Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Talent spotting
We spotted Radical Ducati's slinky little Ducati 50 a good couple of years ago, and featured it proudly in Issuer One of the mag in May 2010 - now it's up on Bike Exif, the holy grail of nice bike shots.
Original blog post here
Full feature on the bike build in Issue One here, or click on the Issue One cover on the right, to buy it...
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Friday, 25 November 2011
Triffic
Then we all retired to our local village pub afterwards. It has recently been bought by the locals to be run as a free house, and Chris was instrumental in this. And there on the bar when we all piled in was a beer pump handle bearing the words 'Triffic', which was Chris's favourite expression. And it's been decided that this new and lovely, nutty ale, brewed just up the road and named in honour of Chris, will be kept on pump as tribute.
And I for one shall be downing pints of it regularly, starting this evening, in tribute to Chris.
Cheers Chris! Triffic!
Monday, 21 November 2011
Roaring Rumi
By 1949, the Rumi Turismo 125 was the result of high art meeting molten metal and this is it - incredible, especially considering these were gloomy post-war years in a country heavily bombed and torn apart by political differences.
Add a fruity two-stroke parallel twin motor, and you have a motorcycle that looked, performed and sounded like no other in 1950. They also won races so weren't just for show. Like a bright star, Rumi appeared, burned brightly, and by 1962 disappeared. No wonder they're rare now.
We'll be featuring a Rumi or two in a future issue of the magazine.
Thursday, 17 November 2011
You'll always find me in the kitchen at parties
This is another bike I own and used to live in our kitchen as I had nowhere else to put it. My wife was very understanding, bless her.
It's a '72 Moto Guzzi Stornello Scrambler 125, in completely original and untouched condition. I got it for nothing really as part of a block purchase of a few bikes while living in Italy. It's a single cylinder four stroke, really simple and robust. I cleaned it, oily ragged it, changed the oil, put on a new battery and off it went. Brought it back to the UK and used it to ride round London for a year. Lovely!
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Finger Lickin' Good
Cutter's been riding for 30 years but this is also his first bike build, and as always we at the mag love and encourage the fact it was done in a shed at the bottom of the garden - in Cutter's case, the Chicken Shack. What a result! Read his blog here and learn more. Thanks too to Graham and Barry.
Full feature in the next issue of ITALIAN MOTOR magazine.
Friday, 11 November 2011
Bye Bye Berlusconi
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Motore V7 nuovo
Don't think it can be said it's a thing of beauty but it's good to see that Guzzi is 'developing' its motors. A change from twin to a single injector could be a good thing...we'd have to ride it and compare it to the V7 Classic and Cafe'/Racer models. Technical blurb below. What happened to the Scrambler though??
- For the first time in years, the “small-block” Moto Guzzi V-Twin has been extensively refurbished to produce more-adequate power and torque. The internal changes are immediately apparent via the engine’s largely revised exterior. New valve covers and, most important, vastly extended finning on heads and cylinders improve cooling in response to an increase in compression from 9.2:1 to 10.2:1.
Since the V7 engine uses a Heron- type combustion chamber, new pistons were adopted featuring a revised design on their dished-out crowns. The pistons also are lighter and stronger. In addition, the V7 now breathes through larger valves and a revised induction system that uses a single Y-shaped 38mm throttle body that splits into two 36mm runners where the individual injectors are located.
As a result of these changes, claimed output has increased to 51 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 42.8 foot-pounds of torque at 5000 rpm. Throttle response from low revs is vastly improved, thanks to the ram effect of the aforementioned longer manifold and cooler air inhaled by the relocated airbox.
The upgraded 750cc Twin powers three models: V7, V7 Special and V7 Racer. All three machines are based on the previous version but feature new graphics. The rolling gear remains unchanged, but the overall quality of the bikes shows some meaningful improvements.
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
My One Desire...
Would be to go back in time to see the Cats live again (and be able to play as good as this..)
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Italian bikes at San Francisco Airport: No check-in or boarding card required
Moto Bellissima: Italian Motorcycles from the 1950s and 1960s: Moto Bellissima: Italian Motorcycles from the 1950s and 1960s is located pre-security in the International Terminal Main Hall Departures Lobby, San Francisco International Airport. The exhibition is on view to all Airport visitors from November 5, 2011 to April 28, 2012. There is no charge to view the exhibition.
More info and some great photographs here
Friday, 4 November 2011
This is more like it
It just looks cleaner and more thought out. What do do you think?
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Simple pleasures
I'm sure he won't mind me reproducing it as it shows that our passion is important. It also shows you don't need CNC machines and TIG welders to make good-looking stuff for your bike, just curiosity and desire (ok, so a jigsaw helps too..). I wish I could find the time too to make stuff like this.
"Hello Adam,
I cannot believe how pleased I am with myself after the few hours I have actually spent doing something useful for a change...........see attachment. I even felt the need to make a point of showing it to the missus knowing full well it really would be of no interest.
The headlamp bracket has been broken for at least a couple of years on my black Guzzi Roadster, but hidden behind a Mk 1 Le Mans fairing it has been held together with cable ties. Now that the cafe' racer is off the road the Roadster has been put back in use. I will be fitting a new headlamp glass/reflector and have already removed the fairing to allow access. My thoughts are to leave the fairing off (when originally built this was how it was) so something had to be done with the bracket. Yes, I have had all summer to do it, but sometimes I need a kick up the backside.....
I know it's not perfect,but I don't think it's bad and I am really chuffed to bits that I have actually just got round to doing something that I have put off for so long. SIMPLE PLEASURES !!!
I hope all is good at your end?
Cheers
John"
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