Tom Hines' 1958 Triumph Hill Climber

Bill from Lewiston, Idaho, United States, made available these pictures of this historic 1958 Triumph Hill Climber on which his father Tom Hines booked many victories in the early sixties of the last century.

Bill: "For sale is Tom Hines 80 cu.in. Championship HillClimber. It is a 1958 Triumph 6T. While Tom used this bike to compete in the 80 inch Class competitions, it is not actually bored to 80 cu.in. He used it to compete and win several Hill Climb competitions."

1958 Triumph Hill Climber by Tom Hines

Bill: "The bike was last operated in 1972 and has been residing in the garage ever since. We left the dust and blemishes in place for proper restoration. What appears to be a stain on the seat is actually a bead of my sweat.

Trophy not included."

Bill: "Tom took this otherwise stock motorcycle and welded a longer swingarm on it for more leverage. He also dismantled the engine and tweaked the internals to make it an even better machine."

Grip is everything! These rear tire chains of this champion hill climbing motorcycle were definitely intended for off road riding only.

Bill: "Notice Tom's homemade 'disc brake' caliper on the rear sprocket to lighten the rear wheel."

Triumph Hill Climber Seating Position

Note the smooth top rim across the handlebars - when climbing a steep hill that is what you will lean into standing upright on the pegs to keep proper balance.

Climbing hills is a bouncy ride by definition. No need to explain that the large soft and smooth saddle is quite an important safety feature...

1958 Triumph 6T Engine

1958 Triumph 6T Engine

Tom Hines took the Triumph Trophy 650cc two cylinder engine apart and checked and tweaked all parts to make it an even better machine.

Tom Hines - Hill Climbing Champion

Bill: "Tom won the Harley-Davidson Dealers Assoc. Hill Climb event in Corvallis Oregon three years in a row from 1961-62-63. The Association was so discouraged by the event being won by a Triumph that they completely cancelled the event there after!

In 1962 he won the Canadian National Hill Climb event in London Ontario.

Tom passed away May 3, 2008 from Melanoma cancer and is greatly missed by his friends and family."

Tom tweaked the 650cc Triumph Trophy 6T engine for better and smoother performance.

(April 2010)

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