September 9, 2014

Black and Black

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Streetside Bonneville in a shadowy color scheme that Henry Ford would have approved.

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September 8, 2014

“Red hair, sir, in my opinion, is dangerous”

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As wrote P.G. Wodehouse. I’ll curse as much as I like but she’s a Bonnie bike.

“Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous red head.” Lucille Ball

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September 7, 2014

A trip of two halves

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Beautiful sunny early September Sunday afternoon. Had a place to go in Lake Forest so I took the bike… The run out was just perfect: quiet roads, cooling breeze, sunny skies, bike ticking over well. Coming back? Bike didn’t start (at first) and ran a bit rough on the return journey. Thinking it’ll stall at any moment I nursed her home… Battery had good charge, oil level good, but didn’t check the plugs… Hmmm . A new model moto sounds better all the time…. ! Press button to start and go!

September 6, 2014

The Bonnie

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After nearly two months laid up in the dark confines of my workplace’s subterranean garage, the bike saw some oily mitts getting some much needed work done. This was to button up the primary cover, setting the pressure plate, reaffixing the rearset which overlaps its rear bolts, and topping oils to enable a smart kick of the starter to roar the engine to life…. “She Lives!”. It was all a four handed task so my friend Dean offered extra paws to arrange bolting.

Test ride tomorrow!

September 5, 2014

Street Triple

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…now here is a motorcycle! The sublime, the mighty, the superlative…

September 4, 2014

W5 TAT

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Big Brute of a Bike: heavy wheeled, rude-red framed, and hefty tank’d. As long as the Bonnies engine has been sorted then this mercurial mover would surely be a barrel o’ fun.

Tat this is not!

September 3, 2014

Right Side

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Nicely executed rendering of a pre-unit Triumph engine by some Paul Blute. Good reflections and form. There is an artful technicality to it.

September 2, 2014

Italian Design

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Not likely: when the booted country wanted cool they imported the works of Britain. Norton Villiers Triumph. As well as AJS. Bepi Koelliker was the roman anglophile in question bringing all vehicular things blighty to Rome.

Hadrian would be shocked!

September 1, 2014

‘Itched

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Been a very busy few days recently… Hence the lack of in depth blog entries. My wife and I renewed our vows over the weekend. We surely Do!

August 28, 2014

Small is Beautiful

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A right looker it appears: selling the nimble featherweight attribute of the diminutive Cub in the mid fifties. This must have looked quite sharp for its day.

August 27, 2014

The Sixties…

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We all know it was the swingin’ sixties but a tiger on a swing looks a bit more gibbon like rather than hip…

August 26, 2014

Advice

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Sage advice indeed. Your body and mind can be trained to accomplish; but to feel the inner success of the achievement you need at least a modicum of heart. A vital spark of live that makes fulfillment true.

August 25, 2014

Oily Daubs

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A found interweb painting of some Triumph rider and his steed. An appearance of emerging from shadow into the sunlight. The feeling one gets when taking off down the road.

August 24, 2014

Passport needed

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One thing that was seen a lot of in the sixties and seventies across America was chopped and stretched Triumphs. Hardtail rear, looong fork tubes, no front brake, perched pillion seat…. Erm!

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In real life it looks pretty weird, but the zipped boots, polyester flares and patterned shirt, and sideburns add appropriate effect. Glitter flake paint with pinstriping enhance character if not road handling…

August 23, 2014

Hog Slayer

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Back in the fifties and sixties this was the case! The agile powerful motos from the motherland came and conquered. On road, track and trail they chewed ’em up and spat ’em out in the dust behind. What tea party? Get the kettle on!