Our 2004 Mk4 has a new lease of life with her new brakes and rear struts. Still a zippy ride with enough poke to enjoy zooming about; we’ll see plenty more miles behind her wheel. The new mk7 which we parked next to last week has a nice sleek appearance and I’m sure has a fun aspect to driving it; but I do like the simpler lines of ‘Wor Gertie’.
Spent a good part of the morning putting new pads and rotors onto the VW GTI. She’ll stop like and ships anchors been thrown overboard…
Finish where we started: the magazine cover art from Monday here in grey simplicity. She’s ready for a jaunt with her thick wooly pullover. Though I doubt that open bag may spill its contents along the road ahead. Spotty pants will hide mud splatter from the damp country lanes her pilot will no doubt take her along…
A Cub speeds by and the bystanders twirl in amazement at the zippy little motor toting its rider along what looks like a typical street in a French town. An ornate streetlight, pollarded trees and high fashion ladies give it away.
Pooch looks on curiously.
ive seen inside one of these little 200cc ‘gins and if the power is packed it must be quite a dense proposition in the watch-like internals. There ain’t much room! Unless you can miniaturize the little ponies hidden in there. Quite a snappy checked smock our friend is parading: and a bobble hat to top it off. The heavy submariners sweater on the behelmeted gal says she’s up for a spin next…
The phone box sits quite Tardis-like in the background. I think the illustrator wanted something man-made amongst the autumnal backdrop. Once again gotta love that brushed ink work!
Another period advertisement for the Cub: it’s like a promotion from Madmen: suit, pipe and brylcreem. Modern high street shopper behind are a mere swish of the artists ink brush, the ‘Baby Bonnie’ looks splendid as its shown off by the gauntlet’d owner. Only one hundred and forty four pounds and fifteen shilling!
you Can Affird!
Triumph Cub is the little ride and was a popular little scoot-about back in the Fifties. It looks like a cosy mode two-up. “Honey, get your own ride!”.
it was a 2d roofing nail. Sitting proudly sharp site up on some pavement waiting for a nice juicy tire to impsle itself on.
Nearly as bad as a cats canine fang in your knuckle…
Was going to have a quick spin yesterday after a project dedication but a noticeable flabby rear tire stymied that. Shame, the weather was lovely just. So today I’m sorting the inner tube out with a bit of old fashioned rubber cement and vulcanized patching. Never my favorite thing…
At least I’m not stranded on a country lane with s flat tire!
Oh yes; due to a long tiring day yesterday this post is for June 6th.
Scottish heavy metal band Nazareth had a fantastic hit in ’75 with the posts titular name:
Heart breaker, soul shaker
I’ve been told about you
Steamroller, midnight stroller
What they’ve been saying must be true
Red hot mama
Velvet charmer
Time’s come to pay your dues
Now you’re messin’ with a
A son of a bitch
Now you’re messin’ with a son of a bitch
Now you’re messin’ with a
A son of a bitch
Now you’re messin’ with a son of a bitch
Talkin’ jivey, poison ivy
You ain’t gonna cling to me
Man taker, born faker
I ain’t so blind I can’t see.
Nortons rotary F1 was their last hurrah into early nineties racing actually taking a win at the Isle of Man TT with Steve Hislop at the controls. Many consider Hizzys race to be the superlative classic of the event pipping Carl Fogarty’s Ysmaha: a true David versus Goliath. In black it certainly looks the part. Those wankel power units spinning like a jet turbine at speed.
Here’s Ron Haslam winding this one up to good effect…
Quite a dapper chap in his spats, plus fours, cardigan and briar pipe perched on his lip. Missus looks on in glamorous attitude: no doubt looking forward to a wind blown spin letting her coat drift behind. Das ist ein gut mottorad.
Promotion shot for the new electric start T140… 
F1 seventies playboy racer James Hunt sits pillion to singer David Essex on a 1980 Triumph Bonneville 750. That year Essex starred in the motorcycle racing film Silver Dream Racer; and the soundtrack song “Silver Dream Machine” was a Top 3 hit in the UK Singles Chart. Being a keen motorcyclist, he waived his fee for the then-new 1980 electric start Triumph Bonneville he had contracted to advertise on behalf of the struggling Triumph motorcycle workers’ co-operative. He still owns that motorcycle. 
It didn’t fare too well at the theaters with a 5.3/10 on IMDB. But fun was had my all during filming.
Here he is with Suzuki maestro Barry Sheene, also pal of James Hunt: I bet there was partying which included rock & roll back in those days!
Roll up your sleeves here’s the lads with a barrel of horses under their white vest wife-beater shirts. First off its the Triumph Speed Triple, a burly bruiser that “does what is says on the tin”. #1 on my list of bouncer bikes.
Next off: Kawasaki’s ZRX the Eddie Lawson retro-racer its sublime looks harking back to the big Zed liter bikes from the early eighties. #2 on my want list… In green and purple and a throaty Muzzy pipe too!
Last up: Suzuki Bandit the detuned GSX-R hearted stunt beast. Red looks good but black would be better. Third on the list. #3
It is known that Ian Fleming, the creator of none other than James Bond 007, also wrote the children’s yarn Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. A tale about an inventor called Caractacus Potts who took his children on voyages of land, sea and air in their old rebuilt racing car with speedboat carriage work. Well if you’re going for a two-wheeled version then a period Triumpg Speed twin is a suitable candidate; rocket powered too. Not steam punk more rocket-punk. 50’s style technology. Hey I’ve just invented a new genre…
Looks like Leonardo would have been proud of those wings! I believe the front mudguard registration plate holder acts as the vertical stabilizer… (Aka pedestrian slicer)
Concept art by http://www.leadinglightdesign.com
Side note: the original Chitty was a 20’s race car built by Count Louis Zbrowoski who used a Mercedes chassis with a 23 liter 6 cylinder aero Maybach engine…
… Just add wings!
Mad Max: it’s a roller coaster, dirt slinging, machine grinding, apocalyptic, hell-on-wheels, adrenaline flooding, truck chasing, bullet flying, hot rod blasting, rock ‘n’ rolling, gasoline burning, chick brawling, dystopian steering, heck of a story, Fury Road movie. It doesn’t stop, there are no brakes on this film. Damn good, damn!
geordiebiker.com 