German triumphs - TWN

Cliffy on Choppertown Nation posted this photo of a German Triumph at the TT Centennial on the Isle of Man.  Personally I never heard of Triumph in Germany, but some research turned up some interesting info.  Seems they started out early in the century copying British Triumph.  The logo has the flourish line above the name, opposite of British Triumph, which is below the name.  At some point, after the war, there was a pissing match over trade names, of course, and the German firm changed their name to TWN. 

Now look at this bike.  It seems like it is leaning opposite the kick stand, but possibly it just comes down on both sides...  The interesting thing, besides the salami, is the left side kicker...  Looks like many of the wartime production/military TWN bikes had a left side kicker.  I also saw some picks with right side.  Cliffy also says they had a reverse ignition (?) which allowed the bike to be started in reverse and run in reverse.  I noticed the right side on one bike has a kind of shifting lever by the gear box.  Could be this is what he means, you throw the switch and now start the bike and it is going in reverse!?!  K maybe not, who knows....???



Also, I looked at a lot of pics of these on line and most, even the smaller engines had dual exhaust.  So this is interesting in that as well.



 Dunno....  who knows?  You tell me.   Finally, they had a bitchin solid girder.  When this comes back, I get the credit... you heard it here first folks....



Take it easy




Technorati Tags: girder, triumph, german triumph, triumph germany, kickstart, motorcycles

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Custom chops, bobbers and knobbers

First, I promised a picture, this one has always been popular.  I called it the world's ugliest Indian.  I caught this at Smoke Out West I.  It has subsequently been featured in a couple magazines, I believe Cycle Source, but hey, I was mistaken once before.



This one pic has made my server go over quota more than once on traffic, so much so that I had to move the picture and change my web server plan.  Too cool.  The bike is an awesome example of the clever use of parts and the marrying up of diverse parts from "incompatible" (?) bikes.  Not to mention a good dose of style and a little humor.  I dont know how far he rode it to get to Cottontree/Cottonwood (WTF) AZ, but it must have been interesting.

I hear SOW is going to be in Santa Rosa NM this year?  Somebody did a WTF comparison and noted that Santa Rosa was 1000 miles from LA and 1500 miles from Rockingham, NC.  How is that WEST?  I mean are they trying to make it easier for the Easties to show up?  West is west.  Needs to be in AZ or CA.   Just they way it is.



 


Technorati Tags: indian, ugliest indian, smoke out, smoke out west, SOW

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Las Vegas, Sammy Hagar and Motorcycles

Vegas.  I used to hate Vegas.  It all seemed luck such a tourist trap and a money gouge - and it is.  But I have never really tried to enjoy myself like I would in any other town.  The gambling wears off quick.  We won about enough to pay for our room and a couple meals.  Then we spent twice as much partying. 

Our goal was to rest by the pool for 3 days, but we spent all of about 3 hours by the pool.  No rental car.  We were going to taxi or walk, but instead we discovered the bus!  The Deuce that roams the strip at about 2 miles an hour proved to be fairly good transportation.  7 bucks for 24 hours or 15 bucks for 3 days.  At least no matter what happens, if you are close to the strip, you have a ride eventually.

We also scored a private driver to the Palomino.  The Palomino is on the extreme north end of town, past the old downtown and the Fremont Experience, and on into North Las Vegas.  But we had a blast at the Palomino, even if we blew a bunch of cash (and credit>)...

We got some cheap internet rooms at the Tuscany Suites.  Not a bad place for the great price my wife got.  But we decided from now on, we are headed for the old downtown.  The Fremont Experience wasn't anything to write home about, but anyplace you can walk, semi drunk, and not have to worry about cars, listen to live bands rocking, step in and gamble, buy trinkets, etc, all at one place, is pretty cool.  Cross over Las Vegas Blvd after youre done into the REAL part of town and check out the Griffin and the Beauty Shop.  We stumbled onto some live music in a very casual setting. 

Even google maps doesnt venture far down here. But let's face it, THIS is where you would hang out if you lived here.... 

The Strip is of course fun for oogling the tourists, if ya know whaddi mean...  We saw the leather covered chopper in Vince Neil's Ink...  It was definitely cool if impractical.  For some reason, I decided I was too cool for my camera, and now I missed out on pics of the Leather bike and an even BETTER creation at the Hard Rock Hotel on display next to the HRH shops.  Right next to the John Varvatos clothing store, or whatever the fuck it was.  I saw a cool pair of shoes in there and I snuck in to check them out, before any sales people could hone in on me.  Not bad, a quick glance at the price tag ....  848 bucks !?!  WTF???  Over?  Man a guy could by a frame for that price....  so I decided just to wear my own shoes until they were a cool, 'distressed' vintage leather.... fuck me to tears...

SO, I have no new pictures of cool bikes to share, today anyway. 

Heading out we had a bite in Sammy Hagar's beach bar in the McCarran Airport.  I didn't know it was a Sammy Hagar thing until I was sitting down and bludgeoned to death with the Sammy Hagar slide show.  Talk about Pimp My Sammy.... !!!  SO we got some nachos (the wife was jonesing and that was the reason we went in...).  The nachos were for shit.  Crummy chips, not like blue and white corn, just some cheap ass corn chips.  I got a Marguerita.  who can screw up a 'Rita?  Well, it wasnt bad, mind you.  Sammy has his own signature brand of Tequila...  but when I realized I was charged 13 bucks....  I thought she billed me for two, then I thought maybe it was a double.  Recheck the menu and... hmmm there are no prices on the 'Ritas.... well I'll be damned.... talk about caveat emptor...  Anyway, it was a mediocre 8 buck marguerita.  Talk about hype.

You know Vegas is about hype, nothing new there.  But I think I spent about 18 minutes in the Hard Rock.  I've been to the Hard Rock in Cairo and it was a cool place.  Pretty small with cool memorabilia on the walls.  This place was massive and impersonal, but man, the fucking POSERS.... everywhere.  I mean, afterall, it's just a casino....  Staying there or playing there doesnt make you Angelina.... hell I doubt she would be caught dead there...

But this idea that I might go to a restaurant because it has the name of a rockstar... or stay someplace just because it is expensive or has some name association... that is just plain dumb.  I just because you make great music doesnt mean you know shit about tacos...  Just because Elvis was the King, and he owned caddys and Harleys doesnt mean he could wrench on them.  Well, let's not bring Elvis into this, he hasn't done anything wrong....

So, it's time I get this off the ground.  I have a couple blogs, but I'm done with them.  I'm done with politics.  I want to spend some time with shit that makes me happy, not aggravated.  Anymore than computers aggravate just by existing...

....... hang in there

~mike  

 Technorati Tags: motorcycle, v-twin, chopper, its a chopper baby

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