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...

'31 Gran Sport

One of the best bikes Gilera ever made - and fantastic to ride. Article sometime in the future...

Triffic

I went to friend's funeral yesterday. He died young and was one of those people who I admire because he was just a nice bloke to everyone, and did a lot for other people. It was a strikingly English funeral at a beautiful medieval church - so packed (unsurprisingly) that speakers relayed the service to the people standing outside. The graveyard is up on a ridge and overlooks beautiful unspoilt English countryside, so Chris was buried in this magnificent setting in the old fashion, under a sunny winter sky and a cold wind.

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!

Roaring Rumi

There are many incredible Italian motorcycles and manufacturers, but one of the most fascinating and fabulous has to be Rumi. Donnino Rumi was an artistic, extravagant yet painfully shy Salvador Dali-type character who joined his father's metal foundry Fonderie Officine 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.

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!

Finger Lickin' Good

Spent a very pleasant sunny Sunday shooting Cutter's Ducati Monster special, which has finally emerged from the Chicken Shack shed. Based round a well past it '96 Ducati Monster 900, the bike is a cracker; stripped down, fast, essential and full of well thought-out details and lovingly fabricated handmade parts that give it an individuality that you can't buy in a bike shop.

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.

Bye Bye Berlusconi

My father-in-law in Italy sent me this cartoon. It shows the relief over there that Berlusconi is finally letting hold of power after so many years. The phrase reads "it doesn't matter how he falls....as long as he falls.", followed by the different ways it's possible to go. It's the end of an era and incredible that it's the economy rather than his dodgy dealings with the Mafia or Moroccan prostitutes that has precipitated his final downfall. I'll miss those great shots of him leering at various female world leaders