1972 Triumph Hurricane X-75 Motorcycle

Description

Depending on your definition, the Triumph Hurricane may or may not be defined as the first cruiser, but it was emphatically the first factory custom and inspired many imitators. It was designed by renowned fairing specialist, Craig Vetter (in an era when fully faired machines were rare). Surprisingly, the Hurricane was not hugely popular at first and only 1172 were produced. But soon this rakish custom was properly recognised as a genuine trendsetter and enthusiasts fell in love with those trademark triple pipes from its awesome Triumph three-cylinder engine, first seen in the BSA Rocket 3 and Triumph Trident in late 1968. (The Hurricane made its public debut as a BSA but the brand then inconveniently vanished!) The Triumph (as it became) X-75 Hurricane was conceived as a way of repackaging the radical new engine because both the Rocket 3 and Trident were judged boxy and unprepossessing. When Peter Thornton, president of BSA/Triumph North America saw the prototype, he said: “My God, it’s a bloody phallus. Wrap it up and send it to England.”