Triumph Hurricane X75, sold on Trademe...

[Motu]

Go away little man,your trolls don't work on mature riders.

[Paul in NZ]

It's old, slow, unreliable and ugly. Reminisce all you like, but it's totally outclassed by modern machinery.

Some people must have broken heads.

Broken heads?

Hmmm - maybe but a Triumph X75 was an instant classic from day one (and that really is RARE) and has constantly appreciated in value. It may well be old, slow, unreliable and ugly (subjective) but it will be prized, collected, admired and loved long after you are mouldering in the ground and the unspeakable rubbish you ride has long been forgotten. An X75 is not quite my cuppa tea either but it IS a significant, world class classic in anyones book. Stop being a twat.

[Mr. Peanut]

I'm sorry, I thought bikes were made for riding.

As you were.

[Paul in NZ]

I'm sorry, I thought

That I doubt... ;-)

[JimBob]

Broken heads?

Hmmm - maybe but a Triumph X75 was an instant classic from day one (and that really is RARE) and has constantly appreciated in value. It may well be old, slow, unreliable and ugly (subjective) but it will be prized, collected, admired and loved long after you are mouldering in the ground and the unspeakable rubbish you ride has long been forgotten. An X75 is not quite my cuppa tea either but it IS a significant, world class classic in anyones book. Stop being a twat.

Dont know about being a classic from day one. Most people I knew (and I was big into pommy bikes) thought it was piece of junk. No-one took it too seriously. Compared to a normal Triple the Hurricane didnt corner, didnt handle, and ran out of petrol sooner. It cost too much and it wasnt actually a good motorcycle. They sat on the floor, they didnt make any money so they stopped building them. If they were popular and instead of a 1000 odd bikes they made 50,000, would it still be a classic? probably not. Instead it was another nail in the coffin for the British motorcycle industry.
It meets my definition of a classic today though, its old, its rare, it was different, it wasn't a raging success, and to top it off, people are willing to pay heaps of money for them.
If someone told me they were going to be worth 30g in the future I would have figured they had been hitting the buddah a bit too hard

[Paul in NZ]

I'm pretty sure every one that came to NZ was easily sold but you also have to remember - things like Vincents were hard to sell at the time as well. The fact that the people in the british industry didn't take it seriously shows how blind they were to where the future lay and that the japanese approach of multiple models catering to a stratified market place was a successful one. Triumph could have made an X75 alongside a Slippery sam replica relatively cheaply and covered a wider demographic.

The significance is the birth of the f'actory custom' which was not really new but the cruiser influence woke a lot of the makers up to a whole market segment. In that respect it was a more successful bike than the Norton Highrider and yet as a practical motorcycle they left a little to be desired. But thats not the point of an X75 and never has been. As an impact vehicle they have few peers and even today most folks would walk over 3 new GSXR's to look at one old X75. The british of all people should have realised the significance of the development of bikes into 'toys' rather than transport for the whole family.

My interest is not as a motorcycle but as a marketing device (wildly successful in generating column inches) and as a design. The design is a good one visually with a excellent ballance of space / metal. In the flesh they just look 'right' almost like a cartoon motorcycle. brilliant.

Having said that - I would not want to ride home from Auckland on a wet winters evening on one though...

[Motu]

The Huricane sat in Shafts a long time before it was sold,we wondered why no one bought it.But we still thought the guy who did get it paid the crazy price of $2500 for it.It was also a bit strange that Shafts should have the bike,they were a new shop,Whites were the main Triumph dealer in Auckland,and Weston-Webb only a few streets away in Otahuhu also sold Triumphs.I guess Shafts were being aggressive there,unusual in the day.

None of the factory ''custom'' bikes were popular,and yet they all have a strong ''rep'' all these years later.The Huricane never sold well,The Hi rider or whatever it was called from Norton,the boy racer Commando and Ducati were never popular either - everyone one wanted a Commando roadster or a 750GT Ducati....cafe racer was uncool.Harley's first factor chop was not a big seller either.

And just to be picky again on the X75 paint - it was never painted,the colour was in the gel coat,so any paint job is unoriginal.

[toycollector10]

Oh dear, MrPeanut, your moniker says it all, and refers to your brain I'm afraid.

[toycollector10]

And poor young peanut rides an NSR250m whatever the hell that is???...

An appreciating classic maybe or just a POS?? Time will tell peanut, time will tell.

[Mr. Peanut]

I thought you mature riders were above responding to my comments.

You have a CB750, your motorcycle more or less exterminated crap like the X75. Further more, I can understand its status as a classic.

I suppose if I've got nothing positive to add I should keep my mouth shut. Stubborn old buggers...

[toycollector10]

"wanted a hurricane and I wanted and got a good one,"

Nice quote. It's all about passion which is something that us older guys understand. So good luck to you and I hope that you have a lot of fun with your bike. You will surely turn heads when you stop for coffee or gas. As you should. Ignore the knockers on their sport bikes wearing their sand-shoes and shorts, you know what I mean. Peace.

[xknuts]

I have had two people,one whom owned or ridden can comment on the bike.
Ironically both assumed in was a brand new Triump retro. F:C

A comment I have had often from the uninformed, but it still surprises me when bikers are admiring that one hears them say they have never seen one. I do believe that there are more 'Canes per head of population in NZ than anywhere in the world.

It's old, slow, unreliable and ugly. Reminisce all you like, but it's totally outclassed by modern machinery.

Some people must have broken heads.

Think again Mr Peanut, It was ahead of its years in styling in 1973, one change of a rear sprocket and you can cruise all day @ 130 kms, I have never been let down except by the "Prince of Darkness" and that turned out to be my fault, and UGLY??? I don't think so! Park it in a crowd & it will attract attention all day. Outclassed? Yes but so is a 1960's E Type Jaguar!!! And they are still getting more $ than most new cars.

[toycollector10]

The thing about motor-sickles is that it's a bit of a passion or drug thing for some people. It is for me. My original post asked more or less, what was the story behind someone bidding $30,000 on a bike? Question answered. I would love about half a dozen bikes in my garage, in particular a T160 Tripple but space won't allow. Peanut, when he gets to having spent 35 years in the workforce or building up his own business, sireing half a dozen sprogs and educating them and shunting them out the bloody front door, might decide that the NSR250 he had when he was young was just the bees'nees or he might decide that as he couldn't afford a GSXR-1000 in 2007 that in the year 2037 he might just decide to track one down and find the best example he can. It's not the quickest bike on the block any more but by God it's the prettiest and sweetest sounding (to him) so Gud-Damn boah, if it costs him $680,000 (2037 dollars), that is what it's going to cost him.

[Motu]

I had a '74 CB750,and my wife a disc brake T150 - The Trident was by far the better bike to ride in every way,even if it didn't have the outright power and speed of the Honda,it was the faster bike to ride because of handling and power delivery.But a shit of a thing to tune for idle and cruise....but modern carbs and ignition would sort that.

[Forest]

The thing about motor-sickles is that it's a bit of a passion or drug thing for some people. It is for me. My original post asked more or less, what was the story behind someone bidding $30,000 on a bike? Question answered. I would love about half a dozen bikes in my garage, in particular a T160 Tripple but space won't allow. Peanut, when he gets to having spent 35 years in the workforce or building up his own business, sireing half a dozen sprogs and educating them and shunting them out the bloody front door, might decide that the NSR250 he had when he was young was just the bees'nees or he might decide that as he couldn't afford a GSXR-1000 in 2007 that in the year 2037 he might just decide to track one down and find the best example he can. It's not the quickest bike on the block any more but by God it's the prettiest and sweetest sounding (to him) so Gud-Damn boah, if it costs him $680,000 (2037 dollars), that is what it's going to cost him.

Sadly I find it hard to believe that a GSXR will still be running and serviceable in 2037. There's just too much techno-wizardry which can go wrong.