June 29, 2014
A classic car and motorcycle show on a couple of closed off streets in Winnetka was attended today. All European stuff. And NICE stuff too! Today I’ll concentrate if the Crown Jewels of the show: a splendid display of no less than 11 Vincents. Quite overwhelming and each individual. The first is a ’52 Black Lightning – just like Richard Thompsons song of the same name. Just in need of a Red Molly to take it for a ride.
The engine as Art…
This one was obviously a rider: high mileage patina and oily rag polish achieve a glowing life to it. Give me an open road and no particular destination…
Egli Vincent: special racer. Take a strong powerplant and bolt it to a lightweight tubular frame dedicated to speed…
“Geriatric Hooliganism” perfect description.
Ed Sender, owner of Morrie’s Place rorted in on his moto. His BSA T-shirt show where his true allegiances lie…
This single cylinder HRD Meteor still looks the part next to its doubled-up brethren. The first true Vincent engine where Phil Irvine worked out many of the motor mechanicals to be seen in Vincents nearly twenty years.
This hyper clean example was a rebuilt barn find. You could stare at your the polished surfaces all day.
The color is perfect: black, metal grey and a hint of gold. The monochrome of a bygone age.
I asked Ed if I could sit on his Vincent, he very kindly allowed me to. A little upright for me. But comfy and everything placed well. Next goal: to take one for a fast spin!
Posted in Engineering, Motorcycle Art, Vincent, Vintage |
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June 20, 2014
A screen print poster sold at Motoblot: the creases of a Lewis Leathers jacket hold the classic bike names from the golden age of motorcycling. Lewis are the riders protection of choice that improve with age and mileage: especially in the temperate damp airs of Britain.
Posted in Clothing, Design, Graphics, Motorcycle Art |
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June 4, 2014
Branding is a name, branding is identity, branding is recognition. In the motorcycle world none more so than Triumph. With over a century of visibility the marques logo has developed and adapted with its place through history to create a timeless brand.
The latest logo was developed by the ad agency Wolff Olins.
It has evened out lettering, equal height and rounded off serif to create a hint of slope and movement. Looks good on the tank…
For the nerdy graphic designers…
Here’s the technical font structure and letter space kerning. More to it than meets the eye for sure.
Posted in Graphics, History, Motorcycle Art, Triumph Motorcycle |
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May 30, 2014
Exquisite technical illustration from the masters hand. This is Lawrie Watts at his finest: taking a complex machine, engine or entire vehicle and in perfectly weighted line work achieves both x-ray vision and form of assemblage.
It reminds me of the old hand drawn plans and details I had to prepare before computers were in the office. Ink, mylar and stinking dyline machines…
Posted in Graphics, Motorcycle Art, Triumph Motorcycle |
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May 27, 2014
Another example of the aggressive shark tooth’d grimace seen on the warbirds of WW2. This would look smart on the Tiger Cub tank. Not too much more room for the bomb ridin’ gal though. Olive Drab and red backed pointy teeth gives a nasty bite! Gnash!
Posted in Aircraft, Graphics, Military, Motorcycle Art, Triumph Cub |
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May 26, 2014
Blue sky graphic with streaming air speeding past this ink print of the suitably dressed period biker and his Triumph. Classic comic penwork with speed lines imply the moving moto.
Posted in Graphics, Motorcycle Art, Triumph Motorcycle |
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May 20, 2014
Across America The long highways between growing cities, sprawling suburbs and the breadbasket countryside riders were taking to Triumph motorcycles to haul them across the big miles. Experiencing their land. The swift lines of the Speed Twin, Tiger, Thunderbird… The same year NASA was formed and the space race was well and truly underway.
Meanwhile the ‘other’ Triumph – Germans TWN ‘Boss’ two-stroke 200cc was shown hauling a combination through the Casbah of Marrakech.
…elsewhere Fidel tours Havana Cuba…
” …quality of life lies in knowledge, in culture. Values are what constitute true quality of life, the supreme quality of life, even above food, shelter and clothing.”
What a year ’58 must have been.
Posted in History, Motorcycle Art, Triumph Motorcycle |
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March 29, 2014
An early sixties Triumph model brochure shows off their available models. This technical airbrushed illustrations was typical of the time. It shows off the details of the bikes well.
Posted in Graphics, Motorcycle Art, Triumph Motorcycle |
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March 25, 2014
Make sure you scrub behind the ears! The oily finish old British moto engines can get sometimes need a wash down to let it sparkle. A period can of degreaser shows off a bath bound Triumph getting brushed down. Nice two color print graphic.
Posted in Graphics, Maintenance, Motorcycle Art, Triumph Motorcycle |
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February 21, 2014
Easy arithmetic and a sum worth aiming for. Well the end of the week IS The Great Escape!
“American moonshine: don’t smoke right after you drink it!”
Posted in Graphics, Motorcycle Art, Steve McQueen |
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February 14, 2014
Charles M. Schultz created the worldly characters of Peanuts headed by the confidence-lacking-though-persistence-forging Charlie Brown. The voiceless side characters of the beagle Snoopy and bird Woodstock add a vaudevillean duo to the proceedings. Snoops thoughts gave a consciousness to Chuck’s yearnings….
He even traveled in space … NASA naming Apollo 10’s Command and Lunar module Charlie Brown and Snoopy respectively.
LM snoopy approaches the CM above the lunar surface.
Gene Cernan and Ron Evans with their comm ‘Snoopy’ caps… Like Baron von Snoopy’s ace flying cap…. Or his black puppy ears…
Here he is on the moon!
Happy Valentines Day!
Posted in Clothing, Motorcycle Art, Sidecar |
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February 6, 2014
Tank Art: a hand painted Triumph Cub tank complete with tiger, Catalina GP name and a signature from Ed Kretz Jr. Who raced the Catalina in 1956 on an early Cub to victory.
Ed, who passed away last September at the age of 81, was son of legendary Ed ‘Iron Man’ Kretz sr. (#38). Here younger Ed after that Californian win.
Here’s a link to his blog with many fabulous motorcycling racing photos of him and his father. Kretz Blog
Better go now Easy Rider has just started on the telly!
Posted in History, Motorcycle Art, Racing, Triumph Cub |
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January 25, 2014
The aged patriarch of clan Broon is of course Granpaw. His escape from the extended family is his shed. All his necessities are there including, just peeping from stage right, a British motorbike. Looks like either a Triumph or BSA. Well he needs some firm of transport to hare up to the But ‘n’ Ben…
Oh yeah! Happy Burns Night!
Posted in Motorcycle Art |
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January 21, 2014
“A bloomin’ combination Gromit!” One way to show off the town square annual display. Here’s a superb show in the guise of our plasticine pals Wallace and his trusty companion Gromit.
Welshman Mike Prankerd went a step further taking an old 500cc BSA, giving it a rich red color and bolting on a similarly colored Watsonian chair complete with stuffed hound and started haring around for public good laughs.
A cracking good show.
Finally one for the album so to speak is this cutaway diagram of the sidecar outfit in a classic technical penned illustration. This is taken from one of the light-hearted Haynes manual for Aardman contraptions used on Wallace’s adventures. It even has the folded-up aircraft piloted by Gromit as his chair is separated from his master and takes to the skies.
Nearly as good as a bit of Wensleydale…
Posted in Film and TV, Motorcycle Art, Sidecar, Toy Motorcycle, Triumph Motorcycle |
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January 13, 2014
Superlative Sales: back in the day if you wanted power and speed it had to be Triumph. It says so on the tin!
US distributors Johnson Motors plied its prospective customers with roads of adventure across the length, breadth and height of the country.
Clean graphics, supporting descriptions and colorful layout could entice any two-wheeled devotee.
Posted in Motorcycle Art, Triumph Motorcycle |
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