Triumph Trident T160V

Expensive Toy

At the time I chose to buy the Trident it was clearly an expensive toy for use on holidays and for enjoyment on the open road. I still had my workhorse Matchless 350 that was perfectly adequate for commuting and training scheme work. The Matchless was my winter ride and newer club members thought it was my only bike until I turned up on my freshly taxed 750 when spring arrived.

Having shelled out good money on this expensive summer toy it was incumbent upon me to put it to good use.

The club's 1978 season runs are documented on LPMCC.net and the Trident went on most of those including that year's National Road Rally.

The 1978 season culminated with a well supported club attendance at the Cologne Motorcycle Show.

We weren't superstitious about having thirteen club members on our Cologne trip.

However, by this time I was much more involved with motorcycle training. Our RAC/ACU scheme operated on Tuesday evenings but Star Rider, which had started up recently, was Saturday morning training that inevitably interfered with weekend rallying.

A rally somewhere. Trident with all black gold lined tank.

One holiday was supposed to be to Portugal but by the time we were half-way to the ferry it was obvious the Trident had a very bad oil leak from somewhere at the back of the engine. The holiday was therefore limited to a couple of relaxed weeks soaking up sunshine and Pernod at Mimizan Plage on La Côte d'Argent. After a leisurely ride home the cause of the leak was found to be a crack in a pushrod tube, easily fixed.

Sometimes I'd think how much easier it would have been to spend the Trident money on a package holiday to somewhere warm with a beach and lots of cheap tarts booze. But I'd rapidly recognise that motorcycling was an experience that I needed to enjoy while I still had the means, health, company and enthusiasm. Years would surely come when I wouldn't have that choice.

Continued...

- Ben Crossley