Description
This motorcycle is Lot 203 to be auctioned by Bonhams at The Autumn Stafford Sale (The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show) on 12 & 13 October, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Auction Timings:
Lots 1 - 176 are to be sold from 11:00 on Saturday 12th October 2024.
Lots 201 - 429 are to be sold from 11:00 on Sunday 13th October 2024.
Public Viewing:
Available 12th & 13th October 2024 from 09:00 until 17:00, at The Stafford County Showground (The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show).
Lot 203
The Ivan Kessell Collection
c. 1925 Triumph 225cc Junior
Registration no. NN 9758
Frame no. 606119
Engine no. 11565
The first Triumph motorcycle of 1902 used a Belgian Minerva engine but within a few years the Coventry firm - originally a bicycle manufacturer founded by German immigrants Siegfried Bettman and Maurice Schulte - was building its own power units. The first of these - a 298cc single-cylinder sidevalve - arrived in 1904. This first engine was not without its weaknesses, and the curious 'tandem down-tube' frame in which it was installed often broke, but these shortcomings were soon sorted and within a couple of years 'Triumph' was a byword for reliability. Introduced in 1914 together with famous 4hp Model H, one of Triumph's new models was the Junior, a 225cc two-stroke single. Weighing only 129lb, the Junior featured chain-cum-belt transmission and a two-speed gearbox - the latter an unusual feature among contemporary lightweights - but there was no clutch and the machine was push-started. Known as the 'Baby' Triumph by the motorcycling public, the Junior resumed production after The Great War and was last catalogued in 1923.
An older restoration, this Triumph Junior was purchased by Ivan Kessell in 1978. The machine has been on long-term museum display and will require recommissioning, or possibly more extensive restoration, before further use and thus is sold strictly as viewed. Accompanying paperwork consists of old/ current V5C documents and an old-style green logbook (issued 1967).
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
