An Officer and a Gentleman T140

 

Keith Turk

My T140 USA a few years ago ...

Yes, this is the same Triumph Bonneville from the movie An Officer and a Gentleman. Paramount Pictures made two bikes for the movie, both purchased from Dewey's Cycle Shop in Seattle. The "stunt" bike, with lower gearing and some other differences, is at Planet Hollywood; the other one belongs to Keith Turk. Keith Turk found the bike on eBay in 2002. A Hollywood prop designer had the bike in storage for many years before she sold it. Keith has always been into English sports cars, and he was looking for a motorcycle to go with his Austin Healey 100/4. The movie history was cool, but he bought it first as a Triumph and because it had almost no miles on it and had been stored in California, so it was essentially perfect. Honestly, it’s just not a great motorcycle. It’s from one of Triumph’s worst years. It’s kickstart only. The gearbox doesn’t snick, it snatches through the gears. It’s got a 4-inch over front end, which makes it less than comfortable to ride.  Pretty much everything about the bike is difficult. Keith bought it on a whim. He had enough money to do what he wanted, so he went out and bought this really cool Triumph. He has been without a bike since 1976, when he joined the Army. He put 1,500 miles on it the first year, and it mostly reminded him how much he really loved riding bikes. Then he bought some old Honda 550s, and he as been back riding ever since.

By Keith Turk via motorcyclistonline.com

Michael Lichter Photography

Stacy McCleary 1961 Triumph Bonneville

Michael Lichter never ceases to impress me with the quality of his photos and I strongly advise you to take the time and browse his website to discover his amazing work. In 1977, after a stint simultaneously playing drums in a BeBop jazz band, bussing tables in a restaurant and doing personal photography, Michael Lichter decided he was a better photographer than a drummer and hung up the sticks. It was during this time that he started riding his 1971 Harley-Davidson Shovelhead (which he still owns) and photographing bikers. This work, along with a series on cowboys, was exhibited in group and solo exhibitions over the next few years. Prints were included in private and public collections, most notably by ARCO (Atlantic Richfield Corp.) and the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, in Paris.

Stacy McCleary started building bikes, way back in 1965, at the age of 11, when he took over the garage in his parents’ brand-new house with his booming business of building and selling mini-bikes and customized Stingray bicycles to his friends and neighborhood kids. His parents actually parked their brand-new vehicles outside so he could run his business. At 15, his first street-legal motorbike was a 1962 Cushman Eagle Scooter that his dad had purchased new. 

Words via : Cycle Source Magazine

Triumph Tiger Trail

 

The Triumph Tiger Trail was a motorcycle model manufactured by Triumph Motorcycles at the Meriden factory. The Tiger Trail was made from 1981 to 1982 in both 750 cc (TR7T) and 650 cc (TR65T) capacities, and under 180 examples were built. Emission regulations precluded export to the USA but otherwise the model was available to all Triumph's other markets particularly in many British Commonwealth nations and western Europe.

Triumph manufactured the Tiger Trail in response to their French importers', C.G.C.I.M, request for a large capacity dual purpose machine to compete with the BMW R80G/S model. The importers had visited Meriden with a prototype based around the Triumph Bonneville T140 which the factory judged too powerful. Instead, Meriden's director of engineering Brian Jones based the proposed model around the 750 cc TR7V Triumph Tiger with its single 30 mm Amal carburettor and electronic ignition by Lucas.

Georges Monneret, on the right in the photo, one of the leaders in front of the entrance of the CGCIM in 1970. A Triumph 500 SpeedTwin specially equipped for the Police presented in front of the entrance to the CGCIM rue du Débarcadère in 1959.

The Fuji Triumph Riot

 Triumph Riot is a meeting where there are no regulations other than the model year. Vintage Triumphs are lined up in the main exhibition space, but there is no advance entry, so you can come on the day, line up your favorite bike, and go home when you want. Meet various Triumphs without style restrictions.

The content is really simple. An exhibition space will be prepared in a spacious parking lot at the foot of Mt. Fuji. This event is undoubtedly the only event in Japan where 300 vintage Triumphs are brought together in one place. Therefore, this time we took a snap of the owner and his favorite car, so please pay attention to the owner's fashion as well as the style of Triumph.

Triumph T140W TSS

Designed to appeal to the US market, the TSS had an eight valve Weslake Engineering cylinder head developed by Triumph's Brian Jones from a 1978/9 design originally commissioned from Nourish Racing of Rutland following 1960s designs for the 650cc twins by the Rickman Brothers. The crank was a fully machined single forging with increased big end diameter making it much stiffer and better-balanced and producing one of the smoothest running motorcycles in the Triumph range. The head had smaller valves set at a steeper angle (30°). Recesses in the pistons allowed a 10:1 compression ratio.

UK models had a pair of 34 mm Amal MkII carburetors while the export models had Bing constant velocity carburetors. Other changes from the standard T140E included offset connecting rods, steel-linered alloy barrels, a strengthened swinging arm, and a high output three-phase alternator. A modified TSS raced by Jon Minonno for Texan Jack Wilson's Big D Triumph dealership achieved outstanding results in the Battle of the Twins races for 1981-1982.

Triumph T100 pre-unit 1956 Desert Sled

Once again, my friend Franck Castrol surprises me with his exceptional talent as a motorcycle builder. Although I know his ability to provide first-rate work, I am always amazed by the amazing result of his work. Below is a quick detail of the work done on this desert sled.

Oscillating pre-unit 1956 Triumph Tiger 100 frame.  Completely reassembled engine in standard side (vilo and pistons), assembly of racing camshaft e3134, intake and exhaust coupled to a Lucas racing magneto . Front and rear period dunlop spoked rim in 19 inches,  dual front cam brake and rear bolt-on hub. Triumph t120 TT exhaust mounted on stainless steel ring on preunit cylinder head (not the same diameter), dry sump clutch.