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Trevor the Trident
Guido gets a pukka classic bike
Maybe I’m finally getting the hang of this classic bike thing, but it’s up for debate. Winston the 1947 Sunbeam S7 somehow never really made the classic bike cut with all sorts of folk. And I’m not entirely sure why, but suspect it was too old (it just makes the cut-off date for local vintage clubs), too obscure (there are at best 200 examples surviving world-wide) and too weird.
Which is a shame as the old dear is up and running, and looks as handsome as ever.
No matter. Must try harder.
Spannerman recommended the Meriden Triumph T160 as a more realistic road mount, so I made some enquiries via Phil Pilgrim of Union Jack Motorcycles fame. The brief was to let me know if a Meriden Trident – one that would not cause too much grief – came up for sale. A year later I got the call (but not in the religious sense). “If you’re serious about a Trident, this is the one to buy,” he said. Blunt and to the point, as always.
“Ring Tony – he’s also a pilot, but works for an airline.” Unlike muggins, who will rightly never get a real job in aviation.
It’s about time to say that Pilgrim is, whether he likes it or not, one of my classic bike mentors. He introduced me to the dubious joys of the things over 20 years ago, with some iconic machinery such as Vincent singles and twins.
Another was old mate Trevor Thomas (RIP) who just wore me down over 20-plus years with his bubbling enthusiasm for the breed. Though tied to a wheelchair by an unfortunate incident with a twin many years before, he helped to found the NSW Classic Club. And developed my respect for the class.
So I bought Tony’s bike, a T150V – which means it’s a pre-lekky start model with a right-change five-speed box.
I suspect the trip in the back of the truck down from Queensland to Victoria did the machine no favours. Though not an expert on these things, I’ve ridden literally hundreds of models over the last quarter century and this one was defeating me. A call to Phil, and I got it running but it had problems.
Move on a week, and I took Tony’s advice to update the ignition. So now it’s running well, thanks to the weird but dedicated folk at City Auto Electric Tragics (that’s their description, and yes, I did pay for the service).
Now it’s on to Phil to change the handlebars for something less American or ape-friendly, replace the fork seals, and get a service. He’ll hit me with a bill, and then we can discuss the message he sent when I bought the bike. It was, “welcome to classic motorcycing”, followed by far too much chuckling.
Apparently I’ve joined the classic coven and now I’m scared. Ms M Senior tried to warn me about this. Reading between the lines, I think she said she didn’t want me to end up another dribbling fool, stammering in the shed alone about left-threaded thermongrommets.
I even tried to warn myself years ago, having written a vicious column about the tragedy of seeing grown men littering the roadside on the way to a classic rally, blubbering about how much they spent and why their roadside ornament should run.
Spannerman reckons I’ve bought the wrong model, but there is one thing that cheers me up. Our old mate Trevor Thomas would be delighted. He was mildly approving when I brought the Hinckley Daytona 1200 home, but really wanted to see a Meriden bike in the shed. And now it’s happened. I can’t tell you how much I want to call and tell him. But no longer can.
So what else could I call it but Trevor the Trident? I’ll think of him every time every time we ride…
You’re always welcome to get in touch (and send counsellors) via the palatial MT offices at locked bag 12, Oakleigh 3166; Or on the wire at guy.allen@traderclassifieds.com.au.
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