RealClassic – August 2019

‘W

ith its brilliant
performance’,chirped
the 1958 brochure,
‘the TriumphTiger
Cubist he popularchoiceofthe li ghtweight
enthusiasttoday. He appreciatesthe li vely
four-stroke OHV engine with its simple dry
sump lubrication system andfour-speed
gearboxbuilt in unit.Asf or economyof
running andvalue formoney,the Cubisr eally
on itsown.’
Thebrochurewas talking about the 200cc
T20, adirec tdevelopmentoft he 149cc
Terrier whichwasfirst built in 1952.Both
weresimple andcompactmachines,styled
to matchthe fa shions of the day. The1958
Cubwith its inclined ohvsinglecylinder
enginewascapable of 60mph (atapush) and
returned around 100mpg.Thiscombination
of reasonable performanceand fair frugality,
together withadash ofEdward Turner’s
designpanache,kept theCubinproduction
until 1970 despitesome skimping on the
spec of the earlier models.
Theunitconstruction 63x64mm, 199cc
engineranat7:1 compression andwasfitted
with an alloycylinder head,aplain big end
bearing (famousforbeing fastwearing) and
usedadouble-plunger oil pump.Although
the duplexprimary chainwassupposedly
‘silent’,itw as very sensitivetothe level of
lube in its oil bath andcould easily stretch
and slap if badly maintained.Soalthough
the motor output 10bhpat 6000rpm,you
couldn’t necessarilyrely on thatmuch power
being usedto rotate the rear wheel...
ThefirstCubs used plunger suspension, then
swappedto swinging armand rear shocks from
1957.The16”wheelswere equipped with 5.5”
cast iron drum brakes,which were adequate
forits feather-weightofj ust 215lb.The Cub
usedtelescopicforks, aslimand notverystrong
looped frame,and amulti-plate clutchto take

THINKING OFBUYING?

THISSMARTLYturned-out 1965Cubisa

matching numbers machine that‘starts

and drives likenew’. Up forgrabs at

PembrokeshireClassicsfor£3695

ON ARECENT RIDE this 1969 SuperCub

happily satat4 5mph; therear br akewas

notedto be moreefficientthan the front. On

sale for£2850at AndyTiernan’s emporium

THIS 1957 T20SH SportsCubwhich‘starts

and runs’sold at auction in Junefor£2200

plus premium

ThisiswhattheTigerCubwould’velookedlikewhenitw asdelivered

to theFrencharmy in the mid-1960s.Wef eaturedthis one in RC19,

Nov2005ify ou want to dig out the old issueandreadmore...

To meet the militaryspec,the WDCubuseda

chunkier reardrivechain thanusual lyfitted to

roadgoing T20s (½”x5/16” instead of 3/16”)

The side-points engine startedlife witha7:1

piston modified for 9:1 rings; sportsvalverings,

needle roller big endanduprated rocker oil feed

driv efromthe four-speed boxwithapositive-

stop footchange mechanism.

‘The Cubwas anexcellentperformer,’ said

CyrilAyton ofMotorcyc le Sp ort,‘with atop

speed of 65mph and plenty of ac celeration

to dist anceitonthe road fromcontemporary

two-strokes ofcomparable size.’There is

always some downside,however :itw as also

nois y–both mechanically and from the

exhaust –and pronetoharsh vibration when

caned...which wasprettymuch all the time,

of course!

46 I AUGUST 2019 More old bikes online: Real-Classic.co.uk