Any Italian Bike owners alive out there?

[Baytown]

Geez, glad I don't own one. I'd be the only person on this list.
Wake up everyone!

[Pete Gagan]

Sure. Italian bikes are great. I have a 1957 Motom TS, which looks like a cruise missle with handlebars- 98 ccs., overhead cam, downdraft Webber carb, totally enclosed, etc. A Motom TS is the only motorcycle exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. I just acquired a Laverda 750 SF, just AMCA eligable, which is a vertical twin like a Triumph, but dare I say better. I will be riding it at Borrego Springs and Temecula in a couple of weeks at the AMCAroad runs.
Pete Gagan, Prez.

[Baytown]

Good on you Pete.
Just saw that there had been no comments from this group for so long!
Hopefully this'll get things going!

Best wishes mate.

Ken.

[darrylri]

I briefly had a 1967 Montgomery Wards Riverside, 350cc 4 stroke single. Made by Benelli. Does that qualify?

[LouieMCman]

Bad news is I sold my old '72 750 Ducati....good news is my wife bought a 2000 ST2 Ducati, hope it don't kill either of us. I do have '67 HD Sprint and a '69 Indian Mini Mini with sidecar. I think there is just not many old Italian bikes (full size anyway) in the States.

Louie

[Barry Brown]

Just picked up a nice all original 5000 mile 1972 Ducati 350 Mark3. Was astonished to see 2 names on the ownership of guys who went to my high school in the 60's, the first owner being Jordan Anka, a cousin of Paul's ( you know ,the old Canuk crooner from Ottawa) , I got his number and called him up and he was equally astonished. ( Jordan , not Paul!) Also have a Benelli 360 "Mojave" ( sold by Wards Montgomery) , a pushrod ohv 4 stroke single with cool Rickman like styling all done in steel. And finally have just been offered SEVERAL new in the crate bevel Dukes, SFC, and Bimotas!!! Doubt if I can afford any!
Woops, one more, just rediscovered the only Laverda 750 SFC sold new in Ottawa.
Over the years I have seen many nice "bacon slicer" Guzzis across the USA.

[c.o.]

I know a guy down the road the road races an early 70's Ducati 750. He's got a couple of singles as well. I also know another fella locally that spends his summer days cruisin' on his Guzzi. So I guess they're around at least in my area........ The Duc racer sounds pretty cool!!!!!!

[Buzz Kanter]

After many years without anything Italian (I used to roadrace a 750 Sport in the late 1970s) last year I bought a little Ducati mutt - 160cc single engine in a 250 chassis with aftermarket cafe race style gas tank and seat.
I campaigned it in last year's wonderful Moto Giro US (run by USCRA) and did ok, if you don't count when it died half way through the 1st morning leg. After a ride to the lunch stop in a pick up truck, we fixed the points and she ran like a top the rest of the event. Fun little bike and a lot less money than any Indians or Harleys.

[tomsum]

My sole Italian bike is a 78 Harley SX175 by Aermacchi. The guy I got is from was told by his wife to "clean out that d****d barn full of bikes". Among his 20 some metric dirt bikes was the lone HD which he referred to as "Italian junk". Well I agrred that they come dirt cheap so in my wifes pickup went the bike frozen engine and all. Engine rebuilt (carb & plug off, 3"water in case) and junk switches fixed along with the mouse chewed wires. Bike runs great. It is a shame that HDs pricing couldn't compete.

[AdminGuy]

anybody have pictures or have receintly visited this museum in the netherlands? looks interesting.

http://motormuseum.20m.com/index.html

I got to look at an earily 70s laverda 750 eng. torn down once. Over built is such an understatement for this noted tractor manufacturer.

[Tomo]

Hi
The Italian section is a bit quiet, so as way of introduction I thought I'd stick a post here

My name is Tomo, I'm from Downunder, I am getting into Indians, but have had Italian bikes for a long time

My collection at the moment includes a 750 Sport, 900 Darmah, 1000 (mille) Hailwood, Bimota DBIas well as 4 Indians and BSA Bushman

Cheers
Tomo

[ricoyam]

Just in case anyone is watching, I am a newish member and own a few Italian bikes:
1966 Moto Guzzi Stornello ISDT trials special
1974 SWM 125ES Six Days
1974 Mazzilli RC125
1974 Ducati 750GT
1976 SWM Silver Vase 250
1977 Simonini 250 Shadow
1980 Ducati Darmah 900SS
1988 Ducati 750F1S
2008 Ducati Hypermotard 1100S

Moto Bella!

[*JU]

Here's my '72 MotoGuzzi Ambassador on Main St. in Sturgis this year. I rode out with the Viking Chapter, MN.
JU

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/39006/2001553660053333251S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2001553660053333251erUoqC)

[Blupacer]

bought a 65 H-D sprint new so will always have a soft spot for Italian . Love the lines. Now have a 65 Sprint H and 67 SS also a Parilla Olympic All rough and in need of good home
Steve

[Buzz Kanter]

I have my 1960s Ducati 250 Monza cafe racer that I compete with on the Moto Giro US in the northeast. I also have an original paint Ducati 250 Mark 3 and a MotoBi 250 semi-factory Zanzani GP roadracer.

Buzz Kanter

[sonnys dad]

this bike will be at all the AMCA shows we are attending this year

1972 h-d baja before.....http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/5246/sonnysshopbikes001fw3.jpg

1972 h-d baja after......http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/3201/1972baja019vb1.jpg

this bike is going to a customer in illinois........we bought this from a fellow vendor @ rhinebeck 2007

1973 h-d X-90 before.....http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/7048/1973x90shopbike001ap2.jpg

1973 h-d X-90 after.....http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9568/1973x90shopbike043sc9.jpg

this bike we are doing for a customer in iowa who will be picking it up on his way to laconia '08 vacation in june, the same time as rhinebeck.

1975 h-d SX250 before.......http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/5161/1975sx250lonniemorrow01va3.jpg

1975 SX250 in progress......http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/7104/1975sx250051jk5.jpg

the sheetmetal will be finished the end of this coming week and we are starting the engine rebuild this week

stay tuned to our web site for more

[Coolbreeze]

My 1984 Moto Guzzi V65Sp is as close to the perfect motorcycle as anything I have ever owned -- or ridden. It is a light, maneuverable, economical, fast, reliable bike. I have ridden the daylights out of it for the past 21+ years, and the engine has never been opened. I check the valves every winter, change oil & filter regularly, and put a squirt of grease in the speedometer sending unit -- but that is about all the maintenance it requires. It cruises nicely all day long at 6,000 rpm which, by my reckoning, equates to 98 mph. Incidentally, it also seems to have a small radar signature. With a tank bag, soft saddlebags, and a duffle bungeed to the luggage rack, the Guzzi holds enough gear to keep me on the road for weeks. I have taken it from my home in Illinois to Sturgis, Duluth, Little Rock, the Shenadoah Valley in Virginia, and the Rockies. In 1990, I crossed the Continental Divide off pavement with it on Haggerman Pass. This year, the bike carried me over the Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park with slush covering the pavement, a strong wind (~25 knots), and wet snow so heavy that I had to ride with one hand on the throttle and the over scooping snow off my visor.

This is as close to a magic carpet as I have ever experienced.

[DaveSwanson]

I share George's affection for Guzzis. Here is my 73 V7 Sport. It's now old enough to have judged so I might just do that next year.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee165/dswansbiker/v700008-1.jpg

[Buzz Kanter]

Here's a shot of my little 1966 Ducati 250 Monza that I cafe'd out to race in the Moto Giro a couple of times a year here in New England.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg54/buzzkanter/aIMG_0062.jpg

Sorry about the mud but the weather wasn't too good that year and we race over a lot of unpaved, hard packed, dirt roads. OK in the dry, "interesting" in the rain.

[Chris Haynes]

I have a 1973 Mighty X-90 H-D.

[slarsonroy]

I have a couple odd little Italian bikes. One is a 61(?) Capriolo 125cc. The other is an MDS 70cc. Both appear to be 4 stroke singles, both very original and complete. Im not sure what year the MDS is, but they only made them from 1955 to 1960 and I believe they were sold through Cosmopolitan motors. Any info on either of these bikes would be appreciated.

I also HAD a 250cc Parilla Tourist with a very rare factory race motor included. Both were sold through the motorcycle trader magazines before ebay came along, while buying and selling several bikes, but I did hang on to a 74 Laverda SF2 basket case and hope to assemble it someday.

I regularly ride a 1980 Moto Guzzi Lemans and just completed a 72 Ambassador with a Jupiter sidecar, which is a blast to ride in the snow. Im just finishing up a 73 Eldorado I just picked up in Kansas City.

[x-90 rider]

We have a few Harley X-90s. They are all titled, licensed, and insured. We ride them around town a lot during the summer. There are also nice to use at bike week because they are easy to park. ;)

1973 X-90

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p152/x-90rider/H1.jpg

1973 X-90

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p152/x-90rider/june9294.jpg

1974 X-90 Bobber

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p152/x-90rider/X-90Bobber148.jpg

[pat triplett]

http://dsci1382.jpggot this little bike off craigs list/yakima, after looking at it,i was amazed to see there was only 137 miles on it.someone bought it and must have foregot they had it.i have a barn full of old harleys and this little fella has his spot sitting between my 72 e-glide and my 74 fl,i know call them the three amigos

[Slojo]

Ah.... Italian bikes. First, you guys with your great stories of Moto Meatballs ((Guzzies) I am on the fence as to become or not to become a meat ball owner. New or old the look the sound the style the reliability all is well until you get to that spinning thing that screws the bike into the wind. Like a boat or airplane they are affected by motor torque. I had one of those German bikes that screwed into the wind and it nearly killed me twice at high speed throttle drops, sold it. Tomo like you Ducatis are my cup of tea 1947 to 2002 range of bikes in my barn and more if I could afford them. A 1963 250 Sprint is a good all around hill climber road racer, one day I proved it and had a blast in the process. My 1963 Ducati Bronco 98cc four stroke pull rod motor has been clocked at over 60 MPH and handles like a snake in the grass. Dependability, durability, handling speed, stoppers, looks, style, performance, all with that lovely lump of a 90 degree twin Desmo motor what else could one ask for? I once owned a Gilera Saturno 500cc and never did the basic maintainance to get it road worthy, sold it and have always wonder if ???
Joe

[Slojo]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I share George's affection for Guzzis. Here is my 73 V7 Sport. It's now old enough to have judged so I might just do that next year.

The bike of Dave Swanson (73 V7 Sport) could easily turn the tide for me. Dave do you have a trade or sell interest?
Joe

[milw.pirates]

Just picked up a nice all original 5000 mile 1972 Ducati 350 Mark3. Was astonished to see 2 names on the ownership of guys who went to my high school in the 60's, the first owner being Jordan Anka, a cousin of Paul's ( you know ,the old Canuk crooner from Ottawa) , I got his number and called him up and he was equally astonished. ( Jordan , not Paul!) Also have a Benelli 360 "Mojave" ( sold by Wards Montgomery) , a pushrod ohv 4 stroke single with cool Rickman like styling all done in steel. And finally have just been offered SEVERAL new in the crate bevel Dukes, SFC, and Bimotas!!! Doubt if I can afford any!
Woops, one more, just rediscovered the only Laverda 750 SFC sold new in Ottawa.
Over the years I have seen many nice "bacon slicer" Guzzis across the USA.

Barry,
I just picked up a 1968,benelli mojave 360,do you have a source for parts and info on these models,from what I found not to many made it to the states.
regards
Ken

[rousseau]

Slojo

This is me and my older brother with his brand new Ducati "Bronco" in 1962. As I recall , this was 125 CCs

[Slojo]

Rousseau
The 98cc Bronco I have certainily is a smaller bike than the 125 shown in the picture.
I bloomed late in life as it pertains to Italian bikes. Old Harley's kept my attention for the first 18 year of M/C ownership and since Ducatis have won over my heart. I also have a fondness for small displacement Hondas. The memory of that cute little parallel twin's exhaust pipes thrumming, the first real motorcycle I ever rode on was an early Honda 150 cc Benley back in grade school. While everybody else was riding around on mini bikes the Honda had Head lights for night cruising, electric start, four speed transmission a real clutch front and rear brakes and everything worked, what a dream ,,,,,,,,,, oops did I say that?
Joe