Brighton 1964 – if you were there you were either a Mod or a Rocker. The scene to bee seen along the seafront of Kings Road. This smart chap has a leopardskin seat cover on his faired Triumph Cub whilst some other clean-cut youths gaze on. Horror films on show for period entertainment though the daily lifestyle of these two iconic subcultures were heady enough. Great photo though!
Cafe Society- perfect looking Thruxton given a suitably photogenic black and white portrait treatment. Luv Cartier-Bresson would be impressed that even in this day and age of high-def imagery we always fall back on the nostalgia of monochrome photography.
Blade Runner – Currently watching The Directors Cut of this sublime film based on Philip K. Dick’s novella. Illustrator Syd Mead was behind many of the futuristic visuals for the vehicles, buildings and daily accessories in the dystopian realm. We’re only one year away from its date: November 2019… Who’s to say if we don’t descend into that state of affairs by then?
“Fiery the angels rose fall, and as they rose fall deep thunder roll’d. Around their shores: indignant burning with the fires of Orc.” William Blake / Roy Batty
Ship of the Desert – clean example of a Triumph Trophy TR6C that sold a few years back for just shy of $15k at a Bonhams auction. Bikes like this was de rigeur for desert racing in the sixties. The twin high pipes adorning this cactus green example and appropriate Camel advertising set up a sandy outlook for the deep pocketed owner.
(The camel connection was for Hump-Day)
Dr Jekyll – the beast within. Specialist motorcycle performance component guru Norman Hyde has a solid history in making Triumph run quicker and faster. Under the tutelage of Doug Hele at the Triumph Racing Development Department he cut his teeth on making Bonneville’s and Tridents go like the clappers. Records were made on the drag strips with his meticulously engineered machines. Norman looks rather dapper in his weskit & jaiket astride a newer Bonneville for which he’s developed many performance parts.
My Bonneville has Norman Hyde rearsets and clubman handlebars… well, I think it goes quicker…
Face Left – Face Right
Looking like a proper motorcycle, this Triumph T150 Trident has all you need to enjoy the roads on two-wheels. Speed with Style. What more can one want?
Hilts – March 24th . Today would have been Steve McQueen’s 88th Birthday. The Great Escape is my favorite film.
Black Bike – low seat, aped bars, hard tail, straight pipes… we’re talkin’ ATTITUDE! Don’t mess with this sister; she’ll chew ya up and spit you out so much as glower at you. Ebony chopper matches her black tank top and bandanna.
Pretty – handcrafted bobber from an artisan workshop in Buckinghamshire. Purdy Motorcycles. Bespoke components adorning a spare frame. Pre-unit engine provides locomotion. Tweeds, leather tunic, goggles and gauntlet gloves would serve for garb.
Tarzan – 1975 July 17th, here we see Shadow Minister for Industry Michael Heseltine peering at what looks like the meager leftovers of a once vibrant motorcycle industry. A two-stroke 125 Norton Villiers Triumph sitting all slick looking with nowhere to go… The setting is the Royal Automobile Club RAC headquarters in Pall Mall. NVT chairman Dennis Poole isn’t amused as he looks on. Heseltine cut a controversial swathe through British politics from the seventies to the millennium under Heath, Thatcher and Major. He could swing a mace too! He’s 85 today.
Suspended Season – On the First Day of Spring let’s look at what the boffins at the Triumph factory conjured up to make the ride smooth and rider content. It’s all about damping: taking the uneven jolting from the rough surface and dispersing the imparted kinetic energy into heat energy, typically an oil filled shock absorber, before it can transfer into the saddle.
QA/QC – Ex-racer Sidney Tubb gives a “hot-off-the-presses” T120 Bonneville’s a once over as they roll of the factory line. He was ‘shop foreman in the early sixties when this photo was taken.
Clubman – getting the Bonnie prepped for the oncoming riding season. Controls reverted to the low bars to get the cafe look back. New liver-colored grips and a pair of mirrors to make sure my 6 o’clock is kept on the radar. Weather is on the up and up …
Saint Pádraig – The Emerald Isle’s 5th C apostle Paddy is celebrated worldwide by the Irish in green colored jubilation. March 17th celebrates his life and gives Gaelic peoples an excuse to eat and drink and revel. This Triumph bobber looks like it was fed on corned beef and cabbage with a petrol tank topped-up with Guinness.
Wonder Woman – Friday’s Femme Moto is Gal Gadot who is the current Amazonian Princess superhero from DC Comics. She looks the part by her black Ducati.
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