A cracking photo courtesy of James Kelly. So many neat details in the photo. The bike is a pre-unit Triumph 6T Thunderbird and customised in a very period evocative way - whitewall tyres, leopard print seat and chromed headlamp peak. All we know about the photo is the chap aboard the Triumph goes by the name of 'Gray Bailey', his outfit is of a level of awesomeness to match his bike: drainpipes, turn ups, snazzy socks, pointed toe loafers and, hard to say from the photo, but that could well be a velvet jacket.
And compare our chap Gray and his Triumph to the background. The bike is a colourful ton up flying machine, he is a snappy dresser. In the background are dull fifties steel box cars merely capable of wheezing along at 40mph whilst the Triumph flies past them and their dull grey occupants. Post war fifties optimism and youth culture in one crinkled old snap.
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| Gray Bailey and his Triumph Thunderbird. By the way the numberplate is a Portsmouth one and the location may well be Bournemouth. |
Not a Thunderbird though,alloy head,dynamo, big front brake, black and white colour scheme I'd plump for T110, RTP reg only issued for oct 1958, very sort issue life. Looks like a student swot type, an authentic rocker would have 6 inch turn ups on those jeans, and winkle pickers or creepers, not loafers.Snazzy socks.
ReplyDeleteHi Ken. Cheers for the positive bike id. Fifties and sixties Triumphs are not really my area. Thanks too for the fifties fashion id. I didn't think he looked a stereotypical rocker but couldn't say what tribe he belonged to.
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