Post-Sale Update: After being relisted, this Cheney Triumph 500 sold for $6,500 on eBay.
One of the most challenging races in any discipline was the International Six Days Trial (ISDT – now known as the ISDE). An annual test of rider, machine, and durability, the ISDT is also known as the “Olympics of Motorcycling.” In 1968, ISDT changed up the rules to state that a rider had to use a machine of their own nationality. For British riders of the time, this posed a huge problem, as the British bike industry had been in a serious decline over the last 10 years. Particularly with regards to bigger enduros, British riders now had no competitive bikes to ride on. They turned to Eric Cheney, a formerly successful racer who went on to build competition-level frames.
Cheney instantly built up a tremendous reputation by using the finest materials he could, and in 1968 he built a limited number of machines for British riders to compete in the ISDT. Each bike took over 400 hours to produce, and was based around the 500cc vertical twin found in the Triumph Speed Twin 5T. The bikes also received tapered conical hubs, Ceriani type forks, and a larger fuel tank, all of which combined to make a much more competitive package than anything a British manufacturer could make.
This specific Cheney Triumph 500 has been in a private collection for decades, and is supposedly in ‘very nice original condition’, which includes TT down pipes, a custom skid plate, and trick clip-on bars. The only concern is that it has a weak spark, but a bike like this deserves to have that relatively problem taken care of.
Find this Cheney Triumph 500 for sale here on eBay with an opening bid of $3,900 in Naples, Maine.
