Celebration of submarine involves obvious motorcycle connection
To mark the decommissioning of the HMS Triumph a motorcycle is being given away in support of charity. Guess the brand of motorcycle.
The connection here is so obvious, they couldn’t NOT do it. A Triumph Speed Twin 900 is set to be raffled off as part of celebrations connected to the decommissioning of the 34-year-old HMS Triumph nuclear submarine.
Built in Barrow-in-Furness, the Trafalgar class submarine has been in action since 1991. It’s served in missions around the world, including in support of operations in Afghanistan and Libya. It was the last of the Royal Navy's Trafalgar class submarines.
The HMS Triumph had been the subject of several refits over the years but was very clearly showing her age by 2020. Her last official sailing took place in December last year, and she’s been based at HMNB Devonport, in Plymouth, ever since.
Spotting an obvious opportunity, Triumph Motorcycles has donated its 897cc parallel-twin-driven retro motorcycle to be raffled off in support of the HMS Triumph’s chosen charities: Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and Brian House Children's Hospice. The draw takes place on 4 October.
Most recently updated for 2025, the Triumph Speed Twin 900 promises peak power outputs of 62 bhp and 59 lb-ft of torque. Not exactly mind-blowing numbers, but more than enough according to our review of the bike.
In his review, former editor Matt Robinson described the bike as “the pick of the lot” among Triumph’s many modern classic offerings - from the Speed 400 to the Speed Twin 1200.
We can’t find any evidence that the HMS Triumph was named after the motorcycle brand; it probably wasn’t, but, hey, it’s not completely beyond the realm of possibility.
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Chris Cope is a fourth-generation journalist, originally from Texas. He has lived in the UK for roughly two decades and has been writing about motorcycles for most of that time. He has written for dozens of publications and websites in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
