Donkey & Horse – “The story with the next one will be much more interesting. Built up as a road racer in 1973 with the best stuff available. Never finished and sat for 43 years. Now I get to finish it. New Trackmaster frame, trick motor, Magnesium wheels, Cieriani forks, Hunt plasma sprayed aluminum rotors, Lockheed calipers, Fontana master cyl, TR2 Yamaha tank and seat. It’s gonna be awesome!!! ” Richard Pollock (Mule Motorcycles)
The Dog’s Pollocks – SoCal bike builder extraordinaire Richard Pollock Can conjure up a mean moto. He puts his able hands to many models but the tracker Triumphs are his most sublime offerings in my opinion. Tight geometry that will direct the riders control with immediacy; engines that have been fettled to a symphonic tune; and exotic frame elements, such as the 70’s Panther oil-in-frame & under-braced swingarm; all make for Mule badged machine. A Pegasus Burro.
D-Type On our outings around and about Philadelphia we stopped in at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum. A seemingly endless line-up of sportsters from the last Century. There was one gap in the display.. a certain 1956 Jaguar. Asking where it was I was informed it was in the workshop. Luckily they turned the lights on an there it was sat up on the lift. Beautiful even from behind. The collection covers race cars that were used in historical events such as: Le Mans, Nürburgring, Sebring, Bonneville, Watkins Glen, Brooklands, Mille Miglia and Targa Florio. Fred Simeone’s ’55 Mercedes Benz SL300 Gullwing sits in the ‘shop, as does a Porsche 356 that was donated to the collection.
Faster, faster – more graphics from the City of Bridges; this time a crisp screen printed poster for a race event five years ago. Held every year at Schenley Park it is for both cars and bikes; sadly our travel plans don’t intercept with it this year… perhaps someday.
Polychromatic Blue – here’s an off-road sorted ’58 pre-unit Triumph currently for sale on eBay in the U.K. It would make a good tool to haul over the desert like Steve MCQueen was doing in yesterday’s blog. I’m filing this one for a future project…
Wednesday Wheelie- we need a bit of Harvey Mushman leaping out of the screen to see us into the latter part of the wee. “Number 14! Give ‘er some wellie!”
The Kentucky Kid – Sad news in the motorcycling world today: racing champ Nicky Hayden died of his juried sustained from a cycling accident in Italy. He had currently been part of the World Superbike Championship. As an up and coming young racer he won the Moto GP in 2006 using his eminent talent as a teammate to Valentino Rossi with Repsol Honda. RIP
Flat Track – oval dirt aboard a stout tire’d Triumph Cub. Steel toe down on the inside bends and a death grip on the bars. Wrong the throttles neck and hold on!
Pen & Ink – fine illustration of a vintage racing Triumph twin with a line very much like some etching plate drawing. By Martin Squires.
Screenprint- artist Ryan Quickfall has some evocative motorcycle illustrations. Go to his site Here. This particular one is of AMA great Gary Nixon.
Sled – Glory Motor Works owner Justin Kell standing with a ’64 500 Triumph. Found in a dusty south California aircraft hangar it was determined to be one of Steve McQueen’s desert racers. There is talk of restoring it; I would hope they’d keep its aged patina and stop further corrosion, wipe the engine down with an oily rag, get the engine sorted to run like a champ, new Dunlop tires, and take it to the Mojave.
The Dudley Dude – a factory fresh Triumph TR6 being taken for a cruise around the Streets of London. To mark Steve McQueens Birthday here he is in his element looking cool: desert boots, jeans and Triumph tee-shirt. This moto was his number 278 steed for the upcoming ISDT that was held in East Germany. Year is 1964. B reg plate. NX designates Dudley registration.
Senna – The Brazilian racing great would have been 57 today had he not been taken from us on that fateful MayDay at San Marino in Italy in 1994. As well as racing at the top of the game for teams such as Lotus and MacLaren he enjoyed the two wheeler. With Honda supplying engines for the mid-eighties Lotus he has a pit bike supply; later on Ducati took him under their promotion wing with their Monster line-up and the super sport 888, 900 and the classic post posthumously introduced Senna 916 in grey rather than the traditional red or yellow.
A Knight in anyone’s books – today saw the passing of one of Motorsport s greats. John Surtees CBE at the age of 83. Here in a lighter moment with the great Jim Clark. He won four GP championships on two Wheels and one Formula 1 championship on four for MV Augusta and Scuderia Ferrari respectively. Sir John posthumously? Absolutely!
Oiler – here’s a stunning graphic advertisement from a late sixties magazine with no. 1 Gary Nixon powering his Triumph flat tracker in a somewhat psychedelic manner. Castrol
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