Dr Who? Here’s Matt Smith, the 11th incarnation of the Gallifreyan traveler of the space-time continuum aboard a Bonneville with his latest companion Clara Oswald, played by Jenna Louise Coleman. Typical mode of transport is of course the policebox disguised TARDIS but this’ll do in a pinch.
Daleks, Cybermen or Sontarans be damned!
He’s funny, bawdy, insightful, raw; he’s a salty New York comedian Louis C.K. In the first episode of his third series he takes up a motorcycle as transport in the Big Apple: in particular a Triumph Scrambler.
He scratches around the streets of NY but a biker gang approaches him and leads to a wipe-out… he’s back on the saddle later on though..
“So it’s actually smart to ride a motorcycle” he declares when realizes how efficient, affordable and parking friendly motorcycles are…
By the late seventies, and with the success of Lee Majors in The Six Million Dollar Man, the networks were all jumping on the ‘ordinary superhero’ bandwagon. Some unassuming protagonist is dowsed in either a radioactive ‘elixir’ or rebuilt with means beyond his physical ken. Well NBC in ’76 came up with this gem. The titular character, one Sam Casey, had a handy condition that allowed him to be invisible (including his clothes!) For 15 minutes a day, with a wristwatch countdown controller. If he went over that though he was in danger of becoming permanently invisible. Tsk!
He was a good lookin’ denim wearin’ motorcycle ridin’ bloke, played by Ben Murphy, who got into a scrape or two… At least until the show was canceled nine episodes into its first season. I can just about remember it as a kid escaping into the few episodes that made it across the Pond.
The actor was Ben Murphy and the bike? Why a Triumph of course!
Eric Fellner’s production company, Working Title Films is currently one of the most successful in the industry. With movies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Fargo in the nineties, to the more recent Rush it encompasses the lesser mainstream items and ones I’d prefer to see.
A well framed portrait of him with prized vehicles: a Ferrari 458 Italia and a late 50’s Triumph Bonneville. Smartly attired he seems for attracted to the moto!
Photography by Neil Bridge.
Granny Moses takes a Triumph for a cavort around a Beverly Mansion. Yup! It’s the adventures of Jed Clampett and his kin from their windfall of a bubbling crude from the ground on his swampland. Black gold.
“Y’all come back now, y’hear?”
French actor Jean Paul Belmondo was surely the Gallic McQueen. Starring in several New Wave films of the sixties such as the classic, and pivotal, Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 Breathless, he managed to reinforce his ‘le cool’ demeanor by being seen riding ‘un moto’. Especially when it is ‘Une Triomph’!
William H. Macy played the hapless Jerry Lundegaard in the wonderful Coen brothers film Fargo. He carried his character from bad to worse during a bungled kidnap of his wife to acquire ransom money from his father in law. Frances McDormand is the wonderful Minnesotan pregnant police chief following the case across the cold snowy wastes of the North Star State. However, here’s Bill on a sparkly Triumph Bonneville: looking a lot better than he did in the movie Wild Hogs (the less said about that little ‘gem’ the better!).
Thumbs up indeed ey! Enjoyin’ da ride dontcha no.
The Morris Minor, or Moggie as it was affectionately known, was a popular, inexpensive, compact family car. Easy to maintain, purely functional and fairly easy on the eyes is was manufactured between 1948 and 1971 seeing over 1.3 million produced. The blighty VW Beetle or Citroen deux chevaux. Its wholesome lines came from the mind of Alec Issigonis (the chief designer of The Mini). Like some matronly nurse it took to the British roads like the proverbial duck to water.
It saw many versions including the gnatty soft-top convertible seen above as well as the classic wood framed estate Traveler and delivery van. Both below. That battleship grey colour is pure blighty mid-fifties and a holiday to Llandudno.
Diminutive power was conjured up from compact sub litre power units derived from the predecessor Morris Eight, however early engine bay layout is wide enough for an envisioned flat four (like a Beetle) but the sidevalve inline four is utilized. Here is a very early MM looking lively in its original green.
The Lucas battery is bigger than the 27 bhp engine. Probably heavier too! Here’s another pristine engine bay, everything is obvious and with room for any home mechanic to keep his transport on the road. This is the A Series overhead valve inline four which went on, with ongoing evolution, to see half a century’s production in The Mini. Sir Alec spun it 90° to ensure that compact cars place in history.
This ‘motor’ was developed by famed engine designer Harry Weslake who would go on to design the powerplants of Jaguars (later this week) and had indeed been involved in the Rolls Royce Merlin engine – arguable one if the Best sounding engines ever – especially at speed from a Supermarine Spitfire.
Look at this… Lines like the platinum tress’d Diana Dors, who’d not get a smile whilst adjusting your tweed cap and donning your string back drivers gloves…
And besides it’s the car used by Keith and Candice Marie on their rural trip in the much loved Mike Leigh drama Nuts in May.
CANDICE MARIE
Keith?
KEITH
Mmm.
CANDICE MARIE
You know you always tell me to chew everything 72 times?
KEITH
Mmm.
CANDICE MARIE
Well I don’t think that can be right, because, um for instance you’re chewing nuts now, and they have to be chewed 72 times because they’re very hard. But earlier on I was eating mushroom, and I only got to 31 and it slipped down my throat quite naturally. So it doesn’t always have to be 72 times does it?
KEITH
[long pause while chewing] I think the important thing is to uh, use your discretion.
There was a brief mention yesterday of the Great Lee Marvin. We know him for some of the great ‘tough guy’ roles in movies: Frank Ballinger in the Chicago based M-Squad, Tully Crow in The man who shot Liberty Valance, Kid Sheleen/Tim Strawn in Cat Ballou (Oscar too!).
His somewhat pivotal role as Chico in The Wild One, leader of the Beetles, got him into riding when trying to be on par with Marlon Brando.
His past included serving as a US Marine in The Pacific during WWII chasing the counter attack across numerous islands seeing some of the fiercest fighting. No doubt this laid the foundation for many of his characters. He did take up motorcycle racing utilizing the Tiger Cub …
Here with fellow racer and character actor Keenan Wynn.
“Is that to protect yer head or to keep yer fag dry?” Quips the great Joe Brown to a rope-wound motorcyclist as he dismounts from a damp ride along the craggy mountain bound Llanberis Pass in North Wales.
The dour response in straight Mancunian: “me fag!”. This is none other than climbing Legend Don Whillans. These are captured scenes from a recently unearthed documentary from 1985 capturing Don’s last climb.
There are some well filmed shots of the road up the ‘Pass’ . Don ever the motorcyclist winds his way along smoothly on a Kawasaki 440 twin.
Coming to a halt in the layby below the imposing open-booked corner of Dinas Gromlech he meets up with his climbing partner of decades before and that day, Brown. His blue Belstaff jacket will have seen many damp miles across Northern England.
Whereas Joe cuts a lithe figure for his, at the time, mid-fifties; Don is a heftier, pot-bellied, mountain of his younger and doughty youth. Back in the day they were a force to be reckoned with putting up the hardest routes, still test pieces to aspiring hard climbers, considering they climbed with rudimentary gear: hemp rope, M&S plimsols and sack loads of working mans bottle.
The climb they were retracing that day was the steep crack system called Cemetery Gates, graded E1 5b (E for extremely severe).
Joe strolled up it in fine style as leader, however Don needed a few tugs of the rope as second to help his 14 stone figure up the crag. He died two months after this was filmed at the age of 52. The Nepali Sherpas called him Tiger; he’s also been known as The Villain. Nevertheless he was the climbers climber.
Our favorite 60’s TV duo john Steed and Emma Peel managed to get into all sorts of scrapes and escapades. It usually involved a fight or chase scene with our action gal Diana Rigg. Here we have a hunting redcoat clad Triumph Cub rider chasing her over field and moor. This is the nimble Mountain Tiger Cub model.
They always managed to catch their guy, and conclude the episode with some quippy remarks.
…and let’s not forget Cathy Gale, the original feminist sidekick …
In past days when smoking was more widespread one thing that was a bonus with each packet of tabs was cigarette cards. They came in broad ranging themes including motorcycles. Here’s a few from one mid century collection featuring our favorite make…
A close up of an early model on a Lambert & Butler.
Miniature print art collection? You can nearly smell the tobacco on the card stock. Of course it was the icons of the day who kept smoking a popular past time… Cool fellas indeed on the silver screen but known for their two-wheeled interest.
Hey! There was even a fag named after our titular marque…
Got a light pal!
POW! Found one at last! The Original TV series Batman, Adam West here seen riding a Triumph Bonneville. Bat Bike…
Quite the look! However I think a dark blue/black would have been a better color to go with the flowing cape.
Nanananananananananananananananananana……BATMAN!
“May the Fourth be with you!”
Our pal Ewan takes a break from lightsabre wielding scenes to catch up on Motorcycle News’ offerings whilst leaning against some gaffers moto.
Of course on other times when not filming he spends spare time with bikes: be it globe trekkng or toting around local Hollywood lanes. Here he us with a custom Triumph bobber zooming along some leafy suburban backwater.
…and sitting astride his ride with pup.
geordiebiker.com 