Bikers' Bookshelf

Triumph Experimental tells for the first time the full story of chief development engineer Doug Hele and his men at Triumph’s Meriden motorcycle factory. Hele was Britain’s brightest and most progressive motorcycle engineer of the 1960s and 1970s.

He transformed the handling of the 650cc Bonneville and developed the three-cylinder 750cc engine used by both Triumph and BSA to launch 125mph roadsters, ushering in the original superbike era. With his close-knit team Hele turned Meriden’s Experimental Department into a world-class race shop, with successes including the Daytona 200-winning 500 twins, TT-winning Bonnevilles and the howling triples that won the Daytona 200, the Formula 750 TT, the Bol d’Or and MCN Superbike series, all in 1971. Some innovative later projects, including a V5 engine, had to be dropped when Meriden closed in 1973.

As well as charting Hele’s achievements, the book contains many first-hand recollections from former colleagues in Hele’s Experimental Department: development engineers Norman Hyde and John Barton, chargehand and race team manager Les Williams and the skilled fitters who translated Hele’s ideas into metal, rubber and glassfibre. Not merely technical, the text includes anecdotes evoking a happy atmosphere at Meriden before things fell apart through no fault of Hele and his crew.

This 208-page hardback contains 165 illustrations, some of them explanatory line drawings specially commissioned from artist John Hancox. It’s a must-read for anyone fascinated by development engineering or curious about the old British industry, as well as classic Triumph bike fans. “Whether you simply fancy a good read or wish to learn more and gain a deeper understanding of how real life was in the last couple of decades before the old industry folded, you will find much of interest in here. It’s a great book. Very well illustrated and packed with … well … everything! Highly recommended.” Frank Westworth, Real Classic magazine