Retro Beckons but Motorbike Parts Site Keeps Classics Running

Filed in archive Information About on December 16, 2009

In the unlikely event that I were ever to buy a motorcycle and learn to ride it, my choice would not be a Harley. Nor would it be a screaming Japanese pocket rocket. No, I'd want a vintage-styled British machine like the Triumph Thruxton, seen above, for the same reason I prefer classic automobiles. The Thruxton draws on the Spartan café racing machines of the sixties and takes its name from the near-mythic racing Triumphs of that era. To me it represents what motorcycling should be: pure, simple, just an engine, two wheels, a seat and a pair of handlebars. A bike meant for country roads where handling is more important than flat-out acceleration and where the ride is about harmony between man and machine. Or woman for that matter, as I imagine she would find the Thruxton more flattering to her senses than a rumbling old beast ridden by an overweight guy in a tin-pot helmet. With 68 horsepower and 51 lb-ft of torque coming from an 865cc parallel-twin it's not hugely powerful; just powerful enough.

From what little I do know of motorcycling I'm aware that bike owners are sometimes in need of hard-to-find spares and in that regard a UK Website called VivaStreet rides to the rescue with a vast number of motorbike parts. Interesting accessories, too. Hmmm... perhaps I'm not too old for that Vincent Black Shadow, after all.