By the late 1960’s, Triumph’s outdated 650 and 750 twins were facing increasing pressure from the Japanese. While beautiful, the Triumphs were being pushed aside by models like the groundbreaking CB750 from Honda. In an effort to compete, BSA/Triumph came out with an inline triple engine. At 750cc, it was competitive in racing, especially in Rob North frames, but the design was less than attractive and the bikes did not sell well. In an effort to capture the American market, they even offered a “beauty kit” that made the Trident look more Bonneville-like. In a last-ditch effort to further entice Americans, Triumph commissioned Craig Vetter, creator of the famed “Windjammer” fairing to do a factory custom Trident/Rocket 3. The result was the Hurrricane.
The Hurricane was universally considered a beautiful bike. While the orange color may be dated now, the lines of the bike were striking. It looked like a motorcycle should. The big triple was there in full view, canted slightly forward, but the star of the show was the one-piece seat/tank unit that flowed sensually back to a nicely proportioned tail. It was part chopper, part street tracker and all 1970’s. Nice touches like the 3 into 3 exhaust completed the picture.
This particular bike seems to have been part of a collection, as many of these bikes are. At only 8,000 miles, it appears in very good, almost original condition, with some extra chromed parts, typical at the time of custom bikes. The seller is very open about all the small defects, and what has been done to the bike. These are very collectible, and have been selling in the mid-20 thousands at recent auctions. If you want to be the next owner you can find this in Marina del Rey, California and bidding is at $19,999 with a couple of days to go