Team blog
This is what we’re thinking - let us know what you’ve been up to, especially if it involved messing around with old Italians and you’ve got the pictures to prove it...
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29th Jul 2010 - Putting the dustbin out
The ever resourceful Jack Silverman (just check out his museum ) has now got the "dustbin" fairing onto his incredible 125 Ducati GP racer. This masterclass in handbeaten alloy was covered in Benzina #2 and is the work of Californian craftsman Evan Wilcox. More on Ducati 125s soon - they've an incredible history, and were the start of Ducati's international success. Did you know Sammy Miller rode one for Ducati's first assault on the TT? And that they made a Desmo version, and even a 6 speed Desmo twin that Hailwood raced. More in issue #3, out October
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28th Jul 2010 - Desert racers
Think Arizona, think wind carved rock, endless desert - and classic Italian motorcycles. The organisers of the 2011 Giro d'Arizona talk of riding the high desert region of Sedona and climbing the renowned Mogollon Rim to find the mountain lakes of Central Arizona. Just pack a copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and go. Except from Europe it's a long, long way. Still wish I could go
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27th Jul 2010 - Picante pleasure
Shortest blog ever - just the link to the Sammy Miller Italian day pics.The Guzzi Bicilindrica was my favourite, but the 750SS roundcase was pretty special too. Oh, and the Itom was cute - let me know what you think
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24th Jul 2010 - Big Society
Trendy talk is about creating a "Big Society", but it's already here. Calne is a slightly run down Wiltshire town that annually welcomes bikers of all hues - knee sliders to patch clubs, Gold Wings to Tiger Cubs, Speedway bikes to race reps; they're all here. The old folk's sheltered accommodation open up their garden for bike displays and sell tea and cakes, one pub had a bike display in their courtyard, and plenty of shops had old bike pics and memorabilia in their windows. There were the volunteer IAM instructors who ride for Freewheelers, the emergency bloodrunners for the NHS. There were disabled charities, Christian bikers, and a Druid who scrutineered Hailwood's Ducati at the 1978 TT. Incredible - and thanks to all who said hello and spent some cash. Right, better load up for the Sammy Miller Museum Italian day tomorrow...
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22nd Jul 2010 - Pizza and Peroni
Last year, due to an unwillingness to risk getting the wrong size/year/geeky detail, my lovely wife didn't get me a (main) 50th Birthday present - this year she made amends and then some with a pizza oven. And believe it or not this photo IS the intallation instructions, with current discussion focusing on how high it should be. I don't want a concrete tower block sitting outside the window all winter, so want to build it as low as possible, wifey worries about my back so doesn't want it too low. And eldest daughter's already invited friends round for a pizza party. So I'd better get cracking, and maybe this year's final Teas and Cakes will be pizza and Peroni...
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21st Jul 2010 - Lemons no more
Guzzi's Le Mans was a great bike in its day,but until Dr John Wittner came along it never quite fulfilled its promise. On race tracks, especially in endurance races it lived in the shadow of the older V7 Sport, while Ducati and Laverda built on earlier success, and the Japanese continued their rise to dominance. So what's going on today? Guzzi Le Mans are seen as robust, successful racers across the world. This years 4 Hours of Spa was won by a Le Mans, as was last years - different teams with different bike too - while Ducati propped up the mid-field. It seems you can now run these monster twins at 1100cc and (relatively) sky-high revs, making them unbeatable ard relatively affordable. Modern metallurgy is clearly a wonderful thing
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20th Jul 2010 - Holiday reading
Holidays mean books, and eventually you read books you'd normally find an excuse to avoid. Sharon at Davida insisted I had to read The Mike Duff Story - Make Haste, Slowly and even leant me her own signed copy to make sure I did. And am I glad she did - an unbelievable insight into what being a Grand Prix race star meant in the 1960s. The camping, the driving your Thames van across Europe on three cylinders, and the crowds - up to 450,000 on race day in Eastern Europe. Ah, and what The Cold War really meant to ordinary people. I guess Mike Duff's always thrown me, because he later became Michelle and the book's written with a feminine voice and a little self doubt that's a refreshing change from the usually chest thumping in top tier sportsmen's biographies. But this means an even greater insight into a racers psyche, and there's just the final "what happened next" chapter to explain Michelle's life after racing. I thought I wouldn't want to read it, but by the end of the book I just had to. After all, Duff still stands as Canada's most successful GP racer, and the first North American to win a GP. Buy it and read it.
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19th Jul 2010 - Coming up next...
Busiest weekend of our year coming up - Saturday is our local bike show, the excellent free street meet that is the Calne Classic Bike Show organised by the Rotary Club - strange but true. 10am 'till 4pm, lots to see and do including the chance to buy issue 2 of Benzina. Then Sunday brings the incredible Sammy Miller Museum Italian day - 1300 people turned up last year, watched rare old Italian bikes paraded, won prizes, and had the best day out of the year. Come and see us at the heart of the action, flick through the magazines, and admire our tee shirts - we'll be donating some of the prizes too
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3rd Jul 2010 - Gone riding...
We're away now until the 19th July - my son and I taking the Bianchis to rural France, building up the locals' fever for the Tour de France which arives in Bordeaux (just south of where we're staying) three flipping days after we leave. Typical. Sorry there'll be no-one manning the phone or inbox while we're away, but rest assured all orders placed by Friday evening, 2 July were posted - anything else will get sorted on my return - Greg
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2nd Jul 2010 - Big boy's toys
MCN have leaked these dodgy pics of another new Ducati - half Multistrada, half Monster (Munster-strada?). Hmmm - maybe that's a pizza with too many toppings, but now it's over to the buying public
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2nd Jul 2010 - What would you do?
Millions in the bank, missing the first races ever in your pro career, hurting like buggery. The phone rings; "“If during your convalescence you feel you would like to do some training on four wheels, then remember that the door to Maranello is always open to you” says Montezemolo (boss at Ferrari) - what would you do? (Thanks to Superbike/Image Bank for the pic)
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1st Jul 2010 - Productionised posting
This is normally where we eat - for the past week it's been a production line of mailing bags, address labels, sealing stickers - and boxes of Benzina #2. All finally delivered to our local post office, who'll get them out over the next couple of day. Sorry for the slight delay, but even with the kids press ganged into service it takes forever to get ready for the postie. As the boy grumbled; "This is like a sweat shop. We'd be better off making knock-off Gucci - at least we'd make some money"
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28th Jun 2010 - Art for Art's sake
One of the most iconic images in Ducati history, nicely caught by Pep; go visit his site - he knows his cool. Other stuff includes Harry Palmer (what do you mean, "who?" Ipcress File was one of the finest films ever made) and Steve McQueen. Just wish I could stop blowing my money on two wheelers long enough to afford some conventional art - ah, the secrets out. More soon...
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26th Jun 2010 - Issue two at the printers
The final proofs have been signed off, and issue two of Benzina is now in the safe hands of Cambrian Printers in sunny Aberystwyth (really - that's it in the pic). We should post the pre-orders before the end of next week, and with a few copies of Issue 1 left there's still a deal to be had by subscribing.
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25th Jun 2010 - Armed Forces Day
Saturday 26 June is Armed Forces Day and whatever your political views on wars old and new, these guys deserve our support for the work they do; we elect the suits who tell them what to do and we have a legal system that (theoretically) allows us to challenge them - that's more than most of the world's population can say. The picture is of what remains of RAF Alton Barnes, used as a flying school in WWII. I pass it often, with its poignant memorial to the lives lost in accidents; students and instructors alike died. The village I grew up in is a few miles away and has a fake airfield, that was lit up at night to distract Nazi bombers from the real deal. As a child I heard tales of airmen's bodied being found in gruesome states, but it seems a lifetime ago. These days the deaths are half a world away, but it's the stories of heartbroken families and young men in wheelchairs we will have to pass on to future generations. These people deserve our support, and armed forces day is one way to do it.
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24th Jun 2010 - Dreams
Honda have lengthened and rereleased their fab "Impossible Dream" Ad - you can watch it here - the best telly ad of all time? And don't say where's the Italian connection - if you've read issue 1 of Benzina you'll know that without Mondial's help Honda might never have amounted to anything. There's also a footie fan's version here
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23rd Jun 2010 - The last word
So the motogiro is over for another year, both events sounding fabulous despite the odd hiccough; but when you're trying to sort out 200-odd folk on old motorbikes, problems are going to crop up, especially when Italian organisation is stress tested to the limit. Hopefully next months court judgement will finalise who runs what next year (and maybe there will be an Alfa as a prize - sadly that didn't happen) but I'll hopefully do the Dream Engine event again. Why? Because I love the people, the sense of history, and the chance to ride with the giros last winner when it was a proper race -the incomparable Giuliano Maoggi. And if you think I'm mad, take a look at ducati.net Vicki Smith's pictures - those photographs don't lie
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22nd Jun 2010 - Max Gas
Steeple Ashton's a village about 5 miles from me, and still home to these fab old pumps. Don't work of course, but are a reminder of a time when every other village had fuel. You'd pull in, bloke would appear from fixing some old Riley, fill you up, take cash, end of. No queuing behind fatties asking about the lottery, Ginsters pasties or newspapers. But if you needed the bike fixing, or to borrow a spanner to tighten loose nuts, you could get it sorted on the spot. So how are modern petrol stations better? If I want coffee I'll take a flask; if the bike breaks I want help now, rather than when the AA turn up. Mind you, in Wales last year a friend asked for a paper in a small filing station. "Problem is papers come ever day" he was told. "But people don't." That's what I call rural.
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19th Jun 2010 - Italian sports mopeds' annual tour
Lucky to be invited to the Isle of Wight today for the third annual Italian Sports Moped tour, organised by Garelli Tiger Cross nut (and Raleigh Chopper fan) Gary Hughes. More later, but in the meantime enjoy the pictures here
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18th Jun 2010 - Nuvolari
This is Tazio Nuvolari, the man Ferdinand Porsche called "the greatest driver of the past, the present, and the future." Nuvolari started motorcycle racing late, at the age of 27. In 1925 he won the 350 cc European Motorcycling Championship, which would amount to wining MotoGP today. He also won the Nations Grand Prix four times and the Lario Circuit race five times between 1925 and 1929, always on a 350 cc Bianchi. Nuvolari then raced bikes and cars until the end of 1930, but for 1931 decided to concentrate on racing for Alfa Romeo's factory team. In 1932 he took two wins and a second place in the three European Championship Grands Prix races, winning him the title. He won four other Grands Prix including a second Targa Florio and the Monaco Grand Prix. Post war he became the iconic Ferrari fixture as the new (European based) world championships appeared. There's little doubt that had the earlier series been called world championships Tazio Nuvolari would have beaten Surtees to winning a world title on two wheels as well as four.
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16th Jun 2010 - Favourite shirt
Well, favourite jacket really. I bought this Dainese jacket over 12 years ago, and have tried to pension it off on a regular basis. Too blue. too cool, too OTT. But I still pass over the trad black and Ducati branded stuff and wear this almost every time I go for a ride. The jacket's got to that age where I think I'll wear it forever, big ni-ni-ni-nineteen across the back and all.
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15th Jun 2010 - Orange crush
Whenever Laverda good-guy and 500 specialist Bob Dixon mentions another Laverda obsessive they always seem to be Dutch - but then orange is Holland's national colour, as well as being Laverda's traditional racing livery. Bob tells that when Piero Laverda was preparing the firm's endurance racing challenge in the early 1970s, he discovered yellow would be the easiest colour for his pit crew to see at night. But another team already raced with bikes daubed like April's dandelions, so he asked a friend in the know to find out the second easiest colour to spot on a gloomy Mulsanne straight. The answer was orange, so that's the colour the racing SFCs were painted. The V6 followed, as did the Jota and Montjuic. Today we just think of racing Laverda's being orange, and assume it's some sort of branding exercise. Nothing could be further from the truth.
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14th Jun 2010 - Spa-rk out
438 miles in barely seven and a half hours, despite knarled up traffic at three lots of road works (not very French) and one car crash (more typical), yet the Paso didn't miss a beat. Comfy enough that I could turn round and do it again (and at 57mpg could afford to), and being a Ducati Japanese tourists took turns being photographed next to it in a Belgium petrol station. But Spa - what an event the Bikers Classic turned out to be, and I even missed the rain. Chatted to Sammy Miller about his second place here back in the fifties, wave at Phil Read and Ago, marvel at Marco Lucinello's new goatee, and wonder how a 6 foot plus Dieter Braun ever won a 50cc world championship. And as for the circuit - pictures don't begin to tell you about the very literal ups and downs. Sammy says that even today it eats engines, and an 80s car endurance racer told me of the difficulty controlling a car as it crests the top of hills. Book your weekend off for the 2011 event asap
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12th Jun 2010 - Spa break
The Paso's packed ready for a 400 mile hit to Spa Fracochamps for the Bikers Classic somewhere that's been on my "to do" list for too long. The fastest motorcycle lap record of all time still stands on the old, much longer, circuit - 137mph to Barry Sheene. Phil Read and the MV went well here...I'll be happy to watch them's that can and soak up the atmosphere. The sun's even due to put in an appearance - most unlike Spa
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11th Jun 2010 - Being English
Apparently there's going to be some football played over the next few weeks, which, if the last world cup was anything to go by, means the roads will be empty. Marvellous - and I've just realised that if the schedules fall just so you could ride down through France, stop for a pizza in Italy, then ride home again through beautiful, abandoned countryside. The comedy is that St George's flags are flying from every other car in the UK (knocking 3-5mpg off your fuel consumption; official!), despite the cars being German, French, Japanese...everything but English. So why does an Englishman who's mad about Italian bikes think he's any better? Well, I'm not - obviously. Our little lump of rock in the North Sea is home to nearly 60 million souls, and one of the most densely populated places on earth. The Celts, Picts, Saxons, Moors, Romans and finally French all invaded in one way or another. Even the Germans had a couple of plucky attempts. To add to the melting pot, we ran the world from about 1400AD until the Americans took over post WWII. The English are indeed the most bastard race on earth, but we know who we are - we're a bit of everything. Roast beef, sushi, pizza, curry (Thai or Indian), and steak and kidney pud - love it all. And we'll mix it up to our own taste, so none of this "my mother's way is the only way" here. So of course the UK's full of people who like Brit bikes, Harleys..and Italian stuff. The pic shows Italian bike connoisseur, English journo and fast-as-flip racer Alan Cathcart. Loves Italy, has Union flag on his helmet. Dichotomous? Not really; we've been here forever, and seen off - or happily lived alongside - everyone. Ours is mongrel-strong bloodstock, a nation of warriors, innovators, heroes - and yes, Napoleon - a nation of shopkeepers. Didn't stop us thrashing his short French arse. So do I hope England win the footie? Well, be nice if they got to the final - keeps the roads empty as long as possible..
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10th Jun 2010 - The TT in black and white
Watching the Superstock races on ITV4 makes a road and very occasional track rider like me realise how deep my lack of talent and bravery goes. Even on an old telly, knowing you're watching something that didn't go wrong (I still like to believe UK TV wouldn't transmit a pre-record of someone's last few minutes), those ancient trees and stone walls don't look like they'd give an inch to a motorcycle, no matter how fast it's going. And watching the TT you realise it really is the last of its kind. Road racing disappeared from Italy in 1957, and Spa, Le Mans, and the Nurburgring are all castrated versions of what they once were. The TT remains the last beacon of what once was the norm - great riders on great bikes versus the roads we really ride on. The pic shows the way it was - Dickie Dale on the Guzzi V8 at the bottom of Bray Hill in 1957, hoping the drum brakes have cooled enough to work. The big Guz was running without its full enclosure dustbin fairing, partly to help keep the brakes cool, but mainly to improve the bikes dreadful handling. Dale brought the bike home in 4th place, hindered by an engine running on just seven cylinders... More in Benzina 2 and thanks to A Herl Inc for the pic
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9th Jun 2010 - And the winner is...
Willem van Beest from Holland walked off with a brand new Alfa Mito as winner of this years Dream Engine Motogiro d'Italia. This presumably required a rule change, number one of which has always been "an Italian shall win" - this was the first time a non-Italian has won the main event. Given that a Dutchman also won the Terni event, us Brits clearly need to stop messing about with Bantams and get our heads into gear. And - cue fanfare - it was the first time Ducati has won; when Federico Minoli left Ducati and the Moto Giro he'd reinvented he said a great regret was that Ducati were winning just about everything but the modern giro. So special congrats to Willem and his Ducati 175 at a time when Ducati Corse are struggling. We'll do a full retrospective of the Dream Engine decade of giros in issue 3 of Benzina , hopefully out October.
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8th Jun 2010 - Say cheese..
As Diana Ross put it, "can it be that life was so simple then, or has time rewritten every line?" I mean, I like looking at an attractive woman as much as (OK, more than) the next man, but even my 17 year old self could see these ads were Very Wrong. It's not as if she's getting on the bike dressed like that, is it? If you wanted porn way back then, you took a deep breath, reached for the top shelf and accepted your humiliation like a man. Then through the 1980s we got serious, and true artists like Bob Carlos Clarke found it all a bit hard to take. The caring sharing ninties meant this sort of stuff was bound for the history books, and poor Bob Carlos Clarke took his own life in 2006. Lord knows what he'd make of the Nuts generation. (Thanks to Bevel Heaven for saving me the trouble of digging out an old Bike magazine and scanning a pic)
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8th Jun 2010 - Sport Classic? No thanks..
So the Sport Classic has (almost) disappeared from Ducati's range - apparently it was the riding position what killed it (that's what Ducati tell me) and the fix of lower bars on the GT and higher bars for the Sport came too late. What fickle folk we are. So if you fancy a cheap-ish replica of an expensive Ducati, your chance has gone. Or maybe not.. See this 900SS? All £20,000 worth of Borranis and Taglioni magic - or is it? Nope, this is the work of genius Rene Waters (aka ducatimeccanica , built for wife Sue) based on an 860GTS. Isn't she lovely?
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7th Jun 2010 - Italian multis
Recognise this rare Tomaso era Moto Guzzi 400/4? The story goes that when Alejandro de Tomaso bought Guzzi he stalked through the factory waving a (Japanese!) ceremonial sword, shouting "no more stupid twins!" (in Italian, presumably). So he set about rebadging half the already-in-production Benelli multis as Guzzis - there's even a pre-production Moto Guzzi Sei in the Mandello del Lario museum. But then he was pleasantly surprised at how profitable the rationalised 850T3 and 750S3 were compared to their predecessors, Lino Tonti had a quiet chat with him, and bingo - the Le Mans appeared. And that definitely wasn't a stupid twin
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7th Jun 2010 - Confused? I'm not sure..
Spotted at the Ace Cafe (thanks Dave), here's a man whose loyalties are clearly split. Or maybe the helmet's usually reserved for riding a Cucciolo. Whatever, he's clearly a man of discernment - Laverda SF750's are brilliant bikes, far better than any Brit twin, cheap as chips (well, bargains against the £30k plus their sporty SFC siblings make) and are sturdier than a very sturdy thing
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6th Jun 2010 - Tea and cakes again
No wonder my leathers are getting tighter; scones, cream and fresh strawberries for June's tea and cakes. Thanks to all who came, especially Alan for bringing his lovely RGS (owned for 21 years) and Stuart for risking ridicule on a Kawasaki 400 when his Ducati wouldn't play ball
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6th Jun 2010 - Drinking and driving
Bushy's (Isle of Man brewer and TT beneficiary) built this to promote drink driving (presumably and allegedly) - a van shaped like a beer bottle... Part of a display of promtional vehicles at the UK's national motor museum
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6th Jun 2010 - A better way than eBay?
Is it just me or does stuff make more than it should on eBay? Great if you're selling, but trying to buy gets ever more painful But if you want an old Italian bike, especially something rare, this is the best site I've come across. It's Italian, and the bikes are in Italy (which means sterling's woeful exchange rate works against you) but stuff that's rare in the UK - Ducati Scramblers, Bianchi Tonales, and the lovely Mondial 175 pictured are suddenly easy(ish) to find. It's called Subito (Italian for "immediatley") and it's well worth a peek. Especially since ex GP racer Chas Mortimer can collect for a very modest fee.
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5th Jun 2010 - Investment opportunities
This is issue 1 of Rouleur, a quarterly cycling magazine - £9 an issue, No.18 just out (and now bi-monthly); so that makes issue 1 just over four years old. So - to all those critics who say Benzina (and Sideburn, et al) should have covers that say what's inside, what do you think this cycle racing mag with an obscure name and picture of a chain link on the cover just made on eBay? £225, or about $315. So the moral of the story? Fill your attic with unopened first issues of magazines that don't say what they do on the tin. Better than money in the bank
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4th Jun 2010 - Bolt upright shocks
This F2 Ducati race reps on eBay at the moment, the seller claiming the frame was changed to mimic Tony Rutter's 1981 TT winner. You might look at those vertical shocks and think he must be joking - and you'd be wrong. Pat Slinn spannered all of Rutter's Ducatis, and I was chatting to him for a piece in issue two of Benzina. Tony's original 1981 F2 TT racer wasn't a TT2 - Pat built the engine, and a crashed Pantah frame was beefed up by Ron William's of Maxton fame. When Tony saw the bike he couldn't believe the vertical shocks would work - but then Maxton built the chassis that finally brought Honda's ill-stared NR500 (limited) success. So maybe this is a very special bike - although the NCR claim's a bit rich; NCR had no involvement with the 1981 TT winner. NCR were effectively Ducati Corse in those days, and based in the Borgo Panigale factory. They alone built the genuine TT2s, perhaps the most faked/replicated/misunderstood Ducati ever made.
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3rd Jun 2010 - Tea and cakes this Saturday
Last of the good weather due this Saturday - so take one of our rides and join us between 2 and 4(ish) - free tea and home made cakes, but an email before you come helps our baking plans and makes sure you can find us; we are a bit tucked away And then the following weekend, I'm off to Spa-Francorchamps Bikers Classic - should be fab, tho' my loyalties to Ducati will be sorely tested when Team Benzina hero Bob Dixon shows off some lovely Laverdas. Aim is to leave Wiltshire early-doors Saturday 12 June, cross at Calais lunchtime, get to Spa (220 miles from Calais) mid to late afternoon. Then to the circuit for the 4 hour endurance race (finishing at midnight!), full day there Sunday and back home early Monday. If you want company, or just to ride shotgun for my inevitable breakdown, get in touch. Although if the weather forecast's right, I'll be in the Fiat 500...
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2nd Jun 2010 - Bikes for sale...
Half a dozen or so Italian beauties for sale - not cheap ($6-$15,000), and located (as the dollar signs hint in the US. If you've got the deep pockets to indulge your undoubted style and taste, get in touch. There's a Benelli 175, Parilla 175, Motobi 200, Mondial 200, Maserati 160, MV scrambler and Capriolo and Motobi racers. And probably a discount if you buy the lot...
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31st May 2010 - One Giro ends, another begins
This is (I hope) the winner of the 2010 Club Terni Motogiro d'Italia, Dutchman Hendrik Willemse and his Moto Guzzi Lodola 175. Yankee dandy Hugh Schink managed the 125 prize. But you haven't necessarily missed anything, because the Dream Engine event starts today in Monaco. Why? The simple facts are that Club Terni started the modern Giro in 1991, and then armed with Ducati cash (and a lot of it) Dream Engine took over the reigns in 2000. Club Terni continued to arrange a lot of the nuts and bolts of the event, and then when Ducati cash disappeared a couple of years back Terni and Dream Engine had a very public falling out, and organised competing events. For the rich this was brilliant - they could do both events. For the rest of us it has diluted the spirit, especially if you get caught up in the acrimony between the competing organisers. Lack of cash has been noticeable, with neither event what it was (say) 2000 to 2006. The fact that Dream Engine briefly seemed to disappear and be reinvented as Dream Engine 2, and can't get FMI backing doesn't help. And so the the scurrilous rumours; that Terni won't be allowed to use the Motogiro name after a court hearing scheduled for July, and that Dream Engine have to start in Monaco because the FMI won't give them start permission. The saddest part for me is that neither event is reflecting the original race routes. Maybe it's time to do the Milano Taranto as featured in issue one of Benzina
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29th May 2010 - Six and the TT
Another wet June in the offing - must be time for the TT. Here's hoping everyone who goes gets home safely, and that we get some vintage racing Of course there's the Hailwood-will-never-be-bettered brigade, and certainly his 1978 drubbing of Ready and Honda still brings a tear to many an old codgers eye. Was that the most famous TT of all time? If it was, how come no-one remembers this - Joey Dunlop racing a Benelli Sei through Bungalow in the very same race. He wasn’t the first the race a Sei at the TT either. Keith Martin raced a Sei on the Island for UK importers Agrati in 1976, with six magnificent megaphones one of the few swops from standard. Otherwise, like Dunlop’s bike, the only big changes were the tank, seat and fairing. Sadly Dunlop only managed two laps before his Sei snapped. But he made amends in the F2 race, bringing home the 500 Quattro in fifth. Right behind him was Pete Davis on a Laverda Alpino, the pair the only non-Hondas to finish the race. Not a lot of people know that.
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27th May 2010 - Little fleas..
Some folk dismiss our love of giro flyers, 175cc (or even less) of Latin lightweights that competed in the Italian Gran Fondo races. Typical Italian nonciness, they say. Us Brits like our steeds big and chunky. Really? Until 1971 Brits were allowed a 250cc bike from their 16th birthday, no questions (let alone tests) asked. Cars were a no-go zone 'till you hit 17, but from '71 Big Brother decided 50cc bikes with pedals were the limit. They'd not seen what the Italian could squeeze from 50cc. And when they did (Although it was 1977 by the time they noticed) 50cc bikes were limited to 30mph. So for a certain age group, sports mopeds were all we dreamt of (well, that and the lovely Julie who sat behind me in French. And that girl in Chemistry was..sorry, drifted off)and for me a Garelli Rekord would have completed my world (and, unbelievably, I thought would allow me to nick the lovely Julie from her Ford Escort driving boyfriend.) A good friend's dad had a Garelli franchise, and he had a blue Rekord in 1975. I stayed on for A levels so had a Puch M2...tragic. So celebrate the Italian 'peds and ignore the claim they'd do 60mph - assuming you still weigh the 9 stone dripping wet you amounted to at 16. But even 45mph was unbelievable when a push-bike was all you'd had at your disposal before (Thanks to Ian Scott for the pic of his fab restoration)
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25th May 2010 - Testing, testing
MOTs - first dates for bikers? You've plucked and preened, learnt your lines, she looks like a goer; what can possibly go wrong? Even though I checked everything the night before, I check everything again - the Darmah's fixed horn's still fine, but the 450's headlight won't work. Undo headlight shell, peek inside, realise that first night nerves mean I didn't turn the switch all the way round. So now I'm late...what else can go wrong? The ride to the MOT station can, that's what. For the Stafford show, A N Other had decided to set up the rearsets correctly, i.e. down-for-up. I have them (slightly) bodged the other way, so couldn't work out why so much clutch slipping was needed to pull away - and then changed into first when I finally got some speed up. Eek. Realising what was up didn't seem to help 30 years of memory telling me my foot's prodding the lever the wrong way. End of 450 's dramas and Darmah's woes. Both bikes sailed through the test ready for summer.
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23rd May 2010 - Classic Bike HQ
Lucky enough to be invited up to Classic Bike HQ this week to share coffee and ideas with Ben and Hugo - proper gentlemen, and lovely chaps with(like their mag)refreshingly under-control egos. 320 mile round trip on the bevel 900SS meant the oil was good and ready for draining on my return. But..the building. Bizarrely (or perhaps unsurprisingly ) there are no pics on-line, but what a temple to Mammon. Big and shiny doesn't do credit to the size of the operation, which they share with Royal Sun Alliance. Everything from golf weekly to Kerrang sits in rows of identical desks with rows of identical Macs, broken up by the odd pot plant. Outside there are lakes, waterfalls and what could pass for a golf course. Refreshingly, the bike titles (MCN, Bike et al) are easy to find. There's an ex-Schwanz RG500 in the hallway, and most swivel chairs have a leather jacket slung over the back. The mention of paper quality gets a wistful sigh, and when I say to editor Hugo I'd expected a prefab with a shed outside, he smiles "I'd prefer that" And then shows off the mudguards that arrived that morning. What great people
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15th May 2010 - Kempton Park Autojumble
The most surprising thing about Kempton Park is the toilets - rows of urinal's at half the usual height. First reaction is that these are the kid's loos, but then the penny drops - Kempton Park's a horse racing course, and jockey's are famously vertically challenged (or are we allowed to say short once again, now that our all-men-are-equal government are finally gone?) Bagged an ancient copy of Motociclismo from the brilliant Magazine Man who is the main UK outlet for Benzina, and caught up with Britbike fan Chris Smith of Motorsport Publications who distributes for us in the US And then nabbed six 1980's Classic Bike mags for £2! All featured old Italian bike stuff I can cut and paste into a future Benzina....(only joking Hugo);a glance at the Rumi's and that was it for us Italophiles. But then there was the car park. Most wonderful. Click on the pic for much more
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7th May 2010 - The fastest Laverda
Thanks to the very helpful and knowledgeable Bill Snelling of FoTTofinders for supplying pics (including this one) for issue 2 of Benzina (out June)which will have just enough TT stuff in it to smell of kippers. The guy racing is Swedish Superbike champ Lennart Backstom at the 1980 TT. He's on a Laverda F500, basically a clubman racer based on the Montjuic, and the fastest Laverda ever around the Isle of Man. Yes, faster than a Jota. There goes another preconception.
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2nd May 2010 - Ace Cafe Italian Day
Well, the Italian Day at the Ace Cafe wasn't what I expected. Gentleman and heroic rescuer of the Ace, Mark Wilsmore, invited us to put up a stand "but you'll need to be there by 8:30 if you want to get in - we get really busy" A 6am start meant I rolled up in plenty of time, only to find an empty and rain lashed car park. A big-boys breakfast was enjoyed in the company of 11 times Italian Day organiser Pat Cooper of the Italian motorcycle owners club as we prayed for the promised sunshine. It never came. In the end barely 20 Italian bikes made it - just 3 modern Ducatis, a lovely series 1 Le Mans, and some great classic Laverdas. Benellis put us all to shame - there were 7 including not one Sei, but three. Incredible.
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29th Apr 2010 - Tea and Cakes with scarecrows
Our first Teas and Cakes of the year is this Saturday 1st May, from 2pm 'til 5ish - I know the forecast's dodgy, but it'd be great to see at least a couple of folk; email if you can make it, or see details of the great rides here Urchfont Scarecrow Festival 2 miles up the road's also well worth at visit - here - or you could leave bored other halves there, or at Devizes Farmers' Market 5 miles away
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28th Apr 2010 - Stafford in rude health - but is Moto Guzzi dead?
Everyone raves about the Stafford show and now I understand why; my lips are cracked from talking too much, and my feet still ache from standing around all day. Busy doesn't begin to cover it - I saw the stand and the way to the toilets, and hardly anything else. Thank you to everyone who dropped by - and if you missed me I'll move heaven and earth to be at the Ace Cafe's Italian Day this Sunday 2 May. But our Italian visitors brought sad news from the shores of Lake Como - Piaggio have shut the Moto Guzzi factory at Mandello del Lario, and started to empty the museum. The good news is the museum's back up and running, and Piaggio say the factory's only shut for refurbishment. The good news stops there. Our Italian friends say this is just a smokescreen to move Guzzi production from the factory they've been built at since the firm was established in 1920, and wriggle out of paying redundancy cash. This is our heritage. Paintings, sculpture, buildings - they all get instant kudos and often legal protection to save them for future generations. When the petrol runs out the first century of mass transport will finally be appreciated. The green lobby may point at magnificent follies like the Guzzi V8 (pictured in the Guzzi museum) but this was built with the cash from thousands of Guzzilinos and such that gave us ordinary folk the freedom to venture beyond our own villages. And when future historians try to understand this, in the same way previous eras are researched by examining old buildings and artefacts, what will we say? Oh, we got rid of it all. Couldn't screw enough money out of it.
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22nd Apr 2010 - Laverda enters, Laverda wins
Congratulations to Team Benzina supporter and contributor Rob Dixon - a 1st and 2nd place in round one of the Classic Italian Endurance race, teamed with Piero Laverda who reckons the success made him fell 20 years younger. Rob's been a Laverda nut since the age of 16 and savagely pruned his collection of Laverda's to fund the season ahead; We can only imagine what it feels like to be asked to race alongside Mr. Laverda in Italy. Rob's a top guy, and he'll be writing about his experience in Classic Bike. We have to make do with him telling us what the V6 racer goes like in issue 2 of Benzina
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21st Apr 2010 - start them lean, keep them keen
If Ducati made bicycles, they'd be Bianchis (hang on, they are actually)and in a way bicycles are the ultimate distillation of personal transport. Also beautiful, right down to the tiniest detail - especially if it's made by Campagnolo. This sort of thinking has rubbed off on my son, so when he announced he wanted a roadbike for his 13th he insisted it was a Bianchi. But we've got a limited budget, and even with him chipping in his hard earnt savings a Bianchi roadie looked a million years away. But if you want to keep them lean, the exercise regime has to keep them keen. So cunning use of Google advanced search unearthed this beauty for under £300. Less than 4 years old, the current equivalent’s over £600 - if anyone’s got one in stock. Only problem was it was in Brixton. Even a country boy like me knows that's not the posh end of London town. But a 200 mile round trip in the Fiat 500 (yes, it fitted; well, just)took less than 4 gallons of fuel and 5 hours including dealing with a very friendly vendor (thanks Viadas)and a father/son bonding session in Heston's Popham Little Chef. What a perfect day. And the boy's so chuffed he's keeping the bike in his bedroom. Mind you, his Mum's not home yet...
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20th Apr 2010 - Stafford - then Teas and Cakes
First - a huge thank you to everyone who's made issue 1 of Benzina a success - hugely appreciated (and a massive relief). I'll be at the Stafford show this weekend (Sandylands Hall, opposite Ducati Owners Club) so come and say hello. And then Saturday 1 May our first Teas and Cakes of 2010, 2pm on - details on the teas and cakes page - come and ridicule the Paso, help get the Darmah's horn working, or just tuck into Joanna's baking. Click on the picture for a taste of what you can expect. STOP PRESS - issue 2 ready early June - words and pictures nearly done, then the drag of design and proofing for the home run; there's Laverda V6 riding impressions plus their Formula 500 racers at the TT. Sticking with the Isle of Man, the story of Tony Rutter's partnership with Ducati and the development of the TT2 that led to the F1 roadbike. A smattering of Benelli Sei (did you know Joey Dunlop raced one?), a goodly dollop of Ducati Silverstone and a slice of MV750 Sport are some of the tasty roadbikes on offer, plus riding with Dustbin fairings, Guzzi V8s, and touring Europe on a Le Mans in 1976. Phew. I'd better get on with
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16th Apr 2010 - Il Paso arrivo
It's here - my latest Ducati, and an ideal daily ride; the Ducati 906 Paso. The ministrations of Moto Marianna fettled it to perfection (although I needed a sit down when I saw the bill) and the new tail light went on in (several) minutes (see blog passim). The Darmah Queen decided her horn wouldn't work, so The Paso nicked her MOT slot and sailed through - with me standing next to the missing chain guard, ahem. Hopefully Andy at Mdina will find me one before one pops up on eBay, and I think I can source the correct decals. Tempted to have the lower bodywork done in 750 gunmetal rather than the 906 white though. Chain and sprockets nearly new, as are the tricky (and expensive) to find tyres. And hopefully I've discovered a way round the replacement tyre conundrum, although the trick doesn't work on the 750. More anon, but if you need to know email me
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12th Apr 2010 - Purists look away now
There are two schools of thought on bike restorations - make them shiny (far shinier tha the factory ever did) and bask in the admiration and prizes of your peers; or (my prefered option) do what you damn well please (bearing in mind I'm a chap - chappesses do not mean "do what you damn well please" when they say it; they mean "you know what I want you to do". Be warned. And don't ask me why I know this) Anyway, Peter Korens GTS860 is the perfect example of what we love. More at Made in Italy Motorcycles
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11th Apr 2010 - Ducati on pole in Qatar
Another year, another season of Moto GP starting as usual with a night race in Qatar. In 1978 I was working in Qatar, chased back onto a ship by a kid with a machine gun, but these days they want to be all shiny and modern. Except for the Green thing, because holding a motorbike race at night means undertrack heating and floodlights. But who cares when Casey sticks the Desmosedici on pole.
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5th Apr 2010 - Go Tommy, GO
Here's to an emotional reunion...our local track demon Tommy Bridewell showed superstar qualities in BSB last year, riding his late brother's Suzuki complete with the #46 plate our much-missed Ollie always ran. This year Tommy's got an ex Shakey Byrne Fireblade and in the very first round of 2010's British Superbikes showed the doubters what some of us already knew - boy, can he ride. In race 1 he was looking good for a podium when disaster struck as he slid out at Graham Hill Bend; looking to make amends in race two, another fantastic start gifted fourth place which he used to chase down the leaders. But fighting to maintain his position he clashed with Michael Laverty, crashing out at Druids Corner and out of the race too. Yes, DNFs are always a disappointment, but as Wayne Rainey said: It's easier for a fast rider to learn not to crash than for a slow rider to learn how to ride fast. Come on Tommy, we know you can do it... I've know the Bridewells forever - Dad Marcus and me would chat as his Dad filled my Dad's car with petrol (hey - village garages with petrol pumps - those were the days). Marcus and his Dad were useful grass track racers, so Tommy's got real provenance. If you see him, cheer him on. Details of the series on the more pics link
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2nd Apr 2010 - Happy Easter!
Thanks to Tony for the pic Have a great Easter everyone
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1st Apr 2010 - April fool
So the new Paso's on the way - bought cheap from a dealer who thought a minor workshop bump would cost pennies to fix, but learnt the hard way that manufacturer's just don't stock spares for bikes more than 5 minutes old... Minor bump broke the rear light lens - a huge affair on the Paso that covers the rear indicators too. But you can't get them anymore - they used to be supplied as a complete unit (lenses, backplate, casting and fittings for back lights and indicators) but no more. Sometimes NOS appears on eBay, but even if you can wait they make as much as £200. Not what a dealer with stock to shift wants to hear... So one cheeky offer later, and the Paso will soon be my daily ride. Just needs a fettle and the new lens (above) found overnight by the ever helpful Andy Jones of Mdina (see our "good guys" page) for under £50. Excellent. Just need to sort the bloody weather out now...
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29th Mar 2010 - Anglicized Carbonnara
Well, Benzina is selling very nicely (thank you all) even to Italy. Which is where the trouble starts... One of our subscribers has questioned my carbonara recipe (actually, he said it was completely wrong, an English bastardization of an Italian national treasure..) so let's put the record straight. Apparently carbonarra pre-dates WW2, shouldn't have any bacon (it should be pancetta dolce, pancetta affumicata, or guanciale) and no parsley or wine. Oops... But just to prove there's no hard feelings and that the rest of the mag is good he offers the following - spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino - the simplest recipe in the Italian cookbook, and a national favourite for some midnight spaghetti after going out with friends... which probably should make it a "3am spaghetti"... Lots of olive oil, lots of garlic (as a whole if you don't want to actually eat it, or thinly sliced if you do) and lots of crushed chilli pepper... quantities vary according to you our taste... sauté everything together (watch out not to burn the garlic if it's sliced), cook and drain the pasta al dente and add it in the pan with the ingredients, mix mix mix with the flame still going on under the pan and serve... here some chopped parsley is appropriate, just sprinkle some on the serving dishes (i.e. don't cook it)
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27th Mar 2010 - Spring is sprung
Finally it's starting to look like riding weather (meaning weather it's good to ride in, rather than weather it's possible to ride through) so time to treat the bevels to an oil change (straight 40w for the 450, putty-thick 50w for the 900s). And as an early Easter present one of these apiece - magnetic dipsticks. £20 odd each from Tony Brancato - (UK -01865 891203) is cheap when you think what they could save you. Given Taglioni's apparent dislike of oil filters these give an early warning of things going wrong, so you can minimize the outrageous cost of a rebuild - or maybe avoid it altogether - thanks to Tony
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25th Mar 2010 - Forgotten Era
Everyone and thier old man knows Ducati's bevel twins legend, and the 916/Foggy era that made Ducati mainstream; the missing link is the aircooled rubber duck racers from a forgotten era. Tony Rutter took four (count 'em) world championships for Ducati on his TT2 racebike yet the roadgoing version, the 750F1, can still be bought for half the price of a bevel 900SS. Cheaper still is the 350/400 F3. Same frame and bodywork, just needs upgraded brakes and suspension (the same as most 25 year old bikes, then) and a bigger motor. This lovely chap got to just £1900 on eBay despite loads of shiny stuff and a 650 Pantah engine having been added
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22nd Mar 2010 - Sideburn numero cinque
It's not Italian, it hardly ever mentions Ducatis (let alone any other Italian bikes) and although publishers Gary Inman and Ben Part say it's about flat track, it's not really. But Sideburn is absolutely the best mag on the planet at reminding you why you love motorcycles. Issue number 5 has just come back from the printers - so buy it (after you've bought Benzina, obviously)
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21st Mar 2010 - Photoshoots
Photoshoots - why would anyone want to be a pro photographer or model? Sounds glamorous, but in reality it's a cold, dull way of turning several hours into 1/500th of a second of airbrushed insipidness. And that's if the photographer/model/weather doesn't let you down. You'd think digital cameras that let you see what you've snapped instantly (plus the knowledge that Photoshop can hide more sins than a Catholic priest) would mean a photoshoot was done and dusted quicker than a Big Mac. My stepmum was a model, and back in black and white I had to occasionally hang around while she looked lovingly into a long lens. It really was like a scene from Austin Powers - bloke in a cravat and flouncy shirt camped it up with a camera quickly enough to make the pub before last orders. So snappers, tell me this - was my childhood self so fascinated with fashion shoots that the hours only seemed like minutes? Or are those faded pics of Twiggy/Shrimpton/Hepburn just low quality tat that bears no comparison to the hi-res delights offered by today's WH Smiths? Still, hope you enjoy the lovely results in Benzina #2 - only got to wait 'till June...
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13th Mar 2010 - Summer holidays
The dates have been confirmed for this years Milano Taranto ride - 4th to 10th July. Family commitments mean I'll be elsewhere (budding burglars please note) but one day... It looks tougher than the Giro - starts at midnight, and you have to make your own way back up to Milan once you're done. And there doesn't seem to be an English speaking contingent (although plenty of Dutch compete, which'll bring down the language barriers - most Nederlanders speak 3 or more languages), but what the hell - the organisers have praised the article in Issue 1 of Benzina (to our knowledge the only ever coverage in English) so someone ought to go and say thank you. Wonder if Ducati UK would lend me a Multistrada to see the start in Milan?
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9th Mar 2010 - The kids are alright
Spotted early doors one Sunday outside a Sidmouth newsagents. Belonged to the young lad serving inside, paying for his bike while his schoolmates are all still in bed. So nostalgic I went for my hankie. A zillion years ago I worked in a petrol station all day Sundays (and plenty of weekday evenings) to pay for mopeds, bikes and beer because I was doing A levels and mates who'd left school had 250s on HP. I still pine for those days, fettling my bike instead of checking paying customers oil levels with radio Luxemburg on loud enough to hear across the forecourt
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4th Mar 2010 - I sei..
There were a couple of beautifully restored Benelli Seis at the Bristol Classic show, all gleaming chrome and bonkers exhaust. But we like this much better - mad as a barrel of monkeys, a genuine racing Sei with the finest exhaust system we've seen in ages. Love those continentals, they'll race anything. And before the purists say only a fool would race a Benelli Sei, remember Joey Dunlop rode one in the legedary 1978 TT F1. He broke down, but then so did Phil Read's works Honda. Some bloke called Hailwood won. On a Ducati - of course
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28th Feb 2010 - Killing time...
A wet and windy Wiltshire is no place to ride old Ducatis, especially in February. If the mud and falling branches don't get you, the road salt will eat your crankcases alive. So while my lovely wife (Dr Girlie Nice-Smile) is experimental baking ready for this year's tea and cakes (back 1st Saturday in May) how to kill some time? Well, how about model kits - they still turn up on eBay, and can help with pre-teen bonding as offspring build up Warhammers kits. This was my first bevel 900SS - just need to change those Speedline wheels...
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24th Feb 2010 - Trinity
Benzina are indebted to Louis Stellar for this - a Ducati 3 wheeler called the Muletta (little mule). This one was probably imported to the States by long time importers Berliner, but apparently there are (were?) loads of them in Italy. Why have a two stroke APE three wheeler when you can have one powered by Taglioni's bevel overhead cam single? And you can't help but wonder if a 450RT motor would fit in there...
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21st Feb 2010 - Always in the wrong
Team Benzina helped out at the Bristol Classic Bike Show, trying to look knowledgeable on the very wonderful Ducati and MV Agusta owners' club stands. And occasionally creeping off to badger the ever helpful Magazine Man into selling more copies of the benzina magazine But the day involved using up lots of brownie points, so much effort was made to seem positive and interested when returning to Benzina HQ, especially as the family had made pancakes for a postponed shrove Tuesday. "But why are they green?" I foolishly asked "They're not" came the reply "they're blue" "Well they look green" I insisted "Thats because the yellow of the egg yolks makes them look green, but the food dye's blue" So lesson learnt; even when you're right, you're wrong Never mind - the new mag looked fab on the stand next to the coolest mag out there Sideburnand the lovely Men's File. And the new Classic Bike mag featured an Interceptor article by TB - talk about sychronicity
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19th Feb 2010 - You asked
Folk love our tees, but keep asking for a simple little black number with benzina in our top speed typeface. Well here it is; when they're gone, they're gone
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16th Feb 2010 - While the cat's away...
February in the UK's even more flipping freezing than usual, and us soft southern types can't cope with artic garage antics. Especially when the kids have nicked the heater for their bedroom - our electric meter's spinning like an old Guzzi's bacon slicer. So TB member and arty type - no, let's not mention his name - needs to get his MV125 ready for the Bristol Classic show this weekend, and finds himself on the horns of a dilemma; frostbite in the garage or a frosty reception on the MV club stand when he tells them his bikes not finished. But there's always another way, especially when his wife's taken the kids away for half term. Move the bike into the house - TV, beer and bike all within easy reach, and nice and toasty. Just watch those oily fingermarks. And be ready for that quickening heartbeat when you hear those three little words; "Darling, I'm home!"
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12th Feb 2010 - Pass the crowbar..
This is the Team Darmah - the perfect old bus for relaxed summer rides. But at some stage in its history the sidestand went AWOL, I'd guessed because a faster rider than me missed the ground clearance. Or succumbed to the temptation that comes every time you see the price sidestands make on eBay. TB friend and pro bevel fettler Brian Silver (aka Moto Marianna) knocked me up a new one, and I thought even I could fit it. How hard can it be? Buggeration. The non standard stainless steel downpipes have different bends to the original. So the sidestand goes on, but the exhaust won't. Or vice versa. Hand me the crowbar, Eugene. Brian's sold me some new downpipes. And arranged to have them chromed. I might have to sell the sidestand to pay for them...
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10th Feb 2010 - Guys, be ready for Valentine's..
Sunday 14th is St Valentine's day. One of those days when treating the lady in your life well is a get out of jail card, safely tucked away for the next time you tread straight 50W across the hall carpet. So here's an easy Italian supper that looks posher than it is and won't make her worry it'll go straight to her waistline. You'll need smoked pancetta strips (Sainsbury's sell them in packs of 12 for £2, on special offer right now) plus one skinless chicken breast per person (if you're Alan Clark, the Lord who took his mistress on Honeymoon, you may want the family value pack). Hopefully your storecupboard can do the other bits; olive oil, white wine, tarragon, sherry vinegar or balsamic. Wrap each chicken breast with 3 strips of pancetta, pop into a shallow ovenproof dish. Splash in a little wine and smidge of vinegar, pinch of dried Tarragon, drizzle of the oil over the chicken. Into a 180c oven for 25 minutes Serve with pasta (I like the little fuselli spirals) or mash, maybe with pesto, plus green beans - or crusty bread and green salad. Final cheffy touch is to cut each breast into 3 or 4 slices and spread out, but you don't need to. Bottle of white, tablecloth and candles - you never know, you might get more than Brownie points...
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9th Feb 2010 - Racers on show
The race Retro Show at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry is on the lookout for period racers to display over the weekend of 12-14 March. There are prizes, and the chance to show off to Phil Read and Peter Williams. Entry details are here and if you need help with trailering a bike to the show or even a van, you know where we are
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7th Feb 2010 - Rallying call
On a freezing February morn the final photoshoot for Benzina #1 took place, as newbie model Chikki Violet grinned and bared it for lensman Jeff May - our tribute to the genius of Bob Carlos Clarke's original. The printers start work tomorrow, and should have issue 1 ready before the end of the month If you like the idea of spending time outside, the Rally season starts here. Ducati owners club start with the Severn Valley Rally on 7-9th Mayat the Unicorn Inn (B&B available), Hampton Loade, Shropshire. If you like your fun in-tents (sorry) contact Kevin Baker 07971 972866 M/H 01384 868844 or Richard Curzon 07853 261054/01562 864591 or use westmids@docgb.net At the other end of the season there's the Southern Rally on 3th - 5th September 2010 at Newlands Campsite, a sort of mini Centre Parcs close to beautiful Charmouth in Dorset - contact Chris Calton 01305 773990 H/M 07816371857 or ccalts@aol.com
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4th Feb 2010 - Don't rub too hard
We all love shiny, but some Ducati bevel owners go a bit too far. Here's a 450 Desmo crankcase that some would buff to a mirror finish. Given some free time we'd rather ride than polish - better for the bike too, as discovered by the poor soul who took his Bacofoil bright Desmo for a service. See the unsightly ridges circled on our Desmo? His were gone. They're the timing marks... "Oh bugger" was our oppo's surprisingly restrained response when a well known Duke fettler broke the news
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3rd Feb 2010 - And now for something completely different
Now this is very special - an Arai handpainted in the style of a Rio Grande blanket, c1890 Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Navajo and Hispanic weavers mastered the art of dying handspun wool with synthetic dyes, just as generations before them had mastered the art of dying with indigo. The intensity of colour carried from one dye lot to the next, allowing weavers to create depth within each colour - or so it says on the very wonderful and original Silverman Museum - and yes, you can buy one
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1st Feb 2010 - Electrickery
Electricity's like gravity - we know what it does, but not what it is. The Haydron Collider's trying to suss pulling power, but electricity? It's like women - we've given up on the understanding thing, and are just grateful for what happens. Trying to grasp that electrons shuffle about outside the wires (I'm back to electricity, not women) hurts nearly as much as 240v. But Catweasel's electrickery holds no mystery for TB friend Will H; local high school techie, he fixes bike wiring for fun (mind you he did a post-grad in production engineering for fun), and upgrading a supposedly pro re-wired Desmo 450 he observed that whoever did the previous work had a crimper which made joints "look very pretty, but not really meaty enough" That explains the dead battery and rectifier on last years Giro... We like to share this sort of expertise. Here he is at work on a 1950s MV Agusta 125, which now might make the 2010 Giro. Thanks Will.. And if you need help, maybe Will'll be at our (now Saturday pm) teas and cakes. He charges (pun intended) but his tastes are more local ale than fancy wine, so it costs bugger all for a job well done. Let us know if you need help - maybe we can track him down...
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29th Jan 2010 - Undervalued classic
As word reaches us of yet another roundcase Ducati 750SS selling for some £60k, and a couple of Laverda 750SFCs making over £30k, the Guzzi V7 Sport might be the most undervalued Italian classic around. The Italian's were into building low run 750s for racing in the early seventies, and Guzzi's was the V7 Sport. Based on the touring V7, designer Tonti ditched the belt-driven dynamo between the cylinders and stuck an alternator on the front of the crank instead. This left space to run the twin top tubes of his new frame from headstock to tail, doing away with the V7's loop frame, lowering the overall centre of gravity and improving handling beyond recognition. Homologation for production racing required 100 bikes to be built, and it's thought less than 200 of the red (chrome-molybdenum) framed bikes were hand built. Later bikes came via a production line with black painted steel frames, but still had the gear driven cams and more performance than any other 750, including the Honda four and Ducati 750GT. So how much for a nicely prepped slice of lime? Just £10,500 from the always fair John Fallon at madeinitalymotorcycles Better than money in the bank