May 24, 2014
An open house at the Triumph dealer Motoworks was attended last evening. The ride down too an hour and a half; covering the fifteen mikes from Evanston in slow/stop holiday weekend commuter traffic along Western Avenue. The Bonnie didn’t like the slow progress with her engine warming up a little too much when crawling along.
Nevertheless we got there to see the Triumph flat track racers showing off their tools: and what machines they are! Go fast, turn, repeat.
Sunset photoshoot for staff and racers both. To be competitively fast you need to have a jockey-like stature… My cooling moto looks on sweating oil weeps…
A nifty mobile workshop is an absolute necessity when hauling between oval mike venues. Nicely equipped facility here!
Gearing sir? We have you covered!
We rode back up Lake Shore Drive at dusk. A cool but invigorating haul back north. The city’s skyscrapers reflected a golden sun, beyond the deepening night swallowed the lake beyond.
Posted in Chicago, Racing, Triumph Motorcycle |
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May 13, 2014
Perhaps my next project? A flat track Tiger Cub. Light the blue touch paper and stand well back…
Just need an oval of dirt and tip ‘er sideways.
Posted in Racing, Triumph Cub |
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April 11, 2014
After yesterdays ‘EM’ I was kindly sent this image from Bill in Carlisle UK of this superlative Matchless G50. The Walmsley set-up puts it way above the rest…built from the ground up by Lancastrian Fred Walmsley they’ll take any vintage racer worth his mettle to a chequered finish. $50k and one could be yours!
Posted in Graphics, Racing |
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April 7, 2014
Carrowdore 1957; 17 Bertie Mann Triumph Cub, 43 Tommy Robb James.
Old action photographs can show so much more than their content. This field race has a pair of lightweight motos but NOT lightweight racers haring around with speed blurred spectators behind. Summer fun in Blighty!
Posted in Photography, Racing, Triumph Cub |
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April 2, 2014
For any Mad March Hares lolloping around here’s a race poster for a Big Bear event where our top marque topped the leader board. I’d love the idea of 150 miles on the varied terrain aboard a sled would be a heap o’ fun but exhausting.
Posted in Motorcycle Poster, Racing, Triumph Motorcycle |
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March 31, 2014
Burt Monro left (for it is he), Bud Hare, center, and rider Jeff Gough at The Salt with one of Bud’s center hub steering Triumphs, obviously looking for a good run top speed. This is a triple and would see close to 170 mph.
Mad? You betcha. Mad and fast as a Hare!
Posted in Racing, Triumph Motorcycle, Vintage |
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March 27, 2014
Here’s an old photograph of a hillclimb race in the fifties. It is up one of the grassy valleys amongst the foothills of the Cheviots in North Northumberland. I grew up here and spent summer days riding my bicycle up and down these tracks. Great to know there was motorcycling history here.
Posted in Racing, Vintage |
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March 8, 2014
After the delights of the Debenham sisters here’s what the seventies offered gals on their motos! Strap’d high heels and a long summer dress? That won’t get you far on that two-stroke Suzuki crosser.
Its a good job the role models for women riders include the likes of the talented Elena Myers a 21 year old AMA racer going head-to-head with the lads. Recently moved from powerful Suzuki superbikes to the sublime Triumph Daytona.
Ain’t no bugs on this gals smile! As they say “Girl Power!”
Posted in Book, Gals, Racing, Superhero, Triumph Motorcycle |
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March 1, 2014
After yesterdays leap let’s see if we can speed into spring! Here we are at March 1st with snow still on the ground and more falling out of the sky. Clocks change next weekend and warmer days shouldn’t be too far away… We could only hope!
Let’s crack on!
Posted in Racing, Triumph Cub |
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February 20, 2014
Fifty Years Ago…
Photo of USA Team Triumph Riders #278 – Steve McQueen and #276 – Cliff Coleman at the International Six Day Trials. Usually this event is seen in black and white but these images in living Kodachrome give this a vigor that feels younger than the half century of time passed. The Triumph Trophy #278 itself is at Johnson Motors in California.
Here’s the bike post trials… All photos by François Gragnon
Posted in Photography, Racing, Steve McQueen, Trials, Triumph Motorcycle |
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February 12, 2014
Two scots and an englishman walk onto a track: Seven World Championships between them. They evoke the very best of British racing in true form. Jackie, Jim and Graham. They took the race to the teetering edge and secured thrones in the high dais of Legend. Many believe Jim would have gone on to many more wins but was taken on that fateful day in ’68 at Hockenheim.
Posted in Cars, Racing |
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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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February 3, 2014
“There is something deeply appealing about this class of machine. It reeks of backyard camaraderie and track-day competition that allowed the pilot to test his design, tuning and raw ability against the rest of the field. There is also an underlying modesty in this class of bike that must beguile the race scene of today which is full of laptop-tuned bullets that offer more corporate signage than anything else. Standing in contrast to the general classic scene, originality is not what you look for in this class of bike. It is the sum of the parts used, the authorship of the machine. This period racer has a 1957 frame and a 1959 engine and John Anderson built it in the mid-1970s. Well constructed and looking the business, it features a hand-built aluminium oil tank and battery box. Reputedly raced by Anderson’s wife, it has very heavy compression and lumpy cams and, of course, runs on methanol so it was not designed as a pub runner but an an “On any Sunday” classic. Note the old Brasso can for the oil catchment!”
Image and text courtesy Webbs Auctions House NZ
Posted in Racing, Triumph Cub |
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December 31, 2013
Seven times Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher is in critical condition after a skiing accident in the French Alps. He’s in an induced coma with lowered body temperature to enable a speedy recovery.
He was wearing a helmet, which probably saved his life. Skiing has just become more familiar as a helmet wearing sport for personal safety.
Schumi also takes to two-wheels on occasion; gunning a bee-colored Triumph Sport in this shot. Although being one of the highest earning sportsperson he is a huge contributor to worthy causes, most notably UNICEF.
We wish him a swift and full recovery!
Posted in Cars, Racing, Triumph Motorcycle |
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October 2, 2013
Whereas James Hunt drove with passion and emotional drive, his main contemporary on the Grand Prix circuit, Niki Lauda, was a clinical technician. He ensured all aspects of the race under his control was scrutinized to the n’th degree. The car setup, the track, his physical and mental fitness. His Teutonic attitude gave him three championship successes, which would have been four if it hadn’t been for that fateful season in 1976 and the fiery crash at the ‘Ring as well as our man Hunt snapping at his heels on the points table.
Here is Lauda on a muscular Kawasaki Z1. His need for speed extends to appropriate motorradd selection!
Posted in Kawasaki, Racing |
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