I love new things that look old. To be honest, it’s become almost a joke.
Right now, here’s a list of all the faux vintage stuff in my life: A Brooklyn “loft” built in 2008. A “Vintage” style Leica from 2018 with auto focus and 4k video, A 2013 Aston Martin with a badge and styling cues from the 70s, A 2021 Omega Seamaster nostalgic for the World War II Royal Navy, and my new favorite Ralph Lauren pants that would look more at home in 1920s Paris. The harsh reality is I love vintage style but am too lazy to deal with the complications of anything that’s actually vintage.
One purchase in particular got me on the recreation and homage bandwagon, my 2016 Triumph Thruxton motorcycle.
At first glance the cafe racer style bike looks straight from the 1960s. Clip-on handlebars attach behind a round flat headlight with a tank sculpted just enough to accommodate a gentleman racer’s knees. A solo seat emphasizes that this is for lonesome travelers.
The thing is, the bike is entirely modern. The highly visible carbs are actually a facade, just a cover for the electronic fuel injection system. There are multiple driving modes, an electronic fuel gauge, and ABS.
My Triumph is a great bike, but sometimes I do feel a bit like a poser. When I had it in NYC, almost once a day an old man would stop in the crosswalk to inform me he had a similar bike in 1968. When I’d tell him it’s younger than his third granddaughter, he'd inevitably be deflated.
Is it dishonest to have vintage style without being actually vintage? In the case of this Triumph my definitive answer is no. Shooting across a causeway in the night air, the rider’s still at the same risk levels as his grandfather was a generation ago. Yes, it doesn’t require a craftsman to tune the carbs, but it’s much more mechanical than a modern car.
Most importantly, the motorcycle look was perfected in the 60s, so why change? Harley knows this, they’ve been trading on Easy Rider to sell to boomer stock brokers for years.
Why I bought the bike
In short, I didn’t mean too, it just happened. Going to my local dealer I had the best intentions: buy a totally modern BMW. But when I got there I fell for the bike like Jack fell for Rose on the Titanic.
From there, it was a honeymoon. We traveled around New York City together, exhaust burbling and catching eyes. Parking it in front of my apartment, I put on a Fort Knox level chain to keep the thieves at bay. The bike even helped my social life, I made friends joining other wannabe cafe racers for monthly meet ups.
This period of our relationship culminated with an epic road trip. We cruised down to Virginia to traverse Skyline drive. My spine tingled as I zipped around mountain passes, blissfully unaware of Virginia’s draconian speeding laws. The Thruxton gave a legendary performance, soaking up hours of highway travel and playfully attacking the corners at the destination.
Like a relationship, however, we began to have a rough patch. The stresses of COVID, and moving, built a distance between us.
Trial Separation
It was Feb 2020 and we packed the car up to head down to Florida, thinking we were going to have a long relaxing three week vacation seeing family. It did not work out that way!
Over the next 4 months I was in Sarasota without my bike, and honestly I sort of forgot about her. I drove my VW GTI, in easy air conditioned comfort, to the beach and the grocery store. On the empty Florida roads four wheels weren’t so bad after all.
June arrived and we decided to drive back to the City. In my garage the lonesome bike sat, dusty and unloved. It took me a couple days to build up the courage to try and go for a ride. I felt guilty that my neglect had imparted some sort of terrible mechanical problem. That I was a bad owner.
Early one morning, on a perfect Summer day I decided to go for it. After a thorough dust off the bike started without a single problem. At first I planned a simple spin around the city, a couple hours later I sat atop Bear mountain, wondering how I ever doubted my trusty Triumph.
Back Together and It Feels so Good
We made it through the rough patch and now we're better than ever. My bike is down here in Miami with me and is the perfect companion. We go on sunset rides, and even have a new circle of biker friends.
Despite being older she still gets looks on the street. In front of Panther coffee a couple stopped and stared. I felt proud she was the only bike getting attention.
Yes I am attracted to flashier sport bikes, more comfortable touring bikes, or just the new in general. But, in the end, I will always come back to my Triumph. It just acts, and feels, like a motorcycle should. With this sort of relationship, emotion is more important than practicality.
I am not known for my love of cars or motorcycle's, though I appreciate them both. But this article had me smiling throughout the entire article and wishful to see your bike in person! Great article Andrew!!!