Madman – Nick Sanders takes long distance riding to another unreachable level altogether. He takes perfectly sensible sports bikes and thrashes them in a circumnavigation ofvthe globe. Here he stands next to his Triumph Daytona which he sped a land-orbit of the earth in 31 days back in ‘98. He would repeat the journey a few more times on a Yamaha R1… taking the time down to 19 days. Nutter!
October 15, 2017
Phileas Fogg
October 12, 2017
Sur la Route
Normadie. – an image taken during a weekend cycling trip along the north coast of France in ‘97. I spied this couple zooming across the countryside under crisp April skies as I took a break from pedaling the same landscape. “That’s for me!” I said to myself.
Pentax ME Super 50mm Fujichrome 100
September 9, 2017
…going thrice; sold!
“I don’t believe it!” – the catchphrase of character Victor Meldrew from 90’s sit-com One Foot in the Grave. An ornery old got played perfectly by Scottish actor Richard Wilson who can be seen here on a ’93 Triumph Trident for a publicity shot of a TV show ‘Under the Hammer” about a London auction house. Back then this was the best way to zip about the Big Smoke.
August 6, 2017
City Livin’
McCallum – back in the late nineties I lived in London; and it was there I took to motorcycles as a means of transport. Also at that time was a television show where the talented Scottish actor John Hannah played the titular yet unassuming role of a clinical pathologist. Like myself, this character managed to scoot about the Big Smoke on a motorcycle. He on a sharp black Triumph Thunderbird 900; I zinged about on a 125 Cagiva… I felt every bit as cool as our urbane character. I actually saw him in an East End pub about this time too.
April 29, 2017
Triple Power
Cubed – when Triumph emerged from the near fatal flatline in the nineties they used a modular engine design that could be shoehorned into different models. Good sturdy machines that still hold their own on the road. The Adventurous Tiger, rippled Speed Triple, and a speedy Sprint offered a British badged moto with doughty engineering.
March 21, 2017
Formula Um
Senna – The Brazilian racing great would have been 57 today had he not been taken from us on that fateful MayDay at San Marino in Italy in 1994. As well as racing at the top of the game for teams such as Lotus and MacLaren he enjoyed the two wheeler. With Honda supplying engines for the mid-eighties Lotus he has a pit bike supply; later on Ducati took him under their promotion wing with their Monster line-up and the super sport 888, 900 and the classic post posthumously introduced Senna 916 in grey rather than the traditional red or yellow.
February 2, 2017
Watch that first step. It’s a doozie.
Punxsutawney Phil – being the 2nd of February today isn’t just when the Wood Chuck eats us know if winter will stretch out for another six weeks but is now also known as a repetitive day. After Mr Bill Murray’s comedy movie from 1993, where a selfish TV reporter finds himself in a time loop on 2nd Feb and only through self learning of selflessness he escapes the cycle.
The photo is Bill on a Honda XL175 dirt bike as a camp counselor in the film Meatballs.
December 4, 2016
Jeff Lebowski
The Dude Abides – yep, Mr Bridges is 67 today. Putting in another year being an Achiever; hangin’ on like the best of ’em as El Duderino, enjoyin’ his beverage and keepin’ his opinion to himself whilst respecting yours. Even though he has to reckon with strikes and gutters, as well as ups and downs, we should take great comfort he’s still out there takin’ it easy for all us sinners. But heck, I’m paraphrasing… as well as ramblin’ … catch y’all down the trail.
October 24, 2016
They Don’t Own Me
Verve- The aforementioned 90’s group frontman Richard Ashcroft has a freshly released album. One piece is supported by a cool video of this troubled troubadour alternately crooning and riding across a windswept British countryside. It’s a beautiful Triumph Cub in trials form that he scoots across meadow, through wood, and along lane on.
Urban Hymns by The Verve is quintessential 90’s music.
September 24, 2016
Here we are now, entertain us
Nevermind – the seminal album from the Seattle band that broke the mold and ushered in an angst ridden style and desensibility for the end years of a tired Twentieth Century. It turns 25 today. Kurt, Krist and Dave became a voice for the disenfranchised Gen X. I would turn it up to ’10’ and lie on the floor when getting home from my first ‘real’ job after collage.
1966 Chrysler Newport in the garage of this ‘grunge’ band.
June 15, 2016
Gnarly Dude
More Skateboarding! Hugh ‘Bod’ Boyle is an Englishman relocated to SoCal to take on the boys of Dogtown and went and done good. He made good boards which can go for upward of $1,000 such as this mint Triumph motif deck from 1990.
June 1, 2016
Foo
Former Nirvana drummer and current Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl thrashes a mean beat and growls a roaring vocal. Grunge fashion takes on white Johnson Motors t-shirt with a hint of Triumph. Good driving music. Can’t believe the seminal Nevermind album is 25. Sheesh where’d the time go?
March 31, 2016
TBT
Throwback Thursday: this Susuki GS125 is the same model is used for my first day of riding around Crystal Palace back in 1996. It was a handy tool to get my CBT Compulsory Basic Training.
March 17, 2016
Team Green
To celebrate St Patrick’s day here is a couple of old snaps from the memory banks. Me and my Kawasaki Ninja which was my main mode of transportation for a few years when we first settled here in Chicago. She had plenty of oomph, easily cracking the ton and a half, and that lime green sure was a purdy color.
I really enjoyed zipping along Lake Shore Drive ; water on one side, buildings the other.
March 3, 2016
Throw-back-Thursday
When I first started to learn to ride in London 20 years ago I purchased a small bike to get to grips with two wheeled motoring around the Capital. Advertised in Loot for £1,000 was a Cagiva Roadster 125. I took the train and my money to somewhere in West London, rod this around a loading bay and with a naive grin handed over my cash and sped off back into town to start my riding life.
The two-stroke was great for zipping around town without getting into trouble, though the Italian make had its fare share of electrical and mechanical issues that with hindsight seem simple issues to overcome, back then seemed like huge obstacles to overcome. An education commenced that continues to this day!
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