FAQ #2

Questions:
I've gotten several Q's about the 40-year-old motorcycle I mentioned in FAQ#1. They range from "What kind of bike is it?" to "Really? You? You don't seem like the biker type!" A couple of readers, who don't know me, have insinuated that I am revealing my inner Buddy Lembeck by riding an antique and they wonder why I don't upgrade to something more modern.

Answers:
The fact that I just made another 80's reference and tracked down a Lembeck photo is probably enough proof that I've come to accept (if not embrace) my nerdiness. Therein lies the rub. Being a mild mannered nerd and a motorcycle enthusiast constantly pits me against myself. The way I see it, the hardcore, carefree, rebel biker types seem to be happiest when they're rumbling through my quiet neighborhood waking up my sleeping kids or when they're staring down guys like me as we dutifully commute to our suit-and-tie corporate jobs in our milkstained family sedans. Me, on the other hand--I find myself coasting around the neighborhood quietly and politely waiting my turn at stoplights instead of cutting to the front of the line. It only takes a few minutes of motorcycle freedom, though, before I begin to leave a little nerdiness behind and start scowling at all those pathetic rat-racers out there.

Oh, right, the questions were about the bike, too. It's a 1968 Triumph Trophy Sports with original parts except for two little gas-line hoses and, of course, the tires. This magazine cover shows a bike absolutely identical to mine. As you can see by the coverline of the magazine, this was a "Big Performer" in its day. The fact that it is a '68 is significant because that year is widely regarded as the apex of Triumph coolness. In 1968 (as I am told) Triumphs were the coolest, fastest things around. The Trophy Sport won the famous Isle of Man race that year. In 1969, however, Honda and Kawasaki introduced Japanese motorcycles to the world and began several decades of Tokyoan dominance. Apparently, 1968 was a big enough deal to some bike enthusiasts that Triumph is selling retro accessories to make your newer bike look like a '68.

Wait! I don't want to sign off without clearing up one thing. I recently came to the conclusion that, after nearly 40 years of being pushed around by the Japanese makers, Triumph is back on top again. That revelation occurred to me the first time I saw Triumph's Rocket III. Apart from being the best looking motorcycle ever built (although it's so darn big, it really can't be compared to the Trophy) it is the redefinition of "Big Peformer." As if its very existence weren't enough good news, my dad just bought a new one: