I love Stone being in here to counter the Triumph storm with his Harley respect dished out to us. Keeps things alive in here.
As to the original question...
...Back in the early 1950s in the USA, Triumph and Harley started their rivalry in earnest. Marlon Brando was featured on a Triumph in the movie The Wild One, and his rival Lee Marvin was on a Harley. During this time, from the streets to the track, Harleys and Triumphs battled it out with Triumph coming out on top more often than not. And as Greybeard alluded too, Harley brought out the Sportster in 1957 to compete directly against the Triumphs. That original Sportster was 54 cubic inches, which is 883cc, a size they still make today.
That's why us new Triumph owners hear stories from older Harley riders today about how they used to own Triumphs back in the 50's and 60's. When Triumph went into their dark ages, a lot of those Triumph owners bought Harleys and have been riding that brand ever since.
