1968 Triumph T100C

From 1962 to 1968, Bill Baird ruled the AMA National Enduro circuit. The Illinoisan won seven straight AMA Grand National Enduro Championships, and all of them on the Triumph brand.

It was this bike, a 1968 Triumph T100C, that Baird rode to his seventh—and final—title. It also was arguably Baird’s best season. He won four nationals that year, including the prestigious Jack Pine Enduro.

Baird’s dominance came at the end of an era for enduro racing. The days of riders competing on heavy scramblers like this T100C were disappearing, with many opting to field the new lightweight, purpose-built woods racers.

But Baird did not make the switch. The champ hung onto his 340-pound, vertical-twin Triumphs. Surprisingly, he made few modifications for enduro duty.

Baird made his own air cleaner, and ’68 was the only year that he mounted aftermarket Ceriani forks. He cut down the handlebars to better fit through tight trail, and also fitted various parts for protection, such as the chain on the rear brake pedal and a skid plate under the engine. The engine made plenty of broad, usable power, and Baird reported that second gear on the bike worked in tight trees, as well at speeds of 40-50 mph in open areas.

The Triumph had another major benefit for the harsh demands of enduro racing: reliability.

“I only had to walk once in my entire career, one year riding the Alligator (Enduro) in Daytona,” Baird said in an earlier interview.

Baird retired as a champion after the ’68 season, although he did race a few individual races in 1969. The seven-time champ continued to stay involved with the sport, serving on the AMA Board of Trustees, now known as the AMA Board of Directors, for 21 years. He also played a key role in the founding of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation in 1982, which established the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in 1990.

Inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, Baird passed away in 2017.

You can see Baird’s last championship-winning Triumph in the Hall of Fame gallery at AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington, Ohio.