TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES
TRIUMPHS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF MY FIRST MOTORCYCLE LOVES, MAINLY BECAUSE OF APPEARANCE AND SOUND. THE NEIGHBOR ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR RESEDA CALIFORNIA HOUSE HAD AN EARLY BONNEVILLE AND I REMEMBER THAT HE WOULD GIVE ME A RIDE ON ONE ONCE IN A WHILE.... IT WAS BITCHIN!
HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF OVER 35 CONCOURS LEVEL TRIUMPHS THAT I HAVE DONE OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS.
ONE OF MY BEGINNING RESTORATIONS DONE IN 1975 [1967 T100 R]
1971 T120R EVENTUALLY BECAME THE HIGHLY MODIFIED EXAMPLE SEEN BELOW; INCLUDING DISC BRAKE ADD TANK RACK AND FIVE SPEED TRANS AS WELL AS '66 ORANGE/WHITE PAINT SCHEME
THIS IS MY PERSONAL BIKE, STILL OWNED BY ME NOW. A 1970 TR6R, PURCHASED FOR $2000 IN 1991. IT EVENTUALLY BECAME THE BIKE SHOWN BELOW . I LATER TURNED THIS BIKE INTO A SHORT-ROD 750 IN 2013.
THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN IN NOVEMBER OF 2014
IN 1993 THIS SAME BIKE WAS USED IN A MARIE OSMOND PRODUCED TELEVISION SHOW THAT PROBABLY RAN FOR A FULL FOUR EPISODES! NEEDLESS TO SAY MANY SUCH PRODUCTIONS END UP IN THE TOILET. THEY PAID ME $300 TO LET THIS THING SIT STATIC ON STAGE 1 AT DISNEY- I DIDN'T SAY NO. IT WAS JUST DIRTIED UP WITH FULLERS EARTH THAT EASILY WASHES OFF WITH HOT SOAP AND WATER. HER BOYFRIEND ON THE SHOW WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN RESTORING A MOTORCYCLE. SO WE TOOK THE TANK, FRONT FENDER AND SEAT OFF FOR THE SHOT.
PRIOR TO CLEANING
THIS BIKE, A 1964 6-T THUNDERBIRD WAS ORIGINALLY DELIVERED IN GERMANY TO A FRIEND OF MY BROTHER'S JOHN FORSMAN; A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER. IT WAS GIVEN TO ME AS GIFT IN 1981. THE BIKE CAME FROM A VERY WET GARAGE IN LAUREL CANYON CALIFORNIA AND IN 1983 BECAME THE BIKE SHOWN BELOW.
JOHN WAS WORKING ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF A BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES DOING STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY. HE WAS SO ASTONISHED AT THE RESTORATION THAT HE INSISTED WE PUT IT IN THE ELEVATOR AND BRING ITUP TO HIS STUDIO TO SHOOT PHOTOS OF IT. WITH A 4X5 LARGE FORMAT PORTRAIT CAMERA AND 12' LIGHT-BOX YOU SEE THE BIKE FINISHED BELOW.
IN 1983 I WAS CONTACTED BY JOHNNY RIVERS [SINGER/SONGWRITER/PRODUCER----'POOR SIDE OF TOWN,' 'SECRET AGENT MAN,' 'SUMMER RAIN,' 'MOUNTAIN OF LOVE' ETC.] TO RESTORE HIS 1970 TR6C ORIGINALLY PURCHASED FROM BUD EKINS TRIUMPH IN SHERMAN OAKS CALIFORNIA. THE PHOTO SHOWN BELOW IS THE COMPLETED RESTORATION.
THIS BIKE WAS DONE IN 1982 FOR A PAT MULLIGAN IN TRADE FOR SOME CONSTRUCTION WORK ON MY SHOP
THIS BIKE, A 1957 T110 TRIUMPH, WAS PURCHASED FROM BOB FLECKENSTEIN IN 1983 FOR $1000. IT REMAINED A 'DESERT SLED' FOR ROUGHLY A YEAR TO BECOME THE MOTORCYCLE SHOWN BELOW. NOT DONE TOTALLY CORRECT AS IT WOULD BE FOR A STOCK T110 BUT CHOSE THIS SCHEME CAUSE I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEAUTIFUL IN RED/BLACK. THIS BIKE WOULD EVENTUALLY SELL IN 1984 FOR $5000- LOCATION NOW UNKOWN
THIS BIKE, ALTHOUGH HARD TO MAKE OUT, IS A 1964 TR6R THAT I PURCHASED FROM MY BUDDY'S NEIGHBOR FOR $75 THAT HAD BEEN SITTING OUT IN THE RAIN FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS THAT WAS A CHOPPER WHEN I GOT IT. I TURNED IT INTO A DIRT TRACKER WHICH I TOOK OUT TO EL MIRAGE DRY LAKE AND LEARNED HOW TO SLIDE AT A VERY HIGH RATE OF SPEED.
THIS PICTURE SHOWN IS FROM THE 1983 MOTORCYCLE SHOW AT THE LOS ANGELES CONVENTION CENTER SHOWING SOME OF MY STABLE.
MY SECOND OF THREE 1966 BONNEVILLES THAT I'VE OWNED OVER THE YEARS DONE IN 1977- UNFORTUNATELY WAS SOLD AND WENT TO ENGLAND INITIALLY AND ENDED UP EVENTUALLY IN JAPAN.
THIS BIKE, A 1968 TR6R, WAS DONE FOR A FRIEND DUSTY ACKERMAN IN 1978- SOLD IN 1981 AND RESURFACED FOR SERVICE IN 2013!
THIS IS AN ORIGINAL 1954 TERRIER 150. I FOUND THIS BIKE IN AN ORIGINAL STATE IN 1980 FOR $400
THIS IS A BEFORE PICTURE OF A 1967 BONNEVILLE DONE FOR A MARC LASKY (OWNER LASKY COACH WORKS WEST LA CALIFORNIA....SEE SOME OF MARC'S PROJECTS AT http://www.laskycoachworks.com)- THE LOWER IMAGE IS THE FINISHED PRODUCT DONE 1994. THIS BIKE, IN THE MIDST OF ITS RESTORATION WAS SUBJECTED TO THE 1994 NORTHRIDGE EARTHQUAKE. BEING PROPPED UP ONLY ON THE CENTER STAND AND THE FRONT SLIDERS SUPPORTED BY A BLOCK OF WOOD THIS BIKE WAS THE ONLY MOTORCYCLE OF SEVEN IN MY GARAGE THAT DIDN'T GET THROWN ON ITS SIDE....YOU WOULD HAVE HAD TO BE THERE TO UNDERSTAND THE FORCE OF THAT EARTHQUAKE! SHOWN BELOW IS FINISHED BIKE [LATER 1994]
THIS IS A PHOTO OF MY 1963 BONNEVILLE; DONE ORIGINALLY WITH SCRAMBLER PIPES, I LATER CHANGED IT TO A DOWN-PIPE SYSTEM AS IT EXISTS TODAY.
THIS BIKE WAS DONE IN LATE 1983-84 FOR A JOEL LACKEY AND MADE THE COVER OF BRITISH CAR AND BIKE. THIS BIKE SHORTLY AFTER WAS SOLD TO JAY LENO AND STILL RESIDES IN HIS PRIVATE COLLECTION TODAY.
WALT WITH WIFE LAURA AND ELDEST SON GERRAD AT 'ENGLISH RIDE' (HANSEN DAM) IN 2009 WITH AQUAINTENCE JAY LENO; ALWAYS APPROACHABLE AND FRIENDLY AT SUCH EVENTS.
THIS BIKE WAS PURCHASED FROM A JAY STRAIT (SOUTHBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS) WHO IS ALSO A TRIUMPH GURU (508-764-8627) IN SPRING 2010 AND SOLD TO MARK SELKIRK. THIS BIKE WOULD BE MY LAST RESTORATION. FINISHED IN FALL 2010. MARK, A CUSTOM PAINTER/LETTERER/STRIPER DID ALL THE PAINT WORK AND STILL OWNS AND OPERATES 'THE CUSTOM SHOP' CANOGA PARK, CALIFORNIA 818-340-0696
WALT AND WIFE LAURA TAKEN IN 1986 ON ONE OF HIS 1966 BONNEVILLES WITH THE SANTA SUSANA MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND. HUNDREDS OF OLD WESTERNS WERE FILMED IN THIS SAME LOCATION.
THIS BIKE IS OWNED AND WAS CREATED FOR VINCE YNCERA. IT WAS PURCHASED AS A ROUGHLY ASSEMBLED CHOPPER WITH A HONDA 500 DISC BRAKE FRONT END. THE BIKE IS A 1969 T100C. WE FIRST MADE IT RUN AND THEN DISSASSEBLED FOR REBUILD. AN ORIGINAL FRONT END WAS ACQUIRED AS WELL AS VINTAGE FORK SPRING COVERS. WHEELS ARE ORIGINAL 1969 TRIUMPH LACED WITH HIGH SHOULDER ACRONT ALLOY RIMS.
FRONT FENDER, OIL TANK, BATTERY BOX, CISSY-BAR AND REAR TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY, CENTER STAND AND CHAIN GUARD WERE CUSTOM FABRICATED. FUEL TANK AND REAR FENDER, SOLO SEAT AND SPRINGS WERE PURCHASED FROM LOWBROW CUSTOMS.
FUEL TANK, OIL TANK, BATTERY BOX AND TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY ARE ALL RUBBER MOUNTED.
THIS BIKE WAS COMPLETED JANUARY 2022.