The Cavalry's here!

A truly evocative image of a mid-Twentieth Century cavalry. Here an army rears up on their new BSA M-20 motos heading into the fray! Wonderful artwork in the clean 30's graphic vein.

The Sun Never Sets...

Around the World across the British Empire the Triumph was considered the chosen transporation for checking in on the locals. "How's the bean crop coming on Carhurst?"

It's Easy...

Fourth in the series so far: previously a cup of tea at the racetrack, ufo catching and supersonic jet wheel changing! Here we're escaping angry native across a precarious tree trunk bridge. All part of a movie it seems.

Half a Century ago!

The model range available to the riding masses in the U.S. 50 years ago, short sleeves seem the fashion of choice for the SoCal or FL cruiser bruisers of the day.  The swingin; line-up included: T100 Tiger, TR5, T110, TR6, 5TA Speed Twin and the Jewel in the Crown: T120 Bonneville.

T100 Tiger

TR5

T110

TR6

T5A Speed Twin

The Bonnie

It's Easy... part II

Another in the poster series of speeds that can be attained on your trusty Triumph! This time chasing a UFO; no doubt from a time when more sightings were rampant after Area 51. However our intrepid 'collector' would seem more at home pursuing flitting butterflys across an English meadow; tweed, breeches, satchel 'n' all!

It's Easy...

Back in the thirties T.E. Lawrence took his Brough along an airstrip and raced a Bristol Bulldog Fighter; here's Triumph implying their bikes can take on one of 'them new fangled jets'; Actually an Avro Vulcan Strategic Bomber. Itself hot off-the-presses for the RAF!

Race Proven

Race 'em on Sunday, sell 'em on Monday! That's what used to be said; and it applies so appropriately to the Trident; beefy 3/4 litre bike that even to this day four decades on can give a grin to an unsuspecting rider.

Psycho-Momo

A contractor told me his son used to call motorcycles psychomomo's - works with this poster...

The stark black and white film images held against the red backdrop is stunning: the leading actors names in red too achieves a balanced page. It's like a pure screen printed race poster for the weekly dirt oval meetings.

Here's the full blown cinema poster or lobby card.

Thunderbirds are Go! x3

A stunning image of three styalized Thunderbirds at blurry speed. Great airbrush work expressing the clean bodywork and lined Triumph badge of one of the finest 650's from Meriden.


And the signifigance of 3x90x500? The 6T Thunderbird was launched publicly at Montlhéry near Paris where three standard production bikes were ridden around a circuit by a team of riders who between them averaged a speed of 92 mph (148 km/h) over a distance of 500 miles (800 km). All three machines were ridden to the circuit and back to the Meriden factory.

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!

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.

Yippie Ki Yay Mo.....

Fab seventies movie poster graphics: like the movie trailer in image form, all the high impact scenes in one swoosh of flame. The female protagonist astride it all! The front wheelie spun bike is an English Twin: woo-hoo!

Moto Enduro

A photo of an Enduro event at the Pas de Calais in France my nephew Dan captured during a school trip there. A winged knight atop a buzzsaw wheeled moto. Great expressive imagery. The event is a 'free for all' race around the beach dunes on the Channel coastline.

Vintage Race Posters

Bright prints, graphic imagery and excitement guaranteed! A couple of the race posters seen at the Wheels Through Time museum. The lower poster does seem to have British singles racing...

Catch a Tiger by the Trail...

In the last breath of life in the Meridan existance of the Triumph name, one model was promoted in a small way for a very specialist use: the street scrambler. Using a name made from desert racing no doubt, the Tiger 750 model, TR7R, was, in 1982, given a fresh lick of paint, big front hoop with knobbly tire, long front forks, engine bash guard and natty headlight mesh. A little too heavy against the lightweight two-strokes offered by Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawaaki and Honda; or even the 600 4 stroke singles for that matter. The only direct competions would be the newly released BMW GS80, embryonic monster trail, grandpappy of the big GS1150 used by globetrekkers now.

The blackened engine is aimed at the Yamaha crowd of the time. As is the boxy silencer.

Here's a clean example on display at the Motorcycle Museum in London, wheel displayed aloft in expected ride style!  Big plastic off-road mud guard in front, very un-triumph!

A clean example at the Ace cafe; a brace of enthusiastic onlookers enjoy it's company!

Left hand gears, disc brake front, drum rear, short seat, wide braced bars, kick starter. This looks like it would actually be a fun ride for adventure travel! Just need some period looking aluminium panniers! Shades of todays Scrambler 900 model? Here's a couple more views of this little corker of a ride! Enjoy! Oh, and it seems to be as rare as hens teeth!

Mods vs Rockers Part III

Some neat 'Flyers' were prepared to promote the show; Mods vs Rockers as the inspiration. A BSA Goldie for the backdrop in neon pink and orange is inspired. Nice clean poster.

A close-up of the MvsR graphic, puddin' bowl and cap. RAF roundel mod emblem & spade '59' badge.

 A super 'screen-print' image for the weekly meeting at a local hang out for bikers.  

Thrills Spills!

Looks like a good time to be had by all: competitors and spectators alike! Love the orange & blue scheme.

Chopper Triumph

The late 60's and early 70's was the time when the chopper culture entered it's golden, glitzy, chrome-laden, and psychadelic colored era. Here'a couple of examples of the style.  Not necessarily raked forks all the time, but a semi-bobbed style. This one has a super open-road portrait stretching into the distance. Insect-like headlights, but a comfortable riding geometry.

U-shaped bucket seat, peanut tank and raked hardtail frmae; that's chopper style. The british twins were used as much as the harley v-twins are seen today in these custom specials.

Crumb-esque drawings add to tne light hearted nature of the lifestyle...

...keep on ridin'!

Line Drawn Triumphs

An ink and brush comic of the benefits of owning a triumph; could you see this on a Ducati advert today?
If only my brakes worked as well as this...  hopefully someday!

Classic charcoal rendered Thunderbird, crisp graphics.

Line drawing of bike with engine as photograph. This is the introduction of the 5 speed gearbox on the T120V ('73). Also showing the larger UK spec tank that I have bought from Ebay in UK, soon to arrive!

Vintage Rally

Arenowned meeting of vintage bikes next weekend in Kansas MO. Triumph being the selected make of the promotional poster; itself having a Milton Gkaseresque look about it...   see Dylan album cover below.