Page 140 - Motoring World (January 2020)
P. 140
What a lovely shade of nostalgia, this is! It’s a full-size motorcycle, no doubt
manufacturers simply put in on the transverse V-twin. The Brits,
engines from cars onto bikes, this all thanks to the efforts of the
was not sound engineering because Typically understated BMW design of the time venerable Edward Turner and his
car motors were heavy, difficult wonderful Triumph 5T Speed Twin,
to package and were designed for came to be known for their parallel-
different running parameters. The twins and the Germans at BMW felt
need was for a high-performance that the horizontally-opposed boxer
engine that was light and compact, format was the way to go.
and engineers all across the world Now, I knew that classic
dug in deep and the results of the motorcycle enthusiast and friend of
choices they made all those years the magazine, Jazeel Mehta, owned
ago are still around today in some several fine steeds and among them
form across the marques who have were fine specimens of a 1959
stuck by them. Triumph Tiger T100 and the other
The Americans chose to go with was an immaculate BMW R69
V-twins, the Italians at Ducati from 1955. I thought it was a great
preferred the L-twins, while their story in the making if we rode both
counterparts at Moto Guzzi decided Kick into the bike, not along it! these iconic representations of their
140 MOTORING WORLD | JANUARY 2020
