1959 250cc Triumph TW2 Tigress Twin
The first post-war scooter to join the National Motorcycle Museum’s collection is a Triumph Tigress. Along with a BSA B2 Sunbeam counterpart, it was sold with both 175cc two-stroke and 250cc four-stroke power units. This has the latter, a fan-cooled ohv parallel twin engine that is smooth, quiet and capable of taking the machine, which has steel bodywork around a tubular frame, to 70mph in the highest of its four speeds. This model is in Shell Blue, but Mimosa/Ivory and Grey/Ivory were two-tone options. Accessories included a windscreen and electric starting was an optional extra.
Built by BSA from 1959 until 1964, the 250cc scooters were sturdy and economical but didn’t seem to appeal to a young generation seduced by the Latin looks of Lambrettas and Vespas.
