Benzina

Buy! Buy! Buy!

2012-02-17T11:25:00.000Z

This interesting Laverda Monjuic is one of the lots at tomorrow's Bonham's auction as part of the Bristol Classic Bike show (which is 25 miles from Bristol!); there's enough being sold too make getting in worthwhile -a sweet Bultaco Metralla 250, a Steib sidecar, a bonkers-leaning 3-wheel Honda Stream and a Vincent moped! Prices will be a good litmus - the car world in running away, with people talking about £20m Ferrari 250s, and I fear the (better) bikes will follow; a standard Ducati 750F1 (which I commended here when they were about £7k) has just sold for £15,000. Compare that to your cash ISA..

Bonham's say this lovely little Monty "was acquired in September 2007 by the vendor, who advises that the modifications were made over a period commencing in the late 1980s. The rear suspension has been converted to mono-shock configuration, the engine bored out to 544cc capacity, and many other upgrades incorporated into this unique machine. Described by the private vendor as in generally excellent condition, this iconic Italian sports roadster is offered with current MoT, Swansea V5C document and many expired MoT certificates and bills detailing the work carried out."

But I'd find the extra and buy the 1977 (listed as a 75 - see blog passim) Ducati 900SS: Vincent money in the making, especially if Rossi takes the Bolognese firm to MotoGP glory

Mondials at Race Retro

2012-02-16T12:50:00.002Z

I'll be at Stoneleigh Park for the Race Retro show next weekend (25/26 February) with a couple of bikes courtesy of Made in Italy Motorcycles including this very special Mondial. The show's featured marque is Honda/HRC and they'll be firing up a replica 500/6 (it is LOUD)and interviewing Gerald Davison who's a bit of a legend if you're a Honda fan.

The Mondial Piega is the only bike Honda have ever officially sanctioned to have one of their engines fitted to (other than Hondas, obviously!) reflecting Soichiro Honda's gratitude to Mondial for providing him with a 125 racing engine in 1958 (that story was in Benzina #001) These 0 Kms Mondial Piegas are probably the final chance to buy a brand new Mondial with only just over 100 of these very special bikes ever being built. They were constructed to the highest standards using a Honda SP1 engine. The Piega incorporated the best components available including a handmade aluminium fuel tank, full carbon fibre bodywork, Brembo brakes, multi adjustable Paoli Kayaba 46mm TiN forks, Ohlin's rear shock and steering damper, Mondial's own light weight aluminium wheels and their own ECU control unit which not only smoothes out the standard Honda on/off fuelling issues but along with other modifications increases the power from 129BHP to almost 140. Each bike also comes with its own dust cover and presentation pack which includes not only the hand books and brochures but a full colour book on the Piega. £14950.00+VAT

Peking Duck, anyone?

2012-02-15T16:28:00.003Z

Following last year's posting on Ducati Spa's proposed floatation on the Hong Kong stock exchange, the Financial Times has reporting that move is likely to be sidestepped by an outright sale to an existing car manufacturer. Given the AMG connection Mercedes are the obvious first-guess, but it would be a brave (and naive) person who'd bet against an Indian or Chinese factory stepping in. Should we care?

If it's China, definitely. Their view on copyright and patent law is simple; it plain doesn't exist. Yet we let them manufacture pretty much anything designed in the west to save us money (and lose jobs that we then have to replace with welfare) in the name of a free market; that's fine in theory, until the resulting wealth gets passed to a few already wealthy individuals while handing over our supposed advantage of a better educated and more skilled workforce. This could be a once-and-for-all abandonment of the technological advantage the west has enjoyed since the industrial (maybe even agricultural) revolution.

The second problem is China isn't a free market - their currency is deliberately undervalued and human rights just don't exist over yonder great wall. You don't even need to visit Hong Kong anymore to see the Chinese making something for a western company, then flogging the "run ons" (stuff made cheaply at the end of a production run) via eBay or as illegal counterfeits (except they're not counterfeits) in markets across the world. What can we do? Same as we did during the Cold War - not build production lines in places where we might live to regret it. Problem is we already owe so much money to the Chinese we've probably let the chance pass.

And that's the other thing to fret about - listen to the news and just about every business that goes belly up (including football clubs!) does so because it can't service massive debts, even at the peppercorn interest rates they have to pay. Story's the same every time - sharp young suit persuades private equity backers there's a fast buck to be made, huge wall of cash looking for a return above 2% leaps at the chance, and then...oblivion. Normally I don't loose too much sleep over this sort of stuff, because economies can usually fix themselves given time. But if Ducati goes, or just becomes a brand that used to build and race motorcycles out of Borgo Panigale, the world will be a poorer place

Rumi at the Inn

2012-02-10T12:33:00.001Z

This lovely little Rumi 125 Bol D'Or will be for sale at Bonham's Bristol auction next weekend; these mad half bike, half scooters have a huge following, not least because of their racing history which is unsurprising given their performance: 90mph from a 125? Oh, yes - thanks to twin cylinders fed plenty of petrol by twin Dell'Ortos. Hardly the most economical 125, but quite possibly the fastest.

We won!

2012-02-06T11:12:00.003Z

The Parilla 175 we supported won the Classic Bike of the Year competition at the Excel bike show yesterday: this is CB editor Hugo Wilson presenting the cheque for a thousand guineas (£1,050 - a guinea was a pound and a shilling) to Parilla owner John Crookes. Even the runners up felt John deserved the prize (second was a bathtub Triumph, third a home made V3 stroker) and Hugo didn't disagree when I said the best bike won. Congratulations to John and the discerning readers of CB: plus all of those who voted by email - it's what wins these things. John's story is in issue 7 of Benzina which will be mailed out this week.

Strange Kind of Love

2012-02-02T12:52:00.003Z

No, not the strange kind of love sung about by the excellent Love and Money, but the growing affection for the Ducati 500 Desmo Sport. It predecessor the 500GTL was an unloved old frump, with Giugiaro-alike styling copied from the 860GT and performance that left the 450 Desmo it was supposed to replace untroubled.

So Ducati's dynamic duo stepped in - Dr T added Desmo heads, and Tartarini's styling for the still-born Rollah single (see Benzina #006) was bolted on. Lovely. But despite being 20-odd mph faster than the GTL the 500SD was forgotten until bevel twins' prices spiralled out of reach and folk started realising there is Another Way.

So prepare to be turned by these websites - Parallel Twins is general interest, but Andre at Panigale Twins is prepping his 500SD for racing, starting with a dry-clutch conversion. As you do...

Hailwood in waiting

2012-01-28T08:57:00.001Z

This is just one of the ad-and-padding free pages of Benzina #007, out soon - it shows Mike Hailwood racing at Bathurst on a TZ750 in early 1978. This would have been every bit as daunting as racing a Ducati 900 on the Isle of Man as he would a few months later, and great preparation for what us parochial Brits like to think of as his "comeback." The other pic was taken by a press photographer for a defunct newspaper: we'd love to be able to credit the guy, but haven't been able to discover his identity, especially since this is the only pic we've ever seen of Mike wheelieing. In fact it's the only pic I've seen of a Ducati 750SS being wheelied...and yet...

In fact it's not Mike, although that's how the pic was sold and credited. The snapper wanted the shot, but Mike just handed his helmet to co-rider Jim Scaysbrook whose motocross expertise allowed him to effortlessly hoist the bevel twin skyward. More (and more photos) in the hardcopy.

Back in the room

2012-01-26T16:32:00.001Z

At last, life gets back to normal. A CD that represents Benzina#007 is in the post and the actual magazines should be with me within 10 days: late again...sorry. And the of course they've got to be bagged and sent for the post office to work their magic. Absence from the blog (and everything else) is due to the sheer workload involved in layout, proofing and wondering why InDesign changes things back to defaults when merging documents: apparently it's trying to be helpful.

But the main delays have been in trying to get things right: the brilliant debut of Ducati's Desmo 125 at Hedemora I've already owned up to, but even more challenging was getting to the bottom of Mike Hailwood's racing success on a Ducati 750SS in 1977. Yes, 1977 - in Australia, repeatedly, and well before that '78 TT comeback. He also raced at TZ750 at Bathurst, a properly hairy-chested circuit that the Isle of Man TT folk want included in a new world series for street racing.

The pic shows Mike's 750SS in Easter '78 livery (again before the TT): co-rider in the Castrol 6 Hour was Jim Scaysbrook, who deserves more recognition over here: he's been successful in most motorcycle racing disciplines and is regarded as Australia's #1 motorcycle writer, with a slew of books to his credit (including the one below): bizarrely his books are largely unknown (well, to me..) in the UK. Jim helped me no end, largely via Phil Aynsley without whom neither this story or the Desmo 125 piece would have ever got finished. Phil rang people, got things straight and pointed me in the right direction more than once. Please buy his photographs and book (if you can still find a copy). More soon, including a fab pic of Mike wheelieing the big Ducati...

Things that make you go "Hmmm..."

2012-01-10T10:28:00.001Z

Spotted for sale on an Italian website - a DOHC "Bialbero" Bianchi 175 "As raced in the Motogiro." Hmmm....

The Giro was originally for production bikes, but being Italian this rule was quickly so twisted that for 1956 there were two classes - one for production bikes (macchine derivite della serie, aka formula 3) and sport/formula 2, a run-what-you-brung, as long as it doesn't have a fairing or more than 175cc.
The only time Bianchi featured in the F2 class results was the final Giro in 1957 when Franzosi came home 6th (though the Tonale had a great record in the F3 class), which may or may not have been a one-off DOHC racer: but all the film clips, photos and even Bianchi publicity material show the SOHC Tonale, including a Corsa version I'd assumed was the F2 entry. So what's this pic? The one-off DOHC 175 built by Lino Tonti in 1960? But wouldn't that make the bike even more valuable, and of course the Giro as a pure road-race was gone by 1960.
So it looks like a fake, and an example of how well equipped native-Italian "restorers" are...unless you know different?

Bus-like Parillas

2012-01-07T12:03:00.002Z

Just like buses - you wait ages for one, and then three turn up. No sooner do I line up a Parilla piece for Benzina, than the very same bike makes Classic Bike and Classic Racer use this fantastic shot of Eraldo Ferracci racing a hi-cam Parilla in 1960. Eraldo still runs Fast by Ferracci who prepped Doug Pollen's winning Ducati Superbike back in the 1980s. If this whets your appetite for more Parilla morsels, you should try Mike McGary's excellent Moto Parilla website And please remember to vote for John's Parilla in the Classic Bike of the year competition simply by sending a blank email to Votebike08@bauermedia.co.uk

Vote, vote...VOTE!!!

2012-01-03T13:35:00.000Z

I've trailed pix of this Parilla before, but ran out of time and space to get it into issue #006 of Benzina - all sorted for issue #008, out January if I don't have a nervous breakdown in the meantime...

The story of how John came by this little know beauty is fantastic, and he's a deserved finalist in the Classis Bike bike-of-the-year competition (CBOTY). In fact he should win the competition outright, because not only did he do most of the work himself (becoming an real marque expert along the way) he did it in-between running a full time business and looking after a growing family. Plus the other finalists are pretty ordinary - Brit twins (admittedly one with a funky De Fazio front end, a lardy old Honda plus some other stuff that I can't even remember from my surreptitious spying in WH Smiths.

Parilla's are so rare than CB even calls them OHC (only the original 250 racer was - the rest were strokers or OHV) but bikes just like John's still won classes in the Motogiro and Milano-Tarnto. And John's should win the CBOTY which is decided on a free vote - you can support him by just emailing to Votebike08@bauermedia.co.uk - one email ID gets one vote. Hmmm, I've got at least half a dozen emails addresses...

Gilera Saturno Cross

2011-12-31T13:32:00.001Z

Spotted on an Italian website, claiming to be a genuine Gilera Saturno 500 Cross (as seen in Benzina #004 originally one of just four ex-fiamme oro spec bikes delivered to the Ministry of Interior. These post '54 bikes differs from the first series with oval (not round) swingarm, different triple clamp mountings, exhaust pipe and seat. Restored in 1985, since then this Saturno has sat in a private collection bar a few outings to exhibitions. The price is said to be "challenging...but not absurd." In other words, if you have to ask... Still a thing of rare beauty, and incredibly undervalued outside Italy

Bialbero

2011-12-28T09:00:00.001Z

Love this, shamelessly pinched from Cafe Sport blog - a home brewed double-overhead cam Ducati single. The Italians seem to delight in this sort of thing: in Benzina #004 the Gilera Saturno piece mentioned how every Italian biker seems to have a workshop capable of turning the pushrod single into a DOHC racer. Makes a refreshing change from the Brits obsession with the 100 point-perfect restorations that (for me) scar the Stafford shows.

Not that this seems to trouble the blogosphere - most seem to be asking (when they can steer away from the economy) who rides through winter anymore? Well, down in Devon with the in-laws for Christmas what should turn up on Sidmouth seafront? A Diavel, and two-up at that. Did I have a camera? Bugger...no, but well done that man (or woman) for dashing the clichés and making my day

It wasn't me...

2011-12-23T17:34:00.001Z

It wasn't me, it was Ducati: my earlier post doubting their first ever desmo racer not only won its first race, but that rider Degli Antonio lapped the entire field was based on research prompted by a book (quoted on the Ducati website!) saying the win was mere seconds. Thanks to Swedish subscriber Anders I got in touch with the guy (pictured) who the book said came second - he didn't, he DNF'd and the "lapped the whole field" tale is true. Full story in Benzina #7, which I'm now miles behind with (largely due to chasing up this story!) but will get out late January...I hope. This also explains (along with Dr Girlie Nice-Smile's flu)why I didn't send any cards or post here for a fortnight. Sorry and Happy Christmas to all

twowheels+: Piaggio Vespa Pole Position Trophy

2011-12-23T17:15:00.000Z

Courtesy twowheels+: Piaggio Vespa Pole Position Trophy: Scuderia Vespa Svedese - and yes, that's Alain Prost. Brilliant...

The utimate Mono MV

2011-12-12T10:10:00.001Z

So we get monoalbero monocilindrico (single cam, single cylinder) - here's the logical conclusion: just one wheel on your MV Agusta - una MV mono ruota

MV Agusta alternatives

2011-12-09T10:56:00.001Z

Winter - the season of workshops and getting projects done. So given the MV 350 isn't standard, maybe the deviation from originality should be embraced. Most of the necessary bits could be provided by Disco-volante and it would stop all the geeks who love to point out variations from factory spec. Looks like a Giro racer, too. Bet Remo Venturi never had people coming up and saying, "oh, look double-overhead cams: that's not right, is it? Should have push-rods like my mate's 75 Turismo"...

Perfect present (to yourself)

2011-12-06T13:00:00.001Z

Perfect presents or the finishing touch to the garage, sitting room or outside loo: A3 (about 42cmx30cm) canvas prints with gallery wrap (the pic goes round the edge of the frame - so the first image appears cropped viewed head on when you see the real thing - see the alternative images). You can buy HERE

1968 TT and all that

2011-12-06T09:39:00.001Z

Here's a newly unearthed film of the 1968 TT. Only 7 minutes, bit blury and the soundtrack sounds like you're running an old spool film with the Hill Street Blues music on in the background. But I think I spotted Ago, Read, Ivy, Robb, Cooper and Paso: that's why they called it a golden era.

The truth sometimes hurts

2011-12-05T09:15:00.001Z

One of the Ducati legend set-pieces is that their first ever desmo racer (a 125 single) not only won its first race at the Swedish GP, but that rider Degli Antonio lapped the entire field. Always sounded odd to me (even though, ahem, the tale was repeated in Benzina #004 - sorry) especially when I realised how long and fast the circuit was (Hedemora). Then I found out the race favourite was the Swedish champion on another Ducati desmo, who came second to track novice Degli Antonio...

So with guidance from Alan Cathcart (currently in sunny LA - clearly I need to be a bit more ambitious) I think the win was mere seconds. A few more sources to check, and if you know the definitive answer please say. Otherwise the full story will be in Benzina #007, out January(ish). In the meantime these pics are of the 1953 Senior GP at Hedemora and other 125 desmos racing in 1958

Red alert

2011-12-04T13:29:00.001Z

Seen these? Lovely aren't they? Just been stolen from a secure garage in South West London. Maybe a professional job using a van as one bike had no rear shock. They're probably already in bits, because some parts are especially trick and make the bikes easy to spot. So pleaseclick here for details and keep a look out: £5,000 reward on the table. After a week of people waving the Red Flag and banging on about sticking together hopefully there's no need to point out that if nobody bought stuff under dodgy circumstances there'd be much less thievery...

2012 starts here

2011-12-01T11:36:00.001Z

Those of us wondering about an alternative Italian expedition to the Motogiro have been waiting for this - confirmation that Ducati will run another World Ducati Week(end?) in 2012. With that date in the diary, the serious planning for next year's riding can commence

WDW will run Thursday 21 to Sunday 24 June at Misano circuit, and should bring together 60,000 Duke fans from around the world. It's sure to follow the tried and tested formula of race track events, shows, top riders, competitions and music (Italian rock, mind...) combined with the atmosphere created by thousands of (mainly red) motorcycles. Won't clash with the TT, because that's pencilled in for May 28 to June 8.

As the event’s massive attendance invades the entire Riviera Romagnola, Ducati has ensured the cooperation and the Province of Rimini, Misano, Republic of San Marino and more. It'll be fab - more at wdw.ducati.com (see what they did with that URL?)

Panigale privileges

2011-11-30T14:05:00.001Z

These just in - Phil Aynsley's Panigale photoshoot of a pre-production 1199S. Photographed in Sydney, Phil unfortunately didn't get to see just how the 'frame' and engine tied together, despite wanting to. Build quality appeared (given it was a pre-production unit) to be the same as a 1198.Missed opportunity? For me, the post 916-series bikes have had too many little screws and bits of plastic that smack of accountancy rather than engineering - here's hoping the 1199's a great leap forward.

Spunky moped

2011-11-29T08:58:00.001Z

This from Spanish heroes Radical Ducati - a 48 Sport, yours for 3,000 Euros. Oddly they emphasise you can't ride it - hope this isn't the start of the hang-it-on-your-study-wall thing that has deprived the world of so many Bianchi Superleggeras

It's complicated

2011-11-28T10:03:00.001Z

It was quite a shock to see good-egg Stuart Mayhew of North Leicester Motorcycles staring back at me from the Sunday Times yesterday - yet another bod caught up in the mire of running a business when some busybody told him to buy a performing licence because the public could hear the workshop radio. Same legislation prevents me listening to music on show stands and I know someone who was told he needed one because he worked from home and the phoning-in jobsworth could hear the radio on in the background. You guess it - they worked for the Government.

So you can probably guess I don't have much sympathy for Wednesday's strike, and was a fan of Margaret Thatcher, not least because I hated school milk. Mrs T got rid of that as education secretary, because she didn't see why school's should subsidise feckless parents who couldn't be bothered to give their kids a decent breakfast. In fact I only lost sympathy with the-lady-who-wasn't-for turning when she waged war on the Argentineans, which was when my rather more jingoistic friends took up her cause. And she shouldn't have sold off our gas and water to the French...

Those were tough times, taking piecemeal jobs to complete my HND business studies course (which I paid for) but I understood we had to reign in pressure groups (yes, including unions) who were rightly only interested in their own members' interests, even if their actions were sending my family's modest business dangerously close to the rocks. Problem is, then as now, few people look beyond the trees for the woods, let alone years down the line. Where were all the protests and strikes a decade ago when it was clear most people's lifestyle was simply down to borrowing by consumers and governments alike? Why did no-one point out you can't have increasing pensions in a world of falling investment returns and rising life expectancy? Because if you borrowed the money to pay for it, the problem goes away...for now. And hopefully for a future generation to worry about (and btw - youth unemployment's been rising steadily since 2002, so why all the fuss now?) But guess what? The can wasn't kicked far enough down the road and we have to clear up our own mess. Seems fair to me...

Tax the bankers? They'll move, and already some of us have realised the EU's plans to do just that will kick the UK economy where it hurts. Stop folk like Philip Green hiding his profits offshore? Great idea, but the UK already has the most complex tax system in the world, and we're too dim to cope with change. An example - our chancellor wanted to simplify employee taxation by combining income, employers and NI taxes. Anyone who's had employees will tell you how frustrating it is to calculate these deductions only to send a single cheque to the tax office. In fact the only reason you bother with all the paperwork is you know you'll be hung out to dry if you have a inspection team land on your doorstep and make your life a misery for a week before fining you. So simple idea - add the three taxes (currently about 45% at the margin for a typical full timer) and abolish the departments that administer and enforce the various schemes. You'd save a fortune, as would the grateful employers who'd be spared the paperwork. Didn't happen though, because various factions would have delighted in "Basic income tax rises to 45%" headlines, without mentioning nobody's going to pay more tax and the exchequer would save a fortune.

So while the government tries to work out how to tax those who should pay (like Boots, who are based in Switzerland...) we can make a difference. Don't do business with anyone who's using clever accounting to avoid paying their share, and make it your business to find the facts rather than the media's take on them. Ordinary people refusing to buy South African goods helped bring down apartheid, and the Israelis take more notice of you not buying their fruit than any whining government minister. Make your choices wisely, and accept that any boost to the economy by government is worthless if the rewards get blown on imported plasma TVs and foreign holidays.

But not Italian motorcycles, obviously...

Macau madness

2011-11-25T09:43:00.001Z

Near neighbour to us (He's in Yeovil) Martin Jessopp claimed the runners-up spot in today's Macau Grand Prix, completing a fantastic one-two for the Riders Ducati team. But bloody hell - if this is what it takes to come second...well, we never had it. Martin, you're a legend.

Jessopp's team mate Michael Rutter (below, but not at Macau) won the race for Riders and Ducati, claiming a seventh victory around the famous Guia street circuit. Rutter made history by beating Ron Haslam's tally of six wins, but Jessopp was only 4.772secs behind in second, beating several top road riders including Ian Hutchinson in third and John McGuinness in sixth.

British Superbike racer Jessopp was delighted to get his Macau GP chance and paid tribute to British Superbike Championship veteran Rutter: “The last two years I’ve been learning from Michael. I hit the wall pretty hard on lap 1, so I settled down after that. I think Michael was playing with us for the first couple of laps.”

Rutter said of his team mate: “Martin has been there all year – he’s come along and learned a lot. It’s been a brilliant season.”

Sadly this might be the last Macau bike GP: long-time bike race co-ordinator Mike Trimby has said this is his last, and the organising committee will now think about whether the two-wheeled part of the festival will continue. Our hope is when they see this photo and the noise it's generated they'll realise it's a must-do.

Rider's/writer's block

2011-11-21T09:28:00.001Z

Just back from an excellent motoring writers' conference at the National Motor Museum with a truly inspirational keynote speech by Haymarket and Autocars' Steve Cropley. Turns out we admire the same writers' - Jenks, LJK Setright, Churchill and Hemmingway, and I loved his typically robust Australian views on writers' block. Turns out he's also a biker with old Brits dating back to 1909.

I managed to catch him at lunch, and ask what he thought of motorcycle magazines and why Haymarket don't have one. "Too many egos, which is why we got rid of TWO,"(latterly Visor Down): was his shock-horror proclamation: "Motorcycle journalists spend too much time telling the reader about themselves, and not enough about the experience." Like me he'd been surprised that Bike recently devoted just 600-odd words to a five day trip through Norway on the new Guzzi Norge: "They described a couple of corners nicely, but I came away knowing nothing about the bike." I listened and learned: turns out Haymarket scribblers are discouraged from even using "I" in their copy...

More worrying was that the conference seemed mainly to feature middle-aged car nuts looking for a "change of direction." Then I read that 100,000 people in the UK have registered as newly self employed over the last four months alone. Joining the dots, it's not hard to see where those folk who loose jobs but have too many assets to claim benefits have gone. One delegate moaned to a speaker that he never received so much as an acknowledgement for his unsolicited submissions to editors. Well, chum, 100,000 "Thanks, but no thanks" letters would make a hell of dent in Autocars' postage budget...

Italian anti-style

2011-11-18T09:05:00.001Z

Think all Italian bikers are slim and stylish? Uh-oh. These chaps work hard to make us slightly podgy pale faced Englanders feel much better about ourselves. When I saw the lady on the back of the Guzzi, for some reason Ram Jams seventies hit Black Betty popped into my head: now it's an ear-worm that will stick with me all day. Oh, black betty, bam-a-lam...

Ago and me

2011-11-15T16:49:00.001Z

Ago's head spins as he spots another young lovely, when he's supposed to be extolling the virtues of the Castiglioni's replica MV Agusta 500/3; over £200,000 to you, sir. That's me on the right pointing out to Benzina snapper Spike that the idiot's got the gearshift on the wrong side...

Nice as the bike was, I think the detailing's better on the Kay's bikes that I've seen. In fact I find them indistinguishable from the real thing. and just guess based on condition. Like the bike below, casually left by a caravan at Stafford with no explanation. Love it.

Difazio does a Ducati

2011-11-14T12:19:00.001Z

Spotted in an old album, a Difazio Ducati 750GT. I've never ridden a funny-front-ender, but back in the 70s especially I couldn't see how this could improve a big bevel's handling. I was especially cynically because the weird Quasar (a "bike" with a roof and Reliant engine) was built nearby so coming across them when out riding wasn't unusual. Even armed with just my limited talent and a 400/4 they were easy to chase down and overtake. The future? Hmmm...

Googling to try and learn more about the Duke I came across Euro Spares in California. Whole range of info on old Italians including Difazio (who's Dad walked - yes, walked) from his native Italy to set up shop in Wiltshire. The Difazio Laverda Nessie replica below is from the Euro Spares site - now the big triples did need help with handling unless you spent a lot of time doing push ups. How they won races in standard trim (ahem) was revealed in issue 3 of Benzina

Let's not forget

2011-11-13T13:34:00.001Z

Today we tried to get over to Imber, the nearby village that was requisitioned by the military at the end of World War II> The MOD had said it would be open, but when we got there the barriers were down and the red flags up. Like the folk behind us, we had to go somewhere else to observe the two minutes silence.

I've detailed the history of Imber before, and it seemed a good place to remember the losses of war; not just the lives, but the ways of life. This is a pretty apolitical blog, although I've sympathy with those who feel the UK should have accepted its military might needed scaling back after the humiliation of Suez. But I'm also a big believer in the parable of the Good Samaritan, and think that if we can help the less fortunate people of the world, then we should - even if they don't have oil or supply our drug dealers. The poppy is not about jingoism or the glory of war. It's to remind us how terrible war is, and what people can achieve (with support) in its wake. The Italian and Japanese people especially worked hard to achieve great things after WWII, and it's interesting how their economies have stagnated as generations who never knew the horror of war took over the reigns of power. We don't need wars, but we do need to remember what they can do to the lives of ordinary people. When Brits complain about cutbacks in the same breath as boasting about their iPhone, I wonder if they've ever seen somewhere like downtown Bagdad, or spoken to people who knew Afghanistan in the 1970s. Today I enjoyed walking in the sunshine across the expanse of Salisbury Plain with loved ones, remembering what I take for granted is rare across much of the world and most of history. And I'll try never to forget what people gave up to allow me to enjoy so much in life. Including the bikes.

Check out this check in.

2011-11-12T10:30:00.001Z

Are you going San Francisco? Forget wearing flowers in your hair, get over to the international airport and before checking in, check out the Moto Bellissama exhibition - a display of sporting Italian lightweights right in the airport. Can't imagine that happening at Heathrow, let alone Stansted. There are more pictures thanks to Lou Caputo here

Next summer's villa

2011-11-11T15:52:00.001Z

Isn't she lovely? A Villa brothers V4 racer, bought at the recent Bonham's auction by Sammy Miller for his museum. It will be run at the museum's Italian day July 22 2012 - this was the Bonham's listing:
Brothers Francesco and Walter Villa began building their own motorcycles in 1968. An Italian road racing champion in the 125cc class on four occasions, as well as two-time winner of the Barcelona 24-hour race, Francesco had previously designed two-stroke racers for both Mondial and Montesa. Walter raced Villa bikes before his rise to stardom, which saw him secure three consecutive 250-class World Championships for Harley-Davidson between 1974 and '76, to which he added one in the 350 class. The brothers' first racer was a water-cooled 125cc rotary valve single, which proved competitive enough for Walter to win the Italian championship in the bike's debut year. For 1969 a series of replicas were produced for sale to privateers and Moto Villa was on its way to international recognition.

While at Mondial, Francesco had designed and raced a 125cc horizontal single and a vertical twin-cylinder 125 and 250, all of them two-strokes. The first multi-cylinder two-stroke Villa though, would be a V4. Completed early in 1969, Villa's 250cc Grand Prix engine was essentially two air-cooled 125cc twins of 43x43mm bore/stroke mounted one above the other on a common crankcase at an included angle of 30 degrees, the crankshafts being connected via a coupling gear. As well as serving as the primary drive, the latter also drove the ignition unit and oil pump. Drive was transmitted via a dry clutch to the eight-speed gearbox, and the engine/transmission unit was housed in a heavily gusseted duplex loop frame. Ceriani supplied the front forks and rear dampers and there were Fontana brakes on both wheels.

Tragically for the Villas, their new baby arrived just in time to be rendered obsolete by the FIM's rule change limiting the 250 class to a maximum of two cylinders from the start of the 1970 season. Nevertheless, the brothers decided to try and race it at least once and entered the untried V4 in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. After running erratically during practice, the V4 was put to one side and Walter rode a rotary valve single that had been brought as backup.

The sole V4 prototype was later sold to the Bombardier Corporation in Canada and is now owned by a Swiss enthusiast. One man who had admired it during his time working for Moto Villa was Giovanni Galafassi, creator of the faithful replica offered here. 'I thought it was a tragedy it never raced,' said Galafassi, interviewed by Alan Cathcart for his Classic Racer article on the Villa V4 (March/April 2010 edition) 'that the FIM bureaucrats destroyed the heritage of Italian motorcycle culture represented by machines like the Villa and four-cylinder Benelli, in favour of creating a monomarca class for Yamaha twins.'

With Francesco Villa's assistance, Galafassi began collecting the necessary drawings and parts to build his replica, many of which came from Moto Villa's stockroom. Assembly began in 1999 but would not be completed for another ten years, such were the competing demands placed on Galafassi's time by his business commitments. Equipped today with a six-speed gearbox, the Villa has been tuned appropriately for greater mid-range and produces a maximum of 45bhp. Other changes from original specification include a right-side gearchange, Yamaha pistons and con-rods, round-slide carburettors, a one-off ignition system and minor alterations to the frame to facilitate easier engine removal.

Riding the Villa V4 for the very first time since its completion, Alan Cathcart found that the engine started pulling strongly from just under 8,000rpm on its way to a peak of 12,500 revs. 'I can't deny that seeing the V4 running on the track, after ten years spent in the workshop building it, gives me a lot of satisfaction,' said Galafassi.

Presented today resplendent in Villa's traditional orange and white livery, this beautiful re-creation represents a wonderful opportunity to acquire a mythical Grand Prix racing motorcycle previously only accessible via the pages of the history books.

How to look good naked vs. the copycat chassis

2011-11-10T10:34:00.002Z

The Ducati PR machine churns out another new pic of the 1199 Panigale, this time with the bodywork removed to show how they've adopted a "frameless" monocoque very similar to the one on the MotoGP bike so hated by Rossi and Burgess. So hated in fact that they've got their beam frame (below, reputedly Made in England) for testing in Valencia.

And guess what - the times aren't really any better. The armchair pundits will now move on to the "90 degree V4 layout isn't compact enough"guff: amazing our manufacturing industry's in such poor shape given the number of engineering "experts" we've got...

But it's a shame (if understandable) that Burgess and Rossi want to chase convention rather than innovation. I recently had a long chat with someone who was very (very) well placed in the Japanese motorcycle business (including racing) and he used to tell the Japanese, "If I gave you a blank sheet of paper it'd still be blank tomorrow - but I show you someone else's plans and within half an hour you've improved it!" How can this be?

Japanese art and culture is about incremental improvement, but since the renaissance in Europe it's been about pushing the boundaries, but always with an explanation of why the new way's better. That's might explain why all Japanese bikes are in essence either based upon 1950s Italian racers, or East German racers. Can we please try something new? Me, I'd love to see a V8 desmo with a monocoque chassis and hub centre steering. As John Robinson once said, "if racing's to improve the breed the rules should read `the motorcycle has two wheels (one in front of the other) and an engine' Full Stop." Well said.that man.

Rollerburn - you know you want to...

2011-11-09T11:43:00.000Z

Next Saturday's madness courtesy of Gary and Ben at Sideburn. Shame I'm already committed, tho given what's going on here maybe they should be too...

Rollerburn from SIDEBURN on Vimeo.

Ducati Panigale 1199s - official shots

2011-11-07T13:44:00.002Z

The first official pics of the new Ducati superbike. Wonder if it comes with a set of blue $uzu%i skittles? (Valencia, below). Available in UK late March from £14,995 for the base 1199 to £23,495 for the S Tricolore. There'll also be a shiny Diavel Cromo at £15,295 by January.

Well hello Big Chief: one Indian's story

2011-11-07T12:46:00.000Z

The head-dress on this old Indian made me smile, but then Indian owners never seem to take things as seriously as the HD crowd. But not very Italian, you say? Publisher Floyd Clymer (as in Clymer manuals) owned the rights to the Indian name, attempting to revive the marque with engines from Royal Enfield and Velocette (and Norton and Horex engines were tried): all were styled and built by Leo Tartarini when he was CEO at Italjet, before being shipped Stateside.

Push the button

2011-11-06T12:28:00.003Z

Currently for sale with North Leicester Motorcycles, a rather nice looking Ducati 900S2: in essence a 900SS with an electric start. Save your aching knees the hassle of kicking a big Desmo over (and the nasty things that happen if it kicks back) while basking in the reflected glory of almost owning a 900SS.

Folk can be sniffy about the S2: an odd amalgam of Darmah, Pantah and SS that suffered from inconsistent quality control (even by Ducati standards) and handling some way short of a genuine SS. But to have survived 30 years, it ought to be a good one and at an asking price of £7995 it's half what the equivalent black and gold 900SS would be, never mind the earlier (and big-end munching) blue and silver models.

Model childhood

2011-11-04T16:07:00.003Z

Ever since I made one of these plastic model kits of a Laverda 750 aged 15 I've thought they were the best looking Laverda, especially with the big seat hump. My best mate and I were aeroplane mad, making Airfix kits of WWII stuff then one day I saw this and was turned. Next thing you know the bike nut three doors up trades his Z1 for an SFC (details in issue #001 of Benzina) and that was it. I'd discovered bikes, then girls and a light went on in my life that shines brightly to this day. Lost touch with mate after he moved to Oz: Andy Lee, where are you now?

Clearly I wasn't the only one affected by the big seat on the Lav(!?): bottom pix from an obscure French flick (of course) and makes you realise why you loved the 1970s

Cafe Society

2011-11-02T15:41:00.001Z

Not sure I get the current Cafe Racer obsession any more than I get the 100 point better-than-new restoration thing, but as this Benelli Tornado proves clip-ons or ace bars plus a seat hump transforms a bike. Especillay if followed up with a little unbolting of unwanted peripheries - admiring the lack of silencers I asked the owner to start it up, but all he'd say was "Pardon?"...

Guy Webster's museum

2011-10-31T13:38:00.000Z

I knew snapper-to-the-stars Guy Webster was an Italian bike nut and collector, but hadn't realised how deeply the disease had afflicted him. He's got a bloody museum: the obsession started with MV Agusta when he was living in Florence and he bought the first bike (the 750S above) to kick-start the collection in 1974. Check out the film below, and spot the deliberate mistakes? Like why it's called a Laverda Jota)in amongst the obvious love for the subject.

And thanks to Rob Emery for sharing this

Radical Ducati new for old

2011-10-29T14:26:00.000+01:00

Spanish customisers Radical Ducati are offering this Dragon TT Vendetta body kit for the Ducati 848/1198 and mighty fine it looks too. What's impressive is that Radical Ducati can trick up Dukes of all ages as proved by the single below. While most specialist have a favoured era it's refreshing to see someone who's talent apparently know no boundaries. Got to love that

Lovely latinos, some going cheap(er)

2011-10-28T12:07:00.000+01:00

Bonham's latest online catalogue's now up and running: this Wards Riverside Benelli's on offer with a more sensible estimate, and there's a Ducati 750GT in there too. Best of all is the orange Vincent Rapide with matching dustbin fairing: the future's bright...

When ads went good

2011-10-27T13:02:00.000+01:00

Love this 70s ad: for me the SFC was the best looking Laverda ever: couldn't believe the early one made below just £29k including premiums at Bonham's Stafford auction - they've been catching-up with 750SS roundcase values over the last year. Still, I wouldn't be sad to see a collapse in classic values so that riders (rather than just collectors) can enjoy them once more

Willie's workshop

2011-10-26T18:53:00.000+01:00

Willie Bullion's ice-cool workshop courtesy John Fallon

Namesakes

2011-10-26T08:56:00.000+01:00

A US subscriber asked for more on Ward's Riverside Benellis, so here you go (and note 916 seat on the Yamaha behind!). What's interesting about these Benellis (though they weren't badged as such originally) is they tell how long it took the Italians to realise the value of building a brand: if someone wanted to buy you're bike but with a different sticker on the tank, you took the money and ran. So when American store Montgomery Wards Riverside wanted a range of bikes they just rebranded stuff from Lambretta and even Bianchi. R&D? Just say no...

This wasn't the only example: Laverdas were sold as American Eagle and Italjet built various "Indians" using Brit-bike engines. You can't help but wonder if the US would have a more varied motorcycle industry if someone had tried to develop and manufacture a new bike in the US rather than just outsourcing. Or if Ducati would be as strong a company today if they'd just been branded Berliner in the US

Another one for Guzzi fans

2011-10-25T12:54:00.000+01:00

Almost 200cc of Italian stallion ready to take your girl up into the mountains. Take your time, tiger...

One for the Guzzi fans

2011-10-24T17:28:00.001+01:00

Inspired by the pic of Sante Gemiani racing his Moto Guzzi Condor in the 1950 Milano Taranto (details in issue #001 of Benzina)our new tee is perfect for every Guzzi fan. Just remember to look where you're going...

RIP Marco Simoncelli

2011-10-23T17:13:00.000+01:00

Writing the earlier post I decided not to mention that Omobono Tenni died in practice for the Swiss GP: too morbid, and too commonplace back in the era he raced in. Then as I went to link the post to Facebook I saw the terrible news about one of the most charismatic racers of modern times: all those San Carlo snacks and delivery vans across Italy that have Marco's happy face splashed across them will be a sad reminder of a lost talent. I'm not a man of great faith, but friend Pat Slinn is, and has forgotten more about racing that I'll ever know. This was Pat's post:

"After praying and trying to come to terms with Marco's death, we should not forget his team San Carlo, his mechanics and race engineer's, Honda and all of his, and MotoGP's sponsors and officials, the doctors and medical staff at Sepang. And not forgetting of course Colin Edwards and all the other MotoGP competitors. Motor cycle racing is a wonderful sport, full of personality, colour, noise and laughter."

RIP Marco, and thanks for one of the greatest shows on earth

Omophobic nicknames

2011-10-23T13:44:00.000+01:00

This is the brilliant Omobono Tenni, Guzzi works rider and much admired rider, including by Motosimpatico Restorations from whom the pic was shamelessly pinched: as they put it; "surely our patron saint...but‘Omobono’ as a blog title? A bit obscure; postings by confused and angry U2 fans would surely flood in."

Folk often refer to his "Black Devil" nickname, but it turns out Omobono was his real nickname - it means "Good man" and he was christened Tommaso. This sort of thing's common in Italy - Palladio (as in the father of Palladian architecture) was a nickname too.

There's a football stadium in Treviso named after Omobono, he was that loved in his native Italy: the video below showing him racing at the TT tells why, as does a past blog

Tartarini turn-ups

2011-10-22T15:25:00.000+01:00

This is the official Ducati photo of the 1970s revamped parallel twin - Taglioni hated the original, and probably only deigned to update the engine so he could add his beloved desmo valve gear in place of the original's springers. The new styling job came courtesy of Leo Tartarini, and would find its way onto Darmah. Originally the plan was to paint the exhausts white, an allusion to the asbestos tape often seen on race bikes and highly fashionable on custom bikes today: unsurprisingly they never made it into production.

But as revealed in Benzina #006, Tartarini was originally charged with styling a new 350 single that never made it to the showrooms: when the single got the axe, the styling lived on for the 500 and Darmah. And despite what the naysayer's reckon the 500 Desmo Sport was a great bike - it just cost 860GTS money, and no 500's that good. Today the cognoscenti love them, including Benzina friend and custom car builder Gunter Oxler of Oxygen Customs - the bottom pic is a teaser from his website. So if you can, try a 500 Desmo Sport - you might like it, and at a third of Darmah money, who could blame you?

Selling up or selling out

2011-10-21T12:29:00.000+01:00

Time to get honest - the garage has become a home for waifs and strays, and a snotty upstarts thumbing their noses at my lack of spannering talent. There's also no room to work on anything once the cars are squeezed in, so a cull is coming

I've never been a horder, or (believe it or not) one for looking back (as opposed to plucking the truth from history's murky clutches). The bikes I want are a trailie for teaching the kids to ride, a middleweight for the Giro (if I can shake the ennui for the Terni Club's rather diluted version) a summer cruiser and a winter ride.

That means either the Darmah or the Sei goes because they effectively do the same job, and the little Gilera 175 Sferica. I've kidded myself that the Gilera will be made road legal and Giro'd: but it's one of maybe 4 or 5 ever made and even if I could face a 1,000 ride on a 175, do I really want to do it on a racebike thrown into a mix of tiddlers, big singles and modern sportsbikes? No. So it goes.

Darmah or Sei? Well, it's not my only bevel and the Sei's just so wonderfully ridiculous that I'd like to have it sorted and get to know it better. That means the Darmah joins the Gilera in the van to John Fallon of Made in Italy motorcycles; £8k for the Gilera, £6.5 for the Darmah. Goodbye and goodnight, and yes I do seem to have something in my eye...

As well as using the proceeds to get the rest of the garage's contents in tip-top condition I also want to fund a publishing project: fun as Benzina is, I'd like to help get a couple of books into print. I'm lucky enough to have the time and (a little) liquidity, and encouraged by Julian Barnes saying that making his (Booker winning) book a thing of beauty was the only way to compete with Kindle and blogs, next year will see some new ideas. And hopefully more riding and less tinkering with truculent old Italians

New tees and a tribute to Cook and Phil

2011-10-19T15:56:00.000+01:00

Our new tee shirts are here, including a tribute to Cook Neilson and Phil Schilling, inspired by the greatest bike writers of them all. As ever, Cook puts it best: "When my dear friend and Old Blue co-conspirator Phil Schilling designed tee shirts for our 1976 racing season, the diesel engine was prominently featured. First time I saw one in the cotton, I asked Phil why. His response: "That's the only part of Ducati that's making any money." "Unfortunately, the originals are in vanishingly short supply. My personal one was sold in a charity auction a couple of years ago for $1100." Naturally we've shipped a bunch to Cook and hopefully he can make good use of them. You can get your's here: we've even got a few XXL too - if you want one order any size but add "XXL please!" in the Paypal message box

Recession? What recession?

2011-10-17T18:19:00.000+01:00

Finally back to normal after Stafford - a sincere thank-you to everyone who came and said hello, especially if they spent money. Generally traders seemed to be accepting they'd take less money than usual, what with all the doom and gloom. So when I saw the Bonham's catalogue was rammed with some of the highest quality entries I've seen in years, my instinct was that this was people liquidating in tough times. After all, there's been talk of 20,000 kids being pulled out of fee-paying schools, and those sort of sacrifices usually come long after the bevel-twins gone to a new home.

And then I saw Bonham's auction results - clearly there's still life in the market, and dealers watched pale-faced as private buyers bid prices no sane trader dare pay. Over £10k looked toppy for a tatty early Hailwood Rep, ditto over £4k for a similarly unloved Darmah. The Italian lightweights looked good value, perhaps reflecting the partial demise and tribulations of the Motogiro. But £12,000 for a Kawasaki Mach1/MarkIII? £24,000 for a Triumph Hurricane? Ber-limey. The headline grabber was (of course) a Brough SS100 at over £200,000 - and in case you haven't seen them there are some fab period pix of an SS100 on holiday in 1954 here

TT2s and Stafford

2011-10-14T09:20:00.000+01:00

Loading up for the Stafford classic bike show - I'll be in the main hall, towards the exit for the Sandylands hall - but am getting the most fantastic feedback on this year's vintage festival at Barber's motorsport museum this year featuring the TT2: 30 years old, can you believe? This (with the 750F1 roadbike) was the starting point of every modern Ducati (see Benzina issue #2)and well worth celebrating - more soon and thanks to Jack Silverman for these photos

The Dark Side

2011-10-13T09:40:00.000+01:00

Back in the days when all full time students had to do something extra-curricular (easy tiger), I was at college in Cardiff and the default option was rugby. Being a shandy-dinking southern Englander I could see this would end badly, so opted instead for philosophy with statistics: yes, really.

In essence this was the macro vs. micro, society vs. individuality, and actually came in damn handy when studying economics. You can understand it in the simply analogy that if you crash your bike you won't get to be a bit dead: you either go to meet your maker, or you don't. You might think it's your life, and I've got to go sometime, but it isn't necessarily that simple.
Years ago a buddy joined the police force, and on discovering he had a big, fast, late-model motorcycle, he got sent to break the bad news to widows, orphans and ex-parents. He quickly realised that if you hit a combine harvester at 120 per, you might just suffer a second of panic before the lights go out, but for a helluva lot of other people, from the paramedics through to the loved ones, and yes, to the copper watching hearts break, the suffering's just begun.
So my uniformed friend now has a Harley, and I (by-and-large) get by on classics. Bad stuff still happens, life's rarely fair, and one day the ferryman will get paid. But if it happens on a bike there is someone out there trying to help those left behind make sense of it.

Teresa Mills Davenport was widowed when hubby Rob died on his motorcycle, but is brave enough to want to turn her grief into something positive, by campaigning and offering support to others who find themselves in the same shoes. Naturally there's a website for the organisation she's set up to do this work, dying to ride and you might even come across it at a car show or school. Even if you or yours never need their help, if just one driver takes notice it might be you he doesn't hit.

And to finish on a brighter note, Pink Floyd have not only re-released all their stuff, they've hinted at a reunion gig. Every dark side has a bright side...

Something for the weekend

2011-10-12T10:39:00.000+01:00

Will be at the Stafford classic bike show this weekend, with every issue of Benzina, some new tee shirts (hopefully) - and these: A3 (about 42cmx30cm) canvas prints with gallery wrap (the pic goes round the edge of the frame). Perfect for the garage, sitting room or outside loo; £20 to you sir. Just had ten made (one of each Morini by Vespamore Photography the Benelli Sei, the Guzzis and the Jota, plus a brace of each Ducati) so when they're gone...sorry, wouldn't risk handing them over to the postie but if you want to reserve to collect at the show just email greg@teambenzina.co.uk

Giro fever vs. Cammy Mondial

2011-10-12T09:48:00.001+01:00

This lovely and rare overhead cam Mondial has just appeared on eBay with an unusually detailed listing. Probably the fastest bike eligible for the Motogiro, and Soichiro Honda's inspiration as detailed in Benzina #001. Not sure about the Laverda speedo (below) but no doubt someone will put me right

With the sad demise of the Dream Engine event, it looks like the only Italian motogiro next year will be the Club Terni event and I know a heap of Brits have already signed up. If you're lucky enough to be going, enjoy. If you're dithering then don't: slap a bid on a bike like this and go: people say those who've been on a Giro go on about it too much. Here's your chance to find out why...

Sidewinder

2011-10-10T08:39:00.000+01:00

Shamelessly lifted from the Bevelheaven site - love to see the guy on a Desmosedici. It's "Ecca" Erik Andersson practicing at Alasaro July 1997

Ottonero Cafe Racer: Harris-Ducati....traliccio VS aluminio

2011-10-09T15:02:00.001+01:00

Ottonero Cafe Racer: Harris-Ducati....traliccio VS aluminio

Dirty Italian

2011-10-09T13:47:00.000+01:00

Veteran of various long-distance trails as reported in issue #5 of Benzina this Mondial's gearbox got stuck in first (though first is all I can mange off-road...) on the recent Edinburgh Trail, robbing it of a 100% reliability record in competition. Owner Matt works at the engineering firm who built the prototype Ducati triple, and his Dad is a Classic bike dealer, so the little Mondi has been well looked after. But sadly this time it won't get fixed because (happily) within a month Matt'll be a dad and so the toys have to go. This means the bike' s for sale on eBay right now; buy it and you could be having the sort of fun seen below - note the red benzina sticker on the (alternative steel) petrol tank

Another Ducati Panigale 1199 spy shot

2011-10-08T14:42:00.002+01:00

What it means to be English

2011-10-08T14:19:00.000+01:00

Went to see Sir Roy Strong talk about what it means to be English last night - our kids' school organises these so-called Mercers' Lectures free of charge (with free glass of vino) and partly because Sir Roy inspired Monty Don's garden, Dr Girlie Nice-Smile wanted to go.

As a past curator of the National Gallery and V&A, the old boy (76 and as fit as a whippet) is used to politicians and the media so stuck robustly to the facts: you're English if you live in England. His opinion is who-we-are started with Elizabeth I, so say 1558. This was our renaissance, gave us the Church of England (with common book of prayer and the King James bible), the first detailed maps of England and perhaps the finest literature there has ever been, including (of course) old Bill Shakespeare. Armed with this stuff (plus a few pirate-lords) we created the largest empire the world has ever seen, while obsessing in art and literature over the rural idyll of our green and pleasant land, although even back then more people lived in towns and cities.

Sparing the history (bar his despair at the James I of England/James VI of Scotland thing that united the kingdom but has grated with the Scots ever since) an hour later we got to the here-and-now: to be English means loving the countryside (even if only via glossy magazines, and I guess that includes open roads), being part of the CofE (even if just for weddings, Christenings and funerals - ah, and Jerusalem on the last night of the Proms) and appreciating the world's most widely spoken language. The two downsides are (i) we need to understand we aren't a global military superpower anymore and (ii) accept the Scottish and Welsh preserved their own identity and were only part of the union while England was rich and a world superpower: like the dolphins in Hitch Hikers' Guide to the galaxy they're now off, without so much as a "thank you for all the fish".

His suggestions as to how we appreciate what it is the be English came down to the predictable "Learn your history and read your literature" (well, he's a historian), to rethinking the double-speak in the word "British," usually used interchangeably with "English" and he thinks we shouldn't. So we need to accept our near neighbours want to tread their own path and do likewise. Bit Little Britain for me in places (especially his point that the EU still basically uses Roman law, were ours is largely common) but it got me thinking (as I do) how this might applies to motorcycle. Firstly I remembered Foggarty getting the George Cross (ie the English flag) on his bike rather than the Union flag, which captured the mood of the era (think England's football fans' facepaint). But most of all I thought about British bikes...well, there was never such a thing, was there? They were English through and through. So from now on Nortons, BSAs, Triumphs et al are English bikes: Sir Roy Strong says so...

Steve Jobs RIP

2011-10-06T12:09:00.000+01:00

Though I'm not a Mac-man (where's the bloody right-click?) and more of a vinyl fan than an ipodder, I've still always really admired Steve Jobs - his interest in calligraphy led to all the fonts computer users (and so magazine readers) take for granted, so his influences go way beyond Apple products. Most of all though I admired his creativity and determination to make the world a better place. This came from true flashes of genius - for instance, when he took over Pixar the plans to have three buildings (one for creatives, one for boffins and one for..oh, I forget: say admin) were scrapped at great expense to have a single building with all the toilets in the centre. Jobs figured this was where people would bump into each other, get chatting and come up with new ideas.

More importantly he believed you should believe in what you do: that's why Benzina exists. So of course, Jobs was one of us; too cool to go mainstream, I love the pic of him on his old Beemer. Steve Jobs, RIP: the world needs more like you.

Imola revival

2011-10-06T11:39:00.000+01:00

Photos of the Imola 200 revival are now online - another must do event? Although it's worth (like their Spa Classic)waiting for a year when the featured bikes suit your tastes; in the past that's meant sidecars or F750 racers, but this year's Imola Miglia 200 featured some Yamaha racing motorbikes....apparently they've been at it 50 years now, but it must still seem like a big change from building pianos

Le Container

2011-10-04T19:23:00.000+01:00

Spotted on the Le container blog taken (I think) at the Imola Classic

Getting hot with El Paso

2011-10-04T12:09:00.000+01:00

Made the most of the last of the sunshine by running down to the south coast (dropping by a friendly-dealer to admire a Jota, Guzzi S3, Morini 350 and Eldorado: what's not to like?) and was reminded what a fabulous bike the 906 Paso is. It's been ignored all summer in favour of the bevels and Italian hire bikes, but the comfy riding position and liquid-gold power-delivery are perfect for ripping along or getting stuck in traffic. Best of all you can buy one for next to nothing: £600 is the (admittedly risky) starting point, but £2k will score a beauty.

Laverda Love

2011-10-03T10:02:00.000+01:00

On eBay right now this Laverda Alpino/Alpina (more info in Benzina #2) - a non-runner but folk like Bob Dixon or Keith Nairn(and of course Slaters) can soon sort that. These are cruelly under-rated bikes, as is the Guzzi V50 below: they feel much more modern than their bigger cousins and were only sales flops when new because of price and, it seems odd to say all these years later, the Honda CX500: maybe that's what's troubling the girl on the Guzzi...

Safe or sorry? Guzzi factory update

2011-10-01T13:07:00.000+01:00

Updating the story of the Guzzi factory in issue six of Benzina, following on from a chat with John at Ducati Restorations who was at Mandello for the 90th birthday-bash, and the inevitable PR guff that accompanies theses events - like Guzzi announcing a brand new engine by 2013 from an all-new factory to be built alongside the original (which will become a tourist and heritage site, as reported in Benzina #6).

John saw round the new facilities and was impressed at production levels; he (unlike me) even got into the old wind-tunnel, though the museum was so rammed he gave up trying to visit. "They shut off the town centre so that there were just bikes - you couldn't move for Guzzis."
So maybe all will be well, with Guzzi boasting sales are up by 31%, and if the new Norge (pronounced Norrgay - don't snigger, it means Norway to celebrate a past Guzzi trek oop north) can pinch BMW sales maybe all will be well. Problem is that if you did deeper that jump in sales is to just 6000 units a year, where last year they were talking of 10,000 with ambitions to double that.

More encouraging is that Piaggio are targeting the emerging Asian markets that already accounts for half of the groups sales, although back here in the UK one dealer grumbled to me that plans to double UK sales revolved around doubling the dealer network. Hmm... Our local biking Superstore George White's (which I remember being a corner shop on Swindon's notorious Manchester Road when it was really just George and his daughter) are now Guzzi dealers. I'm told GW's can sell you a GSXR for less than small Suzuki dealers pay the importers, and that might be the way to shift units, but it's not the way the build a brand or attract new faces into motorcycling. And I've just seen that the number of people getting a bike licence in the UK is the lowest since records began...

Ducati get Lucky (with the 750F1)

2011-09-30T10:45:00.000+01:00

It really seemed the 750F1 would be the last ever Ducati, and if you think Ducati's should be penned by Fabio Taglioni it actually is. Yet despite telling everyone who grumbles they missed the bevel-boat to buy one, most ignored the advice on the basis a similar riding experience comes with a mid-nineties 750SS costing a quarter of the money. Well, too late...a mid nineties 750SS is now a tenth or less of the price of a nice F1 - and prime examples like the Santa Monica or Montjuich can fetch over £20k.

The start of the line was the TT2, exactly 30 years ago. The most (and most easily) faked Ducati ever, the TT2 was built in tiny numbers and even the people who built and raced them often disagree about provenance. Yet still people buy the same old books and pass off what they read as gospel. And as for the internet...(ahem). Anyway, the full story's covered in issues 2 and 5 of Benzina

After the Castiglionis rebooted Ducati they set about rebuilding the brand with racing. Enter one Marco Lucchinelli with a much-modded F1 and next thing you know Carlos Checca's won the World Superbike Championship for Ducati yet again(fingers crossed). If you fancy page one of this history book you'll need to persuade Ducati to part with Lucky's racer - it's in their museum, presented as an equal to the Hailwood and Smarty bevel twins, and rightly so. But for £15,000 John Fallon at Made in Italy will sell you this replica. I saw it at Goodwood a few years back and it's convincing both up close and on track. Probably twice what you might pay for a standard F1 privately, but less than it would cost to build and you'd still be unlikely to get an invite from Lord March to ride up Goodwood House's drive

MV Agusta 750

2011-09-29T12:48:00.000+01:00

More genius from the lenses of Phil Aynsley - the lesser known sibling to the MV Agusta 750 Sport. Only 50 of these GTs were built, selling at triple the price of a Honda CB750 which limited its appeal somewhat. Photographed in the Hunter Valley, NSW. 2010. Phil's photography features regularly in Benzina and to see his stuff printed on quality paper is a real treat: Phil, you're a star. And I think Disco Volante still have a few copies of his Ducati tribute

Strangely attractive

2011-09-29T10:11:00.001+01:00

Spotted in a supermarket carpark - strangely attractive variation on the usual matt black Honda CX500. Although ridiculed for their weight, styling and initial reliability problems (knock, knock: who's there? CX500 big ends...)the press raved about them in 1978. Even comparison tests against the Italian competition (Laverda Alpino, Guzzi V50 and Morini 500: the late 70s was a 500-fest)found the Honda handled as well as the Latin lovelies if you allowed for its girth, but was a lot faster, better spec'd and a whole lot cheaper. This looked like the beginning of the end for the Italian bike industry, making their current success all the more remarkable.

(Still) Running out of Road

2011-09-28T11:55:00.002+01:00

Remember this? Bike magazine founder and opinionated curse of the trade, Mark Williams' "Running out of Road" column was always the first thing I read in a new issue of Bike. If (like me) you've ever wondered what became of the Laverda lover (he had a Jota and a Chott) you can follow his blog here. But more importantly (see my words passim on supporting local bizniz, as Mark would have said) you can go eat at his latest venture, a fine looking restaurant in rural Wales.

Ducati 1199 panigale spy pix

2011-09-27T15:19:00.000+01:00

Latest spy shots of the new Ducati Superbike, looking like the bastard love child of an early Triumph Daytona and a Ducati 999. Underslung exhaust's not exactly original, but hey, ho whatever it takes to win in World Superbikes

Nice to see a tubby tester, mind - us larger chaps appreciate a bit of room on a bike and after the success of the Daivel, Ducati have clearly realised the average biker often has an above average waistline...

Ducati launch party

2011-09-27T14:52:00.000+01:00

Lucky enough (really lucky enough) to get invited to Ducati UK's launch party for their new Silverstone base. Tail end of man-flu meant I really didn't feel up to much, but boy am I glad I went. Plenty of bikes to take out on track (though watching the - ahem - range of riding abilities on show plus my enfeebled state I left my leathers in the car: I know, I know...) and remarkably only one crash - a famous racer gate crashed a friend who then 848 Dark crashed as thanks: I have never seen anyone's pride so severely beaten up, although the 848 survived surprisingly well.
Then it was back to the shiny new HQ for fizz and nibbles, rubbing shoulders with familiar faces and some worrying wealthy looking people all of whom had heard of Valentino Rossi. A brief ceremony by Gabriele del Torchio, President and CEO of Ducati and Derek Warwick president of the British Racing Drivers' Club (also Silverstone based)and then it was time for the band...and to take my dripping nose home
What was impressive was the sense of confidence - Ducati are the fastest growing 500cc+ brand in the UK and the massive gamble of the Diavel has paid off. Gabriele was promising they'd get Rossi and MotoGP sorted, and Carlos Checca's run in world supers makes you believe they can do it. When I first fell for Ducati it looked like the Japanese would crush them into the history books. And last night, some forty years later, I wondered at how fortunes can change - just click on the bottom pic for more photos

Ducati launch party

Stafford here we come

2011-09-25T17:32:00.001+01:00

I'll be at the Stafford classic bike show 15/16 October (in the main hall, but in a different spot, yet again - come say hi) but definitely without any cash: I've got too many projects and getting older's making me less acquisitive, and more interested in just getting out there. Which projects/family/"summer" weather have conspired against too often. A friend's dad reckons four is the optimum number of bikes to maximise your time riding, and I'm beginning to think he's right...

But if you're in the market this Gilera Saturno was at Stafford in April: green frame (just like a 750SS!?) hints at a military past, but if you want to know more about these undervalued singles you clearly need a copy of Benzina #4

Thank you, thank you - together we can avoid armageddon

2011-09-24T15:49:00.001+01:00

Thank you to everyone who's been in touch with kind words about issue #6 of Benzina: once an issue's in the post I always swear that I've had enough, then the supportive voices chime in and it's on to the next edition. One rod I make for my own back is that I use our local post office: it would be cheaper to have an agency frank them, and it wouldn't take three days for every copy to get stamped and posted on. But to paraphrase JFK, "ask not what your community can do for you, but what you can do for your community."

Our nearest High Street (Market Lavington,about a mile away) has a Post Office (obviously) that doubles as a sweet shop and general store - greetings cards cuddle up with radiator keys and dog food - and is run by a Mr and Mrs team. So when school chucks out, or when they need to go to the cash and carry, timescales slip. But hey, ho use it or loose it. Next to them is a newsagent, then a Co-op; not a mini Tesco's note, because the Co-op run a moral-high-ground policy of not competing with local services, so this one doesn't sell papers or magazines. I think of this when staring at the price of their frozen peas: expensive, but produced on Co-op farms in the UK, and buying them means I'm also supporting the newsagent and Post office, as well as the fabulous butchers opposite - Douse's, an old family firm who source all the meat locally, butcher it on site and sell their own faggots, pasties and more. Perfect, and good value. We are lucky to live here.

But what's this to do with, well, anything? Actually, I think it might have something to do with everything. We live in times that were created by a desire to have anything we wanted, and have it now. Not stuff we needed, note: oh, no - stuff we need like food (unless it's in a posh restaurant), looking after the old, safeguarding our country for the next generation, all has to be done as cheaply as possible, if at all. Stuff we want (cars, holidays, electrical goods) we'll pay the earth for (literally) and sod the fact the money's borrowed in the far east to buy far eastern goods. Or we buy from a big retailer, putting the small local shop out of business. Tesco's and Amazon aren't successful because of what they do; they make money because of what we do.

So instead of begging government to do stuff, we could do something ourselves. The current economic Armageddon is a threat because Governments are still being selfish - the French want Germany to bail out Greece because if Greece goes bust it will take French banks with it, which French taxpayers will have to sort out. And if Germany lets the Euro fail and goes back to the Deutschemark, the words greatest exporter by value will loose the ability to sell overseas via an artificially undervalued currency. So Governments will, my Whitehall sources tell me, "kick the can down the road" for as long as they can, at which point us or our kids will pick up the pieces. As classic bikers we're not the sort to wait for the AA without trying to fix things ourselves, and those who say we can't make a difference should dust down the history books and discover that both Israel and South Africa were brought to negotiating tables by ordinary consumers boycotting their goods. This isn't a plea to buy shoddy goods, like those dreadful late seventies "Buy British" campaigns, but a realisation that we're all in this together: researching the Guzzi factory story in Benzina #6 I kept asking Italians why they weren't on Italian bikes. "Too expensive," they would say to a man. Really? Buy buying (say) a Japanese bike did they really save enough cash to live on unemployment benefit? Seems unlikely to me...

Diavel's a winner

2011-09-22T12:59:00.000+01:00

Well here's a turn up for the bookies - Ducati's Diavel hasn't just won MCN's bike of the year, it's beaten Ducati's sales forecasts in the teeth of economic gloom few would have predicted when those forecasts were made.

OK, I was initially a sceptic, but seeing the buzz MCN's own Diavel created at the Ace Cafe (when it turned up unannounced to a mate's party) was a slap round the reality chops; it parked next to V-Rod and a neat low-rider but was far and away the most admired bike in the paddock (surely the tarmac in front of the Ace is a paddock rather than a mere car park?). Even as custodian Ian Jubb (one of MCN's photographer's) pulled off his lid a Rossi livered R1 rolled in, rider in matching leathers. Nobody even looked round...
When Ian had to leave, I felt for him as the crowd poured out to hear the Termis light up the night. Luckily the Diavel's clever electrickery meant a fluffed departure was as unlikely as the wheelies it reins in

Alternative Aga

2011-09-21T18:18:00.000+01:00

Just in case Dr Girlie Nice-Smile sees this: THIS IS NOT OUR AGA. And in fairness to the real owner I'm not even going to hint at what's going on, because his other half was out at the time...

The new Ducati 1199 Panigale

2011-09-21T11:03:00.000+01:00

Just in from Ducati's PR machine...

Ducati officially announces the naming of its new generation 2012 Superbike as the “Ducati 1199 Panigale” and confirms that the unveiling and first public display will be at the EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan 10-13 November.

Having attracted massive, world-wide interest during the machine’s many test phases, the exciting new model is also now officially named in an emotional video released on the Italian manufacturer’s website, Ducati.com, and Ducati Motor Holding’s official Youtube channel. The wait to discover the incredible performance, innovative design and ground-breaking technologies of the new 1199 Panigale will continue for just a few more weeks.
Pronounced “Pan-ee-gah-lee”, the new model breaks with Ducati’s Superbike tradition by adding a name to its 1199cc engine capacity (referred to as eleven-nine-nine), making a significant and warm association to its historic roots in the Borgo Panigale area of Bologna. In an Italian territory known as “Motor Valley” and where high performance and racing runs through the veins of its passionate people, Ducati now underline their pride in being world ambassadors for the “Made in Italy” title by immortalizing their home town in the name of the new Superbike.
Developed as a true sport bike with competition in its DNA, the Ducati 1199 Panigale will first see racing action in the 2012 FIM Superstock Championship and, in accordance with the factory’s development program, make its debut in World Superbike in 2013.
The two-stage introduction enables Ducati additional development for the Superbike version of the 1199 Panigale, appropriate to the more open regulations of the World Superbike category, and in addition help control costs for World Superbike teams who can continue to compete with a 2012 version of the 1198 with technical support from Ducati Engineers.

Pauper's porcini

2011-09-18T16:55:00.000+01:00

Funny how Italian peasant food is now some of the most expensive scoff you can buy. Pizza has the highest mark-up of any high street food, "wild" rocket costs more than sausages, and dried mushrooms run from £70 a kilo to however deep your pockets are. Time to get back to your roots.

We've got a great weekly market, and when I can buy a big box of mushrooms for £2 I'm buggered if I'm going to spend a damp morning looking for wild fungi to poison myself with. Top pic is just over half the mushrooms (rest in soup and pies) sliced and laid over the Aga to dry: an airing cupboard would work just as well.
Pic below is 24 hours later: crunchy dried mushrooms ready for a winter of risottos, soups and ragu. At least £40 at retail, but a solitary quid to me. All those Yummy-Mummy's shopping for Jamie's latest recipe must be mad, but then I see "fresh stock" has appeared in the supermarket's chiller cabinet, which means people are throwing away left-overs and then buying someone else's boiled up bones. Recession? Apparently not...

TT2 to a tee

2011-09-17T10:46:00.002+01:00

Del Piano's works TT2 bought in Rome. It will be at Barber's in October forDucstock (details via Ducati.net) courtesy Jack Silverman Museum

Slot racing

2011-09-16T10:11:00.000+01:00

As the tee shirt says, "I'm not racist - I'll race anyone" but with autumn on the doorstep you might want to think laterally...

A few years ago Dr Girlie Nice-Smile bought me the MotoGP Scalextric set, and I spent happy hours teaching our youngest the need for speed. But the bikes quickly went - frankly they're rubbish and just fly off the track at anything like race-pace. So Junior bought a TVR which was as tail happy as the real thing, and I bought the most beautiful car of all time (tho I rotate my choice with the Alfa 33 Stradale and the original GTA) - the Ferrari 330P4; as good at slotcar racing as it was on the Targa Florio.

When we started Teas and Cakes we put the Scalextric track out, along with table football, but no-one wanted a go: all just seemed grateful to be with like minded riders. But if you do like slot-cars check out the enzosscuderia blog

Free power

2011-09-15T17:15:00.000+01:00

Our photovoltaic panels went on in 6 hours - will (thanks to Government feed in tarrifs -FITs) pay for itself inside eight years, but the FIT payments are guaranteed for 25 years linked to RPI (currently over £1500pa) and then there's all that free electricity. Even if you have to borrow the money it's a must-have. Plus I'm offsetting my motorcycling carbon footprint (ahem)

Panels fit to rails, then DC power goes inside roof via silicon glands

on to an inverter than creates AC electricty to feed to our consumer unit and export surplus back to the grid

Finished job - at 5pm generating almost 2kw - max capacity is 3.99kw. But you can't store it and if there's a power cut we're still stuffed because it needs AC to turn the DC to AC - if UC what I mean...anyway, it's usually dark when we get power cuts. Will moonlight work?

Those were the days

2011-09-13T08:46:00.000+01:00

Can't remember where I first saw this but still makes you think those were the days

Davida do the Bunga Bunga?

2011-09-12T08:58:00.000+01:00

Now this looks like our sort of place, a new pizzeria named after Silvio Berlusconi's infamous "Bunga Bunga" parties (and for the origins of Bunga Bunga click here - don't worry, it's a BBC site)

But what really caught our eye are the light fittings: are those Davida helmets up there? Genius...I just wish something like this would work in rural Wiltshire

Benelli Dodici?

2011-09-11T12:29:00.000+01:00

Spotted on the Ottonero blog - whether it's a genuine doubled up Benelli Sei or just Photoshop fun, it's something to smile at on this anniversary of a very different sort of twin towers.

I remember 11 September 2001 perfectly - our son (then just two) called the through on seeing the breaking news with "Hey, Thunderbirds is on!" Sadly he was wrong: reading about the "jumpers" in last weeks paper took me several attempt, it was so moving: back in 1978 I stood at the top of one Tower, thinking the view below seemed unreal it was so far away. All gone now, but nothing forgotten.

Dr T on getting your own way

2011-09-10T10:49:00.000+01:00

This black and white pic was shamelessly scanned from Classic Bike #1, published back in the early eighties when a certain Mrs T upset enough people to effectively invent nostalgia. Bill Haylock (for me the finest and fastest journalist of all time - Bill, wither are thou now?)already had a 450 Desmo and wrote eloquently about the first Ducati Desmo you could actually buy, the 350 MkIIID; sure, it didn't need the desmo valve gear (big ends are far more likely to limit revs in a big single) but Taglioni was desperate to get desmo valve gear into production, and what Dr T wanted he generally got.

There's a fabulous photoshoot of a redden and restored "Twin filler" (as these bikes are colloquially know) in Benzina issue 6 (out next week) plus an insight into a previously unseen replacement from 1975: no, not the Utah/Rolah (tho they feature too) but an earlier prototype. It seems Dr T really did do just as he pleased at Ducati, even if much of it never finished up in the showrooms. And more of Gilles Desmeurs 350D (below) by clicking here

New for old

2011-09-07T10:38:00.000+01:00

We're about to get a new range of tee shirts in, so the old designs have to go to make room. Sad to see these go because we spent a fortune on details like the tags and embroidered "3" (as in Hemmingway's "There are only three sports..." that an online sales platform couldn't make the most of. Anyway the new tees will just have prints on the front and should be with me for Stafford in October...I hope

But in the meantime all tees, sweats and polos are BUY ONE GET ONE FREE- no guarantees what design the freebie will be but it will be the same size and type of garment as your purchase. However if you put any preferences in the Paypal message box we'll do our best to meet them

Issue 6 on the way

2011-09-05T18:07:00.000+01:00

The CD's on the way to the printers, with the huge PDF that is Benzina #6 all done and dusted (I hope): our feeble broadband speed means there is no way to upload these files online. Subscribers' copies should go out around September 2oth, then it's all up to the postal authorities (god help us all...)

Really pleased with this issue: first up is Elizabeth Rabb's Ducati project - very Bob Carlos Clarke, and worth the cover price alone. Elizabeth also tells how she did it and what inspires the best bike photographer on the planet. Then there's what happens next at Guzzi: the recriminations, plans and dreams lined up for the factory's 90th anniversary. That's followed by Guzzi's Paris Dakar racer, then insights into ownership of the Laverda and Morini big trailies: big, clever and very dirty.

Next up is a prize-winning Ducati 350 Desmo twin-filler snapped by a fashion photographer, plus details of the restoration, and a comparison with the Ducati 350 singles that never made the showrooms. So we tell you about the MV350 twin you should buy, ideally dressed up as Ago's four.

More? Of course...extracts from a 50s race fan's photo album, including Geoff Duke pitching his Gilera 500/4 against Liverpudlians on Brit singles. Or how about racing Benelli Seis at the TT, with highlights from a man who did. And how to buy a 1976 900SS from a Frenchman who'll only send low-res photos: unbelievably, the story has a happy ending.

We wrap up with Laverda's forgotten spaceframed triples and Lambretta's shaft-driven four stroke 250 V twin: yes, just like a little Guzzi. All on lovely paper, feeling more like a book than the tat they pass off elsewhere as quality magazines. Buy it, and a copy for a friend, and get a free warm-fuzzy feeling. Then enjoy

And thanks to all who help, contribute and buy: we love you all. Right, onto issue 7...

Morinifest

2011-09-03T19:30:00.000+01:00

Thanks to all who came to our final teas and cakes - 17 Morinis, plus Guzzis and even some J@p stuff. No Ducatis - "It's September, they're all on SORN" claimed some (Morini riding) wag. Best news of all is that Morini are back off the ropes, with fresh money, a new two year lease on the old factory and a stand at the Milan show.

Thanks to all who support these events - if you want more buy Benzina, and if you don't you're a dirty freeloader. And a very special thanks to subscribers Dave and Robyn, who easily won the furthest travelled visitor: they came from Hawaii - yes, that Hawaii...
See more photos by clicking here

Buy this bike!

2011-09-03T11:51:00.000+01:00

On eBay right now this perfect Laverda 100 Corse, pictured with Giuliano Maoggi on the Giro. It's current owner is too modest to say on the listing, but he wrote about these race winning tiddlers in Benzina #1 and is a regular contributor to both Benzina and Classic Bike. If you're a Laverda fan with an itch to do the Giro or Milano Taranto there is no better bike to own.

Morinis, tea and cakes

2011-09-02T17:48:00.000+01:00

This fine Morini, owned by Neil P and snapped on film at Tring* station by Vespamore Photography should be at our final Teas and Cakes tomorrow, Saturday 3 September. Should be around 30 bikes, half of them Morinis. Just hope the weather behaves...

*strange but true: I was expelled from a convent in Tring, aged 7. Catholics, eh?

Life's a beach

2011-08-29T10:43:00.000+01:00

Just back from family hols with the in-laws, who live right on the (subsiding) cliff tops of Sidmouth in Devon. This being God's waiting room, bikes on the seafront are rare but every now and then something special turns up, like this lovely Laverda RGA Sprint just like the one in Benzina #5

Naturally a crowd had gathered, eagerly discussing the value of the "Jota" before them - "Fifteen grand, I reckon" opined Expert #1, only to be trumped by Expert #2: "Nah, more like £18,000" he bluffed.

When I offered the truth (It's not a Jota, and you can buy these fabulous bikes for surprisingly modest sums) everyone wandered off. Something I said? Or was it just that none of these "Experts" owned a bike, and only see classics in terms of cash and bragging rights. Seems the sickness that's been in the classic car world for years has moved into bikes, which is a shame. At least these guys weren't bikers, just "Experts" (as in "Ex" being a has-been, and "Spurt" a drip under pressure).

Mach 1 TT lap

2011-08-18T14:32:00.000+01:00

This is Keith Martin on his way to winning the 1974 TT 500 proddie race. It's a Kawasaki Mach 1 triple, probably the worst handling bike ever to win on the Isle of Man. Mods? Tank, seat and fairing - that's it. Not tuned by Stan Stevens, as some claim; the engine was bog standard
How do I know this? I spent a very pleasant evening with Keith, talking mainly about his races on a Benelli Sei in 1975. Only a man who won on a Kawasaki triple would think a Six would be twice as good. Full story in Benzina #6, which is now finished bar proof-reading. And printing, obviously. Should be with subscribers late September

Claudio Castiglioni RIP

2011-08-17T16:05:00.000+01:00

Founder of Cagiva, and single handed reviver of much of the Italian motorcycle industry, Claudio Castiglioni passed away in Varese this morning after a brief illness. In recent months Castiglioni handed over control to his British-educated son Giovanni

Castiglioni was viewed both as a saviour and an incredibly cunning businessman. His most recent triumph came just last year, when Harley-Davidson paid him €20 million to take MV Agusta off their hands just two years after he’d sold it to them for €70 million. The deal made possible the new MV Agusta F3. When the lightest, most sophisticated supersport motorcycle ever goes on sale later this year, it’ll be a fine tribute to one of the most important men in motorcycling. Without him there would be no Ducati or MV, no 916, no Monster and no Eddie Lawson winning the Hungarian GP in 1992 on a Cagiva 500

Ducati for Sale (told you)

2011-08-14T16:04:00.000+01:00

Front page of the Sunday Times business section - Ducati could be floated in Hong Kong next year with a market value of £875million($1.4billion) which fits with blog passim on the Diavel

Ducati's private equity owner, Milan-based Investindustrial (with links to Silvio Berlusconi according to our spies) has discussed a share offering with banks but given the current market turmoil won't decide whether to proceed in early 2012.

Hong Kong has become the financial centre of choice for luxury brands seeking a public listing, with fashion house Prada, cosmetics group L'Occitane, and luggage maker Samsonite all launching initial public offerings there in the past 18 months.

Investindustrial has restored Ducati to profitability since taking it over in 2008. Bikes like the Diavel and the link with Rossi must surely have been part of this plan to tap into the Asian markets and the new world order

Parilla F3

2011-08-13T11:40:00.000+01:00

A happy day snapping yesterday, admiring John Crooke's perfect Parilla F3. Art and design student daughter took these pics, and despite having little interest in bikes was totally besotted with the F3. This despite a bight red 175 Sport living alongside the F3, and John's workshop's waiting list including a Fireblade and R1. Seem's like the girl's inherited my excellent taste.

John's most famous for tuning Parilla go-carts, and only found out they'd made bikes when he heard the 175s were for sale. Unloved and shoved to the back of a garage, he's turned them into prize winners. Sadly Benzina #6 is almost full, so they'll just be a double spread of the F3, and then we'll revisit the full story in a later issue.

Legends

2011-08-11T11:09:00.000+01:00

Now this is a photoshoot - the legendary photographer Phil Aynsley capturing legendary designer Franco Farne on legendary bikes. There are also shots of Benjamin Grau, winner of the 1978 Mugello 1000km as seen in Benzina #4. Legends is a very overused word these days. But not today.

Little but large

2011-08-10T18:31:00.001+01:00

Bill Little Motorcycles' annual event is this Saturday 13th August includes autojumble, club stands and ride-ins. Show off your classic, enjoy live music in the evening, plus BBQ and a licensed bar. Bill's son Matt is a contributor to Benzina, having ridden Mondials on the Giro and long distance trails, and Bills an indefatigable biker - a foot injury led to a Guzzi outfit rather than a car.

Admission's free for British bike riders. Hmmm...a Vincent sticker on the 900SS should get me in once folk on the gate have had a few beers

UPDATE - ENTRY FREE FOR ALL (even c@r$!)