I bought this 1960 Triumph Tiger (T100A) in late 2009 from John Hateley of CA.

H15029 has an interesting history. Most "bathtub" Tigers sold in CA back in the day were quickly stripped of their bodywork as they made very handy desert racers. This one was luckier. A local dentist bought it from Bud Ekins Triumph dealership in Sherman Oaks. It was regularly serviced at Jack Hateley’s Triumph of Burbank.  Jack’s son John worked there as a mechanic and cared for it almost from new. He always liked the bike and expressed interest in it regularly. One day in the early 70’s the dentist said his wife wanted it gone. John bought it.

John and his dad were avid desert racers and both were eventually elected to the Trailblazers Hall of Fame (as was Ekins). John raced a lot, was an Ascot specialist, and an AMA National Expert, #98. He later became a Hollywood stuntman and actor. He rode the Triumph regularly until the late 80's and sold it to me in late 2009 as he was liquidating all his street bikes to fund a museum of race bikes; he had about forty of them.

John said he always found the bike stylish and it was quite difficult to find one in original condition.

The bike has never been restored, has all original paint and chrome.

It is pictured below at the 2010 Riding Into History where it was presented an Award of Merit as the best unrestored British motorcycle.

The Chief Financial Officer of MotoEuro Garage examined the 
new arrival and gave it her approval (whew!).		 John insisted that the original black plate and pink slip holder
needed to stay with the bike. I couldn't agree more.

     
Update: In late 2010, while preparing to take the Triumph to South Carolina for a show, the engine stalled and would not restart. After some diagnosis it appeared that all spark was gone. This bike was equipped with Triumph's notorious Electronic Transfer (ET) system which combined an AC magneto and DC battery system. When queried, all the Triumph experts responded that it's best discarded and replaced. We decided to convert to a full electronic 12 volt system. Many problems ensued; among them, there is no "kit" for this bike, nor is there a wiring diagram that matches. We assembled the requisite parts and tore into it. With the interferences of life, this project stretched into five, long years. It would still be unfinished were it not for the efforts of two good friends who figured out the mechanical and electrical issues. Everything is hidden from view, we even retained the original 5 position ET switch, converting it into a 3 position ignition/light switch.
Sold: In 2017 I determined the Triumph was just taking up garage space. I was not riding it, not showing it. My interest in Bultacos had grown to a dominant position. I was negotiating the purchase of a Metralla GTS in Spain, needed the space, could always use some money, and felt the time was right let someone else enjoy this unique motorcycle. After a false start due to a fraudulent bid on eBay, I was approached with a very fair offer from a collector  in Georgia. Within 24 hours he had come down to MotoEuro and the deal was completed. He was delighted the bike was better than advertised. Happy buyer, happy seller.

This spec page comes from the Johnson Motors (West Coast Triumph distributors) documentation provided to Triumph dealers .

 
Here's a piece on "Little John" Hateley from Motorcycle News in 2010.