Triumphs Past

Triumphs Past

Missing in action

WHILE FONZIE'S BIKE MAY HAVE BEEN THE ESSENCE OF COOL TO tHOSE GROWing up in the 1970s, his Trophy is something of a Johnny-come-lately when it comes to famous Triumphs. There were many that came before it, and they were often ridden by larger-than-life characters who were more than figments of some Hollywood scriptwriter's imagination.

James Dean, Marlon Brando and Ann-Margret fill that creative bill. Although Brando’s in-saddle moments were relegated to film, Dean and Ann-Margret both rode in real life and did so frequently. And all three chose Triumphs, both in and out of the celluloid realm. Rumors of their bikes’ existence circulate regularly, though only Dean’s bike has been positively identified.

Fortunately, Fonzie’s Triumph was relatively easy to locate. Not so, the others.

Which begs the question: What resides in the recesses of your garage? Wendy F. Black