In Blog, Guest Writers by David N / July 9, 2019
Contributor David N continues his tour of local events with a visit to the 26th annual Triumph National Rally!
Greetings from the 26th annual National Triumph Rally held last week at the fairgrounds in Oley, Pennsylvania, the same site as the AMCA Spring National Meet. With the Reading Motorcycle Club drag strip just down the road, Oley is quite the town for motorcycle enthusiasts.
This year’s theme was the Triumph pre-unit, namely 500 & 650 twin models which have a separate transmission. The unit motor came out in 1964. Over 40 pre-unit Triumphs were on display, but that does not discount all the other Triumphs which made the show, including Hinckley models! The rally was a three-day event with perfect weather.
I arrived Saturday with a Bultaco in tow. What? A Bultaco…why? Well because my Bultaco was once owned by Eddie Fisher who gave it to his son Gary, and Gary sold it. Eddie, a former Triumph factory rider, never misses this meet. He truly enjoys talking with all enthusiasts.
So, I caught up with Eddie there, but his version of the story is a little different. He said that Gary said Eddie gave it to him only after Gary sold it! So, they had a bit of reunion.
The Triumph bike show is the mainstay of the rally. While the swap meet area is good, the show area was quite inspiring. There were many exhibits and models that I have not seen elsewhere, and I’ve been to a lot of cycle shows.
The swap meet hid many treasures, from a $75 Triumph bicycle to a $375 Cheney fuel tank. But not everything was Triumph.
This Rotax-powered MZ Country was offered at $2,000. It was turnkey. I’m guessing prices on these have nearly bottomed. Too bad it was yellow!
Only $450 would have brought you this TL250. Not too much money but it was far from original.
Tired of kick starting your vintage Triumph? One company’s solution is this pneumatic kick starter! “So easy, a kid can do it.” Also available for the Norton Commando and Velocette.
One person was trolling for information about his DMW, said to have been competed by John Fenimore. It looks pre-Greeves to me, but I know nothing about these. Interesting piece!
Well, hold my beer! I’ll raise your pneumatic starter with a crank driven alternator on this Triumph 250!
Not many true B50MX bikes are around. Most are faked with B50SS street motors. This MX model was numbers matching and priced around 3K if I recall correctly.
The same price could also get you a decent 441 Victor. The Ducati single was $6,500.
Whether you were in the market or not, there was something for everyone. Regularly held in late June, the weather usually will hold. It’s worth adding this show to your trips next year.
