There’s a group of folks who take
three weeks out of each year to tour some part of the world on
motorcycles. What do these folks
have in common? They all own and ride fifty-year-old Moto Guzzi
Falcones.
Manufactured in Mandello del Lario, near Lake Como, from
1950 until 1967, the Falcone carries a half-liter displacement single cylinder four-stroke
motor set in a duplex cradle frame.
A big motorcycle for its day, the bike was favored by the military and
traffic police, as well as riders wanting a powerful sporting ride. Dressed primarily in red on the fenders
and tanks and accented with chrome where possible, these motorcycles provide
further evidence that Italians are masters at marrying function with form. They are gorgeous. And at five-plus decades of age,
they’re still running.
Annually, this group picks some place on the planet, packs
their beloved Guzzis into a shipping container and heads out for the better
part of a month.
This year’s tour was slated for
California. The Church of the Open
Road was called upon to offer route suggestions for the northern part of the
state. (Apparently somebody reads this blog. Shouldn’t
they have something better to do with their time?)
The group’s travels began in the Bay Area. They headed north along the Marin and
Sonoma Coast turning inland to experience the Dry Creek Valley wine
region. From there, they would
wind through the Coast Range, scoot across the Sacramento Valley and explore
the Gold Country foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Yosemite, Sequoia and Death Valley rounded out much of the
itinerary.
The “church” was privileged to join
the group for some wine tasting at the Fritz Winery on Dutcher Creek Road near
Cloverdale. Fritz hosts Jeremy and
Melissa kindly reserved parking for the squadron of fiery red Italian
motorcycles which arrived fashionably about 20 minutes before closing.
The staff graciously stayed late
pouring outstanding examples of Dry Creek appellation wines to an eager and
grateful crowd.
Later, up the road a short piece, while many rested in the
spa or with a beer, unwinding from a 150-mile day, a seventy-five year-old
Italian participant performed maintenance and repairs; loosening the bead on a
flat tire by hand, repairing the tube without removing the wheel and putting
the whole thing in readiness for the next day’s ride. (Regrettably, the patch failed, but oh well.)
Next he diagnosed a problem with a magneto prompting me to
wonder how many modern mechanics even know what a magneto is. This is the guy you want on your next cross-country
tour.
The following evening found the group dining on smoked
tri-tip and ranch style baked beans in “the church’s” back yard. In the gathering dusk, discussions
around the day’s adventure crossing the Coast Range and the Sacramento Valley
were accompanied by broad grins and gliding hand gestures. The evening ended with handshakes, hugs
and even kisses from a couple of the Italian wives who’d accompanied their
husbands.
The love of the open road and
laughter, it seems, sounds the same whether expressed in English or Italian.
o0o
Reference: The absolute bible on the Moto Guzzi motorcycle heritage and
line up is Mario Colombo’s Moto Guzzi – the Complete History from 1921. Giorgio Nada Editore. 2007. $65.00. Nicely illustrated and easily referenced. Order from your local bookseller.
Note: Check out the Fritz Winery when in the Dry Creek /
Cloverdale area: http://www.fritzwinery.com/
Tell ‘em the Church of the Open Road sent you, okay?
© 2014
Church of the Open Road
Sounds like a great time! Pretty cool that they found you.
ReplyDelete