An unusual adaptation of a 70’s oil-in-frame Trophy. A pair of motocross forks, wide bars, an alloy uni-link swingarm, sportsbike wheels and tires, and to top it off, a dirt track seat and I’m sure some interesting engine internal upgrades and I bet this is a G-R-I-N inducing ride.
A back road scratcher for sure!
A book cover graphic with a whizzing wheeled, wheelie-jumping twin ridden by begoggled rider; possibly a Triumph or Norton. Great 70’s look and neat title: ‘Wonder’ being the operative word. I wonder what goodies would be found in these pages….
…it seems to cover everything about motorcycling! It’s also written by a certain Robin Lawrie; my fathers name. I’ll have to search out a copy for my motolibrary.
A stunning photo our our daredevil friend Evel Knievel jumping the fountain at Caesar’s Palace in Vegas. What a showman!
In the satirical movie Shampoo Warren Beatty plays a womanizing hairdresser haring around Beverly Hills on his Triumph Tiger; his Mason Pearson hairbrush sticking out of his back pocket. Julie Christie & Goldie Hawn play the love, or more accurately sex, interest. Nevertheless he looks cool on the 500.
Shiny, shiny cafe’d oil-in-frame Bonnie. Red framed and chrome tanked as well as a comfy Corbin seat. Nicely detailed and crafted to be a real head turner!
A couple of really sharp race roundel signs. One displaying unstoppable #9 Gary Nixon ‘flying’ on a dirt oval steed; the other is Eddie Mulder #12 (The Squirrel).
A well known bike to millions of American TV viewers of the 70’s is comng up for sale. The ‘cool’ Triumph we see The Fonz riding on during the opening credits of Happy Days. It’s a 50’s 500cc TR5 Trophy with rigid frame. A moto used by the desert racers in SoCal at the time; this one beginning in the hands of Bud Ekins. When Happy Days was in it’s conceptual infancy Hollywood called their biker pal Ekins to supply a chopper for a new cool character to ride on; he put high bars on, stripped the front fender and sprayed the tank silver… an icon was born!
Roll-on 3 decades and Ekins was clearing out his not inconsiderable collection passing a warehouse of bikes, parts and memerobilia to another Triumph dealer ‘Mean Marshall’ Ehlers. This old Trumpet was sitting forlornly amongst it all. Now Mr Ehlers needs to sell it so this bike is up for grabs to the highest bidder through Bonhams.
There was a time when some riders got bored with the staid styling of the Triumph machines. They responded with a few choice add-ons to achieve a hot-rod, chopper, dude look. Some weren’t so successful as these two images show…
First off: a pipe bending excercise that even Uri Geller would be astounded by. I believe you can fire spears out of them. But windows will be broken nonetheless!
After the refreshing ride on Saturday morning I stopped in at Bobs Deli, a local 7-11 in Highland Park. What was needed was a good cold, classic bottle of “ice cold”. The moto cools in the background, I cool in the shadows.
Growing up in North Northumberland one of the highlights of late summer was the annual arrival for two weeks of the ‘shows’. A small travelling fairground called Slaters. Among the shuggy boats, ‘big’ wheel, and octopus rides as well as the gaping mouth clowns and pingpong goldfish bowl arcade was the “Speedway” ride. a rolling carousel of bikes and chairs. It was, for a 7 year old, the first effects of speed and centrigugal forces sitting atop a ‘motorbike’ although it was fixed!
My sister, Ruth, found this ultra clean example of a Norton Commando 750. Super sharp details and nice polished finish. The top box reflects a user who rides for a purpose, though obviously only on good days!
Here are the older Meriden Triumphs at the street show, each with their owners mark on them, each with mileage and aged patina giving an certain ‘life’ to them.
Back in the early 70’s physicist Carl Sagan helped promote and realisation of adding a message plaque to NASA’s Pioneer spacecraft. He devised a graphic representing an understanding of molecular physics as well as our position in space, down to which planet in the Solar System we are on. Also on it are images of a man and woman.
I’ve added the outline of a Triumph to let the extraterrestrials know that we ride motorcycles too!
Ann Margaret flinging her ‘bye, bye, birdy’ persona to the desert winds and taking off down the road Captain America style. Point it to the horizon and keep going!
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