1961--I was an airman stationed in the Eifel region of Germany. One summer morning I left my barracks for a ride in the local hills and valleys on my battered 1955 Zundapp 600 boxer. In the parking lot I found a fellow serviceman starting the most beautiful motorcycle I had ever seen. It was a brand new Bonneville that sparkled in the morning sun. He kicked it off and explained to me as it warmed up that he was stationed in England and had taken leave to break in his new machine touring the Continent, stopping off at Spangdahlem to share quarters with a friend. I watched open-jawed as the gorgeous machine thumped and shook, its front tire almost bouncing off the pavement with the impact of each power stroke. I have owned some historic machines since then--a 1969 CB750, a 1970 CZ MX, a 1990 Ninja ZX-11, but I have never wanted a motorcycle as desperately as I wanted that Triumph. It defined a golden era of motorcycling.
Good! I was born in 1952, so the bike was produced when I was 7 years old. I think it is in excellent condition. My current bike is a 2022 Tangerine & Meriden Blue Bonnie.
