What bikes were made for: The double corner! Tip ‘er in, through the ogee, wind it on for the next apex, heave over on to the other heel, fling through the second curve and power out like a stone out of a slingshot. It’s the loop-the-loop of the motorcyclist. A brace of Triumph Thruxtons take on a winding road over a grassy moor. I love the superlative and dynamic composition of this image.
Need to give ‘er a push into next week. Just put yer back into it!
A pair of motorcycle army couriers seek relief from the front during the horrendous hostilities of World War 1. Photo courtesy of The Imperial War Museum.
The Triumph model H single cylinder 550cc motorcycle was a true precursor to the Twentieth Century’s history of British ‘cycles. It was the first Triumph to have a single cam wheel with 2 cams instead of separate cam wheels for the inlet and exhaust valve. The entirely new cylinder casting had a larger valve head diameter and the valves were spaced further apart. Another great improvement over the 1914 style 3-speed hub is the Sturmey Archer countershaft gearbox: allowing for heavier and stronger gearing. Furthermore the primary chain drive was enclosed by an aluminium protective cover.
The Model H became a dependable and successful moto with some 30,000 supplied to the British and allied forces during the Great War.
Here’s a beautiful portrait of the engine by the esteemed motorcycle photographer Daniel Pierce.
In 1916 the war was well and truly in its bloodiest hour with the Battle of the Somme at its core. 57,000 casualties on the FIRST DAY. One can’t imagine… But one can’t forget either.
Lad getting together for a weekend on the motorbikes. Leathers, Barbour, bin lids and a good craic. I can eve guess their nicknames; from left to right: Pud’n, Chaz, Peachy, Lofty, and Swiftly Mike. Out for a hare along the A57 from Sheffield to Glossop.
After pie I do like a slice of cake: so when I spotted this baked and iced special my attention was grabbed and hunger piqued.
Blown them candles out and slice it up!
A combination chairs occupant needs a captain to travel and explore the highway ahead: and I have The Best! It’s our fifteenth anniversary today and we’re enjoying our ‘motorcycle and sidecar’ trip of life.. miles and miles behind and so many more ahead.
Versatile Green Kawasaki: out and about in the South Side this travel worthy Kwak appealed to my senses. Its their middleweight parallel twin 650 with a good upright stance ready for the open road. This owner has added suitable panniers and top box for toting ‘stuff’.
Tall windscreen; big lights, twin disc front stoppers, engine guard, knuckle protectors: just needs a tankful and a tariff destination.
Its actually a nice modern iteration of the Triumph 650 Trophy of the early seventies. Or indeed the short lived, but undersung Triumph TR5T. 500cc trailie
The name Versys is a portmanteau of Versatile System: good name! Eight grand and she’s yours! Not bad!
“Gemacht in Großbritannien” as they spracht in Dusseldorf…
Photography by Tanya Chalkin
Scrambler by Triumph
A seemingly endless collection of classic Triumphs has just been revealed by US collector Robert Sullivan representing a near-perfect history of the British marque’s Meriden production.
The 98-strong fleet contains 26 variants of the TR6 Trophy, 43 different models of the T120 Bonneville; and covers models from every production year between 1936 and 1972.
Built up over the past 21 years it contains a bevy of both original and rare models, including the Tiger, Speed Twin, Trophy and Bonneville.
The collection is recorded in the book: “Ultimate Triumph Collection: One Mans Obsession” Wolfgang Publications.
I wouldn’t know where to start looking… ’57 Thunderbird, ’68 Bonnie….. Or which one to ride!
The Triumph moto of the day was a 500cc single with three speed belt drive 3 1/2 HP and simple bicycle based frame geometry.
TT for Tourist Trophy as well as Trusty Triumph…
He’s funny, bawdy, insightful, raw; he’s a salty New York comedian Louis C.K. In the first episode of his third series he takes up a motorcycle as transport in the Big Apple: in particular a Triumph Scrambler.
He scratches around the streets of NY but a biker gang approaches him and leads to a wipe-out… he’s back on the saddle later on though..
“So it’s actually smart to ride a motorcycle” he declares when realizes how efficient, affordable and parking friendly motorcycles are…
By the late seventies, and with the success of Lee Majors in The Six Million Dollar Man, the networks were all jumping on the ‘ordinary superhero’ bandwagon. Some unassuming protagonist is dowsed in either a radioactive ‘elixir’ or rebuilt with means beyond his physical ken. Well NBC in ’76 came up with this gem. The titular character, one Sam Casey, had a handy condition that allowed him to be invisible (including his clothes!) For 15 minutes a day, with a wristwatch countdown controller. If he went over that though he was in danger of becoming permanently invisible. Tsk!
He was a good lookin’ denim wearin’ motorcycle ridin’ bloke, played by Ben Murphy, who got into a scrape or two… At least until the show was canceled nine episodes into its first season. I can just about remember it as a kid escaping into the few episodes that made it across the Pond.
The actor was Ben Murphy and the bike? Why a Triumph of course!
There are some people come and go with out so much as a blip on the public conscious; but their impact is felt way beyond their reach. One such character is Gram Parsons (born Cecil Ingram Connor III). Musician who influenced the “cross pollination” of two very different music genres: country and rock. He rolled in as the lead singer and guitarist of The Byrd’s in the late sixties just as the youth were learning to tune in and drop out. And, of course, motorcycles allowed the freedom of escape; Triumph being at the fore! Mick Jagger and Keith Richards saw his genius and used his melding of country rock to progress their music from their emergent sixties sound to a more mature tune of the seventies.
“Look at him here, he’s wearing a cape! And a Triumph motorcycle T-shirt, smoking pot through a mug, and wearing my mother’s promise ring.” Polly Parsons (daughter)
Photography by Andee Nathanson
Gram went a little too far in ’73 however overdosing on morphine and alcohol in a room at the Joshua Tree Motel CA at the young age of 26.
’52 T100 given a light bobber treatment complete with an appropriate feline grimace for the original Tiger…
It’s for sale too. At $12,500 a hefty price but it is very well detailed to maintain a period appearance worthy of any street drag hound.
The pre unit engine from the mind of Edward Turner looks balanced and purposeful. Sweet in any frame be it a Triumph rigid or Norton featherbed. Here it’s a mechanics jewel.
Granny Moses takes a Triumph for a cavort around a Beverly Mansion. Yup! It’s the adventures of Jed Clampett and his kin from their windfall of a bubbling crude from the ground on his swampland. Black gold.
“Y’all come back now, y’hear?”
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