Triumph Frame Numbers

Model Years for specific frame number ranges. Manufacture of a model year usually begins about half-way through the previous year (e.g. a 1963 Bonneville could have been built in November 1962). In some places Engine Number ranges have been given due to lack of Frame Number information.

All production dates (after the number range) are approximate.

1937 to 1949

Frame and engine numbers did not match. Frame numbers were not sequential and were prefixed with either TH (Triumph Heavyweight), TL (Triumph Lightweight), TF from 1939 (Triumph Frame), and TC from 1946 (Triumph Chassis), each with their own numbers. Engine numbers were prefixed with the year then the model (e.g. 8-T-1234).

1937Engine prefix 7- / Frames Approx. TL101 to TL3640 TH101 to TH2390

1938Engine prefix 8- / Frames Approx. TL3641 to TL7690 TH2391 to TH6850

1939Engine prefix 9- / Frames Approx. TL7691 to TL11642 TH6851 to TH10175 TF101 to TF2255

1940-45War Production (TL TF)

1946Engines: 46-3T-72001 to 46-3T-79045 / Frames: TC101 to approx. TC3300 TF5001 to approx. 8726 (Nov 1945 to Aug 1946)

1947Engines: 47-T100-79046 to 47-3T-88781 / Frames Approx.: TC3301 to approx. TC6889 TF8727 to approx. TF14800 (Sep 1946 to Aug 1947)

1948Engines: 48-T100-88782 to 48-5T-100761 / Frames Approx.: TC6890 to TC9953 TF14801 to TF24055 (Sep 1947 to Aug 1948)

1949Engines: 49-3T-100762 to 49-5T-113386 / Frames Approx.: TC9954 to TC12557 TF24056 to TF33615 (Sep 1948 to Oct 1949)

Pre Unit 500 & 650cc Twins

Frame and engine numbers matched. Engine numbers were prefixed with the model (e.g. 3T-1001N).

19501001N to 16085N (Nov 1949 to Oct 1950)

1951101NA to 15808NA (Nov 1950 to Oct 1951)

195215809NA to 29505NA (Nov 1951 to Nov 1964)

195225001 to 32302 (Feb 1952 to Aug 1952)

195332303 to 44134 (Sep 1952 to Aug 1953)

195444135 to 56697 (Sep 1953 to Aug 1954)

195556700 to 70929 (Sep 1954 to Jul 1955)

195670930 to 82799 (Aug 1955 to Aug 1956)

19560101 to 0943 (Jul 1956 to Aug 1956)

19570944 to 011115 (Aug 1956 to Aug 1957)

1958011116 to 020075 (Sep 1957 to Aug 1958)

1959020076 to 029363 (Sep 1958 to Aug 1959)

1960029364 to 030419 (Sep 1959 to Sep 1959)

1960D102 to D7726 (Oct 1959 to Aug 1960)

1961D7727 to D15759 (Sep 1960 to Aug 1961)

1962D15789 to D20308 (Sep 1961 to Jul 1962)

Terrier & Cub

Details on the Tiger Cub and Terrier Section's Model Details.

Unit 350, 500 & 650cc

Frame and engine numbers matched. 650cc machines had DU prefix, others H. Engine numbers prefixed with the model.

1957H1 to H760 (Feb 1957 to Aug 1957)

1958H761 to H5484 (Sep 1957 to Aug 1958)

1959H5485 to H11511 (Sep 1958 to Aug 1959)

1960H11512 to H18611 (Sep 1959 to Aug 1960)

1961H18612 to H25251 (Sep 1960 to Aug 1961)

1962H25252 to H29732 (Sep 1961 to Aug 1962)

1963H29733 to H32464 (Sep 1962 to Jul 1963)

1963DU101 to DU5824 (Nov 1962 to Aug 1963)

1964H32465 to H35986 (Aug 1963 to Aug 1964)

1964DU5825 to DU13374 (Sep 1963 to Aug 1964)

1965H35987 to H40527 (Sep 1964 to Jun 1965)

1965DU13375 to DU24869 (Sep 1964 to Jul 1965)

1966H40528 to H49832 (Jul 1965 to Aug 1966)

1966DU24870 to DU44393 (Aug 1965 to Aug 1966)

1967H49833 to H57082 (Sep 1966 to Jul 1967)

1967DU44394 to DU66245 (Sep 1966 to Jun 1967)

1968H57083 to H65570 (Aug 1967 to Jul 1968)

1968DU66246 to DU85903 (Jul 1967 to Jun 1968)

1969H65573 to H67331 (Aug 1968 to Oct 1968)

1969DU85904 to DU90282 (Jul 1968 to Sep 1968)

1969 to 1980

Frame and engine numbers matched. Month of Production and Model Year prefixes now used. The model code was also included at the start or end for all machines.

Letters A, B, C, D, E, G, H, J, K, N, P, X represented the month of manufacture January to December (first letter). The same letters also represented the Model Year starting with C for 1969 through to B for 1980 (second letter). There wasn't always a definite cut-off between model year numbers and in some cases earlier or later numbers were used out of sequence. T150Vs used a different series.

1,145 machines were stamped AD rather than AC by mistake at the start of 1969.

1969NC00100 to JC24847 (Oct 1968 to Aug 1969)

1970JD24848 to ND60540 (Aug 1969 to Oct 1970)

1971KE1 to HE30847 (Sep 1970 to Jul 1971)

1972HG30848 to HG62061 (Jul 1971 to Jul 1972)

1972KG to PG and 3926 to 4189 (Sep 1972 to Nov 1972 - T150V)

1973JH15101 to GH35469 (Aug 1972 to Jun 1973)

1973KH101 to GH5947 (Sep 1972 to Jun 1973 - T150V)

1974GJ55101 to NJ60061 (Jun 1973 to Oct 1973)

1974GJ40101 to NJ41671 (Jun 1973 to Oct 1973 - T150V)

1974JJ5630 to KJ6040 (Aug 1973 to Sep 1973 - TRX75 & T150V)

Meriden Cooperative

Continuation of previous scheme.

1974NJ60062 to NJ60083 (Apr 1975 to Apr 1975)

1975XK00101 to DN07211 (Nov 1974 to Apr 1976 - T160)

1975DK61000 to GK62248 (Apr 1975 to Jun 1975)

1976HN62501 to GN72283 (Jul 1975 to Jun 1976)

1977GP73000 to PP84931 (Jun 1976 to Nov 1977)

1978HX00100 to HX10747 (Jul 1977 to Jul 1978)

1979HA11001 to PA24608 (Jul 1978 to Nov 1979)

1980NB24433 to KB27573 (Oct 1979 to Sep 1980)

1981 to 1983

Frame and engine numbers matched. Month prefixes as for 1969 to 1980 but year prefix now gets additional letter. TSXs and T140ESs were exported to the USA which required ISO 3779 VINs with the 10th letter being the model year code and the M indicating the factory (Meriden) followed by 6 digits (e.g. SCGB75502CM032050). Engine numbers for these may have the check digit stamped before BM or CM.

1981KDA28001 to JDA29443 (Sep 1980 to Aug 1981)

1981BM028953 to BM029130 (Feb 1981 to Mar 1981 - T140E2S)

1982EDA30001 to BDA31924 (May 1981 to May 1982)

1982CM030911 to CM032213 (Aug 1981 to Jan 1983 - TSX/T140ES)

1983BEA33001 to CEA35601 (Feb 1982 to Apr 1983)

L.F.Harris

The Harris machines used full ISO 3779 VINs (e.g. SCXB75502HN001138) with the 10th character being the effective Model Year and the 11th the factory code (N = Newton Abbot).

The engine number was just a number but it did match the last 6 digits of the VIN (Frame Number).

1985FN000002 to FN000191 (1983 to 1985)

1986GN000192 to GN000788 (1985 to 1986)

1987HN000789 to HN001176 (1986 to 1987)

1988JN001177 to JN001258 (1987 to 1988)

Hinckley Era

Hinckley started using the standardised ISO 3779 VIN numbering system, however there were two versions of that standard in use by Hinckley from the start - USA and European. The USA variant is used mainly in the Americas with the European variant being used for the rest of the world.

Engine numbers are just that, numbers, and don't match the VIN. Some are prefixed with a letter indicating the engine configuration.

For the USA variant the Model Year character is in position 10 (e.g. SMT371CA2SJ020929 where S = 1995).

For the European variant the Model Year character is in position 11 (e.g. SMTTC354CRS020961 where S = 1995).

For both variants SMT indicates UK and Triumph except in Brazil where it is 97N from 2011/2. The next 5 characters are the model range and type (different codes in either variant). The 9th character is a checksum in the USA variant but relates to the engine configuration in the European variant. The 10th character in the European variant is the final drive ratio. The 11th character in the USA variant is the factory code (J = Jacknell Road Hinckley, T = Thailand, M = Manaus Brazil, D = Manesar Delhi India). The last 6 characters are the sequential frame number.

After frame number 999999 Triumph started with AA0001 and after AA9999 they went to AB0001 and so on (engine numbers also). After AH9999 there was a jump to AT0001 however there were a number of AI frames built which didn't fit the ISO 3779 spec because that forbids the use of letters I, O, and Q. The AI frame numbers fill gaps in the AT frame numbers as any machines not already despatched had the I re-stamped to be a T.

1989K

1990L

1991M

1992N

1993P

1994R

1995S

1996T

1997V

1998W

1999X

2000Y