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mark drews triumph pre-unit controversy

This bike is called “Solitary Confinement” and has a lot of people up in arms, as if somebody ought to be jailed for building it.

You may have seen and/or read about it in the past week. As you can imagine, the “bulls**t show bike” crowd has their opinion, and friends of Mark love it because you back your buddy. To some it’s “unrideable/impractical art,” and others believe it’s “visionary.”

I don’t think it’s either but it is beautiful and I doubt it was made for anything but scooting around for five miles to the bar or a bash and five miles back home. It’s been written by his friends that the bike wasn’t meant to sit, but to be ridden.

The biggest b**ches are about the bars and the tank. What is more absurd, that I have a chopper I’ll probably never ride more than 30 miles in a day that has over four gallons of fuel capacity, or this tiniest of peanut tanks that would suit a guy just fine for bopping around his neighborhood?

Think about it. How often do you go somewhere that’s 20 miles away? Rarely. How often do you make quick one to five-mile trips to the store, the pub, or your favorite cafe or diner? Almost always. This bike is perfect and a lean representation of what a bobber/chopper should be; no extra sh*t, built for what it’s supposed to do, simple and clean.

Here’s the realization I’ve recently come to, take it for what it’s worth to you; to each his own.

I don’t care if you build bikes for a living, or merely judge them online. I don’t care if you prefer Honda or Harley. I don’t care if you ride an extended-swingarm ‘Busa or a CB750 cafe. I’ve met cool people who ride all kinds of bikes, and dicks who ride the same.

My personal preference is black and no chrome, but that doesn’t mean somebody else shouldn’t dip their frame in nickel and buff it until it blinds ***.

I like ratty elements to my bikes and I like them to cost about five grand when they’re complete, but that doesn’t mean another shouldn’t spend one or two thousand hours on something and make it worth 50 or 100 grand.

This ride has what seem to be impossibly narrow handlebars, a Lucite primary cover and a Lucite motor mount. Whether a Lucite mount is strong enough will be discovered later. It takes ***** to give that a shot and I credit Mr. Drews for trying it out.

It’s got no front brakes and a slick little drum brake inside the rear sprocket and you know what, it’s f**king cool; a definitive death machine.

From the photos I’ve seen, it seems there was a lot of detail put into this bike and I appreciate that. It’s an incredibly clean looking ride and from what I’ve discovered, is an homage to a bike built in the late 1960’s:

The historical significance is not to be ignored. Even the most ignorant can see numerous similarities here at only a moment’s glance.

Have you ever seen a bike in an old mag and wanted to build one like it? Maybe that is what Mark Drews did. There’s nothing like living the dream. Congratulations, man. Good luck in Yokohama.

Thanks to Nostalgia on Wheels, Half Moon Garage, and Born Loser for the images.

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8 comments

  1. Right on Man. To each his own.

    We need a lot ******’ more of that around here these days.

    That coupled with healthy doses of mind your own ******’ business and respect my ******’ rights.

    Dude built his bike the way he wanted.

    **** Yeah!

    He even came up with some cool pieces he made himself like the plastics.

    **** Yeah!

    ****, even if the parts don’t hold up he had a vision and made it a reality.

    I say again **** Yeah! Rocket On Mother ******!

  2. ole, you give me hope for humankind.

  3. i have known mark for a long time and he never ceases to amaze me.i dont know why. i should expect it.

  4. It’s kind of a beautiful, tall, European woman in Lucite heels, great ***, and no ****. Some guys want ****, some are *** men, and some just want it all and never get it. I like it, but I wouldn’t build it for me.

  5. “I’ve met cool people who ride all kinds of bikes, and dicks who ride the same.”
    So true…

    That’s a ******* nice bike anyway.

  6. its modelled after a dirt tracker, where they didnt need more than 10 laps of fuel.,
    I agree, its great art work, great job. looks very unique and you can tell he worked his *** off on this bike. Tip o’ the hat!

  7. Mark. **** nice bike. I own the original “Verne’s “HA” Triumph” custom bike. It’s still alive and in a private collection in Michigan. Ken

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