Adventure Awaits – to those who dare to explore the road less traveled.
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
from Little Gidding (Four Quartets) by TS Eliot 1888-1965
Throwback Thursday – let’s set the way-back machine to the fifties when postwar Britain was reveling is quieter uncomplicated times. Here’s a couple of chums enjoying a countryside ride dressed up for some event. Groom & best man?
You only get an Ooh! Derby in the sixties; Foden PVD6 double decker, Austin Morris 1100, and a Triumph 3TA Twenty One give period traffic to this Midland town. Billboards with Carreras Buckingham cigarettes, possibly a Horlicks poster, and some dextrose item ‘For Energy’. And of course the Cuppa splashed along the bus.
Break a Leg! Period post seventies shenanigans as singer David Essex and the late great racing driver James Hunt lad it up on a Triumph T-140. Hunt broke his leg skiing thwarting a possible comeback in 80′ with McLaren.
Shootin’ the Breeze – here is Steve McQueen and what looks like Bud Ekins talking off road maneuvering whilst sitting astride a pair of Triumph desert sleds. Steve is wearing his Hilts top that he wore in The Great Escape so this is around 1963. Great photo.
Shadow Rider – low sun, empty roads and a good profile to the bike… US Route 550 southbound
Rocket Three B&W – seem better days and in need of TLC; this 1970 BSA Triple is languishing at Ed Zender’s. A decent project for some unsuspecting soul willing to trade sanity for the chance to own a fairly rare motorcycle.
Four Square- more offerings from the Ringwood motorcycle emporium. Delicious BSA Goldstar in immaculate condition, one lung and splendid mirrored chrome tank emblazoned with the gold star representing Wal Handley’s ton lap at Brooklands in ’37. Green lane ready Triumph Trophy Trail, half liter of long legged fun. Norton & Beeza goodies: one a TT special willing for speed, the other a doughty sloper ready for a lazy countryside jaunt. Finally a hefty Laverda 3C Triple, 1000cc of Italian grunt; just need a quiet afternoon along Lago Maggiore…
Max is Mad – actor Tom Hardy always gives an outstanding performance to whatever role he’s portraying. Sometimes with nary a gruffly spoken line or the smallest of a glint in his eye; but you can always tell he gives all making any of his movies very watchable. But he’s looking pretty stoked in this selfie with a perdy lookin’ Triumph Thruxton behind him.
Louche Ladies – a gang hits the highway spearheaded by the gals who blaze the biker trail lookin’ for trouble. Period machines, from left to right, look like a Triumph, Harley Davidson Sportster and Norton. Wide american handlebars ensure a fist-punch pose.
photo found by my father.
Fences – Another photo from the weekend ride. Sun sinking in the West across the expansive North Shore gardens; farm fields; and spring-fresh woodland. Lilac hedges waft heady scents in the cool dusk breeze.
Vanishing Point – where perspective meets and parallel lines converge. Traveling the road the future draws nearer and the present recedes behind you. On a bike you feel at rest whilst the world screams past in a fleeting blur. Sometimes you just need speed man, to feel alive.
Evening Ride – after a hot day the cooler air before sunset was perfect for an early summer jaunt up to Lake Bluff.
Hump Day – leaping through the mid-week apogee we feel the coming weekend is so close we can nearly touch it! This airborne lad with his Union Flag lid crouches in anticipation to a flying landing. Big Triumph Speed Triple will ensure good footing upon alight.
4810 – with a premiere writing instrument such as the gold nibbed Mont Blanc you need a suitable means to carry it around. A continent buster such as the burly ’99 Triumph Trophy will do. Sign your John Hancock on the contract down in Marseille, pop le biro in the pannier, zoom up the autoroute to Geneva for supper.
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