August 17, 2013
Our lad Guy Martin pulled out a hat trick with his three wins this weekend at the Ulster GP. All being closely followed on his heels by the Dunlop lads amongst others. With an unmatched average lap speed of 132.938mph on his second of seven laps in the Superbike he pipped Michael Dunlop by 0.054s. At that speed that is as close as you can get!

The big Suzuki is running well, the team are on top form and Guy can celebrate with a good cuppa or two! “Well done wor Chief!”

Posted in Guy Martin, Racing |
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August 16, 2013
This low mileage trumpet badg’d red colored Thruxton is for sale locally…. Need to win the pools!

Only one word for that: “Phoarr!” But I’m afraid my dentist and endodontrist skipped away with my fun-funds earlier this year….
Posted in Chicago, Triumph Motorcycle |
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August 15, 2013

These kits were more popular back when motorcycles were a utilitarian tool, and when snowmobiles were limited to the greater latitudes or Minnesota. tack some skis to the front hoop; whip off the rear one and bolt on the mini track. I think this would be a lot of fun in fresh powder. And it’s a Cub too…
“Shackleton, Shackleton! You need a couple of these glacier ski-doos mate!”
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August 14, 2013
Orlando, is quite the moto aficionado… Here he is taking great enjoyment from a WWII BSA M20. The half litre 13 pony do I all ride of couriers, scouts and dispatchers alike.

Of course half the fun of these pieces if military equipment is the hands-on needed to keep em rubber side down and destination bound. Twiddle carbs, sort timing, adjust valves, petrol on, tickle, retard and KICK. He just needs a blackout hood on the headlight for period correctness.

Posted in BSA, Military, Movie |
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August 13, 2013
Pointy ear’d Legolas the wood elf from Tolkien’s Middle Earth realm was played in very fine style by the British actor Orlando Bloom. Fast with bow, swift of foot and strong of friendship he was an appropriate foil to the doughty dwarf Gimli.

Orlando went on to add the pirate blacksmith Will Turner in the as popular Pirates of the Caribbean series… To date he has been in a third of the top 15 biggest grossing films. So what does he ride? We he seems to have picked up a custom modern Bonneville with hand beat tinware, spare details and fun stance. Just needs some leathers and a lid to top it off. Fleet footed? On that Triumph he is!

Posted in Movie, Triumph Bonneville |
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August 12, 2013
Barbarella Catton the Canadian actress more commonly known as Haji, passed away at the weekend aged 67. She appeared in several Russ Meyer films, including Motorpsycho (1965), Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965), and Supervixens (1975). All classics of their genre.

Meyers satirical sexploitation film went directly against the grain of the mainstream movies of the day. A Zappa to the motion picture world you could say… Or was Zappa a Meyer of the music world?

Of course we have our early biker film, before Easy Rider, and fairly gritty in its nature. The women are buxom, the characters crude, narration camp, yet the female empowerment seeps through the stories. Haji fits the bill on all accounts. The seminal Faster, faster pussycat! Kill! Kill! Is the zenith in his career.

After watching these you can see where Quentin Tarantino gets his inspiration. . . and I do believe that’s a Triumph on the poster of Motorpsycho..
Posted in Gals, Movie |
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August 11, 2013
Though seen use from Egyptian stone block moving with trunks and Leonardo da Vinci sketches for his helicopter air-screw rotation; it was the development and patent of a Welsh ironmaster Philip Vaughan that the modern ball race bearing was created. Its 1794 timing came at an ideal moment for the burgeoning Industrial Revolution. However it was Frenchman Jules Suriray who patented the first ball bearing. Used to great low resistance rolling effect by Englishman James Moore astride his velocipede in the first Paris-Rouen road race later that year.

Bearings are of course very important in ALL wheeled and powered contrivances: today I measured for and ordered the bearings for the Cub wheels (two for each) and the crank shaft and main gear shaft.

However a bearing is only as good as its lubrication and cleanliness… Spin Doctor
Posted in Bicycle, Restoration |
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August 10, 2013
Perfect weather with blue blue skies and nice riding temperatures. Took the bike out for an hours spin up the road. Although you need to head out a fair bit to get good roads there’s a small section through a Forest Preserve area along the Skokie Lagoons. It’s only a couple and a half miles long but you can run up and down it at least twice for good measure…

It shows up its wiggle on Google Maps…

The bike was happy too 🙂

Posted in Chicago, Photography |
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August 9, 2013

I must admit this one has done the rounds on the interweb; but with my ongoing search for Cub parts this is a true happy-face when one of those hard to find item crops up for a low price. It typically turns to a bawling (or swearing more like) when that part doesn’t fit…. Haven’t we all been there?
Posted in Restoration |
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August 8, 2013
Wartime morale poster that was rediscovered in secondhand bookshop Barter Books at the old railway station in Alnwick Northumberland has seen it spread across the globe as a modern day inspiration an motivational meme. Here its given the Triumph treatment…

… As a side note the original Ministry of Information posters printed in the hundreds of thousands were seen as somewhat divisive and patronizing by the working classes as a rallying war cry from the upper classes, of whom the civil servants were seen to be. Remember the Great War was a fresh memory being merely two decades previous to the outbreak in ’39.
Posted in Graphics, Triumph Motorcycle |
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August 7, 2013

An idyllic English scene… Wet road, grey skies, muddy field, a hilly country road and a Triumph 750 propped on its side stand waiting for a wax jacket attired motorcyclist to take up the reins. I can smell this typical bucolic blighty scene. The signpost adds a level of rural jolity to the proceedings too!
The W registration puts the bike between ’81 & ’82.
Posted in 70's, Triumph Bonneville |
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August 6, 2013
The diminutive nature of our wee 200cc Cub makes for a smart shooting stick to thump around the estate on. The hound will need willing legs to keep up though… And a shotgun holster is required to tote the Purdey DB 12 bore.

A Barber jacket isn’t just for an ISDT!
Posted in Motorcycle Poster, Triumph Cub |
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August 6, 2013
The diminutive nature of our wee 200cc Cub makes for a smart shooting stick to thump around the estate on. The hound will need willing legs to keep up though… And a shotgun holster is required to tote the Purdey DB 12 bore.
A Barber jacket isn’t just for an ISDT!
Posted in Motorcycle Poster, Triumph Cub |
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August 5, 2013
The drive across Wisconsin yesterday allowed many chances to see riders cruise along while the local scenery passed by. Here’s a pair on their Harley speeding along on I-90 east of La Crosse.

Posted in Harley Davidson, Photography, Travel |
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August 4, 2013

Sweet Triumph twin set up for big American roads seen today a stones throw from the Mississippi in Winona MN. Wonderful roads in the vicinity are jes’ made for ridin’! Must go back on two wheels!
Posted in Travel, Triumph Bonneville |
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