OVERVIEW
1939 Triumph Tiger 100
VIN: TF 1099
Engine: 9-T100-19473
This Tiger was finished at the Triumph factory in May of 1939 and was bound for the US market. Before its complete restoration the bike was found in the Baltimore area with its original frame, engine and important hard to find parts. Restored by renowned British bike expert AJ Lewis, he would do a complete mechanical and cosmetic restoration using all of its original parts, and would do a complete rebuild of the engine and transmission.
About the Triumph Tiger 100
With the runaway sales success of the Triumph Speed Twin, Edward Turner's mind turned to further developing the potential of his new 500cc parallel twin motor. The lighter and more powerful Tiger 100 was developed as a sports enthusiasts machine, where as with previous models the '100' referred to its claimed maximum speed.
Technical changes over the Speed Twin included forged alloy pistons, a very early use of the technology. Secondly, the cylinders were forged in a single casting and held in place by eight studs, instead of the Speed Twin’s six. Thirdly, the Tiger 100 used a single Amal carburetor, possible thanks to the 360-degree firing interval of the two cylinders.
In March 1939, Triumph came up with an unorthodox 'launch' of the new Tiger 100. Using a Tiger 100 and a Speed Twin straight from dealers showrooms, endurance was tested with a run of over 1,800 miles (2,900 km) from John o'Groats to Land's End in Cornwall then to the Brooklands circuit for six hours of continuous high-speed laps, where riders Ivan Wicksteed and David Whitworth averaged 78.5 miles per hour (126.3 km/h) with a final lap of 88.5 miles per hour (142.4 km/h), winning Triumph the Maudes Trophy. The Tiger 100's sporting pretensions were later further proven through Freddie Clarke’s 1939 lap record at Brooklands of 118.02 miles per hour (189.93 km/h)
The Triumph works was destroyed by German bombers on the night of 14 November 1940 - along with much of the city of Coventry bringing production of the Tiger 100 to an end until after the war.
A brief history of AJ Lewis:
Following World War II AJ Lewis went to work for the famed British motorcycle importer and shop, Johnson Motors in Pasadena CA. JoMo, as they were called, was the largest Triumph and Ariel dealer and distributor on the West Coast. While in their employ AJ became an expert at building race motors that included both motorcycles and Indy cars. His passion was for the Ariel and Triumph brands, and he owned and tuned 2 Grand Prix racers with one placing 3rd at Daytona in 1951. He later had two shops of his own with one specializing in speed parts and performance engine builds. Later in life he would restore the bikes of his youth as only a lifetime of experience and expertise could, winning multiple awards in the process. AJ amassed the largest supply of Ariel Motorcycles and parts in the world, which allowed him to restore bikes using original factory parts.
