20172018

Happy New Year – as another year passes and the beckoning days of the year ahead loom large let’s consider the excitement of heaving a Triumph chopper into a wheelie and gunning it along the road…

Wearables

T-Shirt – a year-end clear out saw several old tee’s being relegated to cleaning rag status. All had seen better days, and it’ll make room for new Moto-themed tops…

Field Studio

Drapery – Welly shod model looks a little uncomfortable posed like some Romantic artists muse reclined along the ‘chaise’ of a Triumph T160 Triple. Perhaps it’s from Tony Armstrong-Jones’s portfolio… (see yesterday’s post!)

Tony

Lord Snowdon – one-time aristocratic fashion photographer looking every bit the bohemian yet louche husband of party-girl Princess Margaret. This photo taken by Bryan Forbes for Vogue in 1976 just before his separation from HRH. He’s cruising around the courtyard of Kensington Palace on a shiny Triumph.

With great power comes great responsibility!

Marvel! Tomorrow (28th) we celebrate the 95th birthday of comic legend Stan Lee. Co-creator of such greats as The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spiderman; The Mighty Thor; and Captain America.. as well as The X-Men, Silver Surfer, Sub-Mariner, Dr Strange, Daredevil to name a few. His characters came to vivid life with the stunning penmanship of Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and John Romita. Only getting the odd Marvel comic when going to Newcastle for my eye check-up that came to appreciate the American work. I grew up with the writings of John Wagner & Pat Mills of 2000ad, whose creations were illustrated by the likes of Brian Bolland, Carlos Ezquerra, Mike McMahon, Dave Gibbons, Massimo Belardinelli… it is by reading, studying and copying these I learned to use a pencil and pen allowing me to have a comfortable fluid draughting hand – but they ALL draw a dynamism from Stan’s exciting creations. Happy Birthday Mr Lieber!

BSA A10 650cc 1963

Rocket Goldstar – one of the British motorcycle industry’s sweetest machines is the last iteration of their pre-unit twins. Basically a tuned A10 650 engine with a complete accompaniment of Goldstar goodies: such as the alloy rimmed wheels; rear-sets, and clip-ons from Eddie Dow; a swooping siamese exhaust; close ratio RRT2 gearbox to eke our a hearty 50bhp. All-in-all a Motorcycle capable in both looks and speedy roadworthyness. Wish I still had mine…

fusée trois

ROCKET 3 – what a beaut this cafe racer build is! Eye-catching with a speed driven poise, and a homage to the BSA Daytona conquering triples of the early seventies ridden by Dick Mann and Don Emde (Gene Romero ran the triple engined Triumph). Builder is the extremely talented Frenchman Pepo Rosell of XTR Pepo using a 2000 Triumph Legend 900 as the starting point. Original 750/3 engine designer Doug Hele and frame guru Rob North would be proud.

Holly & Ivy

Merry Christmas All!

Merry Christmas

Saint Nick – we have snow falling here in Chicago so we’re in for a White Christmas. Hope Santy can make it on his desert sled…

Whodunnit

Murder is Easy – Agatha Christie jape with multi-talented actor Benedict Cumberbatch as the lead detective in a 2008 television adaptation. Originally published in 1939 it was the successful mystery writers first step away from Hercule Poirot, though this TV show rolled in Miss Marple as the main protagonist with Benedict’s character Luke Fitzwilliam as a younger less-experienced ‘sidekick’. More to the point: what’s ‘e ridin’? Well a marvelous 1950 or 51 Triumph Speed Twin in glorious amaranth red. When are Triumph bringing that color back? It would look smashing on their new Bobber.

The blue car, tell us about the blue car! Well, that’s in the story too, the love interest, Bridget Conway, drives a powder blue 1960 MGA open top roadster.

Leather driving gloves, silk scarves and cases lashed to the parcel rack… how very English!

We are the goon squad and we’re coming to town. Beep beep

Icon – “Rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive!” Chanel’s model du jour Edie Campbell adopts a sixties look in this fashion shoot ‘channeling the house’s broody androgyny.” Photo by Alasdair McLellan for the August 2011 issue of British Vogue. Gorgeous fifties Triumph supplied by Ace Classics.

Margaret & Snowdon

Beryl & Tony – a current series on Netflix is The Crown, about The Queens life as a monarch from early days post WW2 to the present day. Its second season is covering the late fifties which, whilst the country has to deal with the Suez Crisis as well as Sputnik, her younger sister Margaret-Rose is enduring life as a royal single gal. She’s just met Antony Armstrong-Jones a hip photographer and lad about Town. He sweeps her off her feet for a tear through London’s streets on a peachy period TriumphThunderbird. Goggles and domed lids keeping them protected as they scoot over the Albert Bridge and along the Embankment. Ably played by Vanessa Kirby and Matthew Goode it reminds me of my days taking my wife-to-be home from her job at a bookstore in Kensington. The main photo is the real couple on a Norton. He snapped his photos with a Leica Rangefinder for naturally lit spontaneity.

Tree

The Original Speed Triple – before Hinckley Triumph rolled out their bruiser 900 naked Speed Triple it was being created by Meriden enthusiasts using the Trident lump at its heart. Here’s Jock Drysdale on his roadgoing machine during, what looks like, a speedy blast through the River Cherwell’s bucolic scenery. He’s dressed for suitably healthy velocities; I think there’s a broad grin under that lid.

Jock’s Bike

Banbury Road Racing Nutcase, Ken Drysdale on his Harris Framed 1976 Triumph T160 Trident. This is a serious piece of machinery whose sole purpose is to go quick. Some details gleaned off the interweb about it:

It was the first one Norman Hyde raced in the early 80’s. Geoff Johnson won on its maiden outing to Cadwell Park where it was running at about 1000cc at the time. Ken took possession in 1996. Neil Beadling built a new 930cc engine in 2015: Carrillo con rods; Neil own Nova big-bore barrels & pistons with 9.5-1 compression; Half race cam; head ported & flowed with bigger valves fitted; breathing with three 31mm Keihin smooth bore carburetors. Power transmitted to the rear wheel through a racing clutch with 40% stiffer diaphragm springs; and a Quaife 5 speed close ratio gearbox. Proceeding brought to a stop with AP racing brakes. Everything mounted to the Harris frame, Supporting Marzocchi forks and Maxton rear suspension. Racing Avons tires shod on race specific Astralite wheels…. It was advertised for sale in May… £16,000.00

(please email clivescarfe@hotmail.com for more information)

Trois sur Cinq

Five of Three – though only in production from 1968 until 1975 the deathbed gasp of Meriden based Triumph was a stout hearted machine that came a little lacking and a little late with the appearance of Honda’s CB750. But in those short 7 years while the company was self destructing the model adapted as it could to meet the demands of the riding public. The first part of its life as the T150 saw a 750cc three cylinder, dry-clutch, with drum brake giving way to disc, and imaginative detailing such as the now classic ray-gun silencers. It’s final iteration under the T160 designation saw an electric start fitted, gear shifting moved to the left, and the confine tilted forward to improve weight distribution. The tank colors aren’t bright primary or indeed complementary ones, but are quite sophisticated hues that are very much associated with the late sixties and early seventies.