Triumph: Fastest growing bike brand in NA

The legendary name from the British motorcycle industry is claiming victory on the North American shores.

Triumph Motorcycles are reportedly happier than most of their peers with 2009 and the sales it rode away with. Claims of continuing growth in both the United States as well as Canada were made by the British motorcycle manufacturer and the trade advocacy group, the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC).

The reported sustained growth makes Triumph one of the fastest growing motorcycle manufacturers in country and one of only two marquees that never lost market share in that time period.

The relatively successful year comes as Triumph celebrates the 15th anniversary that the company returned to North America.

Sales of Triumph motorcycles in the United States increased 5.49 percent in December 2009 over the same period the prior year, which is significant as most manufacturers reported double digit decreases.

“The Triumph team and our network of dealers did a fantastic job of keeping a positive attitude in 2009, and their efforts have paid off as customers continued to show strong support for Triumph,” said Mark Kennedy, CEO of Triumph Motorcycles North America. “We are really optimistic about the New Year. Our all new 2010 Triumph Thunderbird has great momentum from being named Cruiser of the Year and we’re introducing some exciting new models to Triumph’s line of Urban Sport motorcycles.”

Triumph also did extremely well in Canada by producing a year-long sales increase of more than 20 percent over the same period in 2008, making the company the fastest growing motorcycle brand in the North American country.

This past summer Triumph introduced the all-new 1600cc parallel twin Thunderbird, which earned a number of ‘Best Cruiser’ accolades from the motorcycle enthusiast news media. The Thunderbird complements Triumph’s existing cruiser line that includes the 865cc America and Speedmaster models and the 2300cc Rocket III line.

Triumph also manufactures a variety of standard and sport motorcycles that range from the iconic Bonneville to class-leading sport bikes such as the Daytona 675, Street Triple and Speed Triple.

While Triumph initially gained global notoriety for its motorcycles in the 1950s and 60s, the company encountered difficulties in the 1970s. In 1983, British entrepreneur John Bloor purchased the marque and immediately began working on its return to prominence. Triumph re-emerged to the world stage in 1990 with a new line of classic parallel twin and innovative three-cylinder motorcycles that have become the hallmarks of the Triumph model range.

“Triumph has a wonderful heritage. As a company, we understand the importance of perseverance and working toward the future. It’s that culture that has enabled Triumph to be such as strong and resilient company,"  Mark Kennedy predicts, "We’re ready for 2010.”

Clutch and Chrome