Whatever happened to Baby Triumphs?

If you are someone who gives your motorcycles a name, let me introduce you to ‘Hugh’ (Hughie to his friends), a 1924 Triumph Junior now belonging to West Country enthusiast Colin Groves.

You might know the model by its more normal nickname of ‘Baby’ – given to the little two-stroke because it never went anywhere without its rattle! – but of the 11,000 paddle start lightweights that rolled off the Coventry production lines during its 12-year production run, it’s now quite a rare machine.

Hughie is made more unusual as although for the 1924 season Triumph updated the 225cc engine to 249cc and added a clutch, this example, wearing the number plate of HU 2630 (first registered in 1924) is still a 225cc model and has no clutch.

If you are a regular reader of you might recognise the name of Hughie’s current owner for three of his guardian’s previous wards – a Matchless Model X, an OEC and a 1920s Cotton – have appeared in the magazine, though unlike them Hughie