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It’s rather like the bank manager cleaning his shoes when he knows Editor Tim is paying him a visit, because it pays to keep well in with Top People. But, when any branch of the military had to put a little dash into its public display, like escorting a visiting dignitary, they had motorcycles with a finish that wouldn’t look tatty alongside a Humber staff car that had been polished that morning it was apparently called the VIP Finish. Minton is a knowledgeable chap and, as he served his time in the RAF, he spoke from experience. Dave Minton was the judge on the day and explained that he hadn’t given a prize to this bike, apparently right in every detail, because it was too brightly finished and not like the TRWs he’d ridden during his RAF days. In the line-up was this very smart Triumph TRW, the side-valve 500cc twin that was standard issue to the Nato forces in the 1950s and 60s. I remember this bike from years ago, when CBG organised a classic display and concours at a show based on a drag race meeting, for reasons never quite clear. On such things vital to life are some people’s daily priorities based. So today will not be hurried, which is not a bad recipe for life unless you’re a City futures broker who must know the price of coconut husks in Guatemala before dashing to keep that appointment with Septimus in the wine bar. “When CBG used to have the prices and descriptions in the back, it said the TRW had quiet charm if you’re not in a hurry, and that was absolutely right,” says Peter. They’re not fast, not top spec in the chassis department and not rendered overweight by lots of unnecessary gewgaws that bewilder the rider with information not vital to the simple matter of riding a motorcycle and enjoying it. You see the bikes on Vintage Club runs, quietly getting on with this new civilian job of being a gentleman’s affordable motorcycle gentlemen like the late George Yeomans, of spares fame, who had one as his last regular riding bike and clearly liked it very much. It’s a long time since I had a ride on a well-used but healthy TRW, a bike that seems to be very good at making friends with people who don’t want to push their luck and the speed limits on every journey. In fact, company founder EH started off doing deliveries with a motorcycle and sidecar, so there’s an inbuilt sympathy for a good bloke like Peter who appreciates a little bit of space to keep and maintain his bikes. Funny place to keep a bike, you might think, but owner Peter Beckwith is the yard manager for EH Smith Building Supplies in Birmingham and the nice Mr Smith lets him keep his 1949 6T Thunderbird and this 1964 TRW military model here.
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This Triumph TRW looks tiny and lost as it stands in front of two towering Foden trucks, both carrying 05 registrations and ready to hit the highways on March 1.