April 17, 2017
PopBangColour – Bold artwork in strong colour carried out with a confident hand. This oil pastel looking piece is as lively as an itchy wool sweater. Just enough detail to feel real yet in a looseness to seem that the engine is ticking over.
The artists site is Here.
Posted in Graphics, Motorcycle Art, Triumph Bonneville |
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April 15, 2017
Behind the Bars – perfect April weather today. A warm breeze wafted across northern Illinois With the engine purring like a cat. Forsythia blooming sunshine yellow and redbud dappled in complementary purple. Brushed against the Wisconsin State Line along Russell Road and swung back down along the Lake.
Posted in Chicago, Photography, Triumph Bonneville |
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April 12, 2017
50-59-68-72-06-16 Five of the Best. From Ed Turners Speed Twin, through the original Bonneville’s of the late fifties, sixties, and early seventies; to the New Century Bonnie’s right up to the latest Twins. 500cc’s up to 1200.
Posted in 50's, 60's, 70's, Triumph Bonneville, Triumph Motorcycle |
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April 3, 2017
Straddled Strider – Proud owner and his cafe’d Triumph. Nice monochrome portrait perfect narrow depth of field and crisp focusing of subject. It looks like my bike, with big tank, however the twin disc forks and bum-stop seat are added extras.
Posted in 70's, cafe racer, Clothing, Photography, Triumph Bonneville |
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April 1, 2017
Blokey MacBlokeface – after yesterday’s post for the lassies here’s a one for the lads. A leather boy and his greaser quiff kicking an old Bonnie into life. Seems like a happy Ton-Up lad!
Posted in 60's, Graphics, Triumph Bonneville |
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March 12, 2017
Surfer – Sunday evening with a gnarly week ahead; we need epic swell to get on the sticks deck and look for hollows and charge the tubes and ride the green room.
Posted in 60's, Photography, Triumph Bonneville |
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March 5, 2017
Lozenge- the prescription for escaping the hubbub of today’s breakneck pace and unrelenting demands is to get out on a motorcycle, find some less trafficked roads and open ‘er up. Three pills, each 650cc, take as often as possible.
Posted in Graphics, Motorcycle Art, Photography, Triumph Bonneville |
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February 26, 2017
Sunlit Shores – I took a quick spin on this draughty Sunday afternoon to fettle some running tuning. Lake Michigan had a deep turquoise horizon and steel grey water before lapping against the sandy shore.
Posted in Chicago, Photography, Triumph Bonneville |
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February 23, 2017


Gearing Up – the work involved in stepping up from a 19 to 21 tooth front sprocket required some notching to be done to the case so the larger diameter gear could be slotted into the primary drive axle. 21 equally spaced grooves. Whilst I was in there the clutch was renewed which gives an very noticeable grab when throttle is applied. The gearing give about 12% extra wheel revolutions for the same engine speed.
Posted in Engineering, Maintenance, Photography, Triumph Bonneville |
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February 20, 2017
Sketchy View – the image filters available as apps can accomplish some marvelous visuals. This linocut one gets a stark graphic of the Bonnie in crisp sunlight.
Posted in Graphics, Motorcycle Art, Triumph Bonneville |
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February 19, 2017
Rather terrific weather today. Though a chill in the air under motion, the sun was warm with a crisp light and the roads clear. Taking back road that offered more than a few stretches, to let the newly geared engine stretch its legs, I can confidently announce that there’s a hefty bit more grunt in the parallel twin. She lowped along comfortable at 60 with more to spare.
Posted in Engineering, Maintenance, Photography, Triumph Bonneville |
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February 18, 2017
Climate Change – with an unseasonable warm-up over this February weekend, where the mid sixties are being reached, I’ve had to work this last week in getting the Bonnie ready for at least one days riding. I’ve changed the front sprocket from a 19 tooth to a 21 so I can squeeze a little more speed out of the engine. The work necessitated removing the clutch and making alterations to a sprocket access hole in the back of the primary case. I’ll show that work in a blog post later this week. I put in new clutch friction plates for renewed ‘bite’, and installed a new clutch basket as the current one had notches in the tang grooves.
Posted in Chicago, Engineering, Maintenance, Photography, Triumph Bonneville |
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February 1, 2017
Back on the Chain Gang – as Chrissie Hynde sang back in ’82. I’m giving the Bonnie’s drive chain a good cleaning: degreasing, oiling, scrubbing, lubricating. Making sure the rollers and pins are supple to power the back wheel.
Posted in Maintenance, Photography, Triumph Bonneville |
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January 29, 2017

Like some latter day Ted Simon of Jupiters Travels fame, Kane Avellano arrived back to South Shields last week – a day shy of his 24th birthday following an epic 32,000 miles global journey.
He set off last May and in the eight months since visited 35 countries over six continents
“I had the chance to discover what the world really has to offer, to meet many different people along the way and explore their cultures, religions and behaviours, while having an incredible time.”
As well as the experience of the circumnavigation he also took the journey as to raise awareness and sponsorship funds for the children’s charity UNICEF.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bonnietour
Posted in Photography, Travel, Triumph Bonneville |
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January 28, 2017
Swiss Watch – slushy roads in Central Europe for some laden travelled passing through neutral Switzerland. The Moto is ’64 registered Bonnie, a very early unit engine. With the Gallic and Helvetic license plates in the background this is probably Geneva.
Posted in 60's, Photography, Travel, Triumph Bonneville |
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