Jolie Jeune Femme a Vendredi – don’t let the glasses and smile deceive you! I bet this classic Triumph riding lass would stamp on yer toes; knee you in the nuts; and leave you in the dust if you much as treated her any less than a woman fully deserves to be. And I’d support her for it! #strongwomen
Cooler King – slim chinos, cut down sweatshirt, cigarette and Persol shades: he epitomizes Cool. A Triumph TR-6 dresses up to look German hits the mark too.
65 years ago – a page in one of the periodicals of the day. The Thunderbird and Speed Twin extoll their fuel saving worthiness; especially in a Post-War Britain coming out of rationing.
Fast Freyja – a new weekend is upon us and a blurring of the week just past recedes behind us. Still winter conditions her in the Midwest so on with a few small bike projects. Tool kit for Tiger being amassed.
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.
Marcus Motorcyclist – lead singer of folk rock musician troupe Mumford & Sons enjoys Triumphs old and new. His distinctive raspy voice is a perfect accompaniment to the upbeat music that husband performs. Lookin’ cool MM!
Oxblood Docs – whizzing hardtail bobber being piloted by a bandana masked gal who wears jeans under her skirt. Badass! A Wild Cat indeed! Old time Triumph twin motor with a surefooted attitude.
Apple – lookin’ like it’s come straight from an orchard this custom Triumph has a decidedly cool hardtail vintage appearance. Head turning for sure.
The Day The Music Died – Sixty years ago today a small aircraft took off from Mason City Iowa flying into winter conditions with poor visibility and crashing near Clear Lake killing all on board. Of course this was Buddy Holly 22, Richie Valens 17, and JP Richardson (The Big Bopper) 28; as well as the pilot.
Waylon Jennings gave his seat up on the flight to Richardson.
In regards to Buddy and his love of motorcycles; here in Jennings’ words:
“They loved Marlon Brando in ‘The Wild One,’ and when they got to Dallas…they decided on the spur of the moment to buy motorcycles and drive back home on them.” Waylon recalled. “They took a cab into the city and walked into a Harley-Davidson shop. They had their eyes on a trio of 74-inchers, but the proprietor didn’t think they had any money and treated them like a bunch of bums. ‘Hell, you boys couldn’t even begin to handle the payments on that.
Then they went over to Miller’s Motorcycles, which specialized in English bikes. There, Joe B (Maudlin, the Crickets’ then-bass player), and J.I. (Allison, the drummer) bought a Triumph each, a TR6 and Thunderbird, respectively, while Buddy picked out a maroon and black Ariel Cyclone, with a high compression 650cc Huntsmaster engine. They paid cash, bought matching Levi jackets and peaked caps with wings on them, and rode home through a thunderstorm.”
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.
A Speed Twin called Daisy and her exploits in the Highlands.
“There is no such uncertainty as a sure thing.”
Burns Night – in celebration of The Bard here are some fun photos taken by a Triumph owner back in 2002 as he rode his Amaranth Red hub sprung Triumph through the lochs and glens of Scotland. As they romp through Glencoe they stop at the layby near it’s summit where they ask the piper to pose with Daisy.
Bill’s new project – forlorn in the corner of some prefab garage sits a worse for wear Triumph chopper. Plenty of mid seventies elbow grease to revive its mechanical working from storage decrepitude… Mr Ferry, ready for a money pit?
Chopper x 2 – Sunday musings with a couple of posters of Triumph pre-unit Choppers. These are the sort of images I’d have blu-tacked to my bedroom wall.
Dapper ‘n’ Dignified- here’s a chap looking quite at home leaning over the ace bars of his cafe’d Triumph. Good looking beard and shaped ‘tasche; which, along with the waistcoat, darkened goggles and slick half helmet, look perfect for the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride that this fella was heading to.
Rider is Nigel Peacock
