Stainless Steel Rat
Harry Harrison wrote some great stories about the lighter side of galactic adventure. My favourite was the escapades of James Bolivar diGriz, Slippery Jim. Con man, thief, Corps antagonizer and darn good ducker and diver. HH passed today (87). I’ve chosen this Triumph special: it is a damn good ‘sorted’ machine worthy of a RAT! Big forks, brakes, air cooled and, I’m sure, hot cammed engine. My Bonnie dreams of bikes like this…
Trouble Badged
The craft stall that sold the CNC’d moto-motifs also had a ‘Trouble’ plate in Triumph style complete with swooping R. Some ingenious builder has adapted it to his new black Bonnie so you’d better watch out! As they say “If you go lookin’ for it…”
Speedy Sideburns
Our Lad from Lincolnshire, Guy Martin, is the warm face to road racing with his workman wit and no nonsense approach to his numerous interests. He made a much toiled top podium win at the Ulster GP held at Dundrod in Co. Antrim NI this last weekend. His Suzuki Superbike and ample talent saw breakneck top speeds in excess of 190 mph as well as an AVERAGE lap speed north of one ton and thirty.
Guy also races downhill mountain bikes, has a keen interest in the industrial past of Britain and holds down a job as lorry mechanic. Doesn’t mind getting his hands oily and is partial to a cup of tea (or ten).
Rusty Decoration
Plate steel CNC cut into a Triumph graphic. (Computer Numerical Control)
Cool Bait Box
An Amish store in Arcola (where a tasty slice of Shoe Fly Pie was enjoyed at The Dutch Kitchen) a wall was covered in a lunchbox collection to end all collections – amongst them was a Happy Days lunchbox with Heeey The Fonz and his Triumph… A hip place for your sarnies and flask.
Lengthening Shadows
We’re down here in southern Illinois visiting the Shawnee National Forest; picking some fixin’s for supper up at Arnold’s mart I spy this black-on-black Thruxton staring at its own shadow. The cup holder is a curious addition for this cafe inspired ride. “Cup of tea sir?”
Travel the World
BMW’s are known for their mile munching machines; none more so than the big GS Gelände Straße, the ubiquitous moto for the discerning passport filler. It carries rider and load; can roll over roughroads where potholes are the norm; and is a tough as old boots. With genes derived from the early bikes forged in the early Paris Dakar races it is a true companion for the miles. Sheepskin rugéd perch hints at this examples journeys. Again a Rockerbox meet moto.
Track Tiger Triumph
The London Olympics has seen a phenomenal performance by cycling Team GB captained by the indefatigable Sir Chris Hoy and Vikki Pendleton. Golds Galore as well as other medals heaped upon their enormous talent. One of the races won by Chris was the Keirin, a fast sprint wound up over several laps behind a small motorized bike called a Derny. Offering a slipstream to allow huge gears to be pedaled at top speeds. In its western guise (keirin is a Japanese creation) a larger capacity bike was used; most often the workhorse Triumph Tiger. Seat adjusted for standing rider maximising a wind “shadow”, roll bar for bicycle touching at close range cycling, and away you go… Crank ’em both up!
A Face in the Crowd
Twin headlighted bikes have facial expression much like cars. After seeing the cycloptic models usually expected in older motos here are a few ogling examples…
Hondas mighty Fireblade, the CBR 900 which was a game changer in the early nineties has its freckled inlets either side of its glower.
A big bruiser stares meanly at oncoming traffic: The 2.4 liter monster-killer Triumph Rocket 3. Tarmac shredding power and a gaping basking shark cooling maw.
Everyone knows the bug-eyed Triumph Speed Triple, an alien from another galaxy… speed is measured in light-years (nearly)
And finally a friendly billed face, of course it’s Bazza’s Donald Duck face.
“Quack, quack”
Colours
The grey oily mechanicals are one part of a bike you can pour your eyes over; but it’s the shiny color that gives their bike visual life: Plenty of classic motos with their signature colour schemes were spied at the weekend. Let’s look at a few…
This Triumph hurricane and its fiery orange and yellow flash was surely eye-catching. That engine with three stacked mufflers strikes a strong sense of power.
Another beaut’ was this spiffing BSA C11, racing green livery and a comfy saddle ready for leafy B-roads. It’s little quarter litre single stotting it’s chatter off hedgerows.
One rarity in these parts is a cherry-pie Matchless. Dollop of cream and take her for an appetizing ride. Sweet!
Finally, and these images are making me hungry, this marmalade sandwich Trident. A golden orange flash swooping along the pearly tank hints at summer riding days.
cafe road
A nice cafed Kawasaki W650 being toted for the Rockerbox meet. The truck bed itself had a smasher of a BMW boxer cafe too. It certainly gave the superslab trip something to ogle at!
Flyer Rocker
Great silkscreen image for the rally’s promotion from ACE in Chicago. We saw several riders storming up I-94 yesterday heading to Milwaukee. The return leg in the rain had a a few groups taking shelter under overpasses and gas stations…
Rockerbox Milwaukee WI
A jaunt up north today saw us over the border to The Dairyland of Wisconsin for a motorcycle street festival. Motos os ALL ages, shapes, sizes and makes were seen. In the hundreds. And all of the machines had their owners touch to them, whether it was a gleaming cover, an oily-rag rubbed engine, or well worn saddle the very emotion of thing two-wheeled was evident and a crowd hearty on draughts of the motorbiking lifestyle could be witnessed. A fire ravaged building for car parts provided an appropriate backdrop to the phoenix of marques: Triumph, here a SuperBlue sprint sits expectantly for their owner to return, crank the engine over and hare off along the nearby Kettle Moraine roads…
Chopper Triumph
Another use for the twin cylinder 650 engine, not for the road but the clouds! A hobby home build kit.
An open airframe supporting a bucket seat, the engine and necessary props.
Here it is airborne… I bet it sounds odd hearing a Meriden lump chugging away on the skies.
And a close up of the Pre Unit Engine. I bet kick starting it is fun.
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I’d like to see this in a gyrocopter. Like Little Nellie from You Only Live Twice
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