Rare Retro Rewind!

We have a special this week! A Triumph x-75 Hurricane. Its BRAND NEW and one of only 600!!! Check out the air cooled brakes. This is a crown jewel in our collection.

Come down and check it out!

The Triumph X-75 Hurricane is a British motorcycle that was the first of a new breed of limited production 'factory specials'. Commissioned by BSA's USA distributor, the X-75 was designed by fairing specialist Craig Vetter. Vetter built his design on the then newly released BSA Rocket3's 750cc three cylinder engine. It was ultimately released as a Triumph model in 1973 after BSA closed its doors in late 1972. It had lowered gearing and a distinctive triple exhaust on the right-hand side.





When the Triples were designed, the original look was sleek and defined with a rounded tear-drop tank. However, to compete with the newer designs, BSA/Triumph decided to redesign the look using the OGLE design company. This created an 18 month delay and resulted in a squarer look and less traditional BSA/Triumph look - only the BSA was saved by sloped cylinders and 'RayGun' silencers.

When the Triples were launched to the American vice-presidents of BSA and Triumph in 1968, they were disappointed. They knew Honda had a bike coming along, and felt the price of $1800 (£895) was too high and technical details like vertically split crank cases ill-thought - which meant continuing oil leaks. However, they did respect the fact that the bike was fast, and the BSA team led by US VP Don Brown (Vice President, General Manager and Director BSA, Inc. 1967 to 1969; reassigned as Vice President, National BSA Sales; resigned 8 January 1970); decided to set some records at Daytona with a stock A75 for launch of the bike - they were later only broken in late 1971 by the Kawasaki Z1.

Brown came home to America, and felt the bike needed a different look to compete. A custom bike enthusiast, he engaged designer Craig Vetter to give the BSA A75 a face-lift. Vetter flew to Nutley, New Jersey for the job interview, and returned on an early BSA A75 with the brief to make it sleeker, more balanced and with a customised look.

Brown had no agreement from BSA group to undertake the redesign, told Vetter he would only get his fee paid as hours when the project was accepted for production, and swore Vetter to complete secrecy. Consequently Vetter had problems getting his $12,000 fee, but only because Brown paid external lawyers to create the contract, and was taking Vetter's expenses out of petty cash. Vetter rode the BSA A75 back to Illinois, and described it as a great bike, but like riding a board. In his 1,000-mile (1,600 km) ride, he tried a few designs sketched onto his own publicity postcards for his existing fairing business.

Brown now had to reveal his project to his boss, Peter Thornton - President of BSA/Triumph North America, with whom he didn't get along. Brown had decided to resign from BSA, but when Thornton heard about the design, he demanded that Brown reveal the details to him or be fired. Vetter was called from Illinois at the October 1969 Sales Conference, and spent eight hours in a stockroom. Various people came by and looked in, with Vetter getting more nervous - until finally Thornton walked in. There was an audible gasp, and he then blurted out, "My God it’s a Bloody phallus! Wrap it up and send it to England!"

The bike arrived in England just as the BSA marque was about to be ended! Also, BSA-Triumph had set up a design facility at Umberslade Hall, and the design was seen as too trendy by chief designer Bert Hopwood. It was only after a strong positive reaction by the public to the design as it appeared on the front of US magazine Cycle World in October 1970 that BSA-Triumph realised it had a whole stock of scrap BSA parts that could now be turned into a premium-priced motorcycle, a young engineer Steve Mettam got the job of supervising production for the 1972/3 season. The Vetter BSA Rocket3 became the Triumph X75 Hurricane.

Vetter was paid his $12,000 fee for his work in March 1971, but had a difficult time collecting it and it took several months. 1,183 engines were put aside for X75 production.

Production stopped in 1973 because the X-75 was not able to meet new American noise standards.

Surviving X-75's have a potentially fatal technical defect as cracks appear in either the top or bottom yoke if the pinch bolts are over-tightened. There was no specific torque setting issued by the factory for these pinch bolts.