La bella Brigida in curva

Brigida is the bike, Alberto is the racer. Some people say Guzzis are like tractors but usually they've never ridden one. I love this shot - more on Alberto's superb Guzzi Spada-based racer in issue one of the mag, and you can brush up your Italian on Alberto's fantastic website on all things Guzzi, ANIMA GUZZISTA - here: http://www.guzzisti.it

Dennis Hopper RIP

Just seen that Dennis Hopper has died - Rebel Without a Cause, Giant, Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet - he's been in some of my favourite films, if not some of the best films ever made. There's no one else like him.

MAGS ARE IN!!

 Issue 1 of the magazine is now back from the printers - it's looking lovely and now in stock!! You can order a copy here

Maserati moto not motor

Italians sure knew how to build two and four stroke 50cc motorcycles. Grown men would race tiddlers like this for 24 hours at a time. This one started life as a rare tipo T2 SS motor without a home - so a frame was built for it, in a home workshop, in Tuscany. I love 2 strokes - rev 'em up and go go go - and this was one of the best I've ridden. That green door within a door surrounded by peeling yellow ochre render is also one of my favourite all-time Tuscan locations, and reminds me of warm sunshine and good times. More on the Maserati in issue 1.

Frera boys

Most people outside of Italy have never heard of Frera. Along with Bianchi, Frera embodied the pioneering spirit of Italian motorcycling, manufacturing bikes a good 40 years before Ducati and MV Agusta decided to switch from razors and aeroplanes. These lads are pictured at the Biella street circuit, Piemonte, in the late '20s. More on Frera in issue 1.

Stonking

Like all the best bespoke motorcycles, David McMillan's Moto Guzzi V7 Sport-based racer was built to one man's scheme and is constantly evolving - but don't be misled by the licence plate. This is a genuine racer currently in use on the road, and I was lucky enough to have a brief ride last year. I've ridden a few Guzzis over the years and this is up there amongst the most ferociously fast. Full story on the bike in issue 1.

What it's all come down to

More than two decades of riding, crashing and rebuilding Italian motorcycles, 6 years spent living in Italy, 2 years spannering in freezing backstreet London bike shops and 16 years scamming a living in magazines and publishing have to come out in the mix somehow. The result is ITALIAN MOTOR magazine, and this is the blog for it. The point of the magazine is this - if it has a motor and comes from Italy, 2 wheels or 4, and whether it be a 1910 Frera, a '51 Fiat barchetta corsa, a '55 Rumi Sport, a '97 Bimota DB2 or a 2010 Ducati Multistrada, and I like it, and think it's worth photographing and writing about -  it'll be in the mag.

The magazine is due back from the printers at the end of May. Contact me if you'd like a copy. More details here: www.italianmotormagazine.com