• Great British lightweight trials bike

• Many recent new and refurbished parts

• Electronic ignition

• Ideal for a host of pre-’65 events

Triumph built bikes for ‘the people’ from the late 1940’s as more and more working people aspired to owning their own motor transport rather than relying on public transport or their bicycle!. The T15 150cc Terrier was Triumph’s first lightweight commuter machine and was quickly joined by the the larger capacity T20 200cc Tiger Cub in 1954.

Continuous development saw the introduction of Ignition points positioned inside a distributor-type device on the crankcase behind the cylinder and a rear swing-arm suspension set up.   

Over the next twelve years or so, some 20 Cub variants were developed, from tourers to sports models, including competition road racers, scramblers and, of course, trials bikes.

Triumph produced the first factory prototype T20C ‘competition Cub’ around 1956 and following Ken Heanes gold medal winning ride on one at the rugged Scottish Six Days Trial, the new off-road competent Tiger Cub was born. 

The owner of this Tiger Cub has sadly recently passed away and so it is now being offered for sale by his family along with four other trials bikes he enjoyed restoring and riding during his retirement.

  

Earlier history for this Tiger Cub is unknown, but it was purchased on the 10th May 2015 by the current owner at a noted cost of £1,540 including spares. He then began to restore the Cub at his home near Tamworth. There is no evidence of an engine rebuild but it may be a later 1964/’65 engine.

We also don’t know if this particular bike has been ridden in anger at events but it does exude a ‘used’ patina. It has been dry stored in a garage.  

The V5 is present with this Cub and states that it was manufactured in 1957 and was first registered on the 1st November 2018. There are no MOT records available and the bike is currently on Sorn.

There are a handful of receipts for parts from suppliers such as Sammy Miller Products Ltd and Supreme Motorcycles Ltd, and for wheel refurbishment work all carried out in 2015.

Hand written notes from the owner list specification details and indicate that £3,305.00 was spent on restoration parts in 2015. Another note shows that the registration number is correct for 1958.

 

This lightweight sports Cub is generally very tidy and up together. Cosmetically speaking, the paintwork on the frame and front forks, etc. is in good condition with just a few scratches and scrapes here and there. The black vinyl saddle, whilst not perfect, is perfectly acceptable.   

All the alloy parts are presentable, and with the benefit of a clean, all the mechanical and ancillary parts should come up a treat. The alloy tank and mudguards (purchased in 2015) befit this sporting Cub, look period correct, and are in good condition.      

More modern braced handlebars sit up front featuring a small Halfords speedo, horn, modern accessory rear view mirror and battery powered bicycle light. A rear bike light is also attached to the relatively new rear mudguard.   

We spotted that the front offside fork rubber gaiter has a split - but should be an easy fix. Looking at the accompanying invoices, the hubs were powder coated in 2015, and still look shiny, and the chrome rims were also respoked in 2015.

We don’t have details of any possible modifications to this particular engine or the current mileage, but from the factory, the T20 199cc single cylinder OHV four-stroke engine put out a claimed 14bhp @ 6,500 rpm and should reach 70mph. Along with a strong 9:1 compression ratio, it features an Amal concentric carburettor and four-speed sequential gearbox.

It may be that this T20 engine is a later 1964/’65 as suggested by an accompanying purchase receipt from the previous owner. As is often the case with these engines, there is some evidence of oil escaping.

It looks like the owner purchased a long list of new mechanical parts, including an Electrex World electronic ignition, drive chain, rear sprocket and Duplex tensioner from Meriden Off Road.

This Cub has the swing-arm frame and twin rear shocks arrangement with relatively new OZO high pressure nitrogen shocks and chrome springs. We believe it also offers heavier sports hydraulically damped front forks.    

The high level sports exhaust looks fine and the Michelin Trial Competition tyres were, again, new in 2015 and look pretty much unused.

The family informs that this Cub was last fired up around six months ago, and ran fine, and was last ridden about a year ago.

Being a great British motorcycle, the Tiger Cub’s cheeky charm, classic looks and ease of maintenance make it a favourite with today’s collectors and should represent a good investment for the future along with some quality ‘tinkering’ time.

If you wish to compete, this classic lightweight Triumph is the ideal choice for a whole host of pre-’65 trials events. Having been rebuilt by an enthusiast with new and refurbished parts within the last six years, this authentic Tiger Cub should also be reliable and great fun to ride.