Son of Poseidon, wielder of the trident and Messenger of the Great Sea; Trident is also the perfect marriage of the Norton Featherbed frame and Triumph 650cc Bonneville engine (ideally the pre-unit but a latter year unit will do thankyou very much!).
This ones a corker: big pearly tank, giant bellowing conch horn exhaust and a purpose for speed.
The Martini-Henry rifle was an Empire defender that saw action in, amongst others, the Zulu wars of 1879. Made famous with the Michael Caine/Stanley Baker film of the same name based on events at Rorke’s Drift where the British, being outnumbered 4,000 to 140tipped the odds in their favour with some deft rank firing and a lungfull of ‘Men of Harlech’.
Now where does this bring us? Well stack three of those long barreled breech loading weapon with bayonets and you have the B.S.A. logo. As in Birmingham Small Arms, who, before being the manufacturers of the Best Motorcycle in the World made the M-H gun.
Men of Harlech, march to glory,
Victory is hov’ring o’er ye,
Bright-eyed freedom stands before ye,
Hear ye not her call?
At your sloth she seems to wonder;
Rend the sluggish bonds asunder,
Let the war-cry’s deaf’ning thunder
Every foe appall.
Echoes loudly waking,
Hill and valley shaking;
‘Till the sound spreads wide around,
The Saxon’s courage breaking;
Your foes on every side assailing,
Forward press with heart unfailing,
‘Till invaders learn with quailing,
Cambria ne’er can yield!
Nowadays bikes are sold with photography of the machines going like the clappers along ‘closed courses’ with ‘professional riders’. Back in yesteryear it was the job of the art department to illustrate the beautiful lines of the models with a technical steady line and smooth rendering airbrush skill. “Get out your t-square, warm up the French curves and sharpen yer pencils lads: the T120 Bonneville needs artwork prepared for next years Earls Court launch!”
During the slow agonizing decline of the formerly world dominating motorcycle industry, some engineers (Doug Hele) were clutching at ingenious straws to defend themselves from the powerful and reliable machines entering the market from Japan. One curiosity was this litre sized ‘bitsa’ a Trident 750 with another barrel and piston tacked onto the existing threesome gubbins.
NVT should have been upgrading machining, getting buildable and competitive product out, going after Honda and Kawasaki directly with say a 900 triple. But that was Blighty in the seventies and it took another four decades to have the Phoenix rise again.
A gal posing arms akimbo with attitude; a Triumph desert sled with knobbly tyres; a distant horizon beckons under a pale sun. It’s like a scene from some Peckinpah movie where you know the antihero protagonists will meet a bloody end…
What better way to spend an early Saturday morning in late August; when the air is just perfect.
…I gotta wear Shades!
Before the temperatures got out of hand today (nineties expected and indeed reached!) I got out on the road for a spin. Perfect sky with cool air in the leafy shadows of Sheridan Road. New 12v coild giving snappy spark and the bike is running like a champ. Smiles all around!
After yesterday’s shirtless shot here’s just the jacket to address the issue. A retro ISDT item. 48 chest size pleeze!
Sussudio!
Our Main Man the eternally Cool Mr McQueen takes a break from some desert racing with his doughty Tri-Twin. Sunny SoCal skies warm the scene.
Some would take rum, others a brandy; I’d top this little flask with Talisker, a peaty Single Malt from the craggy Isle of Skye. Face aglow from a day in the saddle through the glens and along the lochs o’ the Highlands. A late summer sun setting over the Hebrides into the North Atlantic. Sláinte!
DON’T DRINK & RIDE
Today see’s our bloke Guy haring along on a Speed Twin at some historic track meet. Bin lid is a suitable puddin’ bowl type from way back when The Empire still ruled the globe. His knee sliders look a little optimistic but I’m sure he could give this Moto a run for your money. “get kettle on lad! Make sure there’s a brew for when I get back in t’ pits!”
Our lad Guy is a two wheeled genius at speed; give him a slow technical trials bike like this Tiger Cub and look at him pop and dab around a log strewn, rock riddled course! Balance, throttle control and a snowboarders lid (?)
The skies were blue, the air a perfect warmth and nearby roads had just the right amount of left and right handers. Twist the throttle and go!
Punks birth can be traced back to New York in ’75 but when it arrived with a screech to the UK in Jubilee year it took on its Westwood appearance and McClaren musik with safety pinned, spike haired and tartan clad gusto! Our Louise Limb illustration takes the Silver Jubilee Triumph Bonneville special and adds an appropriate Vivienne rider.
Anarchy in the UK
Saw this listing on Craigslist today; the seller sure is having some fun with description…
Up for sale is this 1997 Triumph Adventurer 900 cc in line triple. It has two tires, a seat, and an engine filled with oil. All the stuff you would expect to find on a motorcycle. Plus it’s a Triumph, you know who rode a Triumph? Fonzie. You know what Fonzie is? Cool.
It has an after market speedometer as the factory unit broke, I have the factory one so you can add the two mileages together. It’s under 20k. It also has a two seats and a back rest that come with it. One solo seat that is on the bike and tells the world to ‘get lost, i ride alone.’ The other is for two passengers for the times you have to rely on owning a motorcycle to get into some poor girl’s pants. It has clubman bars. If you want to make this thing into a cafe racer, flip these over. Bam! Instantly leaning forward on a british bike. The pics make it look blue but it’s actually a bluish green color. Very classic looking and you’ll get compliments on the paint like you had something to do with it.
The carbs were rebuilt with new needles, emulsion tubes, and slide guides. The jets were upgraded to handle the additional air flow from the K&N pod filters. If adding a K&N filter to your car will increase horse power, you can only imagine what 3 would do. Plus they say K&N right on them, they’re awesome. You want them. I hardly blame you. The bike also has a new head light bulb. That’s a $3 value right there.
What’s the down side to owning this bike? Well, the right side fork seal is leaking. This just started, the parts are cheap and there are videos on you tube that show you how to do this. It looks to be some what a hassle but perhaps you’re the manly type that scoffs at this sort of chore. If so, this bike comes with the solo seat listed above. The other down side is everywhere you go some old guy will want to tell you about the 69 Bonneville he owned the summer he was dating Delores Hadley. She wasn’t that pretty, but she put out. I’ve heard this story a lot and I’ve determined that the bike gets a good deal of attention and that Delores got around. You’ll also have to hear from every guy on a harley that Triumphs are indeed nice bike, but just for them. I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or what. I’m not sure why they think I care.
Bike is in bolingbrook. Cash only. I’m not looking to trade for 2000 pocket knives or craigs list dental work.”
Yours for twenty three C-notes.
geordiebiker.com 