A MOTORCYCLE MYTH CONFIRMED: ELVIS PRESLEY AND TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES

• The ultimate biker gift - Nine Triumph motorcycles bought in 1965 by Elvis Presley for him and his Memphis Mafia
• Help us find the Memphis Mafia Triumphs - Are these historic motorcycles lost to time?
• A unique opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind ‘Elvis Presley’ Triumph and matching guitar - Raising money for the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation

Triumph Motorcycles has uncovered the truth behind a famous motorcycle myth – that Elvis Presley did give an extraordinary biker gift to every member of his Memphis Mafia in 1965.

With the discovery of the original cheques in the Graceland archives, signed by the man himself, as well as recollections from Jerry Shilling, Elvis’ close friend, it can be confirmed that Elvis bought nine Triumph motorcycles as gifts, so he and his closest friends could ride together in the hills of Los Angeles.

THE STORY
Elvis Presley was an enduring music legend and a cultural icon. The biggest selling solo artist in history and a genuine movie star – making 31 films during his career in Hollywood. He was also a passionate biker, riding bikes in several of his films including a red and silver Triumph 650 Bonneville ‘Desert Sled’ in the 1968 comedy western “Stay Away Joe”.

But, Elvis’ introduction to Triumph motorcycles came several years earlier, with this story, which is as rock and roll as the man himself.

In June 1965, Elvis had been on the set of the musical ‘Frankie and Johnny’ at Samuel Goldwyn Studios, Hollywood.  Taking a break from filming, Elvis spent his down time with his closest friends, known as ‘The Memphis Mafia’ at his Bel Air home.

Jerry Schilling, Elvis’ friend and member of his famous ‘Memphis Mafia’, put a down payment on a new Triumph T120 650 Bonneville at Robertson & Sons on Santa Monica Boulevard. When he brought the bike home, Elvis asked to take it for a ride around their Bel Air neighbourhood. Jerry, of course, obliged and Elvis jumped on the bike. He was impressed, in fact when he returned, he told his transportation manager, Alan Fortis, to “order one for all the guys, but… it has to be tonight!”

Robertson & Sons managed to deliver seven Triumphs that night, a mixture of 650 TR6’s and the high-performance, twin-carburetted 650 T120’s.  They rode together around Bel Air, riding late into the evening - only stopping when neighbours called the police to complain.  The remaining bikes arrived two days later and the nine of them made sure they made the most of down time from filming, riding the Pacific Coast High together on Sundays.

Jerry Shilling, a close friend of Elvis recalls: “Elvis loved to ride and I knew that when he saw my new Bonneville he’d want to try it... and when he did, he wanted all the guys to have one so we could ride them together!”

THE 1964 TRIUMPH 650 TR6 AND BONNEVILLE T120
The bikes that Elvis bought are considered most likely to be 1964 models of Triumph’s game-changing performance roadster, the 650 TR6 and 650 Bonneville T120 – essentially the same bike with one or two carburettors and different states of tune. The ’64 Bonneville came in the sophisticated Gold and Alaskan White and the TR6 in the distinctive ‘Hifi Scarlet and Silver Sheen’ with gold pinstriping, black frame and forks.

Named after Triumph’s multiple land speed records at the Bonneville salt flats, the Bonneville T120 is recognised across the motorcycling world as a genuine design icon, responsible for establishing Triumph as number one in the 60s for performance, handling and style. The 1964 US-spec ‘Bonnie’, with its higher bars is considered a desirable classic.

HELP FIND THE MEMPHIS MAFIA TRIUMPHS
All nine of the original bikes are currently lost to time, with no formal record of where they went after the summer of ’65. Triumph is now launching an appeal to fans around the world to help track down or uncover the fate of these bikes.

Triumph’s researchers are keen to hear from anyone who has a lead on what happened to one of these bikes, or perhaps a last known location.

With the collective eyes of the Triumph and Elvis communities on the look-out, it is hoped that one of these historic bikes will one day come to light and make history by being placed on display alongside other historic Triumphs. 

If you have any information related to the whereabouts of one of these historic bikes, please contact Triumph at elvistriumph@triumphmotorcycles.com.

A ONE-OF-A-KIND ‘ELVIS PRESLEY’ CUSTOM TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLE AND MATCHING LES PAUL GUITAR
The discovery of this great story has filled in a gap in the history books and added a new, previously untold chapter to Triumph’s own story. In celebration of this newly uncovered shared history between two iconic and enduring brands, Triumph and Elvis Presley Enterprises have commissioned a one-of-a-kind custom motorcycle to raise money for a very worthy cause.

This custom Bonneville, based on a brand-new T120 model, features a custom design scheme by award-winning Georgian custom artist J Daar and is inspired by the 1964 Memphis Mafia bikes and 1968 Stay Away Joe Desert Sled, as well as being influenced by Elvis’ most iconic 1968 Comeback Special look. The design features gold block lettering, representing Elvis’ name written in lights, as well as silhouettes on a red background, echoing the set design of his most famous ’68 Comeback Special performance.

The bike was unveiled by Triumph USA Marketing Director, Adam VanderVeen, at the 2023 Barber vintage motorcycle Festival in Birmingham Alabama, where it was on display on the ‘Isle of Triumph’ alongside a host of historic Triumphs, including an original 1965 Bonneville of the same generation that Elvis purchased, on loan from the Barber Motorsports Museum.

Speaking at the show, the custom motorcycle artist J Daar said: “I was honoured to pull the sheet off this amazing motorcycle. Tribute bikes are always special, but an homage to The King is one of the coolest projects I’ve worked on. This bike is something the new owner can be incredibly proud to have in their garage. Not only is it a unique design celebrating a great story, but it’s also a great way to raise money for such a worthy cause.”

Also on display at Barber Fest was a special one-of-a-kind Les Paul guitar by Gibson, customised to complement the one-off Bonneville T120 and donated by Gibson to be auctioned along with the motorcycle. The choice of guitar was inspired by another instance of Elvis’ generosity. When rehearsing for the ’68 Comeback Special, Elvis was practicing on a replica Les Paul, which he gifted to his chef. The design adopts the same red, silver and gold scheme as the motorcycle, as well as the prominent Elvis graphic featured on the fuel tank and side panels, and incorporates silhouettes of The King around the body, inspired by his iconic ‘’68 Comeback Special’ look.

Beth Heidt, Chief Marketing Officer for Gibson commented:  “We have had the honour of working in partnership with the Elvis team to celebrate his legacy over many years, so when we heard that our friends at Graceland and Triumph were working together on a custom motorcycle to raise awareness and funds for a good cause, we wanted to join in honouring Elvis’ spirit of generosity – and similar to what we did with our ’59 Legends Collection in support of  The 2022 Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride, this customized Les Paul model pairs perfectly with the amazing design scheme of the bike.”

“We are excited to be partnering with an iconic brand like Triumph to bring this one-of-a-kind custom Bonneville T120 to life while benefitting one of Elvis’ favorite charities, Goodwill Homes Community Services in Memphis,” says Dana Carpenter, Executive Vice President, Entertainment at Authentic Brands Group, owner of Elvis Presley Enterprises. “The added generosity of our friends at Gibson for contributing a matching custom Les Paul guitar, strengthens the legacy of generosity and community that Elvis Presley stood for.”

This custom Bonneville T120 motorcycle and matching Les Paul guitar have been donated to the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation to raise money for one of Elvis' favourite charities, Goodwill Homes, a Memphis facility that provides counselling and services for abused children and their families. 

More details about the auction will be available soon at graceland.com

– END –

For further information please contact Lisa Jones, Global PR and Events Manager

 lisa.jones@triumph.co.uk

Notes to Editors
ABOUT TRIUMPH

• First established in 1902, Triumph Motorcycles celebrated 120 years of motorcycle manufacture in 2022. For more than three decades, Triumph Motorcycles has been based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, and has produced iconic bikes that perfectly blend authentic design, character, charisma, and performance.

A GLOBAL BRITISH SUCCESS STORY

• With more than 83,389 motorcycles delivered in calendar year 2022, and on track to reach a milestone 800 dealers across the world in 2023, Triumph is the largest British motorcycle manufacturer.
• Triumph currently employs around 3,000 personnel worldwide and has subsidiary operations in the UK, North America, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, Sweden (Scandinavia), Benelux, Brazil, China, and Thailand as well as a network of independent distributors. Triumph has manufacturing facilities in Hinckley, Leicestershire, and Thailand plus CKD facilities in Brazil and India.

A WORLD-CLASS RANGE

• With a laser-sharp focus on what riders across the world are looking for, a passion to deliver the perfect ride for every customer, and attention to detail that delivers the highest quality motorcycles, Triumph offers a growing range of category-leading motorcycles spanning Modern Classics, Roadsters and Adventure bikes. From the accessible Speed 400cc TR series to the Rocket 3 with its powerful 2500cc engine, every model exemplifies Triumph’s iconic style, quality and performance.
• Delivering a fun, agile and confidence-inspiring ride for riders of all ages and experience levels, the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X launched in 2023 with a brand-new single engine platform (TR Series), representing incredible value for money and bringing Triumph to a whole new generation of riders.
• The Modern Classics feature Triumph’s legendary Bonneville twin engine. Famously named to celebrate Triumph’s 1956 land speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA, the Bonneville was the original British superbike and a race-winner straight out of the crate, chosen by famous motorcyclists of the past for its handling, style, and character. Now, the Bonneville family has evolved, with rider-focused technology and cool custom style. The range includes the Bonneville Bobber, Speedmaster, Thruxton RS, Speed Twin 900, Speed Twin 1200, Scrambler 900, Scrambler 1200 and the iconic Bonneville T120 and T100.
• The Roadsters start with the agile and popular Trident 660, then the Street Triple 765, and finally the Speed Triple 1200 RS and RR. 
• For adventure riders, Triumph has a complete line-up of epic Tigers, starting with the Tiger Sport 660, moving up to the Tiger 850 Sport and Tiger 900 range, and finally to the Tiger 1200 range.
• In 2023 Triumph officially claimed the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for ‘The greatest distance travelled on a motorcycle in 24 hours (individual)’. Riding a factory-specification Tiger 1200 GT Explorer on the High-Speed Ring at the Nardò Technical Center in Italy, 5x Enduro World Champion and Triumph Global Ambassador Iván Cervantes travelled more than 4012km in a 24-hour period, beating the previous record of 3406km by a huge margin of more than 600km.

TRIUMPH RACING

• Triumph has a glorious racing history, competing in and winning races in almost every class and field of motorcycle sporting achievement. From winning the second ever Isle of Man TT in 1908, through to 1960s road and track success in Europe and America, right up to contemporary racing achievements with the Triumph triple powered 2014 and 2015 SuperSport titles and World SuperSport racing, Isle of Man SuperSport TT wins in 2014 and 2019, courtesy of Gary Johnson and Peter Hickman, plus an average speed of over 130mph 2023 by Peter Hickman on his Triumph STR765, and a thrilling last-lap victory at the legendary Daytona 200 by Brandon Paasch on the Street Triple 765 in 2022. 
• Triumph’s racing legend continues as the exclusive engine supplier to the FIM Moto2™ World Championship since the start of the 2019 season. Triumph Motorcycles provides all the teams with race-tuned 765cc triples, each of which is based on the class-leading Street Triple RS powerplant. Redefining the class, Triumph broke record after record in the inaugural year, including the first ever +300km/h Moto2™ top speed. Reflecting these great successes, the wonderful feedback, and partnerships that Triumph have had with the riders and their teams, and the incredible response from Triumph fans across the world, Triumph and Dorna, decided to extend the relationship in 2021 and again in 2023, signing a new contract for another five years of racing: 2025 – 2029. 
• In 2022 Triumph revealed its partnership with Thierry Chizat-Suzzoni, one of the sport’s most experienced and successful team owners, who will field two of Triumph’s all-new 250cc 4-stroke MX bikes in the 2024 MX2 class and will add an entry into the 450cc MXGP class in 2025, and with Team Principal Bobby Hewitt and Team Manager Stephen ‘Scuba’ Westfall to field its all-new Triumph 250cc 4-stroke MX bikes in the 2024 Supermotocross World Championship, which is comprised of the Monster Energy Supercross World Championship, and the Pro Motocross Championship, with three season-ending Supermotocross rounds.  For the 2025 season Triumph will additionally field its new 450cc bike in the Supermotocross World Championship.