Archive for ‘70’s’

June 12, 2011

Chopper Triumph

The late 60’s and early 70’s was the time when the chopper culture entered it’s golden, glitzy, chrome-laden, and psychadelic colored era. Here’a couple of examples of the style.  Not necessarily raked forks all the time, but a semi-bobbed style. This one has a super open-road portrait stretching into the distance. Insect-like headlights, but a comfortable riding geometry.

U-shaped bucket seat, peanut tank and raked hardtail frmae; that’s chopper style. The british twins were used as much as the harley v-twins are seen today in these custom specials.

Crumb-esque drawings add to tne light hearted nature of the lifestyle…
…keep on ridin’!

June 5, 2011

Mid Seventies Bonneville Cafe

A clean example of a cafe’d Oil-in-Frame Bonnie, Right hand shifting, discs, so must be T140V from 75 or 76. Nice black paint scheme and grey frame. This helped my own rebuild inspiration…

 The racing hump seat , a reupholstered cover available from Vietnam of all places, affords a further speedy line to the desired appearance.

Eliminated front fender gives a bobbed look too. Clip-Ons the correct stance.
Close-up view of frame, timing side of engine and rear sets. The standard ‘boxy’ side covers actually look right with the grey frame finish and dull engine casings.

Anotehr view of the Norman Hyde rearsets, close in appearance to mine, as well as the gear change lever.

A final rearview shot of the rounded ‘rump’ and the long pipes; altogether a balanced build with clean lines and serious purpose of speed.

May 15, 2011

Flat Tracker with futuristic fiberglass bodywork

A racing special raced by Don Castro in ’72, then immediately banned due to streamlining rules. A wrapparound tank and seat with 70’s pinstriping extraordinaire. Go fast, turn left, repeat. The extended seat is interesting but there’s a neat custom in there somewhere…

May 11, 2011

Gulf color on a Honda 550 cafe "Le Mans Special"

Here’s a beautifully detailed cafe racer prepared in glorious blue and orange. Thiunassuming rebuilt 1975 model has been methodically reconstructed with special care to details such as the sumptuous tank, tail section and he controls.

The orange painted frame is a great detail (ooh if I’d only had that thought with mine!)

A super little feller, probably fun to ride too.Build by Chris Trotter from Bozeman, Montana.

May 6, 2011

An Airfix this is not!

Well, a Revell model kit of a Triumph in chopper fashion; with, it seems options for customization…

April 28, 2011

Triton

Ed Zender of Morries Place (where my Triumph engine was rebuilt) today advertised a Triton on Craigslist. Motorcycle has a 1975 Triumph 5-speed 750 motor, converted to right hand shift, in a 1960’s Norton Slimline Featherbed frame. Ceramic coated pistons, intake ported to 34mm, 510-15 Megacycle cams, Mark II Amal carbs, 7-plate Norvil clutch, Triumph disc forks with billet alloy trees, Grameca calipers.

Orange colour….  a racing style….cor blimey!   … now if I can just find 8 grand!

April 23, 2011

Salute

A great image of “Da Man” in Le Mans garb prepared in great artistic fashion by Conrad Leach. Super…

April 21, 2011

Doctor Who?

Here is a shot of Jon Pertwee, for it is he, aboard what looks like a late 60’s Triumph (or BSA). He was the 3rd Doctor after Patrick Troughton and before the legend Tom Baker. He was also seen in straw packed tweeds as Worzel Gummidge as well as the lip smacking professor in Carry on Screaming among other things.

February 20, 2011

60’s in the 70’s

In an attempt to stir nostalgic values to the 750 Bonneville in the seventies here they advertise with sixties imagery, harking to diners and hot-rods, sunsets and black & white photo’s; the chinzy 80’s airbrush look detracts fom the bike, coloured to look like the ’68 zenith Bonnie.  Note the NVT logo used for this Calirornian dealership (Norton Villiers Triumph); the conglomeration of the remnants of a once sucessful British motorcycle industry.