∙490cc OHV air-cooled twin 
∙Single carb

For many, the T100 represents Triumph life at its best – the simplicity of the 500cc unit twin will push this uncomplicated but handsome little bike close to ‘the ton’. The bike starts well and sounds great. The seller tells us that since its total rebuild it rides like new.

The T100 was almost at its most developed in 1971, the same year that Triumph launched the innovative-but-flawed oil-in-frame Bonneville. The last of the T100 line appeared in 1973 and that year motorcycle adventurer Ted Simon rode a T100P police-spec bike, not unlike this one, around the world.

For Simon, part of the appeal was the idea that the bike was simple enough to repair at the roadside and this example from two years earlier has the same kerb-tinkering appeal.

This former police bike has been rebuilt to non-police specification by an engineer, the seller’s father.

The father and son team has spent hundreds of pounds replacing worn-out parts with British-made components sourced from reputable Triumph parts suppliers and there is a thick file of receipts in the paperwork collection.

It hasn’t been restored to its police spec but has been confirmed as a T100P Mercury by the machine registrar at the Triumph Owners Motor Cycle Club. It has matching engine and frame numbers and the registration number was allocated to the machine in 2015.

The seller bought the bike as a project to run alongside another bike rebuild and both were finished at about the same time. However, the seller is still involved with too many projects to find the time to ride and enjoy his bikes, hence the reluctant sale.

There are the all-important letters from the Triumph Owners MotorCycle Club and the DVLA confirming the bike’s provenance and registration number allocation respectively. There’s also a healthy wad of receipts for parts bought from suppliers like TMS in Nottingham.

The bike has been subject to an honest three-year rebuild, rather than a nut-and-bolt restoration, although plenty of correct nuts and bolts have been bought in the process. It wears its 50 years with dignity and would probably be best left as it is. Having said that, it will make a great starting point for the concours restorer. It’s all there.

We didn’t ride the bike but the seller started it for us and rode it between photo locations. Like many old bikes, it took a couple of kicks and tickles of the carb to start from cold but when it fired it ran eagerly and sounded fine. When it was warm it started its first kick.

According to the seller, everything that needed replacing has been replaced during the rebuild. It certainly looks like the work has been done to a high standard, mechanically.

This might be the ideal T100 with the widest appeal. Almost as refined as the model line got, being close to the end of its run, it’s a wonderful basis for a full-on restoration if that’s your bag. But most will be content to swing a leg over it and ride it just the way it is.

It harks back to a time when bikes were simple, smart and fast enough to bring a big grin to every rider’s face.

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