Isle of Man TT legend and world-record poacher Guy Martin has finally met the Triumph->ke1864 Rocket Streamliner, the very machine he’s scheduled to ride as he attempts to break the motorcycle land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The introduction between man and machine is an appropriate build-up to what promises to be one of the most eagerly anticipated world record attempts in quite some time. The motorcycle land speed record isn’t your regular run-of-the-mill record; this is the holy grail of motorcycle records->ke3224 that manufacturers trip over themselves to hold. UK manufacturer Triumph previously held the record but hasn’t done so in the past 45 years. If that isn’t incentive enough to take this attempt seriously, I don’t know what is.

In Martin, Triumph is putting its eggs in the basket of a man who already has numerous world records under his belt. Still, the company is making all the necessary preparations to ensure that the attempt is successful. That apparently involves arranging a meet-up between Martin and the motorcycle missile that will come packed with a pair of massive Rocket III turbo engines that can produce a total of 1,000 horsepower.

It’s nice to see Martin get acquainted with the Rocket Streamliner, if only because it’s probably the most important record he plans to break. He’s going to have to be in his A-game to break the current record of 376.363 mph that’s currently owned by Rocky Robinson. By the looks of it, Martin’s already focused on the task at hand, even getting inside the carbon fiber cockpit to get himself acquainted with the machine’s controls.

Give the Irishman credit for that. He knows how important the record is for Triumph and quite possibly for the entire UK motorcycle market. Falling short of the record would be deemed a massive disappointment for all parties concerned.

Continue reading to read more about Guy Martin's record-setting attempt to break the motorcycle land speed record.

Why it matters

This is a huge deal for all the reasons I have mentioned. For Martin, this would put a huge feather in the cap of a career that has been as successful as any rider who hasn’t won an Isle of Man TT event. That may sound a little paradoxical, but there’s really nothing conventional about Martin’s racing career. He’s won and lost like most other riders, but nobody generates the kind of cult following he does. Imagine what kind of legacy he’ll have if he ends up holding the motorcycle land speed record, however long that will be.

Then there’s Triumph, which hasn’t been shy about its intention to own the record again. It’s hard to imagine that the company hasn’t held it for 45 years, but between other brands holding the record themselves and Triumph occupying itself with other parts of its business, there just wasn’t enough time and resources that could be dedicated to pursuing the motorcycle land speed record. Now, the company’s all-in on the attempt and if it plays its cards right, it could once again take ownership of the record it held from 1955 to 1970.

I want to believe that Martin and Triumph will dedicate themselves to ensuring that this record attempt will end up becoming successful. There’s really no reason to think otherwise, especially when you see videos like this showing how far the development of the Rocket Streamliner has come ahead of its final testing in mid-July 2015.

The days of reckoning will be from August 23 to 27, 2015 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. That’s enough time for Triumph to continue with its development of the machine and for Martin to get acquainted with his new ride. As for us, that’s just a lot of waiting to see if we’re going to have a new motorcycle land speed of record. The only thing that’s going to make the wait worth it is if the attempt is successful.