TRIUMPH T120R

IN 1971, WHEN RICH MUELLER LEFT THE ARMY, Triumphs, Nortons and BSAs were popular in northern Illinois. The first thing he and riding buddy Glen did once they were out of uniform was to buy new Honda CB450 twins, but when his friend got the urge for a Bonneville and got a used 1970 Triumph, Rich decided to follow suit.

In March 1973, Rich walked into Morrie Gauger's Triumph dealership in Richmond, northern Illinois, and rode out on a brand new Triumph Bonneville T120R. He put around 12,000 miles on the Bonneville over the next 10 years or so.

While the first Oil-in-Frame Bonnevilles had a bit of a reputation for problems, not least the seat height, at six feet tall this didn't bother Rich.

"Things were pretty partisan over here. You rarely came across people who would ride a Brit and consider a Japanese bike or vice versa," says Rich. "The Harley boys had their own clique. And the Jap bikes took off when Honda brought out the four cylinder models. Of course, the big 4-stroke Jap bikes were top dogs for all-out speed,