Triumph Motorcyles; Like Wind, Ice, and Freedom.

I recently was asked to photograph Jeff and Michael on their Triumph Mortorcyles.  Light was falling fast so in order to get some sky we sped up to the rooftop of a Whole Foods in Chicago for the shoot.

If you are a fan of Triumph bikes, check out Triumph Motorcycles on Facebook

And if you are a fan of me making ridiculous faces, check out some of Jeff’s Behind the Scenes shots on Flickr.

I did some very informal interviewing below for those of you who care about motorcycles (I have recently learned NOT to call them bikes, I’m getting better at it).

<3

Liesl Diesel

The Triumphs line up to pose for me while I test my lighting set up.

Liesl:  Mike, tell me about your bike, anything custom?

Mike: Well I have the the OFF ROAD exhaust which means that its a race only exhaust meant for the track. I eliminated the front signals and integrated them into the head lights. There is a fender elimnator on the back with custom braket and all foot controls, and it is powder-coated semi-gloss black.  The rims are pin striped with reflective tape.

Liesl: So, Mike, why did you pick that bike?

Mike:  I wanted it for two reasons …First was the bike and its’ feel and it’s what I was shopping for.  Second was that it was a special edition and there are only 500 that were shipped to the states, maybe less.  That black and gold combo.

Liesl:  So you liked that it was limited edition?

Mike:  Yes. The bike is not a common bike but the fact that it was that color combo made it better, and I like black.

Liesl:  Jeff, why did you pick the Triumph Daytona 675?

Jeff:  Because it’s beautiful, it’s different, the 3 cylinder engine sounds wonderful.  It has soul that japanese bikes just don’t have. I was looking for something sportier than what I had.  Also it’s a middleweight so i won’t get in quite as much trouble compared to if i had a larger bike. and it’s not so exotic that it would be very unreliable.  Should i keep going?

Liesl.  Yes! Have you done any customization to it?

Jeff:  Yes, I have a slip-on exhaust from two brothers racing and an aftermarket rear shock and aftermarket stuff in the front fork, that’s about it.

Liesl:  Mike, what is your favorite thing about having this bike, is it speed?

Mike:  It is freedom. In a car you feel nothing.  When you turn can you feel the thing move with you; it turns cause your body turns it, not just your arms.

Liesl:  So it’s like Old Spice? Wind, Ice, and Freedom?

Mike:  Yes.  like a mountain in my pants . . . Eagles and America and apple pie and watermelon.

Liesl: So Jeff, would you say you got this bike as a chick magnet?

Jeff: chick magnet? well, I thought girls might dig motorcyclists back when I wasn't one. Then I got one and it didn't really work like that, so then I went racing and thought girls might like that, but it didn't really work like that. Then I got injured racing and chicks dig scars, right? But no . . . So no, not really is the answer.

Jeff & Mike line up the bikes for me before the sun drops completely

Jeff actually trains other motocyclists how to go faster, both racers and street riders. Mike enjoys working on bikes and customizing them.

And in case you didn't notice, Mike is proud that his bike is black.

Boys and toys . . .

Jeff likes designer t-shirts, Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Mike enjoys wind, ice and freedom.

When models get like this, there is nothing for me to do but shoot them. In the face. For all to see.