Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) A onetime honorary Hell’s Angel and journalist of the most counter-cultured kind here sits thoughtfully over the rugged Big Sur coastline. One day I’d love to take my Triumph along that Pacific precipice with the salt breeze waking up my consciousness.
As Francois Villon says: “In my own country I am in a far off land”
A perfect jersey for the chilly morning while working on your bike! Get one here… Get the kettle on and rustle up a brew; pull up a stool and just look at the bike wonderin’ what work needs to be done today. There is always something to do on an old Brit Iron!
The Ed Kretz dealership was a well know stop for riders looking for a new top-of-the-line Triumph in Monterey Park on the sunny west coast. Evocative shop label of a muse atop the Thunderbird ‘paper dart’ logo.
A cool image of a bikers line-up along the shop front.
Ed’s Senior and Junior (left & right) with another “Hall of Famer”, A.J. Lewis. Standing by an early 50’s racing Triumph.
Kretz Sr. was friends with none other than James Dean, both in terms of motorcycling as well as racing. Here they chat awhile as Dean sits in his 1954 Porsche 356 Speedster. He traded this car for the infamous Porsche 550 Spyder later that year. Two Legends!
Ed Kretz Sr. (1911-1996) the original Iron Man was a force to be truly reckoned with in the early world of motorcycle racing: his dedicated and aggressive riding style winning him numerous accolades, including the first Daytona 200 in ’37. His #38 race number becoming a common podium sight. Regarded in high esteem by his peers as well as the senior racers from the teens and twenties he dominated the scene from the late thirties, through the forties and into the fifties until his retirement in ’59. Both father and son had a ‘cycle dealership in California, first for Indian Motorcycles until ’53 then Triumph after.
Son of Ed ‘Iron Man’ Kretz Sr. here is Ed Jr. riding Steve McQueen’s Triumph from the ’63 ISDT in the same race two years later; this time on the Isle of Man. Steve was filming The Cincinnati Kid and couldn’t attend, so he allowed Ed to race in his place. It turned into a muddy rout with the US team being thwarted by the typically wet British weather half way through.
A brief scene in the 1986 movie “Peggy Sue Got Married” shows a classic ride of the time, a pre-unit speed twin Triumph (probably). The rock ‘n’ roll age was blooming, kids were dancin’ to the tunes and the bikes were fast and cool. Kathleen Turner is P.S. and her beau is Nick Cage – later to be the fiery Ghost Rider. The inspiring music is of course the incomparable Buddy Holly.
In the early 80’s Triumph’s doors at Meriden finally closed. However all was not lost, an enthusiast and entrepreneur by the name of Les Harris acquired all spare parts and a few ex-Triumph workers and kept a Bonneville 750cc model in production and the British motorcycle industry alive. Albeit with a weak pulse, it was a vital pulse nonetheless. This gave enough time for John Bloor, who held the Triumph name, to get the show at Hinckley up and running in ’91. Les can be considered an important player in the history of Brit-Iron, allowing it to continue on for over a continuous century, now heading healthily ahead into the 21stC. Triumph currently manufactures 46,000 units per year. Les passed away in 2009 aged 69 surely feeling content with his lifes worth. At his funeral he was given a roaring salute from pallbearers consisting of members of the Royal Signal Corps motorcycle display team: the White Helmets. Tribute indeed!
Getting ready to install the newly finished tank. One decision still needs to be made: the tank badges. They currently have a light gold inner finish, this looks too similar to the orange tank itself, so I’m considering painting the inner black (or a navy blue). See comparative images.
Wall Art: painted logos on a peeling wall in some garage. Red, Blue and White
One of the nicest looking bikes available just now is the Triumph Thruxton – here is one on offer for $6,000 on Chicago Craigslist. Big, bad, black and I’m sure a beast on the twisties. It just LOOKS right!
After yesterdays sixties bike chic; here’s the previous decades look: James Dean, the Original Rebel, on his Triumph. Collar up, cigarette askew, amgst-laden frown.
The sun not only didn’t set on the Empire; it also shone on the chrome details of British Iron. The motos of Triumph, BSA, Norton, to name a few, were shipped around the world. One of the great exports! Indeed in the early fifties the BSA Group was the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world. Here is an appropriately named Coventry City being loaded with crated bikes stamped ‘Handle With Care’.
A wonderful interpretation of a wartime motorcycle transport based on a modern Triumph Bonneville T100. Olive drab colour, leather strap trim and lamp blacked detailing. Even a nifty gear change lever in included. Though I’m not sure how it’s operated when pulling in the clutch. Knobbly tyres, comfy ‘tractor’ seat and Jerry-can fuel cells on the rear speak of an adventure machine ready for the Sahara, Scandinavia or Saskatchewan roadways.
One of my favourite films of recent years in the story of Burt Monroe. A New Zealander who after years spent racing around the antipodean reaches of the Empire wanted to take his 1920 Indian Scout (heavily modified) to The Salt and see what she could do. He achieve a record for the 1000cc class which still stands today. One memorable scene is the beach race with a bunch of Rockers on their Triumph and BSA’s. He rockets past them in one scene, however turning problems allow them to overtake for the home run. Later we see them gather round him with a collection for the boat trip to the ‘States.
Actor Daniel Day-Lewis dons his leathers with tucked in scarf ready to romp off on his Triumph Scrambler.
geordiebiker.com 