Triumphrat

MassiveAttack

Every time I run to the grocery/bank/pump, I'm engaged by old men regaling stories about how they almost died on a Triumph in '72.

I love it. You young punks should listen to these slab veterans. They were here before us. And they're full of wisdom.

Listen.

dogtired

ahahaha! oh that is gold, and I thought it was only happening to me.

...or their mate had one and... [insert either funny or tragic anectdote]

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30942

+1

I feel bad though as my knowledge of some of the things they are telling is a little limited (or incorrect!). I really wish I could engage in a better conversation with them, related to the bike they are telling me about.

I love how most of the conversations seem to be related to oil leaks, brakes (lack of), engine size, electrics, etc....

MrsNickwiz

OY! That's my husband you're talking about!

Nickwiz

Cheeky bugger!

Come on now Mrs Nickwiz, most of the old men we meet still ride and often on bikes as old as they are (oh hang on that is me!) as members of the VMCC.

MassiveAttack

I read somewhere (possibly Wiki) that at one point, 50% of Triumph's output was destined for export to the US, and that the American bike market was basically Triumph, HD, and Other. That's generations of riders for whom Triumph was a household name, markedly different from now. And that's why every parking lot produces at least one old guy whose eyes light up despite my Triple bearing no resemblance to the bikes of their youth.

All of the stories are crazed, often violent, and always shimmering with enthusiasm. These are men who truly love motorcycles...a passion that transcends generations...a dangerous affair that with flesh and bone being just as pithy now as it was in 1964. That's the atavistic appeal of bikes. The Triumph marque just wakes up that area of the brain, and these old guys come hobbling over.

I think it's fan-farking-tastic.

edit - I can only imagine the attention you Thruxton riders get. Man, that is one gorgeous machine.

Skull Crusher

Thanks Massive, now you're really making me feel old but I ain't dead yet. 72 wasn't that long ago, nor was 64. Come'on give us older fellows a little break. My Father rode before me in the mid 30's and my grandfathers rode in the early teens. I still have a few photo's hanging around somewhere. If I can find them I'll post'em.

Cheers
Jeff

MassiveAttack

But I thought all you old guys were too bad-ass to be bothered by age!

The real point of the thread is to remind young punks and middle-roaders to understand that, yes, the world did exist before them and, yes, people rode Triumphs. It's our duty to really listen to those who came before us.

When I was a kid, I strangely rode a BMW. This means that my riding buddies were all anxiously awaiting a new drug called, "Viagra" to clear clinical trials. The best thing about the decision to ride a BMW is that I had far, far more buddy support than my opther friends, who were essentially squids putting lighting kits on their bikes while forgetting to change the oil.

Skull Crusher

I't not the age, it's everything that comes with it. Generally nothing a few hundred asprin won't take care of. Me, I abused my poor knees and back in the military jumping out of aircraft for 20+ years. Once we get up and get on with it, it's not to bad though.

Cheers

Jeff

MassiveAttack

Be careful with that aspirin, cowboy! I had a brief spell of being uninsured and chose to deal with a chronic pain issue (also my knee, but due to years of working in nightclubs) by eating bottles of aspirin/NSAIDS. Ended up almost dying from a perforated GI tract! This, after having survived commuting on I-95 for a year!

"This is how I'm gonna go out? Are you kidding me?"