Many classic car enthusiasts cut their teeth on motorcycles and that is where we learnt our basic mechanical skills. We then progress to worn out cars upgrading them until we were able to drive around in relatively new cars. Then when we have a lot more money, we go back to buying those worn out cars and call them classics.
Some people stay part of the biking fraternity, others leave and come back when they are older and allegedly wiser. I started aged 16 with a Garelli Rekord moped, replaced by a Yamaha FS1E (Fizzy) and then after turning 17, a Suzuki GT 125 which resulted in my first serious crash. Having written that bike off I moved on to a Yamaha RD250 which was incredibly fast. I took a break then but after a few years I bought a BMW 650 TL finally retiring from bikes aged 28.
A number of my friends have returned to biking in their 50’s and have tried to enlist me in their gang. I have declined so far because I can’t find a bike that appeals to me. Modern bikes seem soulless in comparison to the bikes of the past.
I was part of a biker family (my father never had a car licence) and it was the time when British manufacturers were fighting for survival against Japanese imports. Fast, reliable and oil tight British manufacturers were never going to win. Because I was a part of this short era of change, I am open to British, Japanese and Italian bikes which we rode at the time.
So it was interesting to see a 1977 Triumph Bonneville ‘Silver Jubilee’ 750 in time warp condition coming to market.
One of only 1000 ‘Silver Jubilee’ motorcycles allocated for the British market and one of 2400 built in total, this Triumph Bonneville was supplied new to a UK Triumph dealer in 1977. Initially unregistered for the road, the bike became a display item, its first owner only parting with it in 1996. The second owner registered the bike with an age related number plate while maintaining the originality of the regal machine which has barely been ridden since the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. It now presents in impeccably preserved condition with delivery mileage showing on its odometer – just 7.7 miles.
The Triumph Bonneville is an iconic bike in its own right, the ‘Silver Jubilee’ “Bonnie” was a rare special edition souvenir, created to mark the 25th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne. Based on a T140 model, it was given a bespoke metallic silver paint scheme, red, white and blue accents, and additional chrome and commemorative decals. Each was supplied with a signed certificate of authenticity from Triumph, carrying the approval of Buckingham Palace.
This motorcycle shows very little wear since the day it rolled from Triumph’s factory at Meriden in Coventry. Entirely original and unrestored, it is free from any of the deterioration you would expect of a vehicle its age – even all of the special ‘Silver Jubilee’ badges and stickers are present and correct. Given its dignified life of luxury on static display, the bike’s matching-numbers air-cooled 744cc parallel twin engine is not currently in running order, it would be an ideal candidate for recommissioning should its new keeper wish to ride it.
Underlining the machine’s originality, it is accompanied by its factory-supplied owner’s handbook, unused original tool kit and a substantial history file. In addition, comes correspondence from the Triumph Owners Motorcycle Club confirming its authenticity and underlining its rarity, just 81 examples were known to the club back in 1996.
The five day auction starts on 20th August with estimates that the motorcycle could sell for around £15k. That seems like a good price to me, but not enough to get me back on the road. It simply wouldn’t keep up with the new bikes.