1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee

1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee Background & History

The 1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee was something new and somewhat bold from a traditional company like Triumph.  The standard 1977 Triumph Bonneville T140V remained relatively unchanged from prior years. The big news for the year was the release of a ‘limited-edition special’ called the 1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee, paying homage to Queen Elizabeth II’s 25th anniversary of her reign.  A perfect excuse for a special edition of the Bonneville.  And the beleaguered Meriden Co-Op could certainly use more sales. Taking a page from Norton's book and all the bikes they spun off of their stalwart Commando, the only real changes that were made to the Jubilee were purely cosmetic. The outer engine covers (primary, timing and gearbox covers) were chromed. A special Silver paint scheme with Blue scallops outlined with Red pinstriping was specific to the 1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee. The seat was even blue vinyl with red piping, the colors of the British Union Jack. The silver, of course, was meant to tie into the 25th anniversary event.

The 1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee had what some called 'love-it-or-hate-it-looks'.

1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee Honors the Queen

Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of England in 1952. 1977 was the 25th, or Silver Anniversary of her coronation and the entire nation was gearing up for a party. Triumph thought it would be an excellent opportunity to piggyback on this nationwide marketing push by producing a special bike commemorating the event. It was to be called the T140J Bonneville Silver Jubilee Edition, and it was especially decked-out in very regal livery. It started out, as almost all Triumph Specials did, as a stock T140 Bonneville 750, in this case a T140V. But the Jubilee was given a special Blue-over-Silver paint job with red pin striping and special badging. The stepped ‘king-and-queen’ seat was upholstered in dark blue vinyl with red piping.  Sans the colorful upholstery, this seat became standard-issue on Bonnevilles from here forward. The color scheme of Red and Blue were meant to pay homage to the British flag, the Union Jack, and the silver of course commemorates the 25th anniversary. All of the external engine covers (primary, timing and gearbox) were chromed, and each bike received a sequentially-numbered Letter of Authenticity. This was purely a cosmetic package, the only real mechanical enhancement was the addition of Girling’s new “Upside-Down Shocks” with exposed springs. This was all meant to honor and also cash in on the Queen’s 25th Silver Jubilee, and Triumph decided to cap production at 1,000 units. But they sold out so quickly that Triumph built another 1,000 just for the US market. When they sold out, they built another 400 for all markets. The first 1,000 bikes had a sticker on the side covers that said “One of a Thousand”. The later bikes say “Limited Edition”. So, this first of the Meriden Co-Ops ‘specials’ was a resounding success. They certainly needed the extra sales, adding up to about 350 bikes per week total, 60% bound for the US market.  Not much when compared to what Honda was building in a week, but stellar by Triumph’s standards, and much-appreciated.

1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee Running Gear

The Jubilee got special ‘upside-down’ Girling rear shocks with exposed springs, and lots more chrome than the standard Bonneville. The seat was a stepped affair that, apart from the loud colors, would set the pattern for every Bonneville seat from them on. Despite the wild paint jobs, US bikes continued to get US-spec slimline tanks, and UK bikes got the larger-capacity, boxy British-spec tanks. New side covers were added with special Silver Jubilee emblems on them.  Unlike standard Bonnevilles with their polished stainless steel fenders, the Jubilee's fenders were painted silver with a red, white and blue 'racing stripe' running down the middle, all painted to match the tank.  Even the chain guard was painted silver with the same stripe as the fenders.  Electric starters wouldn't arrive for a few years yet at Triumph, so regal or not, you had to kick start this baby!

1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee not a Game-Changer

In the final analysis, if the 1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee had any significance or relevance at all, it wasn’t because of the volume of its sales. While 2,400 extra sales was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, it wasn’t enough to change the fortunes of Triumph. And it wasn’t because it was faster or technologically superior, after all, it was just an appearance package slapped on a 40-year old engine design. And it wasn’t because it was such a gorgeous bike. Many people were put off by the looks, finding it too flamboyant or garish.  Yet they flew off the shelves as fast as Triumph could build them, 2,400 of them, anyway.  And they were probably running at capacity to produce that number.  Compare those numbers to the hundreds of thousands of motorcycles the Japanese were building in a year.  By 1968, Honda alone was building more motorcycles in a month than the entire British motorcycle industry was in a year!  So, bless their hearts, those fine lads at Meriden, for putting forth such a worthy effort, and such an interesting bike that people are still trading for and ogling to this day.  But it was just a drop in the bucket at the time.

This 'King & Queen'-style stepped seat became standard on all Bonnevilles after this, without the garish upholstery, of course.

1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee is Triumph's First 'Special'

The 1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee was significant because it was the first in a series of special, limited-edition factory customs that Triumph would produce over the next few years.  Starting with the Jubilee, these included the 1979-80 T140D Bonneville Special, the 1982 Bonneville Royal Wedding Edition, the 1983 Bonneville TSX, and the 8-valve 1983 Bonneville TSS.  Again, it wasn’t enough to save the company, but perhaps it prolonged the inevitable just a little while longer, and the strategy brought us some very cool Classic British Motorcycles as a result.

This is the UK-version of the 1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee.

1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee Specifications

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1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee Books

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