Triumph 3 TA Twenty-One 'Bath Tub'

What more could you want with this weather? A bathtub full of cool water? Could be. But with bathtubs you can do so much more…

The first unit block

The times when motorcycles were equipped with a separate engine and a separate gearbox even passed in England. That new era began for Triumph In 1957 with the 350 cc 3 TA. The 500 cc twins got a unit block only two years later, the 650s even six years later. In 1957 came the Triumph Twenty-One is out with the first Unit construction engine designed by Edward Turner and Jack Wickes. Twenty-One stands for the American capacity measure: 21 cubic inches (348cc), but also for the 21st birthday of Triumph Engineering Co Ltd. Apparently it's just what you want. But the 350cc twin was not conceived to storm the American market.

After all, the Americans went for big, bigger, biggest

The double-interpreted name brought little more success than a faint smile. The official name of the 350 cc twin was '3TA', by the way, it got a plate casing at the rear that was soon called a “bath tub”. That thing with all that sheet metal was a marketing mistake. A mistake that also happened with the Norton Navigator DeLuxe, the Vincent Black Prince and the Velocette Vogue. It was a time thing because the manufacturers looked concerned at the rise of the scooters. And they also had so much sheet metal? So that's where the success had to be!

No money for a car

In the time of this Triumph motorcycles were still mainly equipment for people without money for a car. So they were widely used for commuting. And anyone who has ever heard of English weather knows that it can be quite humid on that island. The idea was therefore that the better situated motorcyclist should be protected against mud splashes and other inconveniences.

Hence all that sheet metal

That the sheet metal seriously got in the way of cleaning and maintenance of the engine? There was not enough discussion about that. The model sold poorly, many dealers removed the plating, including the 'nacelle' from their shop daughters, because a Triumph if "naked bike" was more popular. All that sheet metal was thrown away and therefore an original 'wrapped' Triumph now quite a rare thing and therefore sought after. By the way, there were more Triumphs equipped with the 'bathtub cladding'. The 500 (490) cc Triumph 5 TA and the T 110 were also dressed like this. And that we got the Honda Pan European much, much later? Those were different times.

The 350cc 3TA Twenty-One was Triumph's first unit block

It was still a 360 degree twin with a crankshaft that was only journalled on the outside. The central flywheel was demountable. That was a construction that stood in the way of high revs, but with this kind of cylinder capacity it did not matter very much. Moreover, this kind had Triumphs no circuit aspirations. The construction only reached its limits when the British twins became larger than 650 cc. The cylinder block was cast iron, the head was light alloy and the twin breathed through a single Amal Monobloc carburettor. The four-speed gearbox was played with the right foot. With the Twenty-One, the ignition unit stood proudly on top of the block. Just like with cars. The cover around it may not have earned a beauty prize, but with that English weather we were already talking about, it was just a kind of shower cap to keep the divider dry.

All in all, such a sky has been sprayed in blue summer morning light Triumph Twenty-One just a local clearing. The blue in combination with the beautiful full aluminum of the block and the chrome ensures that you will feel very happy when you see the little twin. And that 'small' is not intended to be harassing about the cylinder capacity. But the 3 TA is just a small motorcycle. A motorcycle from so long ago that the average Western European was about ten centimeters shorter than the current models.

But the certainly not undersized owner is also comfortable

Maneuvering the Twenty-One for photos is a breeze. The thing weighs almost nothing. And that while the plating makes it look a bit 'chubby'. Such a Twenty-One is a wonderful device for dancing on the back roads and back roads. When Rob overtook us, we were heading on the TomTom's 'window route' setting. And with such a tour guide at the wheel is a Triumph 3 TA Twenty-One the ideal partner to spend a day happily roaring as if it were still 1965.

Then you should stay away from the highways

Everyone should do that. The Triumph can manage with the current allowed speeds. But the local clearing wants to dance on secondary and much narrower roads. If you then go inland, via the Meuse valley, to the west side of the Ardennes, then you are on the road for a full day. But that's because of the terrace stops. Oh yes: This sky-blue bathtub is from Rob Remmerswaal of Wisper Classics. Thanks for your time Rob!