Annual Goals

NYR – New Year’s Resolutions: the time of year when you need to take stock and wistfully ponder on what the heck you got up to and wonder what bedevilment you can get up to in the ensuing year. Here’s mine: project; new bike; travel; go places with my lass.

金曜日 (Friday)

Tickler – every classic bike owner knows this procedure: petrol tap open; push in the carburetor tickler to enrich the bowls and fuelling; whiff of throttle; then a healthy hoof of the kick-starter. Here’s a gauntlet donned rider of the fairer sex carrying out such a start-up. Nice Photo from a Japanese rocker outfit.

Moto-Cross Kid

Start ’em Young! My nephew, Ben, has just acquired his first motorbike. A little pit bike with knobbly tyres, wide bars, springy suspension, and a kick-start. All good things for fun on two-wheels. Plenty of green lanes and muddy fields in the Borders to get clarty. I can hear the engine ring and smell the two-stroke from here… 

Trident

Three in a Row – Superbike of the Seventies: the swarthy triple was a suitable power ride back in its day… possibly not up there with the new kids on the block Honda CB750 or the Kawasaki KZ900 but the engine has ample racing heritage makes it a worthy steed.

I am One with The Force, The Force is with me.

Speeder Bike Chase – Princess Leia in control of an imperial speeder bike as it zooms through the forest moon of Endor. One of the greatest scenes in Return of the Jedi. Well, today saw the passing of Carrie Fisher at age 60. As well as her hair-do’s and clothing, such as the classic Jabbas sail barge bikini, she made the role her own. 

Wham!

Faith – sadly 2016 took another noted musician from us; this time George Michael who passed away earlier today at 53. His eighties hits were well played tunes of a generation: Wake me up, before you go-go; Last Christmas; Careless Whisper. This leather jacket was worn in his Faith video from 1987.

Fifty Years Ago…

Boxing Day – what a wonderful image this is. Low Canadian sun lighting up a frozen roadway with a hardy soul taking his svelte Triumph Tiger Cub out for an icy spin. Heavy mitts keep the digits warm, but an open face helmet will cause some frost nip to the nose…

One Way to Notting ‘ill please

Bayswater Road Santy – smashing image of mini-bike zooming Santa Claus haring through London with sidecar bear. Fake cotton wool beard is holding up well to the foggy atmosphere. The red bus and fringed coat would have made this a perfect seasonal image in colour.

Ho Ho Ho

Good ol’ Saint Nick – combination reindeer hack. What better way to get around on Christmas Even than a spotless Triumph Thunderbird ‘Bathtub’. The cars registration OV denote a Birmingham location, the bikes NX reg. pinpoint Dudley. 

A Bridge Too Far

Sixty Eight – a pair of freshly minted Bonneville’s with their owners under the delicately suspended span of the Mount Hope Bridge between Bristol & Portsmouth on Rhode Island across Narragansett Bay. Engineering marvel is a backdrop to a motorcycle marvel. The bridge opened in 1929 a decade or so before Ed Turners development of the parallel twin engined machines that would culminate in the classic 60’s Bonnie’s.

Hisss

 Serpents Kick – brass pedal and hoof: some brutally ornate bobbers have bespoke components such as this well wrought kick-start lever. Something quite sinuously pleasing about it.

For Paw

Red in Snow – what a beaut! Ably illustrated Jaguar XK 120 in a period snowy village scene by the noted automotive artist Richard Wheatland . His work typically endows Christmas cards for the U.K. Motor Industry Benevolent Charity BEN. The hardtop sports coupe is the roadgoing record breaker which saw success on road and rallying competition. Nice Triumph Tiger in the background. I fancy a roast dinner washed down with a pint of bitter then an hour or two dozing in front of the Public House lounge fireplace…

Twelve Triumphs of Christmas

On the twelfth day of Christmas

my true love sent to me:

12 Daytonas revving

11 Trophys touring

10 Bobbers booming

9 Tridents swerving 

8 Scramblers trailing

7 Thruxtons haring

6 Tigers adventuring

5 Speed Twins

4 America’s cruisin’

3 Rocket Threes 

2 Tiger Cubs

and a Bonneville on the Road ahead

Acting Up

The better part of valour is, discretion. -Falstaff (Henry IV part 1) Today we celebrate the birthday of of of the greats of Shakespearean theatre as well as movies. Ralph Richardson 1902-1983 who, as well as adding unparalleled perfection to the parts he played was also a motorcycle enthusiast. He would be seen haring around London on the powerful bikes of the day. Here seen aboard BMW’s and a Norton.

Big Brother

Thought Police – a 1956 film adaptation of George Orwells dystopian novel published just eight years prior had the ThinkPol riding the then futuristic looking Vincent Black Knight.