Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC becomes a cowherd
The Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC has been rounding up the herd as a tribute to part of the untold story of The Great Escape
THE links between Triumph Motorcycles and The Great Escape are widely known, even aside from the now-iconic jump made by Bud Ekins on a lightly modified Triumph TR6.
Indeed, that bike, now on display in the Triumph Visitor Experience at the Hinckley factory, has become one of the most famous and valuable motorcycles ever to grace the silver screen. But the life of the bike wasn’t always so glamourous.
After the production of The Great Escape finished, the film company sold the Triumph TR6 to a farmer, whose land was used during filming. The farmer used the famous bike to herd cows on his farm for some time before placing it into retirement.
After recreating the jump scene from The Great Escape with Guy Martin last year, Triumph has now recreated the humble post-movie life of the now-priceless TR6.
Obviously Triumph wasn’t willing to allow their working museum piece to go mud plugging with a field full of unpredictable bovines, but its current Scrambler 1200 XC looks to be more than up to the task.
Located on vast hill-top farm in Wales, south of the Brecon Beacons, Tamsin Jones, once the youngest woman to complete the gruelling Dakar Rally in 2009, took on the task. Being familiar with the area and handling livestock, it was the natural fit.
The initial task was rounding up the roaming cattle. With the Scrambler’s agile handling and off-road capability, it coped effortlessly with changing terrain, sweeping, tight turns, and moving cattle. Once rounded, the herd was directed into a concentrated passageway, bringing the cows back to the farm. This was their usual route and would usually be carried out by a 4x4 or ATV.
Tamsin Jones said: “Designed for genuine off-road adventure riding, the Scrambler 1200 had no difficulty shifting between the short bursts of power with smooth turns on muddy ground when rounding, as well as low-speed, controlled handling on firmer terrain. Needless to say, the most unpredictable part of this act, were the cows! The Scrambler successfully managed to herd the roaming cattle into the dedicated pen, in the same way the TR6 would have been used for many years. This was an amazing adventure, and I can only imagine what else I could experience on this Scrambler 1200!”.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
