This now rare 5TA would be a great addition to any collection, as the discerning vintage bike rider knows the smaller frame of the 500 offers brilliant and superior handling in the twisties to the model’s big brother.
Brand new in 1959, the Triumph 5TA Speed Twin was Triumph’s first “unit construction” 500cc design. Like the 350cc 3TA which preceded it by one year, the engine and transmission shared a common case.
The 490cc engine of the 5TA featured a much shorter stroke than the original Speed Twin and had unitized construction, with the transmission mainshaft, layshaft and gears carried in a cavity cast into the rear of the alloy engine crankcases.
For the 1959 model year the 350 (renamed the 3TA) was bored out to 69mm, creating 490cc, and the 500 5TA Speed Twin appeared, also with the ’tub, claiming 27 horsepower.
The Triumph 5TA Speed Twin used a 498cc parallel-twin OHV motor producing 30 HP, housed in a new unit-construction crankcase that integrated the gearbox and alternator within its confines.
1961 Triumph 5TA Speed Twin For Sale At Auction - Mecum Auctions
Explore 5TA's biography, discography, and artist credits. Shop rare vinyl records, top albums, and more on Discogs.
Triumph’s unit construction model 5TA was introduced in 1958 and continued in production until 1966. It was effectively a replacement for the long-running Speed Twin and retained that distinctive model name on the rear bathtub.