Every "Hero" Has An "Origin Story"
Our COO wasn’t really thinking they were ever going to ride a motorcycle. Being waved off from riding by their aunt and uncle, who oddly were avid motorcyclists who used to take cross-country trips on their Harley’s between the West Coast home and their Summer retreat (a manufactured home South of Williamsport, PA), they came across a Triumph TT600 for sale along their road they commuted on to work. Maybe it was the missile launcher look-a-like intake tubes, or that it was bright yellow, enough to scald your eyes, it became an obsession to acquire.
They convinced, or rather bargained, with their spouse that they’d both go get a motorcycle endorsement on each of their licenses if they could move forward with purchasing the bike. They got the endorsement, and got the bike from a gentleman who was helping sell it for their neighbor, but who had two 1975 Triumphs in their possession, one which was in mint condition and displayed din their house, and the other, which was ridden.
Since they didn’t have a license at the time, they brought along a co-worker who did ride to get a test ride in to know if it was mechanically sound – which, at the time, it appeared to be so. As those era Triumphs are known for leaving their “mark”, it eventually developed an oil leak, and was later to be found to have a catastrophic head gasket leak, discovered on a ride to Gettysburg, PA.
While it was fixed, it was ridden less after the bug was caught to be a rider, and a desire to get a bigger and better bike. It eventually became the “steed” for a teenager who was accompanied by their father who got it as their first bike as well.
We do wonder what’s left of it and would consider also trying to fid this bike to add back to the collection as the “O.G.” for one of our staff members. No mods were made to the bike during our ownership, but lessons were learned, including dropping it in a church parking lot while learning to ride.
