A truly historic Triumph motorcycle is up for sale at the H&H classic motorcycle auction at the National Motorcycle Museum on Wednesday, 12 July. It’s a 1923 Triumph Ricardo – one of the first to have a four-valve, overhead valve engine that transformed the power output.
The 500cc single cylinder Triumph Ricardo put out 20hp – similar to a 1500cc car engine of the period.
The overhead valve engine was designed by Sir Harry Ricardo, a prolific motor engineer, to give much more efficient gas flow than the side valve engine it replaced.
The Ricardo was capable of more than 70mph and was quickly chosen for competition, setting three world speed records and winning a gold medal in the 1923 International Six Days Trial (ISDT).
The cycle parts were based on Triumph’s well-proven Triumph Model H side-valve. The ‘Riccy’ continued in production as a sports model until 1928 with the powerful engine showing the limits of the outdated rolling chassis.
This 1923 Triumph Ricardo on offer was purchased from the Brighton Museum around 1980. The vendor took it home and gave it pride of place in the lounge, by the looks of it.
“The bike was kicked over regularly and appears to have good compression and selects in all gears,” said the auctioneer.
“A truly time warp machine, and with a little recommissioning will come back to life. It comes complete with a continuation RF60 log book from 1925, and an old-style V5.”
Fast facts
1923 Triumph Ricardo
Auction estimate £9,000 – £11,000
Registration No: NK 5622
Frame No: 330140
Engine No: R89464
Capacity: 500cc
MOT: Exempt
Ex Brighton Museum
Owned for over 40 years
Old-style V5 present
