Triumph 650cc and 750cc Twins by Mathew Vale |
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 In his fourth book for Crowood, author Mathew Vale has moved up in capacity from the 350 and 500 unit construction twins to take an in-depth look at the 650 and 750 machines. These of course include bikes with the iconic names, Bonneville, Tiger, Trophy and Thunderbird and are arguably the most popular of the Meriden factory.The unit-construction 650cc Triumph 'B' series twins were the top-of-the-range models in Triumph's range from their introduction right through to the 750cc Trident which appeared in 1968. Unlike the three cylinder machine, they survived until the very end of production. The hardback book follows a similar format to his previous tomes so that the whole story is told of each model and some of the off-shoot variants in a methodical manner that helps you understand how certain bike were arrived at and came into being. He charts the progress of the unit construction bikes from their introduction in 1963 until their demise under Harris in the late eighties. As before there is a detailed analysis and useful information on dating and identifying models. What I really like about these books is the chapters on riding and owning one based on experience and Vale is not afraid to tell how various improvements have been made by owners. Such information makes the book much more than just another history book and helps make it stand out on the bookshelf, as does the comparison with BSA’s of the same era. Again, the book ends with an account of a full restoration of one from rusty wreck of a 1970 T120R Bonneville to a factory fresh, but very rideable bike. Lastly there are some useful companies listed to help existing or perspective owners. I must confess to being a current owner and also a previous owner of many of the bikes mentioned and I cannot fault the contents. In fact once again, the book is a nice mix of history, using period shots and adverts as well as interviews with current owners and hints and tips about owning and running these bikes. Vale’s style is very readable and as a result this like previous tomes is also a good read from a general motorcycling perspective. But, such books are ideal to read thoroughly before attempting to purchase a bike covered, so the reasonable cover price of £19.95 could be money well spent beforehand. ISBN 978 84797 120 3 Another good book from Crowood which can be bought at all good bookshops or direct from them www.crowood.com or enquiries@crowood.com Review by Ian Kerr
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