Hudson
Well-known member
I ring Fairlaner a few days ago.
“How r’ye mate?”
“Good Richard. Hey, I need a favor. I’ve got to fly down to Long Beach this weekend, pick up a new bike, and get it to a show for filming. Then we can flog the piss out of it on Mulholland. You game?”
“Hell yeah.”
And that’s how Richard found himself sitting astride a 2013 Triumph Bonneville Steve McQueen edition this weekend.
Number 2 of 1100.
Number 0000 sat nearby. It goes to McQueen’s son Chad.
The bike has all of 5 miles on it when I head out in heavy traffic. I’ve got 45 minutes to get from Long Beach to Chino. I’m really getting to like this lane splitting concept.
The Triumph instantly feels comfortable. The twin purrs down the road, and a twist of the wrist brings a nice surge of torque. It’s not the “rocket burners” of an FJR, but it’s got a little scoot to it, and it is infinitely cooler looking. I get why people like the Bonneville’s and Scramblers. I only wish the first few miles were spent buzzing along Pacific Coast Highway. That’s where this Bonnie is right at home.
That will change on Sunday. Tonight I got to get the bike to Chino.
Steve McQueen went into the Boys Republic at age 14, the result of some petty crimes and the lack of strong family support. He emerged three years later wearing a tshirt and jeans, and would say publicly that the Boy’s Republic saved his life. Years later, when he was at the height of his movie stardom, he went to the tailor and bought a nice custom fitting suit to wear to his return trip the Boys Republic.
When Neile, his wife, asked why he needed to dress up, he said: “I want these boys to see that they can come out of this place and be anything they can dream of being.”
When Steve died, he left a considerable sum to the Boy’s Republic, and his son Chad has continued to work tirelessly on fundraisers. This weekend is the Steve McQueen Car show, and it is their biggest fundraiser of the year.
This year’s theme: Bullitt.
Chad, his wife Jeannie, and Neile joined 500 guests for a great evening and auction.
Master of Ceremonies for the evening was the classic car guru Matt Stone, former editor of Motor Trend and the voice you hear on Barrett Jackson auctions discussing all the classics for sale.
Nicolas Hunziker, a well-known artist, donated this oil and canvas painting. It sold for $10k!
All told, the event was super successful, raising money to help renovate the cottages and classrooms where these boys live and study. They need it. The Boy’s Republic is doing God’s work with these youths, turning them from a life of crime into responsible and hard-working young men.
The next day, I ride the bike back to the car show, where the field is already filled with some incredible exotics.
But no time to gawk, as I’ve got work to do. We’ve got a film crew out to do a short documentary on the Triumph. Chad and his son Steven come over to check the bike out. It’s quite a cool moment.
I later park the bike next to some nice older Triumphs.
While I am setting up the bike, this older gentleman comes over and we start to talk about it. He likes the lines of it. His name is Dave Ekins, the former editor of Motorcyclist, brother of legendary Triumph builder and stuntman Bud Ekins (who jumped the bike in The Great Escape), and along with Cliff Coleman, Bud, and Steve, competed in the famous 1964 International Six Day Trials.
We talk for a while, and he gives me some tips on how to fire my ’56 Matchless on the first kick. How cool is that!
Steven comes by later and rides the bike into the show. He’s already got his own on order. He’s clearly got the family gene for speed.
“How r’ye mate?”
“Good Richard. Hey, I need a favor. I’ve got to fly down to Long Beach this weekend, pick up a new bike, and get it to a show for filming. Then we can flog the piss out of it on Mulholland. You game?”
“Hell yeah.”
And that’s how Richard found himself sitting astride a 2013 Triumph Bonneville Steve McQueen edition this weekend.
Number 2 of 1100.
Number 0000 sat nearby. It goes to McQueen’s son Chad.
The bike has all of 5 miles on it when I head out in heavy traffic. I’ve got 45 minutes to get from Long Beach to Chino. I’m really getting to like this lane splitting concept.
The Triumph instantly feels comfortable. The twin purrs down the road, and a twist of the wrist brings a nice surge of torque. It’s not the “rocket burners” of an FJR, but it’s got a little scoot to it, and it is infinitely cooler looking. I get why people like the Bonneville’s and Scramblers. I only wish the first few miles were spent buzzing along Pacific Coast Highway. That’s where this Bonnie is right at home.
That will change on Sunday. Tonight I got to get the bike to Chino.
Steve McQueen went into the Boys Republic at age 14, the result of some petty crimes and the lack of strong family support. He emerged three years later wearing a tshirt and jeans, and would say publicly that the Boy’s Republic saved his life. Years later, when he was at the height of his movie stardom, he went to the tailor and bought a nice custom fitting suit to wear to his return trip the Boys Republic.
When Neile, his wife, asked why he needed to dress up, he said: “I want these boys to see that they can come out of this place and be anything they can dream of being.”
When Steve died, he left a considerable sum to the Boy’s Republic, and his son Chad has continued to work tirelessly on fundraisers. This weekend is the Steve McQueen Car show, and it is their biggest fundraiser of the year.
This year’s theme: Bullitt.
Chad, his wife Jeannie, and Neile joined 500 guests for a great evening and auction.
Master of Ceremonies for the evening was the classic car guru Matt Stone, former editor of Motor Trend and the voice you hear on Barrett Jackson auctions discussing all the classics for sale.
Nicolas Hunziker, a well-known artist, donated this oil and canvas painting. It sold for $10k!
All told, the event was super successful, raising money to help renovate the cottages and classrooms where these boys live and study. They need it. The Boy’s Republic is doing God’s work with these youths, turning them from a life of crime into responsible and hard-working young men.
The next day, I ride the bike back to the car show, where the field is already filled with some incredible exotics.
But no time to gawk, as I’ve got work to do. We’ve got a film crew out to do a short documentary on the Triumph. Chad and his son Steven come over to check the bike out. It’s quite a cool moment.
I later park the bike next to some nice older Triumphs.
While I am setting up the bike, this older gentleman comes over and we start to talk about it. He likes the lines of it. His name is Dave Ekins, the former editor of Motorcyclist, brother of legendary Triumph builder and stuntman Bud Ekins (who jumped the bike in The Great Escape), and along with Cliff Coleman, Bud, and Steve, competed in the famous 1964 International Six Day Trials.
We talk for a while, and he gives me some tips on how to fire my ’56 Matchless on the first kick. How cool is that!
Steven comes by later and rides the bike into the show. He’s already got his own on order. He’s clearly got the family gene for speed.
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