' The seed of what was to become one of the most famous names in motorcycling was planted back in the late nineteenth century when German businessman Siegfried Bettmann made his way to England from Nuremberg. At first involved in the sale of sewing machines, Bettmann was impressed with the craze for bicycles that was sweeping Victorian Britain and decided to set up his own firm, selling bikes made in Birmingham by William Andrews. Rather than call them ‘Bettmanns’ the shrewd industrialist chose ‘Triumph’, as a name that would be understood in all European languages.

In 1887, two years after he started his enterprise, Bettmann was joined by engineer Mauritz Schulte, also from Nuremburg. Both decided the future lay in manufacturing their own machines and Schulte found suitable premises in Coventry, where production started in 1889. As the new century approached and the internal combustion engine began to make an impact, Schulte considered the next step for the Triumph Cycle Co. Negotiations with other – albeit embryonic – motorcycle manufacturers proved fruitless, thus the stage was set for Schulte to make what would prove a giant leap for the firm…

In 1902 the first motorcycle emerged from Triumph’s Coventry works. Known since as ‘No 1’, it was essentially a strengthened bicycle with a 2.25bhp Minerva engine hung from the front down tube. Drive was via a belt from the engine’s crankshaft to the rear wheel while the bicycle’s pedals, chain and crank were retained. Schulte chose the Belgian-made Minerva engine simply as a matter of quality – he was a perfectionist and, at that time, the cutting edge of internal combustion technology was coming out of continental Europe.' There is a whole lot more...

As this is a British made bike we have reproduced the long version of the Triumph History for you to look at.

This is a photograph of the print on the front of the t-shirt.

Click on the photo to see a larger image.
 

Click on the photo to see a larger image.

Click on the photo to see a larger image.