. They were hoping to come out with what would be referred to today as a ‘halo’ model, something that Triumph couldn't match, one that would get buyers into the showrooms and show the world that BSA still had game. So, they contracted American motorcycle fairing pioneer, Craig Vetter, father of the Windjammer fairing, to take a BSA Rocket 3 back to his shop in California and customize it.
1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane gets 'Chopped'!
And what a customizing job he did! Vetter took the stodgy BSA Rocket 3 and restyled it completely with a swoopy new one-piece fiberglass tank/seat combo that flowed into an integrated rear fender. The paint scheme was wild: bright orange with a bold yellow stripe. The front forks were extended, per current chopper practice, and most impressive of all, were a wild set of 3 upswept exhaust pipes that ran along the right side of the bike. STUNNING! It all flowed together like nothing anyone had ever seen before. While grossly impractical (with tiny gas tank and extended forks) it had the sex appeal to be a real hit. The forks were extended 1-1/2 inches but the steering head angle (rake) remained stock, so the front end sat high, making it hard for short-legged riders to touch down at stops. The 2-1/2 gallon fuel tank was also too small to take trips with. Tridents averaged 30 to 35 MPG which works out to as little as a 75-mile fuel range.
But alas, once again, BSA managed to turn a potential hit into yet another dud. BSA’s mounting internal problems, among other things, delayed launch of the A75 Hurricane (BSA's nomenclature for the bike) so long that when it was finally released, BSA was no longer in business, so it had to be rebadged as a Triumph! It was identical to the BSA branded bike with the exception of the name change to the 1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane and the accompanying badging on the bikes. However the project was engineered in 1971 and productionized in 1972 so it is equipped with the front conical brakes instead of a front disc brake like the 'normal' 1973 Tridents.
Irony of Inronies
So, in the end, the bike that was supposed to ‘one-up’ Triumph actually became a Triumph. But built entirely of BSA parts. The BSA engine, with it’s 12-degree inclined barrels and the twin downtube BSA frame differed greatly from those used on the Trident. But, BSA was now closing its doors and found itself in possession of a huge stock of BSA engines, frames and other parts left over when BSA production was halted. So, in one of their more clever moves, they used the last of these parts to build what was to be the only batch of Hurricanes, under the flag of Triumph.
1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane is Rare
It was a good plan, but too little too late. And once again, at a price that was too high for most buyers. And, its most impressive feature, those wild pipes, ended up being the final undoing of the 1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane, when they couldn’t be made to pass new noise laws in the US. Just 1,172 Triumph Hurricanes were built, all 1973 models, making this not only one of the most exciting Classic British Motorcycles, but also one of the rarest.
1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane Specifications
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Model Designation Number produced Engine type Displacement Bore & Stroke Compression ratio Carburetors Engine output Electrics Ignition Primary drive Clutch Gearbox Ratios, overall: 1st, bottom 2nd 3rd 4th, top Final drive Frame Suspension, front Suspension, rear Brake, front Brake, rear Tire, front Tire, rear Weight |
1973 Triumph X-75 Hurricane 1,172 Air-cooled OHV inline 3-cylinder 741cc / 45 ci 67mm X 70mm 9.0:1 3- Amal Concentrics, 27mm 58 bhp @ 7,500 rpm 12V alternator 3 Breakers & 3 Coils Triplex chain Single diaphragm, dry 4-speed constant-mesh, right foot-shift 11.95:1 8.30:1 5.83:1 4.89:1 Single-row chain Twin cradle Telescopic Swing-arm w/2 dampers 8″ TLS drum, conical hub 7″ SLS drum, conical hub 3.25″ X 19″ Dunlop ribbed 4.00″ X 18″ Dunlop universal 458 lbs |
1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane Books
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