Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
J.R.R. Tolkien
Viggo ‘Strider’ Mortensen
…riding a ‘Bone’ ville! A chopper from hell with a laughing ghoulish rider. The Egyptian Serif’d font of the Triumph logo is a great touch hinting a a sixties custom shop quality. The semi-psychedelic poster font header reinforces it.
One of the most important pieces of Mid-Century Pop Art is 52 today. Created by Roy Lichtenstein it uses classic comic book imagery of war with crisp enlarged pen and ink line work filled with stipple coloring seen in the pulp illustrations of the day.
The original dynamic visuals are brought to stark graphic life to create one of the most iconic art pieces of the last fifty years (along with Warhols Marilyn…).
It’s a large 11’x 5′ canvas two piece ‘diptych’and hangs at the Tate Modern in London. He saw his pieces as fun industrial art.
A pencil study shows a clean composition with each hand being able to stand on its own yet coming together in stark visual drama.
Alternate versions exist like this hyper real rendering of the F86 Saber coming in for the kill.
Or this Star Wars version of a rebel X-wing pilot destroying an Imperial Tie-Fighter.
Contemporary commentary. Pilotless drones destroying remotely…
Or a commentary on Pop Art itself…
Side Note:
Jackie Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier in a Saber in 1953. Here with fellow supersonic pilot Chuck Yeager. Look her up she’s one helluva gal!
Hmm… Not to sure about this with the shenanigans going on at Meriden in the seventies. I believe they weren’t spending enough time on them; with components manufactured with aged tools, worn factory conditions and a workforce unsupported by the company or government.
If only they had heeded their own words!
This speedy isn’t exactly andale-ing with his Triumph. But when a desert rat turns 50 then middle age catches up with him.
*Throwback Thursday
Here’s me enjoying a spring ride back in ’05 on my Twenty year old Ninja. The now classic Kawasaki ZX900 in Top Gun colors. A jaunt up to and around Lake Geneva was my favorite hare. The photos are taken on a sturdy and trusty Nikon F3. Darned good camera and a darnder good Moto too!
The superlative cop show from the eightie, though predominantly based here in Chicago- it portrayed an ‘anytown’ city and its gritty policing procedures. Tonight a rerun of episode #139 “Norman Conquest” saw the hotheaded Renko seeing his stolen Norton 750 roaring past. Getting a fair insurance claim for a vintage motorcycle theft he has to sadly dispose of it… Running it riderless into an alley wall.
This couple is obviously enjoying one of the great things in life: autumnal ride with that cool but golden light you get after the Autumnal Equinox lighting up the scenery.
These are the moments you relish.
A mosaic of images to evoke the journey travelled yesterday.
“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
Short Sunday jaunt to enjoy the late summer weather. No autumnal colors yet; but blue skies with fluffy clouds and a refreshing breeze to the moving air made for near perfect roads
I was able to capture some ‘on-the-move’ images to highlight the proceedings. The smile is obligatory for days like this!
I must also report that now I’m running a higher octane fuel (93) the bike is running so much better. Dean had noticed a rich smell to my exhaust as well as the dieseling or run-on after I was shutting down. I also experienced pinging when throttling up under load.
Deans Bonnie was running sweetly too.
Slovenian freedom on the high roads of Central Europe. Chopper modified twin takes a break in the Former Yugoslavian city of Ljubljana. These early Seventies biker youths must have seen the recently released Easy Rider and dreamed of a Captain American trip along the Adriatic.
i was in a store today and the cashier did a double take with my Triumph tShirt.hey it was casual Friday! Anyway, he thought it said Trump.
Negatory! He doesn’t have a corner in the two wheeled crowd. Well looking him up you see that he did have a audio poser shot of him leather clad astride a Harley Davidson.
As well as with the Teutel family who built a gilded chopper with his name machined into the cases.
Well; I’ll tell you something! He AIN’T no presidential material!
Fast Hauling? When you need a bit more oomph on the hill climb (or slant shooting) then light up a Camel cigarette. Clem Murdaugh certainly believes so. T for Throat cancer. T for Thrombosis.
A late sixties Triumph is used as the grips transport. Here during the climax chase scene in the 1968 Clint Eastwood film Coogans Bluff.
Don astound as the antagonist is on the dolly bike, whilst Clint takes the shiny Bonnie. Director Don Siegle went on to make the Dirty Harry movies as well as Escape from Alcatraz.
Here’s the actual scene. Filmed at Fort Tryon Park at the north end of Manhattan. Cool stuff!
As ungulates go the Camelus dromedarius is one of the most widespread humped animals used to swiftly haul goods and belongings across the desert regions of the globe. Dromadary Camel literally means “fast beast of burden”.
Triumph has a similar even toed steed in the Triumph Tiger Explorer. The fully kitted 1200 is a sturdy brute waiting for a nomad to take places.
Tigris triumphantii
After Linnaeus, 2015
geordiebiker.com 