Riding is about balance, poise and a smidgen of grace. To feel at one with the road below and the corner ahead smooth flow needs to be achieved. A moto dance so to speak. The ballerina uses years en pointe at the bar to achieve this; the motorcyclist must use active miles on highways and byways of various kinds to build experience, allowing that balance between mental attitude and motor skills to speed along swooping along from apex to apex like some swan of the road.
William H. Macy played the hapless Jerry Lundegaard in the wonderful Coen brothers film Fargo. He carried his character from bad to worse during a bungled kidnap of his wife to acquire ransom money from his father in law. Frances McDormand is the wonderful Minnesotan pregnant police chief following the case across the cold snowy wastes of the North Star State. However, here’s Bill on a sparkly Triumph Bonneville: looking a lot better than he did in the movie Wild Hogs (the less said about that little ‘gem’ the better!).
Thumbs up indeed ey! Enjoyin’ da ride dontcha no.
Summer weather continues unabated as we head into September. Sultry nineties with a lake borne fresh breeze every now and anon. Can’t take photos as I ride along with my newer phone (yet!). So the bike in a shady ‘lot in Highland Park will have to do.
I’ve discovered a nice quiet route through Lake County horse country with a few more corners, rolling fields, well rolling for Illinois, and woodland bordering the way with the odd promise of fall color. Yes the year is waning.
Though it was a muggy morning, the air was cool and a sun offered to burn away any moisture: so I headed out early to take advantage of traffic free roads. The plan worked a charm and a very pleasant outing was had on the Bonnie. A patch of chilly fog up in Lake County cooled proceedings for a dozen miles or so but we loped along enjoying the horse country.
I propped the phone camera up at a corner and clipped stills from the video recording it to come up with this dynamic triptych.
DEAR old road, wheel-worn and broken,
Winding through the forest green,
Barred with shadows and with sunshine,
Misty vistas drawn between.
Grim, scarred bluegums ranged austerely,
Lifting blackened columns each
To the large, fair fields of azure,
Stretching ever out of reach.
See the hardy bracken growing
Round the fallen limbs of trees;
And the sharp reeds from the marshes,
Washed across the flooded leas;
And the olive rushes, leaning
All their pointed spears to cast
Slender shadows on the roadway,
While the faint, slow wind creeps past.
Ancient ruts grown round with grasses,
Soft old hollows filled with rain;
Rough, gnarled roots all twisting queerly,
Dark with many a weather-stain.
Lichens moist upon the fences,
Twiners close against the logs;
Yellow fungus in the thickets,
Vivid mosses in the bogs.
Dear old road, wheel-worn and broken,
What delights in thee I find!
Subtle charm and tender fancy,
Like a fragrance in the mind.
Thy old ways have set me dreaming,
And out-lived illusions rise,
And the soft leaves of the landscape
Open on my thoughtful eyes.
See the clump of wattles, standing
Dead and sapless on the rise;
When their boughs were full of beauty
Even to uncaring eyes
I was ever first to rifle
The soft branches of their store.
O the golden wealth of blossom
I shall gather there no more
Now we reach the dun morasses,
Where the red moss used to grow
Ruby-bright upon the water,
Floating on the weeds below.
Once the swan and wild-fowl glided
By those sedges, green and tall;
Here the booming bitterns nested;
Here we heard the curlews call
Climb this hill and we have rambled
To the last turn of the way;
Here is where the bell-birds tinkled
Fairy chimes for me all day.
These were bells that never wearied,
Swung by ringers on the wing;
List! the elfin strains are waking,
Memory sets the bells a-ring!
Dear old road, no wonder, surely,
That I love thee like a friend!
And I grieve to think how surely
All thy loveliness will end.
For thy simple charm is passing,
And the turmoil of the street
Soon will mar thy sylvan silence
With the tramp of careless feet.
And for this I look more fondly
On the sunny landscape, seen
From the road, wheel-worn and broken,
Winding through the forest green.
Something still remains of Nature,
Thoughts of other days to bring
For the staunch old trees are standing,
And I hear the wild birds sing!
Jennings (Grace) Carmichael 1868-1904
Pointy ear’d Legolas the wood elf from Tolkien’s Middle Earth realm was played in very fine style by the British actor Orlando Bloom. Fast with bow, swift of foot and strong of friendship he was an appropriate foil to the doughty dwarf Gimli.
Orlando went on to add the pirate blacksmith Will Turner in the as popular Pirates of the Caribbean series… To date he has been in a third of the top 15 biggest grossing films. So what does he ride? We he seems to have picked up a custom modern Bonneville with hand beat tinware, spare details and fun stance. Just needs some leathers and a lid to top it off. Fleet footed? On that Triumph he is!
An idyllic English scene… Wet road, grey skies, muddy field, a hilly country road and a Triumph 750 propped on its side stand waiting for a wax jacket attired motorcyclist to take up the reins. I can smell this typical bucolic blighty scene. The signpost adds a level of rural jolity to the proceedings too!
The W registration puts the bike between ’81 & ’82.
Sweet Triumph twin set up for big American roads seen today a stones throw from the Mississippi in Winona MN. Wonderful roads in the vicinity are jes’ made for ridin’! Must go back on two wheels!
This is a big music weekend coming up in the Windy City. Lollapalooza the annual shindig for contemporary tastes. One of the headliners on Saturday will be the lads from blighty Mumford & Sons, English country folk balladeers. Just so happens they’re Triumph riders, here front man Marcus Mumford with his T100 in London.
Nice jacket son! He even spins around a city on it in one of their videos “Whispers in the Dark”
He was spied at the local Triumph dealer Motoworks earlier today ogling the bikes. Their Facebook page captures the moment.
Triumph Bonneville 72, 73, 74, 75…..a hybrid 70’s workhorse! 650 frame and engine, latter day tank and seat and 750 front end. Well, it works for me!
…I just need time to ride!
The moto is looking happy and in need of miles under tire. The new ignition gives quick progress along the road, it’ll speed up easily to the eighties. I’ll need a good long clear smooth stretch of highway to check out a Ton on it!
New knee pads are applied and add line to the tank, the disc braked front gives confident cornering and summer skies bring a smile to the face…
When the weather forecast says we might see upper eighties and high humidity I don’t head inland. Instead by keeping within a mile or two of Lake Michigan its cooling effect can refresh perfect leafy roads. Forest Way: the few mile winding lane along the lagoons is such a short respite from the world of nearby busy Saturday traffic.
A refreshing Coke (Mexican style in a glass bottle made from cane sugar) whetted my whistle at a quick stop at Bob’s Pantry opposite the Ravinia Metra Station. All in all a nice wee jaunt…
Yesterdays Mods versus Rockers bike meet was a great turnout with early rain passing and a good sun getting out. Several smart machines were seen which will be included on the blog over the next few days however this specimen stood out. It was a surgically clean, unblemished, concour quality 1968 Triumph Bonneville. It is probably cleaner than a factory fresh machine from 45 years ago.
My bike would look like an oily hack next to it. But my moto is a runner meant to get ‘hacky dorty’ on the road ahead. This is a display specimen.
geordiebiker.com 