1975 Triumph Bonneville

ABOVE: This 1975 Triumph Bonneville is rarer than you might think. While it looks very similar to the 1973 & 74, very few were made due to the workers strike.

MERIDIAN CO-OP FORMS
The '75 Bonneville is practically non-existent. So few were produced that it hardly counts as a model year. The Meriden factory workers' revolt/shutdown of Triumph Motorcycle's Meriden plant in October 1973 lasted until early 1975. Virtually no development work had been done on the 1975 Triumph Bonneville for nearly a year-and-a-half. The solution to the shutdown was for the workers to form their own Meriden Co-operative & do an employee buy-out of the company, similar to what Harley-Davidson did in the 1980s. By the time work resumed, it was April 1975 & only two months were left of the model year before it was time to switch over to 1976 models (which would require some big changes to accomodate the requirement for left-hand shift). As the result, very few 1975 Triumph Bonneville s were built.
A FOCUS ON BONNEVILLES
Reflecting the limited means of the new Meriden Co-op, when production resumed at the Meriden plant, the main product by far was the 750cc 1975 Triumph Bonneville T140. While some single-carb TR7s continued to be produced in low volume for export markets, police work & the shortlived TR7 Trail, it was mostly T140 Bonnevilles that would remain in production, albeit in low numbers. The 500cc Triumph Daytona series was gone. And since the Triumph T160 Trident was being produced (in its final year) at BSA's Small Heath factory, it was relatively unaffected by the workers' strike at Meriden. Little good it did, the Trident died that same year.
COLOR COMBOS
What few 1975 Triumph Bonneville s there are, are virtually identical to 1974 models, distinguished only by their engine numbers. So, color combos were Cherokee Red over Cold White for the T140; and Purple over Cold White for the T120.

1975 Triumph Bonneville SPECIFICATIONS

T120RV Bonneville

T140RV Bonneville

Engine type

Displacement

Bore & Stroke

Compression

Carburetors

Ignition

Engine output

Primary drive

Primary sprockets

Clutch

Gearbox

Ratios, overall:

1st, bottom

2nd

3rd

4th

5th, top

Final drive

Final drive sprockets

Frame type

Suspension, front

Suspension, rear

Brake, front

Brake, rear

Tire, front

Tire, rear

Fuel capacity

Wheelbase

Seat height

Ground clearance

Weight

5-speed 650 Roadster

5-speed 750 Roadster

Air-cooled OHV vertical twin

744cc / 45.0 ci

76mm X 82mm / 2.99" X 3.23"

8.6:1

2- Amal Concentrics R930/9, 30mm

Battery & coil, Lucas

49 bhp @ 6200 rpm

3/8" triplex X 84 links

Engine 29T X Clutch 58T

Multi-plate, wet

5-speed constant-mesh, right-foot shift


12.25:1

8.63:1

6.58:1

5.59:1

4.7:1

5/5" X .400" X 3/8" chain X 106 links

Gearbox 19T X Rear 47T

All-welded, oil-bearing large-tube backbone

Telescopic fork, hydraulic damping 2-way

Swing arm, 2 Girling dampers

10" disk, 2-piston hydraulic caliper

7" SLS drum, conical hub

3.25" X 19" Dunlop, ribbed

4.00" X 18" Dunlop, universal

3 Imp gal (US) / 4 Imp gal (UK & export)

54.5" / 140.3 cm

32.5" / 77.5 cm

5" / 12.7 cm

387 lbs/ 176 kg

MORE TRIUMPH BONNEVILLES:
Triumph Bonneville
Triumph Bonneville Pre-Unit (1959-1962)
.....1959
.....1960
.....1961
.....1962
Triumph Bonneville, Unit-Construction(1963-1970)
.....1963
.....1964
.....1965
.....1966
.....1967
.....1968
.....1969
.....1970
Triumph Bonneville, Oil-in-Frame
.....1971
.....1972
.....1973
.....1974
.....1975
.....1976
.....1977
.....1978
.....1979
.....1980
.....1981
.....1982
.....1983
Les Harris Bonnevilles(1983-1989)
OTHER TRIUMPHS:
Triumph TR6
Triumph TR7
Triumph Trophy
Triumph Tiger
Triumph Thunderbird
Triumph Trident
Triumph X-75 Hurricane

Check out these TRIUMPH BOOKS



2018 Classic Triumph Calendar


Triumph Motorcycles: The art of the motorcycle


The Complete Book of Classic and Modern Triumph Motorcycles 1937-Today (Complete Book Series)


Triumph Motorcycles: From Speed-Twin to Bonneville


Triumph Bonneville and TR6 Motorcycle Restoration Guide: 1956-83


British Motorcycles Triumph (Little Books)


Triumph Motorcycles in America


McQueen's Motorcycles: Racing and Riding with the King of Cool


Triumph Motorcycle Restoration


Illustrated Triumph Motorcycles Buyer's Guide: From 1945 Through the Latest Models (Illustrated Buyer's Guide)


Tales of Triumph Motorcycles and the Meriden Factory


Hinckley Triumphs: The First Generation (Crowood Motoclassic)

For more like these, visit our
TRIUMPH BOOK STORE







PLEASE BUY MY NEW E-BOOK HERE
12 Chapters & over 100 original photos. My best work yet.
ONLY $4.99!
Thank you,
Andy Tallone, your humble author

Click here to buy now:
The Random History of Classic British Motorcycles, Volume 1


Comprehensive Vintage Motorcycle Price Guide 2020-2021

Please visit our
MOTORCYCLE BOOK STORE

Take a tour of our site...

HOME PAGE
Triumph Motorcycles
.....Bonneville
.....Tiger
.....Trophy
.....TR6
.....TR7
.....Trident
.....X-75 Hurricane
.....6T Thunderbird
.....5T Speed Twin
.....Daytona
.....Twenty-One
.....3T 350 Twins
BSA Motorcycles
.....A65
.....A10
.....A7
.....Gold Star
.....Bantam
.....Rocket 3
.....B50
Norton Motorcycles
.....Commando
.....Atlas
.....Dominator
.....Model 7
.....Manx
.....Navigator
AMC-Associated Motor Cycles
Matchless-AJS Motorcycles
.....G3
.....G9
.....G12
.....G80
Royal Enfield Motorcycles
.....Interceptor
.....Bullet
Ariel Motorcycles
.....Square Four
.....Red Hunter
.....Cyclone
Vincent Motorcycles
.....Black Shadow
.....Rapide
.....Comet
.....Egli-Vincent
Velocette Motorcycles
.....KSS
.....KTT
.....LE
.....MAC
.....Thruxton
.....Venom
.....LE
Rickman Motorcycles
Japanese Motorcycles
.....Honda
.....Kawasaki
.....Suzuki
.....Yamaha
Cafe Racers
....Triumph Cafe Racers
.....Norton Cafe Racers
.....Other Cafe Racers
Choppers & Bobbers
.....Choppers
.....Triumph Choppers
.....BSA Choppers
.....Rat Bikes
Classic Racing Motorcycles

Classic Motorcycle Events
.....Auctions
.....Shows
.....Rides
Classic Motorcycle Restoration
Classic Motorcycle Shops
Classic Motorcycle Clubs
Send us Pictures of YOUR BIKE
YOUR BIKE Pictures

HOME PAGE
.....About Us
.....Site Map
.....CONTACT US
.....Please visit our BLOG
.....Subscribe to our FREE e-zine BRIT IRON
.....BRIT IRON E-zine Back Issues

Visit our STORES
.....Motorcycle Books
.....Motorcycle Magazines
.....Motorcycle Calendars
.....Motorcycle Accessories
..........Motorcycle Helmets
..........Motorcycle Rain Suits
..........Motorcycle Locks & Security
..........Motorcycle T-Shirts
..........Motorcycle Diecast Models
..........GoPro Cameras
.....Motorcycle Parts
..........Motorcycle Tires
..........Motorcycle Chains
..........Motorcycle Batteries
..........Motorcycle Handlebars
.....Motorcycle Tools
..........Whitworth Tools
..........Tire Tools
..........Chain Tools

Crazy about cars, too? Check out our sister site:
www.American-Muscle-Cars.net



Back to top - 1975 Triumph Bonneville
Last updated 12/13/20

Learn how to BUILD YOUR OWN WEBSITE, like I did.