Change it is inevitable and it is constant, be it a change in scenery around the house or the changes in noises you make as you get up off the floor from working on your bike…things change. I recently made a change on the job front and I hear what y’all are saying, “Rigid You Dumb F__K! You gave up managing at a strip club…to do what?”
I learned that it is a little easier to work in the same town your mortgage is in. That being said, yes I did make a change back to a job in the “real world”. What is unusual and somewhat of a redeeming factor is the place I am at now has some interesting things going on.
You see when I first met with the owner, we were talking, and I mentioned how I do the photographic thing. Turned out he restores Triumphs and had one he needed some images of to submit for consideration into a gallery showing and wanted to know if I would be interested in talking the images. OK, not a bad way to start a job interview, but still didn’t guarantee the job, but hey I’ll make a little coin. I later learned that three of his sons work there as well, all three ride dirt bikes and have for years. Two ride to work, one on a Suzuki and the other a Buell.
Come to find out Danny the owner has been around motorcycles for years, beginning his two-wheel odyssey with a basket case Triumph Tiger Cub he assembled and learned to ride. It later became his collage transportation. He even fashioned a carrier on the back of a ‘56 Ford so he could haul the Cub with him on longer trips. Hey, it’s not a trailer.
Once he got a “real job” (there’s that damn word again). He had the fastest Bonneville around, choosing to stick with the Brits. He said he did try lots of other brands over the years, even once getting caught riding a Honda from Dallas across country, but it was to Idaho to see Evil Knievel at Snake River Canyon, so I guess that was OK.
Seems that his interest in mechanics and a 3-year stint living in England finally sealed the deal with the British rides and his interest in restoring these machines. Danny has a 67 Triumph Saint, that was restored by Big “D” Triumph, now that in itself may not be all that rare, except this is one of a small handful sent over to be used as Police bikes. Even has an original single seat he got from his friend Jack before he sold his off. Very rare, I guess the police bike deal never came to be though.
But his favorite is the 1953 Triumph Blackbird you see here, the Blackbirds are the wicked offshoots of the Thunderbirds sold elsewhere and which in 1953 were blue. Seems we Americans wanted nothing much to do with the blue version, so the factory produced the US-only available model in black! Besides aren’t Thunderbirds a car? Anyway the bike, before you, took three years of gathering parts and another three years with the restoration.
Once again the parts on this bike are originals from the seat, very difficult to find. My understanding is you can purchase the seat tag and rivets for an aftermarket seat. The carburetor, tire pump, etc. are all originals! Next take a look at the rear hub that is the suspension. That is just way cool!
I did learn some additional items during my shoot, which y’all may just roll your eyes and go Duh, but it seems that Triumph is known for using several different types of fasteners on their bikes. I don’t mean different manufactures or brands. I mean types and thread patterns on the same bike. Danny showed me a cylinder that used two different types of bolts, with two different types of threads to secure the heads. Seems if they ran out of something, they just used whatever was handy. But hey that’s no big issue; you just have to stock a few more items.
The Blackbird did get accepted to the by-invitation-only Concours d’Elegence at the Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington, Ohio, on October 7, so you can see it there. And who knows maybe in the future Danny will share another one of his bikes with us. I did see a 1935 BSA in the garage.
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/class2006/concours/index.asp
Oh, and for all of you still deep in sorrow over the strip club thing, I have already offered to pick up some Saturday shifts for the GM when I am in town. And if there are any Austin gentlemen’s club managers needing some help on the weekend just give me a shout!
Till next time,
–RFR
