More patina that a rusty nail. I was filling up at a gas station in Des Plaines and spied this beat-up Chevrolet. It sounded like heck when it started up. Unless the owner didn’t want to wake the dead by revving too much…
October 9, 2020
Mon Oncle
– trench coat, Homburg cap and lip-clenched pipe. Oui c’est Jacques Tati. Here the gauche and somewhat inept character on his trusty Solex motorscooter with nephew perched over the rear pannier rack. Today is Tati’s birthday. “Joyeux Anniversaire Jacques!”
September 3, 2020
Invention
– the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. This publication has been in circulation for nearly 150 years so undoubtedly there has been various suggestions for the improvement of motorcycles. The tracked adventure bike looks particularly intriguing.
August 6, 2020
Don’t forget your flask…
A delightful photograph from past days with a happy couple enjoying a cuppa along some quiet country road. The Triumph ‘Twenty One’ carried them there in competent fashion and a post war bucolic England let’s them relax trouble-free.
August 5, 2020
Smooth- Silent-Clean
An early 350cc Triumph model incorporated enclosed ‘bathtub’ fairings which promoted a clean line offering a hint of aerodynamic styling. The Twenty One was the first Unit Construction engine – where the engine casing included both the piston/crankshaft and gearbox.
June 22, 2020
Time
Picked up this great reference book of Triumph motorcycles from the last eighty odd years. All models and variations discussed in depth from the legendary Meriden examples to the current Hinckley offerings. Lots of photos and masses of written information.
The Complete Book of Classic and Modern Triumph Motorcycles 1937-Today https://www.amazon.com/dp/0760366012/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_EIw8EbMGGRAH3
June 9, 2020
Seven Years
Two of Us
– we recreated the classic photo of designers Charles and Ray Eames a while back. All I needed was a pipe to complete the look.
May 18, 2020
AA
– old photo of an AA patrolman maneuvering their recovery combination through some snow drifts. Heavy insulated overalls to keep the cold at bay. My grandfather George Lawrie would have been clad as such whilst plying the roads of North Northumberland.
May 12, 2020
Smithy
Portable Forge
The blacksmith was history’s mechanic and tire shop. They shod horses, fabricated machinery and repaired tools. With the advent of the internal combustion engine they had to adapt to newer technologies. This blackie has utilized a motorcycle combination to haul around a portable forge with anvil. You can hear the ring of the heavy ball peen hammer.
April 28, 2020
Long Way Down
… back in the fifties Mr G G Evans rode his Triumph Thunderbird through Europe and on through North Africa, along the Suez and down into South Africa. I wonder if this journey was inspiration for Ted Simon fifteen years later as Jupiter?
April 22, 2020
Pinup
Today is the birthday of iconic 50’s centerfold Bettie Mae Page (1923-2008)
April 20, 2020
Walking a Mile
Captain Tom Moore, who will turn 100 next week recently took it upon himself to walk 100 laps of his small garden. 25 yards per lap. His goal was to raise £1,000. As of today his donations have raised £27 million. His wish was for the funds to go to NHS workers who are putting their all into the care and attention for the Covid 19 I’ll. He was a Captain during WW2 in an armored division in Burma. After the war he actively pursued motorcycle racing aboard a Scott Flying Squirrel with trophied success.
A True British Hero!
April 16, 2020
The Human Fly
A young plumber from Salford was beckoned to the gritstone crags of the Peak District in the fifties. Along with other working class types they opened up the climbing scene, once a dominion of the upper classes, to the everyman. Along with Don Whillans, Joe put up many test-pieces in the UK, Alps and greater ranges. We would occasionally see him in his latter years when we were out craggin’ on Stanage Edge up from Sheffield; or over at Llanberis Pass in Snowdonia. A true legend in the climbing scene.
April 12, 2020
Who do you think you are?
– one of the Greats in Motorsport died today aged 90. He raced during the Golden Age of Formula 1 against Fangio; barely surviving horrific crashes; smashing the Mille Miglia 1000 record in a Mercedes Benz 300 SLR; and becoming the most famous driver never to win the Championship. S
ir Stirling Moss 1929-2020
April 8, 2020
Correct- Amun’s o
– great image of Arthur Fonzarelli on his TR5 Triumph bobber in Al’s Diner parking lot.
