Rocket Goldstar – one of the British motorcycle industry’s sweetest machines is the last iteration of their pre-unit twins. Basically a tuned A10 650 engine with a complete accompaniment of Goldstar goodies: such as the alloy rimmed wheels; rear-sets, and clip-ons from Eddie Dow; a swooping siamese exhaust; close ratio RRT2 gearbox to eke our a hearty 50bhp. All-in-all a Motorcycle capable in both looks and speedy roadworthyness. Wish I still had mine…
ROCKET 3 – what a beaut this cafe racer build is! Eye-catching with a speed driven poise, and a homage to the BSA Daytona conquering triples of the early seventies ridden by Dick Mann and Don Emde (Gene Romero ran the triple engined Triumph). Builder is the extremely talented Frenchman Pepo Rosell of XTR Pepo using a 2000 Triumph Legend 900 as the starting point. Original 750/3 engine designer Doug Hele and frame guru Rob North would be proud.
Saint Nick – we have snow falling here in Chicago so we’re in for a White Christmas. Hope Santy can make it on his desert sled…
Murder is Easy – Agatha Christie jape with multi-talented actor Benedict Cumberbatch as the lead detective in a 2008 television adaptation. Originally published in 1939 it was the successful mystery writers first step away from Hercule Poirot, though this TV show rolled in Miss Marple as the main protagonist with Benedict’s character Luke Fitzwilliam as a younger less-experienced ‘sidekick’. More to the point: what’s ‘e ridin’? Well a marvelous 1950 or 51 Triumph Speed Twin in glorious amaranth red. When are Triumph bringing that color back? It would look smashing on their new Bobber.
The blue car, tell us about the blue car! Well, that’s in the story too, the love interest, Bridget Conway, drives a powder blue 1960 MGA open top roadster.
Leather driving gloves, silk scarves and cases lashed to the parcel rack… how very English!
Icon – “Rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive!” Chanel’s model du jour Edie Campbell adopts a sixties look in this fashion shoot ‘channeling the house’s broody androgyny.” Photo by Alasdair McLellan for the August 2011 issue of British Vogue. Gorgeous fifties Triumph supplied by Ace Classics.
Beryl & Tony – a current series on Netflix is The Crown, about The Queens life as a monarch from early days post WW2 to the present day. Its second season is covering the late fifties which, whilst the country has to deal with the Suez Crisis as well as Sputnik, her younger sister Margaret-Rose is enduring life as a royal single gal. She’s just met Antony Armstrong-Jones a hip photographer and lad about Town. He sweeps her off her feet for a tear through London’s streets on a peachy period TriumphThunderbird. Goggles and domed lids keeping them protected as they scoot over the Albert Bridge and along the Embankment. Ably played by Vanessa Kirby and Matthew Goode it reminds me of my days taking my wife-to-be home from her job at a bookstore in Kensington. The main photo is the real couple on a Norton. He snapped his photos with a Leica Rangefinder for naturally lit spontaneity.
The Original Speed Triple – before Hinckley Triumph rolled out their bruiser 900 naked Speed Triple it was being created by Meriden enthusiasts using the Trident lump at its heart. Here’s Jock Drysdale on his roadgoing machine during, what looks like, a speedy blast through the River Cherwell’s bucolic scenery. He’s dressed for suitably healthy velocities; I think there’s a broad grin under that lid.
Five of Three – though only in production from 1968 until 1975 the deathbed gasp of Meriden based Triumph was a stout hearted machine that came a little lacking and a little late with the appearance of Honda’s CB750. But in those short 7 years while the company was self destructing the model adapted as it could to meet the demands of the riding public. The first part of its life as the T150 saw a 750cc three cylinder, dry-clutch, with drum brake giving way to disc, and imaginative detailing such as the now classic ray-gun silencers. It’s final iteration under the T160 designation saw an electric start fitted, gear shifting moved to the left, and the confine tilted forward to improve weight distribution. The tank colors aren’t bright primary or indeed complementary ones, but are quite sophisticated hues that are very much associated with the late sixties and early seventies.
X75 Variant- typically the orange and yellow blaze tanked three cylinder Hurricane sits under a Triumph badge. Developed by bodywork guru Craig Vetter they have become much sought after Motorcycles. Here’s something a little more different and in some ways even better looking. A BSA Rocket Three ‘gin shoehorned into a Norton Featherbed frame… NorBSA X75s is the sublime creation. One-Two pipes, alloy rimmed wheels and decent front stoppers say this bike means business.
Recuperation Plans – when you’re idle unable to get much done other than rest, read and recover; it’s a perfect time to devise schemes for future projects… this mostly complete ’74 Trident is sitting on Ed Zender’s showroom floor waiting for some unsuspecting soul who needs to tinker…
Reach for the Skies – Sir Douglas Bader (1910-1982) was. WWII fighter ace who flew Spitfires and Hurricanes against the German Luftwaffe onslaught early on in the hostilities. However he’d lost both legs ten years prior and was not recommended for flying duties. Being very impressionable, with Air Command and a lack of skilled pilots he was recommissioned into the RAF. He flew over Dunkirk and in the Battle of Britain (One of The Few). However he had to bail out over France in August 1941, was captured, and spent the remaining part of the War imprisoned at the infamous Colditz Castle. As was required of RAF POW’s he continually attempted to escape. He was threatened with confiscation of his prosthetic legs. Very much a traditionalist conservative on many issues; he’s still considered one of Britain’s hero’s.
Why is this blog subject posted today you may ask? Well I had hip surgery to repair damaged tissue in the joint and shave some protruding bone down. So in my post operative discomfort I can think of Kenneth More Douglas Bader as inspiration.
Green Goddess- one of my favorite colors is apple green (well, Kawasaki Green to some…) so I particularly like that hue perfectly used on this late 60’s Trident. The black accent swoops on the tank balance perfectly with the eyebrow tank badges.
Trinity in One – still like the look of these three cylinder Meriden ‘super bikes’, especially with the big tank such as on this fine example. Designed by Triumph engineers Bert Hopwood & Doug Hele it went on in BSA Rocket Three guise to sweep the field at Daytona. Gold ‘n’ Black.
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