Abarth | I was scootering between site visits today and when I was filling the Tigers tank up I spied this little pearl of a racer. Red Scorpion on its hood and a little extra oomph in its diminutive engine. Standing next to it I couldn’t imagine being able to get in it without my head poking through the sun roof and elbows sticking out of the windows.
‘Ump Day | It can be a tricky maneuver to maintain momentum one gains from the first half of the week to establish a decent and stable toehold into the latter half. Given a positive attitude, and topography like a hump-back bridge, one can achieve this translation with assured aplomb. Take this cove on his rigid framed Triumph; he certainly has a serious head on his shoulders, along with an appropriate cool appearance to maintain the professional air about his seemed flawless leap. He’s even smart enough to take on Ballaugh Bridge, the notorious Isle of Man TT circuit to sustain a level of grace and composure for this Wednesday transition.
Firestarter | Woke up to the sad news that The Prodigy frontman Keith Flint died over the weekend. If you were at a rave in the mid to late nineties you will have danced to their music. Fluorescent hair and wide-eyed he was the vision of a Century making a last gasp for excitement. He was also an avid motorcyclist to the point that he owned a race team – Team Traction Control – who, with Ian Hutchinson on a Yamaha R6, grabbed some wins at IofM and the Ulster GP. A lot of people said he was a friendly down to earth bloke. Sad day. RIP Keith Flint (1969-2010)
Cactus Cavorting- winter has descended again in the Midwest so some imagery of warmer 2-wheeled adventure can feed the riders soul. Here is Julian Heppekausen on his ’66 T120, called Terry, belting down the Baja Peninsula.
The Ice Man Cometh – we’re heading into an arctic blast expecting temperatures down to 27 below zero Fahrenheit which, along with the winds, will plummet the windchill in Chicagoland down into the minus fifties. Wrap up folks. Put spikes on yer tires watch out for Auld Man Winter.
Scrambling – in the Sixties the machine that dominated off road racing was the powerful twin engined Triumph. Barreling around rugged landscapes it epitomized the early scrambler Bike.
Pops – The post-war period in Japan saw a push in engine tuning to wring out any available additional horsepower to not just be faster but the fastest. This would eventually lead to the superbikes of the seventies and eighties and the current flock of hyper sports.
Leading this evolution of power and speed was Hideo ‘Pops’ Yoshimuro (1922-1995). After maintaining aircraft for the Japanese Empire during WW2 he redirected his masterful talents to the British bikes being brought to the land of the rising sun by American servicemen. This photo shows our man astride a fettled BSA preunit drag bike readying for a speed run.
Later he shifted his works and racing team to California where big reliable Japanese superbikes like the Kawasaki KZ and Suzuki GS’s went on to dominate the burgeoning AMA road racing circuit.
All Smiles 🙂 Old Triumphs with enthusiastic owners ready for racin’ & ridin’. The sun is shining and the outlook is rosy.
Seven Oh Three – sometimes a big thumper is all you need. Glorious BSA flat tracker with beastly single cylinder’d engine.
Pair of Tigers – sharp focus and narrow depth of field give these two a dynamic appearance as they rush towards the camera. The slight drift of the biting rear tire hurl the bike with gyroscopic forces across this field.
Rally Tool – Tramontana: a tall desert sled with an attitude suitable for a Paris-Dakar odyssey. Fresh off the boards this race ready enduro machine is being spanked across the brutal terrain of the 1,242 mile PanAfrican Rally.
Manticore: The White Tiger. Back in ’14 a pair of stock Triumph Tiger 800XC’s were fettled to take part in the Baja 1000. Both prepped by Motoworks in Chicago; one being piloted by shop owner Johnny Scheff. Though up against more purposeful off-road motocross bikes these middleweight managed to make the finish line.
Manticore was the white tiger that Siegfried & Roy used in their Las Vegas Show…
Soapbox – under a bright Californian sun a bleach-blond lass stands by a true desert sled. The L&M t-shirt is apt for the location too. The old 50’s Glendale shop was owned by speedway and dirty oval racers. I include vintage matchbook art and a shop flyer.
Cute – the rider is intent on being fast with his pin-striped helmet, gritted teeth, leather jacket and Chuck Taylors. His gal has a surly distant look so he’s better not show off. She has teddy to keep her company and her wellies for necessary footwear.
