Triumph (TWN) explained

Triumph
Fate:Taken over
Successor:Adler
Foundation:1896
Founder:Siegfried Bettmann
Defunct:1956
Location City:Nuremberg
Location Country:Germany
Products:bicycles, motorcycles

Triumph-Werke Nürnberg AG or TWN, was a German bicycle and motorcycle company. In 1886, Siegfried Bettmann founded the Triumph bicycle factory in Coventry, England, and in 1896 he founded a second bicycle factory in his native Nuremberg, Germany, under the same Triumph name. Both factories branched out into making motorcycles: the Coventry factory in 1902 and the Nuremberg factory in 1903.[1]

In its early decades the Nuremberg factory produced models with the same 499 cc and 545 cc four-stroke engines as its sister plant in Coventry.

Confusion between motorcycles produced by the Coventry and Nuremberg Triumph companies led to the latter's products being renamed "Orial" for certain export markets. However, in the 1920s there was already an Orial motorcycle maker in Lyon, France, so the Nuremberg motorcycles were renamed again as "TWN", standing for Triumph Werke Nürnberg.[2]

After 1913 the English and German factories diverged, with the Nuremberg works making motorcycles with 248 cc and 269 cc two-stroke engines. After the Second World War Triumph made successful models including the 200 cc Cornet split single two-stroke and the split-single 1 cylinder 350 cc Boss. A split single has one "divided" cylinder (with 2 bores) but only one common combustion chamber and spark plug. Triumph/TWN's production of split singles began with the BD250 in 1939 designed by Otto Reitz.[3] In 1953 a 2 cylinder 250 cm³ single-split model Duplex with 4 pistons was shown at a fair, but not produced.

In 1956 Max Grundig took over the Nuremberg company, merged it with his Adler motorcycle and typewriter business and terminated motorcycle production under the Triumph and TWN names.

Models

List of models which were manufactured in Nuremberg [4]

Typ Year of manufacture cubic capacity Kind of motor Performance Maximum speed
Knirps1919–1923 276 ccm two-stroke 2,2 kW/ 3 hp 40 mph
KK1923–1926 298 ccmtwo-stroke 2,9 kW/ 4 hp47 mph
T 1924–1927 550 ccmfour stroke(Coventry)2,9 kW/ 4 hp 56 mph
T II1924–1927499 ccmfour stroke(Coventry)11,8 kW/ 16 hp56 mph
S1924–1926499 ccmfour stroke (Coventry)2,5 kW/ 3,5 hp81 mph
K III (Knirps)1926–1928250 ccmtwo-stroke4,4 kW/6 hp50 mph
K IV1926–1928250 ccmtwo-stroke4,4 kW/ 6 hp50 mph
K V1926–1928 250 ccmtwo-stroke4,4 kW/ 6 hp50 mph
K 61928–1933197 ccmtwo-stroke4,4 kW/ 6 hp44 mph
K 71928–1933197 ccmtwo-stroke4,4 kW/ 6 hp44 mph
K 81928–1933200 ccmtwo-stroke4,0 kW/ 5,5 hp44 mph
K 91928–1933200 ccmtwo-stroke4,0 kW/ 5,5 hp44 mph
K 101928–1931300 ccmtwo-stroke5,9 kW/ 8 hp56 mph
K 111928–1931300 ccmtwo-stroke5,9 kW/ 8 hp56 mph
T III1928–1930493 ccmfour stroke (Coventry)11,8 kW/ 16 hp56 mph
T 41928–1930493 ccmfour stroke (Coventry)11,8 kW/ 16 hp56 mph
SSK1930–1933346 ccmfour stroke (M.A.G.)11,1 kW, 15 hp71 mph
T 350 1930–1931350 ccmfour stroke (M.A.G.- licence)7,4 kW/ 10 hp50 mph
T 5001930–1931496 ccmfour stroke (M.A.G.)9,6 kW/ 13 hp56 mph
BL 1701930–1931170 ccmtwo-stroke3,7 kW/ 5 hp44 mph
RR 7501930–1933741 ccmtwo-stroke (M.A.G.)11,8 kW/ 16 hp65 mph
KV 2001930–1934200 ccmtwo-stroke4,4 kW/ 6 hp44 mph
KV 2501930–1934250 ccmtwo-stroke5,9 kW/ 8 hp50 mph
SK 2501930–1934250 ccmtwo-stroke5,9 kW/ 8 hp50 mph
RL 301932–1935198 ccmtwo-stroke4,4 kW/ 6 hp44 mph
Noris 200 1932–1935198 ccmtwo-stroke4,4 kW/ 6 hp44 mph
TM 5001932–1937500 ccmfour stroke (M.A.G. - licence)9,6 kW/ 13 hp59 mph
STM 5001932–1937500 ccmfour stroke (M.A.G. - licence)14,8 kW/ 20 hp75 mph
Kongress1932–1937346 ccmfour stroke (M.A.G. - licence)6,6 kW/ 9 hp56 mph
SKL 2001933–1934197 ccmtwo-stroke4,4 kW/ 6 hp47 mph
200 K1934–1937197 ccmtwo-stroke4,4 kW/ 6 hp44 mph
TS 1001934–193698 ccmtwo-stroke2,2 kW, 3 hp34 mph
B 2001936–1937197 ccmtwo-stroke5,1 kW, 7 hp50 mph
B 2041936–1939197 ccmtwo-stroke5,1 kW, 7 hp50 mph
B 3501936–1939346 ccmtwo-stroke8,9 kW, 12 hp68 mph
S 3501937–1938346 ccmtwo-stroke8,9 kW, 12 hp68 mph
S 5001937–1938496 ccmfour stroke (M.A.G. - licence)14,8 kW/ 20 hp78 mph
B 1251939–1949122 ccmtwo-stroke3,1 kW/ 4,2 hp47 mph
BD 2501939–1943248 ccmtwo-stroke8,9 kW/ 12 hp68 mph
BDG 2501949–1957248 ccmtwo-stroke8,9 kW/ 12 hp68 mph
BDG 125 1950–1957123 ccmtwo-stroke4,6 kW/ 6,25 hp56 mph
Cornet1953–1957197 ccmtwo-stroke7,4 kW/ 10 hp63 mph
Boss1953–1957 344 ccmtwo-stroke11,8 kW/ 16 hp75 mph
Knirps Moped1953–195747 ccmtwo-stroke1,0 kW/ 1,3 hp28 mph
Contessa 1955–1957197 ccmtwo-stroke7,4 kW/ 10 hp59 mph
Tessy1956–1957125 ccmtwo-stroke5,5 kW/ 7,5 hp50 mph
Tessy Super1956–1957150 ccmtwo-stroke6,2 kW/ 8,5 hp50 mph
Fips1956–195747 ccmtwo-stroke0,7 kW/ 1 hp28 mph
Sportfips1956–195747 ccmtwo-stroke0,7 kW/ 1 hp28 mph

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/2008-07-01/Motorcycle-Reviews/A-Singular-Triumph-1957-TWN-BDG125L.aspx TWN history
  2. http://www.classicmotorcycles.org.uk/bikemuseum/museum_twn.htm Online Classic Motorcycle Museum TWN article
  3. Siegfried Rauch, Frank Rönicke: Männer und Mororräder. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 2008, ISBN 978-3-613-02947-7, page 147. (German)
  4. http://www.meisterdinger.de/triumph/triumph1.htm Meisterdinger.de : List of TWN Models