Noggins need lookin’ after so what better that a nice bin-lid from those folks at Bell. Oh, and remember to take care of your better half’s tete too!
Triumph Motorcycles endorsed too!
July 26, 2012
Needle & Thread
Either a hole in your prized jacket needs patched or you wish to celebrate your favourite makers logo.
July 20, 2012
Rockers Ride
Open-face lids, goggles, silk scarves, leathers and big boots. All mean grimaced and ready to roll. Bikes are Norton, BSA and Triumph are the ride to rumble on of course. I’m sure when this quintet crack open their throttle mechanical music ensues.
Those clip-ons are a low-low-low custom geometry for speed runs up and down the Great North Road. “where we going for the Sunday morning ride lads? Brighton?”
July 19, 2012
Jump
This image was meant to go online yesterday but it leapt right over the 18th. So we see it here today. A modern-day Tri-scramb goes airborne. Hope the rider gets down in one piece!
July 12, 2012
ReBirth
A Trident reborn. Back in the nineties when John Bloor was reinventing the Triumph name, his engineers plumped for a triple cylinder format. The grunt of a twin with the ‘smoothness’ of a four. Today’s local Craigslist has a clean ’96 example with 6000 miles (that’s 500 per year!) for three grand. The blackened engine and tank adorned with a retro red swish…
July 5, 2012
Tiger-boy
Remember the Honda 175 from a few days ago? Well a few years previous to it you would see yourself on one of these 500cc Triumphs: it saw action as a desert sled in the ‘States but would provide plenty of fun on the road too! I love the fire road ready knobbled tires on this green example. Between the Honda and this.. Easy! The Trumpet trumps!
P.S.
Today’s BikeExif entry is a modern turn of this half litre Moto. It’s a reworked Bonneville given nice big boots on alloy rims; wide bars and a bottle green finished tank.
July 4, 2012
Independence Day
The Triumph America truly embodies all things British & American in a motorcycle: laid back cruiser stance, low seating, wide bars and a 900cc parallel twin timed at 270 degrees, rather than the Bonneville’s 360 (which gives the America a more V-twin sound a la Milwaukee ‘gins).
Well, it was a shame all that tea was wasted in Boston Harbor! But I’m sure this evens the score somehow…
June 24, 2012
Rattus norvegicus
The car CD player has been non-stop Stranglers all weekend whilst driving around errands, social events and motorcycle maintenance. Jean-Jacques JJ Burnel, is of course the bassist and major writer for this punk band extraordinaire. He is also an ardent Triumph rider.
Where would ‘Peaches’ be without that heavy bass riff?
June 20, 2012
Each to their own…
Several of the moto-specimens at the rally were heavily modified for a particular riders needs: in the first instance here bobbed, chopped and lowered to create a bar-hopper. Or the way that gear lever looks the bar itself. Old Style indeed! Not so keen on the seating stance of these: leg out front with bent knee and stretched out to drag bars and yer arse down low.
Down the row was another sweetened ride; here its purpose to go fast, turn and repeat. No stopping, just going. A dirt Tracker with the heavily ridden patina of a dedicated racer. Big alloy rims, big knobbly boots, and a honking big cog on the rear. This thing’ll take off like a cougar chasing a jackrabbit!
June 19, 2012
Three by Three
Triumph is now know for its triple engines. This layout harks back to the late sixties when, in an attempt to compete against the Japanese inline fours, they developed the 750cc Trident. In racing guise it was of course a phenomenal machine under the capable hands of racers of the day such as Malcolm Uphill with machines such as Sliperry Sam. Here’s a nice clean original example of a T160V seen at the bike rally.
Though not a direct Moto DNA, the triple layout was used in the rebirth of Triumph in a modular fashion. Several models were created around a 900cc lump with different tuning depending on the final riding needs. Here I saw a chromed Adventurer with low seat glossy tank and classic lines. An enjoyable day on any road could be had on this machine…
..meanwhile along the lines of endless Triumphs was another beauty of a moto: the Sport, blacked out engine cases, lower bars and rearsets gave an off-the-shelf cafe vibe. In red this bike certainly looks the part at the Mods and Rockers meet! As i”ve mentioned before those three into two pipes are stunning. The new Bonnie looks on behind. Of the two I’d take the Sport.
There was of course other models in the triple engined line-up: the ‘new’ Trident; the Trophy; the Daytona; and the Tiger. These gave the discerning motorcyclist a diverse choice for day-to-day riding, touring, racing and some adventure riding respectively. The aforementioned Adventurer and Sport were the cruising cafe racin’ show-off motos for the cool kids!
June 18, 2012
In Detail…
Sometimes the abstract can be as enjoyable as the clear whole. Especially in bikes. At the weekend I spent time just gazing at pattern, detail, colour and reflection. Here the banded stripes of a late 60’s Bonneville tank impart the feeling of fiery speed and streamline.
A moto’s tattoo; the Tiger motif of an earlier time leapt from the hind quarters of a green beastly Speed Triple.
John Bloor, the man who brought the Triumph marque back from oblivion twenty odd years ago pops his John Hancock onto the bulbous tank of another Speed Triple. Red embered outlines of the swoosh logo on a carbon meteor.
The BSA Spitfire; a gem from an age gone, the equivalent of the Bonneville with twin carburetted 650 engine. Here it’s crimson US spec tank with pearly cusp reinforce the somewhat Art Deco teardrop engine that these unit motors display.
Finally a cluster of instruments on the headlight nacelle of a late fifties Tiger 100. Smiths clock/chronometer with numerous speed and revolution markings (RPM measured in widening inner circumferences depending which gear is selected). Knob and dial festooned housing giving the rider control and readout of the bikes steering performance and lighting/electrical concerns.
June 14, 2012
Ride to Work
My co-worker Emily snapped this couple zooming to work near Lake Shore Drive. Big blue Triumph, shades, a gal clinging on the back, albeit flip-flop shod, but cool nonetheless!
June 13, 2012
We’ll be cruising at 35,000 feet
As the old adage says “Bike’s defy gravity, cars just suck”. Well here’s a triumph Daytona 675 not only keeping things balanced on two wheels but apparently flying too!
:Tech 2 and Centurion Racing joined forces to establish a new race team in 2009 with full Triumph factory support. MAP Centurion Triumph Racing entered the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport and Metzler National 600 Superstock Championships next season and the team competed on Triumph Daytona 675′s in the two prestigious BSB support classes.
June 12, 2012
Olive not so Drab
After yesterday’s dabble in militaria here’s a modern interpretation using an up to the minute Bonneville, plenty of green paint, knobbly boots, and blacked-out shiny bits.
Now that would be a good scoot to retrace George’s wartime escapades across Monty’s African campaign.
June 9, 2012
Texting
The correct way to Text whilst riding: pull over to a safe spot, extract ‘phone, and text to your hearts delight! Here a Triumph Speed Triple owner heeds these simple rule… Nice black on black Moto. All the proper kit too; not like the other 90% of riders I’ve seen on the Chicagoland roads today… Sure it’s hitting 90, but a t-shirt, shorts, tennies and NO helmet. That is just plain DUMB!
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