Le Telefon | “Allo allo!” More Gallic adventure with this policeman utilizing a bike mounted ‘phone whilst out on patrol. TRW Triumph looks clean. Deux Chevaux parked behind.
April 17, 2019
Une force humaine
Soixante Quinze | More Gendarmerie Nationale Motorcycle police from the fifties. The uniform is very formal from the shin high leather riding boots, jodhpurs, tunic jacket, white Sam Browne holster belt, shoulder aiguillettes, and white gauntlet gloves. Quite the appearance. White wall tyre’d Triumph Thunderbird complete the look.
April 16, 2019
“Vous êtes en état d’arrestation!”
Gendarmes Moto | a couple of French Motorcycle police are looking into some skullduggery on a nighttime Gallic street. The fact a pistol is drawn and pointing adds to the suspense. Black Triumph Thunderbird provides vehicular support in this apprehension. Zut Alors!
April 12, 2019
You too can be a Rembrandt
Paint by Numbers | all of those tank badges were painted by hand. Each one painstakingly given a pearly white background and black enamel lettering infill.
Factoid: Dan Robbins who invented Paint-by-Numbers in the fifties died last week aged 93.
April 9, 2019
Read all over
Pre Unit | Black & White graphic depicting a late 50’s twin cylinder Triumph engine. Nice clean artwork.
March 20, 2019
Got Air?
‘Ump Day | It can be a tricky maneuver to maintain momentum one gains from the first half of the week to establish a decent and stable toehold into the latter half. Given a positive attitude, and topography like a hump-back bridge, one can achieve this translation with assured aplomb. Take this cove on his rigid framed Triumph; he certainly has a serious head on his shoulders, along with an appropriate cool appearance to maintain the professional air about his seemed flawless leap. He’s even smart enough to take on Ballaugh Bridge, the notorious Isle of Man TT circuit to sustain a level of grace and composure for this Wednesday transition.
March 14, 2019
21
Lightning | an unusual marketing move using the image of Mach 2 capable RAF jets to promote the futuristic appeal of the 350cc ‘Twenty One”. The streamlined semi-enclosing bodywork may create a sense of tomorrow especially that rear ‘bathtub’. Nevertheless I like the page layout and mid century graphic form.
March 13, 2019
Note
Car Boot Sale | a note seen last weekend at one of the numerous ‘flea markets’ in the UK. Typically the tables are loaded with cheap offerings from peoples house emptying efforts, but here someone was using the opportunity to locate something… I probably have these in a box of spares from my own Cub rebuild but the cost to ship ’em back to blighty would outweigh their cost of picking the items up locally.
March 10, 2019
Ton Up
Rocker Drumroll | Quiff’d and leather jacketed; this young leather boy curls his lip up at the camera ready to rumble the streets of inner cities and country A-roads alike.
March 9, 2019
Sweetness under the Sun
L-Plates | The perfect little motorcycle to learn on: a lightweight and easy to control Triumph Cub 200cc. 1950’s swing dress on a bonnie lady under an English sun. The large windshield should keep the skirt fabric under some control.
March 5, 2019
Gotta Wear Shades
Optimism | Iconic motorcycles usually look back for inspiration. Tradition, timeliness, nostalgia. “If it ain’t broke; don’t fix it!” Well sometimes we need lifted by inspiration of a dream that could be. Sci-Fi is an escape to days of what-could-be. Not the bleak dystopian horizon that current world events often hint at: but a exciting dynamic Brave New World. This slick offering from Barbara Future Custom Motorcycle looks ready for 2059 – one hundred years after the legendary Bonneville.
Oh. And the future is electric too!
February 26, 2019
“Hello I’m Johnny Cash”
The Man in Black – Johnny Cash was born this day in 1932. He wrote humbling music which could pierce the coldest heart and sang with a calm but authoritative voice that sent shivers down your spine. “He walked the Line.”
February 17, 2019
Yours Economically
65 years ago – a page in one of the periodicals of the day. The Thunderbird and Speed Twin extoll their fuel saving worthiness; especially in a Post-War Britain coming out of rationing.
February 14, 2019
“Helen, I think we took a wrong return at Aylesbury.”
No. 1 Corinthian Arch – this year is the 60th birthday of the classic small British car: the Mini. So the blog will periodically dip into the history of the coolest vehicle ever devised. It beats the Beetle, dashes the Deux Chevaux, sinks the Cinquecento. I like this photo for the black and white photojournalist look as well as the Arch at Stowe where my wife live IN for a summer back in the mid-nineties.
February 3, 2019
Heartbeat
The Day The Music Died – Sixty years ago today a small aircraft took off from Mason City Iowa flying into winter conditions with poor visibility and crashing near Clear Lake killing all on board. Of course this was Buddy Holly 22, Richie Valens 17, and JP Richardson (The Big Bopper) 28; as well as the pilot.
Waylon Jennings gave his seat up on the flight to Richardson.
In regards to Buddy and his love of motorcycles; here in Jennings’ words:
“They loved Marlon Brando in ‘The Wild One,’ and when they got to Dallas…they decided on the spur of the moment to buy motorcycles and drive back home on them.” Waylon recalled. “They took a cab into the city and walked into a Harley-Davidson shop. They had their eyes on a trio of 74-inchers, but the proprietor didn’t think they had any money and treated them like a bunch of bums. ‘Hell, you boys couldn’t even begin to handle the payments on that.
Then they went over to Miller’s Motorcycles, which specialized in English bikes. There, Joe B (Maudlin, the Crickets’ then-bass player), and J.I. (Allison, the drummer) bought a Triumph each, a TR6 and Thunderbird, respectively, while Buddy picked out a maroon and black Ariel Cyclone, with a high compression 650cc Huntsmaster engine. They paid cash, bought matching Levi jackets and peaked caps with wings on them, and rode home through a thunderstorm.”
