Bobby Sullivan

Yes we have brakes. The master cylinder is full of DOT4, the brake lines are purged of air and I have a brake pedal, borrowed from a Harley-Davidson Bagger, LOL.

On Friday I ordered an oil filter mount for the old Hemi, designed to accept a spin-on filter instead of the canister style used in 1958. And the wiring Harness from Painless Wiring is sitting in the box on the edge of my desk. With luck I can pick up the polished alternator case early next week.

The master cylinder is full of juice and I have a brake pedal, once part of the brake pedal assembly on a nice new Bagger.

Boston

I say early next week because this week I head off to Boston to spend some time with Bobby Sullivan, the man who owns all the Triumphs in the Ultimate Triumph Collection book. The idea is to figure out who will sell the books. I should know more by next week about whether or not this tome of Triumphant motorcycles will be available on the Wolfgang web site.

All you Triumph nuts pay attention. The new 10X10 hardcover book will be off the press soon. Look for ordering information in a week or two.

During my time in Boston, I was able to spend time with Triumph collector Bobby Sullivan, discussing the upcoming book: Ultimate Triumph Collection. My original idea was to sell the bulk of the print run to Sullivans, and then make a smaller number of the books available to book trade vendors like Barnes&Noble, and Amazon. We finally decided, for a number of reasons, that the entire print run will go to Sullivans, with limited numbers available from Wolfgang.

The title to this book isn’t just a bit of creative writing, or a marketing ploy. The eighty bikes seen between the covers of this book make up what I believe is the most extensive collection of quality Triumphs in the world. It isn’t just the number of bikes that sets this collection apart from others, it’s the quality of the bikes themselves that make this collection stand out. These are all either near-perfect original bikes, or restored examples recreated by craftsmen with the highest possible standards.

The Ultimate Triumph Collection will be out this spring, available from both Sullivans and Wolfgang Publications.

The original idea was simply to document the collection. Partly for insurance reasons, and partly to collect them all in one place at one time – before the bikes start slipping out of the warehouse, each going to a new owner. Because all the bikes seen here are for sale.

A cliché perhaps, but all good things do come to an end. And though Bobby Sullivan and his crew will continue to buy and restore Triumphs, they are done “building the collection.” Six of the bikes have already disappeared, as word spreads through the collector community that Bobby Sullivan’s bikes are for sale. For now, there are no plans to bring the bikes to any of the Classic Bike auctions. Anyone who’s interested needs to have a chat with the collector himself, Bobby Sullivan.

With a few exceptions, the entire collection is documented here, with detailed left and right side views.

Late December finds me hangin’ out just south of Boston, paying visits to Bobby Sullivan and the infamous Shadley Brothers. At Sullivan’s, they’re wishing for snow, as a big part of their business is selling snowmobile helmets and clothing. No snow throughout the northern tier of states means no one is inclined to buy helmets, gloves, jackets and all the rest. So while you might bitch when the first big snow storm comes to your neighborhood, remember that that fluffy stuff (no, not that fluffy white stuff) is like dollar bills for all the people who sell and service snow gear: from sleds to shovels, and snowmobiles to plow trucks.

At Shadley Brothers and AutoTec (their auto repair and body shop) they don’t care so much if it snows or not. Because both the Harley repair shop, and the auto repair and body shop, are busy as can be. Despite the fact that everyone is working lots of hours at the Shadley shop, Mark and Paul still find time for the important things in life – like building a new/old Ironhead Sporty.

The latest project at the Shadley Bros. shop isn’t a big Bagger or a long pro-street custom, it’s a short stubby Sportster from 1978.

Originally built in 1978, this Ironhead stayed in one man’s possession until being forced to make a very sudden stop. Yes, the owner did survive the rapid deceleration, and decided maybe it was time to let the old girl go to owner number two – Mark Shadley.

The two-piece tank is reinforced along the top, in order to support the weight of the oil and fuel.

Originally built in 1978, this Ironhead stayed in one man’s possession until being forced to make a very sudden stop. Yes, the owner did survive the rapid deceleration, and decided maybe it was time to let the old girl go to owner number two – Mark Shadley.

As the sudden stop pretty much wiped out the front of the frame, Mark started there with a new top tube, neck and downtubes. While he was slicin’ and dicin’ He also formed a loop at the back of the frame to support the seat pan, and stretched the swinging arm by two inches.

Here you can see how the bulge in the right side gas tank mates up to the left side oil tank.

The story of the sheet metal might seem as short as the bike itself, until you take a better look at the gas tank. Supported on the top instead of the bottom, the tank is actually two tanks. And like they say on late night TV- wait, there’s more. The left tank is the oil tank and the right tank is the gas tank. There’s still more - the oil tank only needs to hold about three quarts, so Mark left part of the left tank concave and formed a matching bulge in the right tank to increase the capacity for gasoline.

All in all, the tank, and the bike it’s bolted to, is a nice piece of mechanical jewelry. All the better that it will not only run, but run well, driven by the overhauled 1000cc V-twin with Harley-Davidson P cams, fed by a traditional model-E carb from S&S.

The front end seen here is just the mock up model. Mark plans to carve a set of one-off triple trees with no provision for risers, and then use clip on handle bars.

It’s been a week of bid-ness around here. Jon Kosmoski is out of town, so there’s no progress to report on the ’34 Ford front. Jon being out of town means I can catch up on caption writing for the new book. And try to get my head around the idea of planning out the new titles for the fall of 2012.

Our distributor has a program called Q Solutions. It’s kind of like the Excel program from Hell. We have to provide what seems like hundreds of items for each new title. Everything from the title to the author’s name and home town. I have to write a short and long description of each book, and list all the reasons someone like you might want to buy each new book. If nothing else it’s one more thing to bitch about on Monday morning.

One of our titles for the fall of 2012, a close look at Bobby Sullivan’s world-class Triumph collection.

I suppose the silver lining is the fact that it forces us to finalize the list of books, and collect all the various pieces needed to get started on each one, like the cover image and the ISBN number (International Standard Book Number).

The list itself is pretty diverse this time. Everything from a typically Wolfgang title like How to Build a Café Racer, to another Composite Materials book (Handbook number 3), to a book about the infamous Bean’re, a tattoo book that focuses on the models and their tattoos, and a new Triumph book (Ultimate Triumph Collection).

The Colorful World of Tattoo Models. Caption: Our new book list for fall includes this very colorful look at some very hot tattoo models.

Just a reminder to all our friends that Wolfgang has TWO classic motorcycle calendars available this year. For over fifteen years I’ve produced a Classic Triumph calendar, first with Bobby Sullivan, then with Randy Baxter of Baxter Cycle fame. This year we have a second vintage calendar: The Classic Norton Calendar, done with help from Baxter Cycle. Though one is filled with Triumphs and the other with Nortons, both calendars share the same format: 16 by 24 inches when open, printed on heavy paper, illustrated with pure motorcycles taken by yours truly. Rather than use studio photos, we like to shoot the bikes in their natural environment. Everything from rural Iowa to small-town Florida and scenic Nevada. Both calendars can be purchased at www.wolfpub.com, just click on Calendars on the upper left hand corner of the home page and the rest is easy.

A Weekend in Iowa

Sometimes it’s nice to get the hell out of Dodge for a day or two, and on Friday afternoon I put the mighty Ranger on I 35 with the nose pointed toward the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, instead of takin’ it all the way to the crescent city, I took a right turn at Des Moines, and continued on to the big metropolis of Marne, Iowa, home to Baxter Cycle.

A sunrise Commando in the wilds of Iowa.

Randy Baxter and I hit it pretty hard and pretty early on Saturday. First we parked a 750 Commando on the edge of a field, with dull yellow corn stubble in the background. Next up was a very neat little Triumph Bobber. The crew at Baxter Cycle started with an old Triumph frame equipped with a period correct hardtail section. After powder coating the frame red, they installed a unit-650cc engine and transmission that Randy scored at a swap meet last year. The rest of the pieces just kind of fell into place, but each one, from the aftermarket chrome tank to the chrome fenders and the handlebars, fit the bike perfect.

Randy Baxter’s little Bobber sits just right, and could easily have been built in 1970.

A 1977 Silver Jubilee found its way into the back of Randy’s work truck for the next photo session. Parked against an old farm building, the photo became a study of grey on grey. Half the fun of these little safaris is finding the old building or the nice backdrop, and making it work. Sometimes it means setting the tires on 2X4s hidden in the grass, and other times it means stealing planks from an old fence to make a platform for the bike.

Last, but as the announcer would say, “not least” is the yellow Norton. Though we missed the fall colors, we did find a few hardy Oaks it the nearby park that managed to hang onto their leaves. The muted colors of the Oak leaves really made the yellow jump, and we deemed the last photo shoot, and the whole day, a success.

Built in limited numbers, the Silver Jubilee was designed to honor the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

Sometimes you just gotta borrow a picnic table from the obliging Parks Department.

Regular readers, and I’m sure you number in the thousands, will recall my trip to Boston in July to photograph Bobby Sullivan’s Triumph motorcycle collection in it’s entirety. The original goal was simply to document the collection and give Bobby a complete photo record for insurance purposes. Well, I started thinking that all those photos of all those exceptional Triumphs, might make a nice book. Thus was born the idea of The Ultimate Triumph Collection – One Man’s Obsession.

The photos I took of the Bobby Sullivan collection are going to make a fine, new hardcover Triumph book.

Like our earlier Triumph Motorcycles title, this one will be a hardcover book and measure 10 by 10 inches. The chapters will include not just Bobby and all the bikes, but the team who, over the years, have assembled and maintained what I think is one of the world’s most amazing Triumph collections.

With luck, the book will be available by the end of the year, available from Wolfgang as well as Bobby Sullivan of course. Late in 2012 the book will be available through standard book-trade outlets.

The core of the book is made up of the studio shots I took in Boston – a total of nearly 80 motorcycles that date from 1937 to the early 1970s.

The last chapter in the book is titled, “Exceptional Examples.” And if there’s one truly exceptional example in Sully’s vast collection it’s this absolutely stunning 3H from 1939, assembled by the man largely responsible for the quality of all these bikes, Garry Chitwood.

It’s Saturday Night
When Saturday afternoon rolled around, I was faced with a dilemma. Ride south to the small town of Northfield for the Jesse James Days’ celebration and re-enactments of the famous bank robbery of 1800-whenever, or ride east into Wisconsin and attend a field party at a small farm.

David, retired dairy farmer and our host, along with one of his favorite mules.

The decision turned out to be a no-brainer – considering, first, that I’ve always been kind of a wanna-be country kid; and second, the fact that Stillwater, Minnesota and The Mulepen Farm in Wisconsin, are connected by a bunch of rolling two lane highways. With the cooler strapped to the luggage rack and a saddlebag full of food for the pot luck, the Bagger and I headed east. Getting there was so pleasant I almost wished it was more than a 50 mile trip.

More mules, which turn out to be nothing like I thought they would be. That is, they’re not ornery, and they run like the wind.

David’s farm is kind of a throw-back to earlier days, with mules instead of horses and simple wooden buildings assembled by David and friends. Like any good field party, this one offered great music provided by the Lisa Wenger band, followed by Vintage Raggs. All the other elements needed to make a good outdoor party were in evidence as well, from the beer tent to the hellacious bonfire and the good vibes that seemed to float through the evening air along with that sweet and pungent smell that can only be burning rope.

The party grounds, before the party really got started, complete with the big barn, and elaborate stage, which included lights and great speakers.

The really good parties always seem to get over too early, or maybe the nights are just too short to contain all the things that happen. Too quickly it was time to point the two-wheeled steed toward home. I only hope I get invited back next year, and that I’m smart enough to bring the tent and spend the night.

Yes, the party did include the requisite big-ass bonfire.

About this time of year, most folks look at the calendar and think, “wow, it’s already mid-summer, I better finish up all those outside chores I have to do before fall.” Motorcycle people have a different perspective, for them the refrain goes like this, “Shit, Sturgis is almost here, and I still have to finish the paint job and assemble the bike.”

For all those who live and breathe motorcycles, the month before Sturgis is crunch time. Time to finish the paint job and install the new wheels, or at least get the oil changed and put in a new set of brake pads. In a hundred shops and a thousand garages, men and women toil through Saturdays and Sundays, all in an effort to get their ride in condition for Sturgis.

When it comes to meeting tight Sturgis deadlines, three heads are better than one, especially when the three have a family bond: Up front, Mark Shadley; in the middle, brother Paul; close up, Mark’s son Dean.

Speaking of working Saturday and Sunday, my current trip to work with Bobby Sullivan includes a stop at the Shadley Brothers shop in nearby Whitman, Massachusetts. And though it’s mid-afternoon on July 4th as I write this, brothers Mark and Paul, and Mark’s son Dean, are toiling away, trying to finish two brand new Victorys in time for Sturgis.

If you’re a die-hard custom bike fan, it’s tough to ride a stock motorcycle. Thus the need to customize not one, but two new Victory Baggers. One is receiving a relatively mild once over, while the other, Mark’s bike, came in for fabrication work. And because of a planned ride to Sturgis, the boys only have about two weeks to finish it all up. Like all their two-wheeled brothers and sisters, however, Mark, Paul and Dean, will indeed paint, assemble and finish the two Victory’s, even if it takes working the next three weekends. Because, like death and taxes, there are some absolutes in this world, and one of those absolutes is this: The bike(s) must run for Sturgis.

Compared to a Harley, the new Victory’s look ultra modern, with a two-piece cast aluminum backbone for a frame, no front downtube, and a solid-mounted engine that’s an integral part of the frame.

The Real Reason
The real reason for another trip to Boston is the Sullivan photo shoot. As mentioned before, Bobby Sullivan, owner of Sullivans, is also owner of an extremely nice collection of Triumph motorcycles, has decided to assemble all those bikes in one place in order to take a group photo. The plan includes not just a group shot, but individual photos of each motorcycle. All of which promised to keep me busy through the week.

So while Mark, Paul and Dean work to meet their Sturgis deadline, I work to shoot 75 Triumphs, both as a group and as individual machines. Stay tuned.

Seventy five beautiful and restored Triumph’s, representing an enormous commitment to one brand, and to restoration work of the very highest caliber.