Triumph and Tribulations: Final Days in UK

Abhi Eswarappa

August 24, 2017 at 8:00 AM

Triumph and Tribulations: Final Days in UK

Abhi shares the third and final part of his UK adventure

We're back in England, which means our time in the UK is coming to a close. I try not to let that bum me out because there's still plenty to enjoy. In fact, less than half an hour after we hit the UK from the Isle of Man, we arrive at a road that is unusable 10 hours a day!

READ MORE: Triumph and Tribulations: Part 2 | RideApart

Our waitress at lunch suggests we stop by the famous tree at Sycamore Gap, and we take her up on the suggestion. On the way, we ride through the village of Once Brewed (which is also known as Twice Brewed). Weirdly, if you enter town from the east, you'll see the town name of "Once Brewed". If you come from the west, you'll see "Twice Brewed". There's a few versions of why this discrepancy exists - but a popular explanation is that soldiers who were about to take part in the Battle of Hexham in 1454 asked for their beer to be brewed again so it would be up to "fighting strength." This makes no sense to me because brewing beer is not a quick process, but it's a cute story so I'll let the lie continue.

The name might change but one thing is consistent - speed limits enforced by cameras.

The tree at Sycamore Gap because famous after it was featured in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. To get there, you have to hike. There are two options: a flat indirect route, and a hilly route along Hadrian's Wall. Vy and I decide to take the latter, because she likes hiking and I like her more than I hate hiking. Barely.

If you needed a reminder from Part 2 of this story, there are sheep everywhere.

We try to get them to lead us to the wall. It does not work.

We meet the Wall. Hiking up and down hills in full motorcycle gear is not the best decision I've ever made.

Every Roman mile (approximately 4,850 feet versus the 5,280 feet in a modern mile), Hadrian's Wall has a series of small forts that are called milecastles. You can probably guess how the name came about. In general, each milecastle functioned as protected gateways and they housed 20-30 soldiers.

The remains of Milecastle 39, also known as Castle Nick. It was excavated twice in the 1900s and the results show that it was most likely occupied until the late 300s.

Voila - England's Tree of the Year for 2016. Yes, apparently that's a real award.

Vy attempts to capture the majesty.

At this point in the hike I try to imagine what it must have been like to be an enemy of the Romans hundreds of years ago. It's one thing to worry about conquering a wall that could be up to 20 feet tall. It's another thing when said 20 feet are added to 100+ feet of natural elevation change.

Note the trees growing through the rock wall.

Our hike takes so long that all the other forts that are normally open to the public have closed. Still, at the next one we notice a sign with some important life advice.

You know what they say - look out for Dutch Teachers!

We hit the road again and make our way west. I'm happy with the power and comfort of our Triumph Tiger Explorer loaner but if I do this trip again I'll probably use a smaller bike. Most of our trip is on smaller B roads (For those of you playing along in the States, a B road is a narrow country lane, often only wide enough for a single car –Ed), so the big motor isn't required, and there are a few times in twisties and in village centers when I would prefer a lighter, more maneuverable mount.

Making our way toward the Lake District.

Speaking of village centers, our first stop the next day is Grasmere - William Wordsworth called it "the loveliest spot that man hath ever found." We stop in town to check out the famous gingerbread shop. While in line, I notice that someone has taken a bit of interest in the Triumph.

I've compared the Explorer the R 1200 GS a few times over this story, but there's something that the GS can never match in the UK: how much locals love seeing this bike. I hear the gamut from "I didn't know Triumph was still making bikes" (What rock had that person been living under? –Ed), to "I've been saving up for one of those," but everyone that wants to talk to me about the Explorer shares the same appreciation. I don't know if "locals love it" is really a reason to buy one bike over another, but I guess it can't hurt.

Per usual with tourist traps, the employees dress up in costume.

From 1660-1854, this was the village school.

Crossing back across the country, we make our way through the Yorkshire Dales. Guess what? We saw more sheep! But this time they are incredibly close to the road.

Seems like this is asking for trouble.

Something you don't see very much in the United States: a trailer being towed by a classic sedan.

Can our European readers identify this car?

This sign caught our attention. Unlike with the car above, I'm able to identify the bike. If you need a hint, think Italian.

It's put up by The Shiny Side Up Partnership, a campaign designed to reduce the number of injuries suffered by motorcyclists. It's been around since 2002 and it is primarily comprised of "professionals from Road Safety, Accident Investigation, and Police Traffic Management teams."

At our next stop, I had a much more difficult time identifying the bikes. The National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull contains the world's largest collection of British bikes. There are five halls with more than 170 manufacturers represented and 1,000 motorcycles. Here's a few of my highlights but you'll really need to spend a full day here.

The NMM hosts 250,000 visitors a year.

As you enter, the free-to-access lobby gives you a taste of what you can look forward to, like this Silk 700S.

This is powered by a 660cc two-stroke twin that was good for 45 horsepower. With a weight of just 310 lbs and a Spondon racing frame, this was a fun ride that was just too expensive to be commercially successful.

A 1912 Wilkinson TMC Series V.

TMC stands for Touring Motor Cycle. A left foot pedal works the clutch while two separate pedals on the right side independently control the two rear brake shoes. But that's not all...there's no throttle like you're used to, you manage engine speed by working air and fuel levels on the right handlebar!

A large chunk of the foyer's real estate is consumed by a raffle for a BSA Goldie.

The Gold Star name is traced back to the BMCRC - they used to give a 'gold star' to any rider who lapped the Brooklands bowl at >100 mph during a club race. A racer named Wal Handley did it on a BSA Empire Star, so BSA commemorated the achievement with the now-legendary bike.

I buy a ticket for the museum but not for the raffle and head into the exhibits. Hall 1 is the older stuff, built between 1898-1960. The bikes are on display in chronological order, and I start with a 1898 Beeston Humber trike.

This was a licensed copy of the De Dion trike and it featured a 400cc motor with enough power to flirt with the UK's national speed limit of 12 mph at the time.

At first glance, they all look very similar. But closer inspection reveals some interesting design choices that companies experimented with before bikes became relatively standardized. That's one of the many reasons why historians like The Vintagent are so fascinating.

A 1953 Wooler 500. The distinctive drivetrain features a flat four with shaft drive, just like the Honda Gold Wing that would come out 20+ years later. Unlike the Gold Wing, only five of these are believed to have been built.

1921 Autoglider scooter - the museum's informational plaque says this was advertised as being "the perfect machine for either sex."

Halls 2-4 are sorted alphabetically by manufacturer name. Hall 2 simply runs from A-C, though BSA is omitted. There are some special displays for military bikes, "working" bikes (police/ambulance), a photo studio that is dedicated to a special machine, and 22 prototypes.

The "working" bikes. All the way on the left is a London Ambulance Norton Commander, 4th from the left is a Rickman Metisse police bike, and the 5th from the left is a Triumph Thunderbird 6TP. The Triumph would eventually become officially known as the SAINT, and the folk tale is that it stood for "Stop Anything In No Time."

This might be my favorite bike in the entire collection - a 1939 Brough Superior "Golden Dream". This was to be Brough's halo bike but World War I got in the way after just five examples were built. The drivetrain was an opposed-four with shaft drive. Are you sensing a theme here?

During my visit, the photo studio displays a 1963 Marsh MR4. It's got a great history - a shipyard worker in Southampton named Fred Marsh decided he was sick of the Italians beating the English in 50s Grand Prix racing, so he did something about it.⠀

The motor uses some pieces from a Triumph Terrier and a MV Agusta 125, but the majority of the motor was built from scratch on a lathe.

Obviously, not much came from this, but Motor Cycle News tested it in 1966 and was able to wring out 9,000 rpm from the motor, a 500cc in-line four. Per the museum, Marsh ended up moving on to a V8 project before he really finished this bike.

Marsh passed away in 1978, and his friend John Miell fixed it up with newer carbs and some modifications to address valve gear issues. Because of the lack of spare parts, Miell never raced it, but he said that while parading the bike he hit 9,500 rpm in 3rd gear - that works out to 130 mph.

Commando fans, here's your chance for a double take. Yes, that says 900.

This prototype was dubbed "Trisolastic" because Norton shoved a Trident triple motor into the famous Isolastic frame.

One of the most absurd bikes at the museum is another Norton prototype - the Nemesis. Conceived in 1998, it featured a 1,500cc V8 that was claimed to put out 235 hp and 111 lb-ft of torque paired with a push-button transmission and F1-inspired active suspension. Claimed top speed? 225 mph. Of course, it was all just a bunch of claims, and the British rag MCN has since called it one of the greatest hoaxes in motorcycling.

My new favorite model name for a motorcycle.

1914 Clyno Sidecar. Built for WWI, this has a legendary reliable Vickers Maxim machine gun.

Don't get too excited - the mount was just for transportation to a certain spot where the gun would be removed and deployed for use.

Another fascinating military bike is the Welbike, which was designed to be dropped out of planes in parachute-equipped containers that would fall safely to earth. That was the theory - turns out there were plenty of problems that made it impractical for wartime service.

Would you trust your life to a 1.5 horsepower scooter with no suspension?

Hall 3 is for BSA and then for D-N (but not Norton). I can barely keep myself away from the Heskeths, starting with a couple of Vampires. Just 40 were built and two are in front of me. The original V1000 had its flaws, but at least it was good looking. The Vampires (V1000s with a full fairing, if I'm allowed to oversimplify) are so ugly it's almost charming.

Weirdly, one of Hesketh's test riders named Mick Broom kept the brand alive by maintaining existing models and building new ones in minuscule numbers. The bike on the left was built in 2004 out of original parts from the 80s.

In 1989, Mick Broom built a prototype called the Vortan. Eight deposits were received, which wasn't enough to go into production. This bike also illustrates my only real complaint about this museum - there's not enough room so all the bikes are packed together. There are lots of fascinating details that I want to take a closer look at, but it's not possible. Woe is me.

It's an interesting combination of the classic Hesketh V-Twin with modern (for the time) tech like Marvic magnesium wheels and Lockheed race-spec brakes.

Hall 4 is for Norton and the rest of the alphabet.

READ MORE: Why British Riders are Better | RideApart

Norman Hyde was a draftsman at Norton Villiers Triumph when it collapsed in 1975. He started his own shop and by '88 he was producing his own bike, called the Harrier. The idea was that he'd take a inline triple from the Trident 160 and put it in a sport bike frame. 62 horsepower won't throw your head back but for a select few it is the perfect combination of classic motor and modern handling. Doesn't hurt that it looks like a '70s endurance racer, either!

This is one of at least 35 Harriers that have been built, and I'm in love with the shade of blue it is adorned in.

A timeline of Nortons.

Almost 100 years of Norton history are synthesized down into a few square feet.

All that Norton history starts here with their first bike, the Energette.

This is a 1903 model, though the first Energettes were built in 1902. Just three known examples have survived.

Let's get a closer look at that motor.

It's a 142cc motor made by a French firm called Clement. This bike doesn't have it, but Norton offered a two-speed option to make it easier to get up hills.

The Nortons are wonderful but Hall 5 is easily my favorite. This hall is dedicated to race bikes and world record breaking motorcycles.

Welcome to the good stuff!

This is a 1929 Chater-Lea frame that became known as "Copperknob" for obvious reasons.

Over the years it had a variety of engines and a decent amount of racing success.

The tank of a '36 New Imperial Works Racer. The NMM says it's arguably "the most handsome machine of the thirties." It's definitely one of the most distinctive.⠀

New Imperial's previous efforts with welded alloy fuel tanks had a nasty habit of splitting so the company decided to incorporate a technique from aircraft manufacturers of the time period. The seams were riveted together and seals were created with interwoven strips of thin rubber.

As you'd expect from a museum in England, there's a lot of love here for Norton. Here's the first prototype Norton built to see if their rotary motor had the chops for racing.

It became affectionately known as "Waltzing Walter" because it would shimmy on full throttle.
Impressively, this put down 125 hp after some modifications to a production motor that came out of a crashed cop bike. The stock motors were good for 85 hp.

Another one of my favorites is this 1962 Ariel Arrow modified for sprint racing. The work was done by British Sprint champion George Brown and his brother Cliff. Per the museum, George broke seven different British speed records with this bike in one weekend. In 1966, George was able to hit 122.45 mph in a flying start kilometer.⠀

Look at all the speed holes! Nearly everything that could be drilled out to save weight has been - the frame and forks are particularly fascinating.

George Brown also built the "Super Nero", a supercharged sprint racer using a Vincent 1,000cc motor that was eventually replaced with a built 1,300cc powerplant.

As you saw with the Arrow above, weight savings were key for George and Cliff. That's why they built their own tube frame for this racer and used the front forks from a Honda 70cc step through scooter!

The Velocette Venom was famous for being the first bike to average over 100 mph over a 24-hour period. This bike is the actual one that set the record back in March of 1961.

At night, this bike was wired up with 50(!) car headlights to provide enough light for triple digit speeds.

I save the fastest for last. This is the Gilette Mach 3 Challenger, the fastest motorcycle of the 20th century thanks to a 330.639 mph run at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

It's powered by three rocket motors that produced approximately 6,000 hp. The bike was towed up to 60 mph before the rockets were fired up.

Unfortunately, to set the world record the bike had to run in the opposite direction within an hour and that proved impossible due to tire issues and salt condition. Still, it must have been quite a sight:

The photos above show you a small fraction of what the National Motorcycle Museum has to offer. The most incredible aspect of it all might just be that in 2003, a cigarette started a fire that destroyed 380 bikes and caused over £14 million in damage. The museum responded with a £20m investment and within 15 months they were open again. 150 of the damaged motorcycles were restored for the re-opening.

After a quick stop in Oxford, we make our way toward London.

It's bizarre to me that I'm allowed to split lanes between opposing directions of traffic.

Our lucky streak with the weather ends and we are forced to deal with a torrential downpour to make up for the fact that we haven't had any real rain all trip.

Good gear will get you through a lot.

We spend some time in London to see the usual sights. As our trip comes to an end and we make our way back to return the Triumph, we randomly ride by the headquarters of The Bike Shed. I take it as a sign that we have to pop in for a moment.

Street parking is just about non-existent, so the Bike Shed cleverly offers indoor parking in the back. I'm sure on popular days it turns into an impromptu bike show.

We get lunch in the restaurant and I enjoy a bottle of the theme-appropriate Old Engine Oil black ale. The Bike Shed also has a classifieds section on their site and some of the bikes are on display at headquarters.

That custom Royal Enfield on the left is currently available for about $11,300.

My favorite of the group is Wrenchmonkee #69, a 2003 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883.

It's no longer available online so it may have sold, but during my visit the asking price was ~$19,300.

Alas, our time in England must come to a close, so we leave The Bike Shed the same way we entered...through tables of diners.

Your personality will determine if you should stop at The Bike Shed or the Ace Cafe. Try to make time for both!

We make our way back to the drop off point and it's time to unpack 138 liters worth of storage. At the beginning of this story I mentioned that there was no higher purpose to this trip - we just wanted to explore new countries. After 10 days, it's clear to me that we need to come back and for much longer.

The bike goes back to Triumph as we discuss the highlights of our trip.

The motorcycling culture out here is outstanding. Lane splitting is the norm, so car drivers (and most bus drivers) expect you and make room for you. Lots of riders use bikes as daily transportation instead of just weekend toys, so motorcycles are more commonplace and accepted. You don't get people who see you in gear and immediately feel obligated to tell you about their uncle's cousin's stepson who got hurt in a motorcycle accident 7 years ago. Instead, you get tales about wonderful trips, recommendations on roads to take, and introductions to other motorcyclists.

One of my favorite days of the trip was a visit to a vintage track day that I only discovered because our bed and breakfast host saw that we were on a bike and told us we should check it out because her son was racing. Sure, the weather isn't ideal (we got lucky), but the community is great. Now if they could just do something about those speed cameras...

Triumph and Tribulations: Final Days in UK