Author Archives: admin
Visited by the police
Moto Simpatico very nearly had its collar felt last weekend.
Lands End to Edinburgh without turning a wheel
Well the Lands End Trial came and went without me finishing the Laverda prep, but she’s done now and looking and riding great. Eyes now fixed on the Edinburgh in October (dates still tbc by MCC). Repairing and refinishing the badly corroded aluminium part of the enclosed rear chain was a tricky job. Cleaning off … Continue reading
Gilera lives!
Wiring sorted (well, the dodgy bits by-passed), fresh oil, and this is how she sounds without laying a spanner on her. Gilera 175 Giubileo Almost tempted to stick that single seat back on her and run her as is for the summer. Mmmm. Pretty fruity for a little ‘un, eh?
New shocks from Agostini in Mandello
In truth the frame of the Spada Royale, with its wafer thin original matt paint, should be given a bare-metal respray. But it’s spring already! – I want to ride her, not strip her – so we will have to make do with a touch-up and a tidy up. That said things are looking pretty … Continue reading
Moto Simpatico at Influx Magazine
Had a visit from Mike Fordham, maestro at Influx Magazine. Cool guy and very ‘simpatico’. This was the result. www.influx.co.uk He’s done a great job of the photos. The Sport 15 looks peachy. Can’t see how the others could be bettered without a time machine or a bit of plastic surgery. (Now, where’s my Dremel?)
Gilera Giubileo – the curse of ancient loomings and other mysteries
You remember that the Gilera is supposed to have ‘an intermittent ignition fault’? That it runs, but roughly? Previously, horribly twisted wiring fixes, hidden under insulting tape, chilled the heart. A points gap you could pass a spanner through can’t have been helping either. But it gets worse (better, I mean, since we are moving … Continue reading
Laverda 2TR – preparing for the Lands End Trial – Part 2
I brought the 2TR from Cheshire in a tiny weather window at the end of November when the west side of the country was still virtually snow free. We loaded her up with thick snow on the ground. For four hours I dreamed of riding the Laverda to the rescue of snow-bound maidens on Bodmin … Continue reading
Laverda 2TR – preparing for the Lands End Trial – Part 1
Our Laverda 2TR is a beauty, and in great original condition, but it’s previous owner did use the beast in anger (in spite of its great rarity), and so it needs a thorough checking over before I use it in this year’s Lands End Trial. A couple of significant problems quickly emerge. One of the … Continue reading
Beat that, Joe Lucas
Inside the headlamp of our 1957 Moto Guzzi Lodola lurks this little gem of an automotive logo. Aprilia (not the modern bike maker) was Italy’s Lucas, and had a similar reputation (Prince of Darkness and all that). But this unusual logo is a little period design treat.
