Triumphrat

Gob-ny-geay · 05-23-2008, 07:36 AM

My wife and I went to the movies last night and saw the new "Indiana Jones" flick. I won't go so far as to divulge the plot and spoil it for others, but have a challenge for you.
In the beginning of the movie there are some great special effects scenes with Indiana and a young man on a motorcycle. The time period is 1957. It appears to be an old Harley Davidson, maybe a knucklehead - I've never been a big Harley historian/fan so others can input much better here. Note that the young man is say 20, and lower middle class at best, therefore not a new bike but likely 5-10 years old?

At any rate, it would seem to me that:

a.) The bike performance shown in the film from the bike is way out of the range of an old Harley. I suggest that there's "no way" an old Harley could do that. Your thoughts?

b.) Not to be singularly fixated on Triumph's, but a good Triumph of that era might be sufficient, maybe a Norton? Matchless?

c.) Could this be a strategic case of "Product Placement" by H-D? Good move if it was... where was Triumph on this one.

d.) Lastly, super alert posters might also notice a few "out of period" accessories on the bike, most likely installed from a nit-picky insurance coverage perspective. Watch and see.

Very Good movie, especially if you are a fan of the genre - special effects and all. It's also nice to see Harrison Ford back in the old character, plus another very nice surprise. More suited to kids though - my wife and I are on vacation in Florida, and it poured rain late yesterday afternoon and last night! Well, that's our story anyway, and we're stickin' to it.

Silverado57 · 05-23-2008, 08:33 AM

Haven't seen the new release yet, but here goes...
a.) It's just a movie. I've seen lots of stuff in the Indiana Jones movies that isn't realistic.
b.) & c.) Triumph's going its own way. They don't even do bike shows in the US, so why focus on "product placement"? Although an Indian might have been a good choice too.
d.) See a.).

andymott · 05-23-2008, 08:39 AM

Oddly, I saw the film last night too, and it entertained me much as the others did - not too authentic with much of the action, but simple fun to watch.

As for the bike, isn't Indiana Jones an American hero? Why on earth would they want anything BUT a Harley in the film?

I'm not a spotter either, so can't say what bike it is, but I was impressed by it's all-round versatility, and off-road ability!

Andy

Gob-ny-geay · 05-23-2008, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andymott

As for the bike, isn't Indiana Jones an American hero? Why on earth would they want anything BUT a Harley in the film?
Andy

Thanks Andy. As for "American", I guess Indian could have been another choice. Also, at that time (1950's) the concept of American bike, British bike, Japanese bike had yet to be created. Note "The Wild One" with a mixture of Harleys, Triumphs, Matchless bikes. Harleys were then ridden by Cops and tough ex-GI's looking for some action. Occasionally the eccentric old guy down the street. Not at all like it is now. They used to be "Motorcycles" not ethnic symbols. Even as far as the early 70's, we never referred to Triumphs, BSA's , Nortons et al as "British" bikes, they were just bikes.

I agree, fun movie to watch though. To remain on topic, sorry for that little explanation above. Next time you see it on DVD, watch for the accessories mentioned, fairly obvious if you're looking for such things.

Thanks again.

andymott · 05-23-2008, 09:03 AM

Hey Bob

Off-topic though it was, it's informative. Must re-watch The Wild One to see what makes are in it! Funny thing is that was the exact film I thought of when the young fellow turned up on his bike in leather jacket, turned up jeans and that hat! Pure Brando

Gob-ny-geay · 05-23-2008, 09:41 AM

Andy,

You MUST re-view the old "Wild One". It's great/hilarious. Realise that this was a very controversial film of that era (1954), and it single handedly launched a thousand motorcycle gangs - the opposite of it's intent. As young kids in the 50's, our parents wouldn't let us go see this. Imagine this now, it would be rated "G".

Brando's character now comes across as some kind of wimpy hopped-up, wacked out daddio. Also, his gang buddies seem more like Beatniks (bongo's and jazz mumblings?) than tough guys.

Note as well that the anti-anti hero - superbly played by our old pal Lee Marvin - rides one of the few Harley's, displaying the actual biker stereo-type of the time perfectly.

An excellent scene to note is the one where Brando and his "Chick" (Mary Murphy) are out riding and he dumps his Triumph Thunderbird. He almost cries about the possible damage to the bike, totally ignoring any possible injuries to his female co-rider. Classic Stuff.

andymott · 05-23-2008, 10:12 AM

Bob

I have it as an .avi, so just copying it to my laptop to watch at work tomorrow

I remember reading about the story behind it and thinking it sounded kind of hard-core but the film doesn't live up to that by today's standards (although I appreciate it's impact in the '50's).

Having watched it only a couple of months ago much is still in my memory, but I didn't pay attention to the bikes. I'll remedy that at next viewing, coupled with some googling of bikes to get proper pictures and histories. Clearly I have far too little to occupy me at work...!

Andy

Silverado57 · 05-23-2008, 11:07 AM

There are some great classic bikes in The Wild One.
If I'm not mistaken, Johnny's gang rides Triumphs and Chino's gang rides HDs.
You get a nice view of Johnny's bike near the end of the movie when it's sitting in a truck bed.
As a side note, there was quite a rivalry between HD and Indian owners back in the day.

Ringadingdoo · 05-23-2008, 11:44 AM

don't forget the Brit flicks

The Leather Boys
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=g6UvpTQ-ZLM

hope to see Indy this weekend

sweatmachine · 05-23-2008, 11:53 AM

I haven't seen the movie, but I saw some stills of the bike in question a few months ago. It most certainly is a brand-new twin cam engine (springer softail), not a knuckle, and it's complete with a fake kicker. Lame.