Rule Britannia!

The local Craigslist offering today is a tasty looking 1971 Bonnie in excellent Union Flag livery! $3,600 and it's all yours!New electcs, stainess spoked wheels, well detailed.

Any Triumph

There's an innocent freshness about this... years before we Met the Nicest People on a Honda or the Good Times Rolled with Kawasaki: sporty youngsters havin' a whale of a time! Not a care in the world... .. .

I want a blue sweater with giant "T" on it!

Motorcycle Safety #2: ATGATT

All The Gear All The Time: wear your leathers! No, not your skin, a thick cow hide! A racers know, there's a compelling reason to wear good quality gear, especially when you may need to take a bikeless trip along the road!

Image from "Waking Ned Devine"

Triumph Tiger

Further to yesterdays post regarding the 'ideal' modern 500cc; here's a beaut of a 500cc Triumph. The '71 Tiger set up with reproduction Avon fairing and race seat. All in a nice carmine red and black scheme. I'd love to put a nosepiece like this on the Bonnie.

It would be a tricky set up: the subframe, fairing in right colour, bubble screen, healight and indicators. Here's a fairing available in white or black...

Ninja Cafe: half litre racer

I was walking the dog just thinking  that Kawasakis little 500cc twin would make a nifty cafe; when there parked was the very model sans fairing and adorned with a round headlight. A few more clean-ups and a great ride could be cojoured up for not a lot. Super reliable too. I had a GPZ500s in London... great bike.

There I am wrapped up for a November jaunt from the North East down the M1 to London. 1997.

Motorcycle Safety #1: Helmets

A big fast Fireblade at 140mph and the effects on the face.

A Man's Machine...

From period racing advert...

...to modern AHRMA racing machine. What a beautiful track moto, and with a current provenance of success on the circuit; especially the recently late, but undoubtedly great Gary Nixon.

1965 Triumph Thruxton

Fairing, ace bars, race seat, long pipes.....  she must go fast! About 50 of these were made; so finding an original is rarer than hens teeth.

Royal Riders

Unearthing this older photo of Lord Snowdon riding a Triumph during a visit to Australia I thought I'd see which of the Windsors enjoyed two wheels; Charlie likes cars, especially classic and fast Aston Martins, however the boyz, Wills and Harry enjoy two-wheeled fun!

First off here's Snowdon on a Bonnie.

...and here's one of William enjoying a fast looking Triumph. (at least I think it is he...)

Harry with some derelict in Afghanistan, a tough little starter; I'm sure the dust doesn't help!

The two brothers also did an African oddysey taking trails across 1,000 miles of South Africa and Lesotho. They visited villages on locals in relation to charity work for children and AIDS.

Harry started young too!

...and although Charlie isn't a two wheeled afficionado, here he looks on as a vintage Norton owner extolling the virtue of riding a classic British iron.

Cup of Tea? T for Triumph that is...

A superb sketch advert from the mid-fifties of a Triumph acting as tea delivery ride in a car race. The effortless linework achieves a sense of speed and fluid brushwork on the people add livliness. wash and white lines fill the graphic. "It's Easy-"   The cheeky chappy with the T-UP sign... priceless like Dandy comics.

A Sundae Morn' Ride

Cool shadows on a crisp fall-like morning. Quiet roads, apart from the cyclists, allow unimpeded flow. Up Lake Bluff and back stopping at Bobs local seven-eleven for a fresh coffee and fredhly baked chocolate chip cookie.

Twist the throttle and go...

The road slips by below...

...a smile reflects the fun corners and leafy verges...

An exceptional Porsche Panamera 4-door coupe hatchback parked next to the Bonnie; I'd take one if given...  ... however could have a very desirable bike collection for the price of one! ($75-135k)

Triumph T120R Bonneville

Here's a complete, though time worn example of a 71 or 72 Bonnie; resplendent in a somewhat earthy brown colour scheme ~ which includes the side covers.

Le moto orange - c'est le fruit citrus

Another photoshopped image of a big tanked 70's trumpet this time with black fenders/mudguards. Still considering this for my ride. The color of Eddy Merckx cycles.

Here's Eddy 'The Cannibals' ride he used in Mexico City in '72 to gain the hour record.

Kawumph

You have your Triton's, Norbsa's, Norvin's, and other marriages of engine and frame. Well here's a novel one: a 750cc T140 shoehorned into a late 80's Kawasaki Ninja 600 frame! A curious merger which has a balanced look to it, though I'm sure it gets double takes when people hear the classic twin sound come from a sports bike!

Kids in the Hall

Canadian Comedy show; here's an image from it with 'too kool for skool' kids smokin' an' ridin'.

Taiyo LaPaix

I found this illustrator on another moto blog and really like his style; superb handsketching with a distictive line. Both coloured pencils and paint. He's based in Asheville NC and most of his work includes his muse Pappilla LaPaix, an imaginary gal with an unassuming self confidence. You believe she's real with the expressions he has her 'pose'. Fun and lively stuff! Oh, and she's sitting on a nice Bonnie Bobber.

taiyolapaix.com

650

A Brace of Bonnies

After a stormy wet weekend, the sun finally got out late Sunday afternoon so I got out for a saunter up the north suburbs; joined by Dean Rennie on his '68 Bonnie. Cool air with bright light, perfect road. Super!

Colour of Orange

A photoshopped large (UK spec.) tank in orange on an OIF Bonnie. Just ruminating on a colour shift for the bike.

The Black Adder

Flippin' through a mag at the local supermarket I saw spied this chooper Triumph. A ride for Capt'n Blackadder I suppose?

"And in Genoa, 'tis now the fashion to pin a live frog to the shoulder braid, stand in a bucket and go "bibble" at passers by." Edmund Blackadder.

Here's a tasty close-up of the ultra clean engine and details; surgical in execution; lovely.

Maybe she's Bonnie with it!

A couple of evenings ago a commercial on TV had a couple of flashes of vintage Triumph whizz past a New York street scene; the advert was for eyeshadow by Maybelline... ... well what better moto to drape a eyelash fluttering model than a gorgeous aubergine and cream Bonnie?

Banksy

Saw this on Ride the Machine blog today, just HAD to add it here, an adaptation of a McQueen jump aboard the Great Escape Triumph... .. looks like a sprayed mural about 6' high or so.

... here's original graphic:

Girl Power... ... on a Bonnie!

A strong message with this 60's advert: implying a Triumph gives you a sense of power! The gal is aloof aboard the bike with, what look like, her business, architect and sportman contemporary bretheren. Read into it what you will!

MULE Motorcycles - Brighton Cafe Streetmaster

Enjoy this sumptuous Triumph Cafe created by MULE; based on a modern Hinckley Bonnie. Speed Twin colour scheme and beautiful period details such as th elarge 4LS front brake, Ace bars, skinny single seat and lumpt tires. Yupe, I'd take one... ...in a heartbeat!