2012 Triumph Explorer 1200 Xc on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Steve McQueen Inspired Motorcycle

British motorcycle manufacturer Triumph and Swiss watch manufacturer TAG Heuer have collaborated to create a special, one-of-a-kind “Bonneville Heuer” Triumph motorcycle. The association between Triumph and TAG Heuer comes as a result of their common values and the legacy of Steve McQueen, who was famously linked to both brands. The TAG Heuer Bonneville features a unique blue and orange paint scheme that was inspired by the Porsche sports car driven by Steve McQueen’s character in the movie Le Mans (1971).

Filling a void with an RD350LC

Last winter I managed to fill a void in my life when I stumbled on a very reasonably priced Yamaha RD350LC.  It was a tad scruffy, had the wrong exhausts but most importantly it was blue and white with all numbers matching.  I had the usual euphoria when the deal was done but I underestimated how much pleasure this particular purchase would continue to deliver another eight months down the line. The difference with this old bike is, instead of just taking it for the occasional ride I was talked into doing a full nut and bolt restoration.  Having never taking a bike apart completely before, initially it was quite daunting but I soon found the RD is easy to work on so it turned into a truly satisfying experience.  I’ve had some help from LC enthusiasts with the rebuild, however, the stripping, sourcing and organising was a total labour of love.  And call me sad but it has made me bond with this bike like no other which only adds to the feel good factor.  The bike cost £1800 and I’ve spent around £1000 but I reckon my mint Elsie is now worth a fair bit more.   I fancy rejuvenating a Fizzy  next time but there’s lots of other cheap 70’s and 80’s winter projects  out there so why not have a go yourself?

Church of MO: 2011 Triumph Sprint GT Review

Well I’ll be. Triumph doesn’t even make a sport-tourer anymore; they’ve all been phased out in favor of adventure bikes, looks like. The Honda VFR1200F that was supposed to be its competition is also long defunct, and the BMW K1300S has also left the building.