From the Classifieds: 1973 Triumph X-75 Hurricane

If motorcycles could talk, what a tale this 1973 Triumph X-75 Hurricane could tell…

This tidy matching-numbers example is currently listed for sale on Bikesales, with its Sydney-based private seller claiming the machine has racked up just 4652 genuine miles. Sourced from Texas, USA, the bike is said to be 100 per cent complete and has been on display for much of its life.

The seller has listed the bike for $48,000, which doesn't seem outlandish given the sums similar examples have fetched in recent years. Another US-delivered example was sold at auction for £20,700 (approximately $A40,500) by British auction house Bonhams in 2018, and even a replica X-75 Hurricane went for over $A24,000 via Bonhams that same year.

The Hurricane is billed by many as the world's first 'factory custom', with some even claiming it kicked off the 'cruiser' genre. But however you choose to frame it, this striking British triple represented a bid for survival by a giant British motorcycle manufacturer as it struggled against the rising tide of Japanese rivals.

In fact, originally the Hurricane was intended to be not a Triumph, but a BSA. BSA, which had assumed ownership of Triumph in the early 1950s, was looking to secure more sales in the massive North American market in the late 1960s, in an effort to keep its head above water while battling the influx of increasingly sophisticated models from Japan.

Key to the company's plans was the development of the BSA Rocket 3/Triumph Trident, a 740cc inline triple designed to push BSA-Triumph beyond its range of 650cc parallel-twins. The Brit triples were launched amid great fanfare in 1968 but were soon eclipsed by the release of Honda's technologically superior CB750 inline four – the model widely hailed as the world's first superbike.

In any case, BSA-Triumph America vice president Bob Brown felt the Rocket 3/Trident needed a more progressive look for the US market, and so American motorcycle designer and stylist, Craig Vetter, was commissioned to deliver a comprehensive makeover.

His efforts resulted in a prototype with swooping fibreglass bodywork with flowing lines from the tank to the side panels and seat. The concept also featured distinctive upswept pipes and a slightly raked stance that – in the same year that saw the release of the movie, Easy Rider – tapped into the prevailing trends of the US market of the time.

Vetter presented the bike to BSA-Triumph America management in October 1969 and they were impressed – the more conservative British execs, less so.

Still, after the X-75 Hurricane made its public debut on the cover of America's Cycle World magazine in September 1970, public sentiment in the US was enthusiastic and the project got the green light, the production version remaining remarkably faithful to the prototype.

Then BSA really hit the skids and the British Government stepped in with a taxpayer-funded rescue package that saw Triumph merge with Norton Villiers to form Norton Villiers Triumph.

With no shortage of BSA Rocket 3 parts at its disposal, NVT pushed ahead with the X-75 Hurricane, now bearing Triumph badging.

Just 1200 examples are thought to have been produced between 1972 and 1973, before new, tighter noise regulations ended the model's US aspirations entirely.

These days the Triumph X-75 Hurricane is a prized collector's bike. It may have ultimately failed to save NVT from disaster – the company struggling on until its dying gasp in 1978 – but it stands proud today as the world's first factory motorcycle special, and one that for a brief time carried the hopes of once world-dominating British industry on its shoulders.

bikesales has not physically inspected the motorcycle featured in this article; while bikesales and the wider carsales group of websites go to significant lengths to ensure the safety of both buyers and sellers of products listed in our classifieds, all the usual precautions apply. For hints on what to look for when buying used, see our guide, Advice: How to buy second-hand.