S196 1973 TRIUMPH X75 HURRICANE There’s (almost) nothing else on two wheels quite as distinctive as the Craig Vetter-designed 1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane. As a rare and now desirable, one-year-only, factory-built custom model, fewer than 1,200 Hurricanes were built, and this one marks an opportunity to own one of them. Vetter was originally commissioned by U.S. BSA Inc. Vice President Don Brown in 1969 to essentially reimagine the then relatively new triple-cylinder Rocket 3. Working secretly, Vetter, the man behind the wind-cheating Windjammer motorcycle fairings, built a svelte, one-piece, fiberglass gas tank, seat and side panel body. His original design incorporated Ceriani forks, a disc front brake and the uber-cool, three-megaphone exhaust system on the right-hand side of the bike. When the secret bike was finally revealed to BSA in Britain, company officials weren’t happy. But, BSA did eventually proceed with recreating Vetter’s design, although the manufacturer wasn’t quite as faithful to the original concept. The forks were simply extended Triumph/BSA units held in special, aluminum triple NO RESERVE clamps complete with the conical front brake hub and wire- mounted fender. Happily, a version of Vetter’s fiberglass body and the three-pipe exhaust was retained. It was supposed to be a BSA, but it was instead badged as a special-edition Triumph, and the X75 Hurricanes rolled out of the factory from mid-1972 until early 1973. In their time, they were not popular sellers and dealers had dead stock Hurricanes on their showroom floors for several years. But that’s not the case anymore. The market for the X75 Hurricane has been steadily on the rise, and this example, being sold with no reserve, was completely restored by triple-cylinder guru Bill Whalen of Windsor, California. Powered by the BSA/Triumph 744cc, triple-cylinder powerplant with a 5-speed transmission, this Hurricane has been in a private collection in climate-controlled storage and is equipped with the original Borrani alloy wheels. Low miles are indicated on the Smiths speedometer, and this example appears fresh with few, if any, mars in any of the finishes.
