A genuine TT2; whatever next?

Here's one to stir things up at the local Ducati owners' club: what constitutes a genuine TT2? One of the 40-odd built at the factory? But what about the bikes Tony Brancato was licensed to build and sell as TT2s with the factory's blessing? Or a Pantah 600 in a genuine Verlicchi TT2 frame (meaning the monoshock frame - Verlicchi made the standard Pantah frames as well.) The waters run deep, and there's more in issues 2 and 5 of Benzina


The problem is that even the factory's own works TT2s were built in a corner of the Borgo Panigale premises, starting with a 600 Pantah engine taken from the production line. Did anyone write down the engine numbers? Have a wild guess. Frame numbers? The people who know keep that to themselves to foil the fakers. The truth is that it is very, very easy to fake a TT2 which might be why Cagiva Alazzurras (which shared the later 650 Pantah engine) have all but disappeared.

The one in the pics is genuine however, and probably the best documented and most traceable TT2 in existence. It was used by Massimo Broccoli for a debut win at Misano on 29 March 1981 and went on to scoop the 1981 Junior Italian TT F2 Championship. It is therefore the one and only TT2 with fully documented racing history. As a 1981 bike it might be only one of half a dozen built that year. Featured in the Ducati Official Racing History book, and having spent much of its life in the factory museum you are looking at The Real Thing. Price is 60,000 Euros (c£50k) which is a lot for a TT2 given what they have been making, but then you know you've got one of the most important Ducatis ever built. The bike is hidden away in Italy, but is for sale via Made in Italy Motorcycles. Go on...

Lovely pre-war Bianchi for sale

This lovely Bianchi 175 is for sale on eBay right now, helpfully listed with "reserve price quite high": I'd also caution that this is the seller I bought my disastrous Guzzi 125 project from. Let's just say many eBay sellers won't leave feedback for a buyer until the buyer has left feedback; odd really, given all a buyer has to do is pay and maybe collect, and only then will any problems become apparent. So beware 100% seller feedbacks.


But that doesn't stop me wanting a pre-war Bianchi. Ideally an ex Tazio Nuvolari Freccia Celeste as featured in Benzina issue #4

Benelli 350 and Dave Roper on the Isle of Man

I've always had huge affection for Benelli, and given someone paid £74,000 at Bonham's Stafford gig for a 1958/59 250 single (one of three or four built -bottom pic), clearly I'm not alone. Lord knows what that makes the lovely 1939 supercharged 250 four-cylinder racer worth (below) seen in the Morbidelli museum but as a Pesaro boy, it's not surprising that Giancarlo Morbidelli also loves Benelli. He's even got a room (more a small conference hall, really...centre pic) dedicated to Dorino Serafina, his Benelli 175 and all the trophies he won (below). So it was good to be pointed to this brilliant clip by Bill Snelling (aka foTTofinders) of Dave Roper riding a works Benelli 350/4 around the Isle of Man.

Italy by Multistrada

Family commitments, our rubbish summer and trying to get benzina relaunched in a bigger format has meant riding fewer miles this year than ever before, but I've just had a week in Italy with a Multistrada so mustn't grumble. Renting from Francesco, a Ducati dealer who also manages Motorrent motorcycle hire in Rimini, was surprisingly relaxed and hassle free. An out of season special offer (look under "our supplies" on the website, or just ask) made the fly/ride option much cheaper than riding down, especially as Rimini is 3 or 4 days each way. It also gave me a chance to find out if all the fuss about the Multistrada is justified.


First impressions? Silly seat height, and I'm six foot with a 32" inside leg. Keyless ignition drives you mad. Filling up means fumbling in your pocket for a key, rather than just moving the key from the ignition to the tank cap. Ditto getting camera kit from the top box. Mainly though I was reminded of the guy who's wife dropped him at the airport and only realised hubbie still had the car key when she stopped for fuel. Confession; Dr Girlie Nice-Smile had to run and retrieve the car keys from me after dropping me at the airport.

But quibbles aside, my-oh-my, is the Multi flippin' fast. Francesco had said he'd leave it in Sport mode "Because you will want the full 150bhp at your wrist." Err, no... Nosing into the Rimini rush hour and narrow mountain roads beyond, I felt I'd acclimatise in the nice-and-easy touring mode. But after meeting up with the rest of the group for lunch, most of whom were on Fireblades or GSX-R1000s, I tried Sport mode for an overtake. Good grief, as Charlie Brown would say. High bars meant an unintended wheelie and equally surprised compatriots looking for a lower gear to keep up. It is truly astonishing to have clip-on-and-rear-set power delivered via a touring riding position. Would have happily traded some top-end power for to loose the typical Ducati twin snatchiness at low-rpm, which remains even in low power Urban mode. Funnily enough, a reader has discovered a cure for this that doesn't involve the usual need to spend a grand on Termis, rechipping and other guff. More anon. But in essence the Multistrada 1200 is a great bike, especially on the Rimini to Pesaro Panoramica road (above): but better than the old air-cooled version Sir Al rides in Puglia for the current issue of Benzina? Hmmm... If you're miles are many and usually two-up with luggage, perhaps. I'd rather have the lower weight and much lower running costs and purchase price of the old bike.

These fuelish thing

Really wanted these pics for the latest issue of Benzina- the piece on old fuel stations in issue 10. This is our village high street, which seems to have had two sets of petrol pumps serving a minor backwater. The top photo clearly shows Shell Mex pumps overhung by a thatched roof and right by the road, which rather begs the question of where the petrol was stored: in the cottage's front room? Anyway, they are part of Market Lavington's museum collection curated by a retired Physic's teacher with a passion for the area. As the name suggests, Market Lavington once was a thriving market town with some important buildings, and its powers extended over a sizeable patch; West Lavington (to the west; see what they did there?) has Dauntsey's School which is almost 500 years old and our village is Easteron: a ton was a clearing, and we're to the east of the Lavingtons. Actually we're up in Easterton Sands, with an exceptionally sandy soil. Life was much simpler back then. More at the Market Lavington museum website


The bottom image is the old blacksmith; as cars, and more importantly bicycles, replaced horses the business of shoeing horses gave way to fixing bikes and cars. But sadly the fun didn't last, and our villages are really dormitories for commuters these days. Out on Ted's walk (part local event, part fund raiser for Alzheimer's Research UK) I was struck that only Ted had a local accent - and even he will admit it's hardly broad and bears no comparison to the impenetrable burrs I remember from my childhood. It is, as an Italian friend said to me when I was at Monza last week, part of an "even-ing out" of the world. Cultures, products and even petrol stations are just becoming a homogenous melting pot, where local character and quirkiness is seen as an obstacle to mobility and user friendliness. And that seems a shame.

Ads-R-Us

Like all publishers, we love our advertisers; but we also like ads that bring something to the look of the magazine and value for the readers. Mdina Italia should be well know to Ducati twin owners - what they can't find (or direct you to) probably doesn't exist. I bought my immaculate 906 Paso for a song because Ducati would only sell the tail light as a complete unit, for which they wanted north of £200. Mdina found a new lens for under £40. And Howard at Widecase wrote the buyers' guide to (guess what) Ducati's widecase singles in issue 10 of Benzina so knows what he's doing. Rates for adverts are below, and we can also help with design for a modest fee.

Inside page £195, half page (top) £100, quarter page £60, fifth page strip (above) £50, back cover £295

Conspiracy theory

This is publishing legend Mark Williams showing alarm at my usual reading material, snapped at last April's Stafford show - the sixth consecutive time I've had a stand at the biannual event. But we won't be there this time... and therein lies a tale. Morton's usually chase for exhibitors to book as early as possible, and have always said they won't sell a stand until a previous incumbent confirms they won't be returning. This means that good pitches really are dead men's shoes, complicated by the fact the April and October shows are booked separately. So I've spent ages waiting for waverers to eventually give up stands and crept steadily into better spots in the main hall. So what happened this time? My stand got sold from under me. Deep breath, and book another. But before confirming the B&B accommodation I checked back. Oops, despite taking debit card details and all the usual guff, they'd "forgotten" to book my second booking, and then I get the "Sorry sir but the show's now sold out" routine after umpteen unreturned calls and emails. Muddy anchors... but maybe they just don't like the competitionBenzina represents to their own magazines in these difficult times. Who knows? there are certainly some paranoid souls in today's publishing world, and I might be about to join them.

No matter, the Magazine Man is in the main hall (far end from the Bonham's auction) and has issue 10 ready and waiting. Still, I'll miss talking nonsense to like-minded souls and will instead sit at home scheming revenge. And, as they say in Italy, revenge is a dish best served cold.