After World War II, millions of young men came back to the US with money to spend, and Triumph wanted their share of it. So they had Edward Turner design a 650cc machine for the American market. The Thunderbird was created, and its popularity in the USA was cemented when Marlon Brando rode one in “The Wild One”.
When the industry found out that The Wild One was going to paint motorcyclists in a negative light, Bill Johnson of Johnson Motors (Triumph’s US importer at the time) objected: “It should be obvious that the film is calculated to do nothing but harm, particularly to do a minor group of business people—motorcycle dealers throughout the USA. Certainly there is nothing educational about this picture, but on the contrary it raises a most unfavorable presumption against the sport of motorcycling generally, and is a stigma to anyone who owns or rides a motor bike.” But we all know how that turned out!
For ’57, Triumph updated the tank and the striking badge. They also implemented a new chain guard, upgraded the front brake, and revised the transmission internals.
The 649cc twin was good for 34 horsepower, and the overall package weighed 394 pounds dry.
In 2018, Jesse had Garage Company rebuild the front and rear wheels, “fix rear brake”, and detail the bike to the tune of $1,999.
In preparation for the listing, Jesse had us clean the carb, install a new 6V battery, repair the wiring harness, install new fuel line onto the stock fittings, change the engine/transmission/primary oil, and replace the inner primary drive case cover/seals. There is an oil leak, we believe it’s from the crankcase breather (as noted in the video up top).
Currently located at our facility in Santa Monica, California, this Thunderbird is offered on a clean California title. The tags have a 2019 sticker however registration was current through December 2021.
Per the California DMV website, it would cost $340 to make registration current through December 2022.
Have any Thunderbird stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the comments below!
Additional Information
Location
Santa Monica, California
Year
1957
Make
Triumph
Model
Thunderbird
Title
Clean
Title State/Country
California
VIN
01564
Mileage
15,875
Additional Charges
No
VIN Report
N/A
Private Party/Dealership
Private Party
Total Bids Placed: 20
Auction has ended.
Auction expired without reaching reserve price.
Highest bidder was: j*****e
After the auction ended, the seller accepted an offer of $8,025 including buyer fees.
Bidder Name
Bidding Time
Bid
Auto
j*****e
June 21, 2022 10:18 am PDT
$6,600
Auto This was automatically placed for a bidder with a higher proxy.
w**************e
June 21, 2022 10:18 am PDT
$6,500
j*****e
June 21, 2022 10:13 am PDT
$6,200
w**************e
June 21, 2022 10:13 am PDT
$6,100
Auto This was automatically placed for a bidder with a higher proxy.
w**************e
June 21, 2022 10:10 am PDT
$5,400
j*****e
June 21, 2022 10:10 am PDT
$5,300
Auto This was automatically placed for a bidder with a higher proxy.
j*****e
June 21, 2022 10:07 am PDT
$5,100
w**************e
June 21, 2022 10:07 am PDT
$5,000
Auto This was automatically placed for a bidder with a higher proxy.
w**************e
June 21, 2022 10:06 am PDT
$4,700
j*****e
June 21, 2022 9:38 am PDT
$4,600
Auto This was automatically placed for a bidder with a higher proxy.
m********e
June 21, 2022 9:38 am PDT
$4,500
j*****e
June 21, 2022 9:31 am PDT
$4,400
Auto This was automatically placed for a bidder with a higher proxy.
m********e
June 21, 2022 9:31 am PDT
$4,300
j*****e
June 21, 2022 8:16 am PDT
$4,100
m********e
June 21, 2022 8:16 am PDT
$4,000
Auto This was automatically placed for a bidder with a higher proxy.
m********e
June 16, 2022 4:49 pm PDT
$3,100
Auto This was automatically placed for a bidder with a higher proxy.
m****7
June 16, 2022 4:49 pm PDT
$3,000
m********e
June 16, 2022 11:37 am PDT
$2,057
Auto This was automatically placed for a bidder with a higher proxy.
Continental US: Iconic has several private shipping partners that criss-cross the country for us. Please email transport@iconicmotorbikes.com or fill out the form at the bottom of this page to request a quote.
California/Nevada/Arizona We are located in Santa Monica, California 90405. On a case-by-case basis, we can transport motorcycles in our van. Please email transport@iconicmotorbikes.com or fill out the form at the bottom of this page to request a quote.
$2,000 for Los Angeles, CA to Canada is a ROUGH ballpark, please contact TFX for an exact quote including shipping and customs.
Europe and Asia: Please inquire though transport@iconicmotorbikes.com and we would love to put together a custom quote for you with our trusted transport / shipping partners.
