The myth is now a reality. Thanks to the appearance of a series of original checks among the Graceland archives, it has recently been confirmed that Elvis Presley acquired up to 9 Triumph motorcycles in the mid-60s to give to his friends and enjoy them all together on the backs of the British mounts. Now, more than half a century later, the Hinckley factory has taken on the global challenge of finding these 9 motorcycles, a mix of 650 TR6 and 650 T120, whose fate and whereabouts are unknown.
Elvis Presley’s love for two wheels and his relationship with Triumph Motorcycles is well known. In fact, he appeared on a motorcycle in many of his films, as is the case of the red and silver Triumph Bonneville 650 Desert Sled that can be seen in Stay Away Joe, a musical comedy from 1968. But the great link between both legends has to do with a myth that has recently been confirmed as a reality. An incredible story that dates back to 1965, when Elvis was filming Frankie and Johnny at the Samuel Goldwyn Studios in Hollywood and enjoying his free time in his luxurious home in Bel Air, along with the one known as the Memphis Mafia, made up of his best friends. .
It was then that Jerry Shilling, one of these close friends, bought a Triumph 650 Bonneville T120 in Robertson.
The Memphis Mafia thus spent the night touring Bel Air on Triumph motorcycles and only stopped when the neighbors, motivated by the noise, called the police. Some motorcycle outings that continued as soon as they received the two missing mounts, two days later, and that they repeated every Sunday, touring Pacific Coast High.
“Elvis loved riding motorcycles and I knew that when he saw my new Bonneville he would want to try it out… and when he did, he wanted all the boys to have one so we could ride together,” Shilling said. Currently, the location of each of these nine motorcycles is unknown, so Triumph Motorcycles wanted to appeal to all the fans on the planet, to whom it presents an exciting mission: to find the original motorcycles that Elvis bought and enjoyed. during the summer of ’65.
Any reliable clue about what happened to them after that year or the different locations in which they have been seen since then represents important information for investigators at the Hinckley factory. The objective of this search is none other than to be able to recover those nine Triumph 650 TR6 and Triumph 650 Bonneville T120 to display them along with other historical motorcycles of the brand. The firm has provided an email so that anyone who has any information related to their location or destination can contact Triumph: elvistriumph@triumphmotorcycles.com
According to the documents found and Jerry Shilling’s own testimony, the 9 motorcycles that Elvis bought were a mix of 650 TR6 and 650 Bonneville T120, both from ’64, two models that revolutionized the market at that time due to their high performance. What differentiated them from each other, in addition to the color schemes (the first was available in Gold and Alaskan White and the second in the characteristic Hifi Scarlet scheme with Silver Sheen and gold stripes, in addition to the black chassis and fork) , was the number of carburetors (one or two) and the engine tuning.
Both are historic motorcycles, especially the Bonneville T120, whose name comes from the countless speed records obtained by Triumph on the Bonneville salt flats. This motorcycle was responsible for elevating the brand to number one in performance, handling and style during the 1960s, and has remained an icon in terms of design to this day.
The first fruit of the contacts initiated between Elvis Presley Enterprises and Triumph Motorcycles following the discovery of the checks in Graceland and the beginning of the first investigations in this regard is a spectacular personalized ‘Elvis Presley’ Bonneville, in tribute to the King of Rock and his relationship with the British brand. Based on the current T120 model, the well-known custom artist J. Daar was in charge of designing the paint scheme, inspired by the singer’s look and the scenery of his legendary Comeback Special concert in ’68, which marked his return to the scenarios.
The motorcycle has been destined, through the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundations, to raise funds through an auction to benefit one of Elvis’s favorite charities, Goodwill Homes, a center in Memphis, the city where the King lived. del Rock, which offers advice and services to abused children and their families.
