Italian Bikes Bask At IMOC

STURBRIDGE, MA – If the brand names on all the bikes on the show ground end in a vowel, it’s a safe bet that you’re at IMOC.

The Italian Motorcycles Owners Club held its 32nd annual motorcycle show today at the Hamilton Rod & Gun Club, and riders turned out by the hundreds riding such vowel-ending makes as Aprilia, Benelli, Cagviva, Ducati, Lambretta, Laverda, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Moto Parilla and, I’m sure, a few others.

Motorcycles ranged from high-performance artwork to the heavily-worn “riders.” Rally co-chair Steve Rossi declared this year’s show to be “absolutely wonderful. It just gets better and better.” Noting the event’s 32 years, he added, “There’s so much momentum within the Italian motorcycle community.”

A chilly start to the day resulted in a late arriving crowd, but by late morning there were bikes backed up at the gate.

RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland patrolled the grounds looking for interesting makes and models and wasn’t disappointed.

Getting much attention was a bright yellow 1975 Benelli Tornado S owned by Bob Wills of Rhinecliff, NY. He’s owned the 650cc model that was originally sold in Germany for four years.

Bob Wills and his Benelli Tornado S

Hard to miss was the Moto Guzzi name emblazoned in large letters on the tank of 1975 850T owned by Brian Dwinnell of Douglas, MA. He recalled that he bought the bike new in 1974 from Ron’s Cycle Sales in Leominister, MA.

Brian Dwinnell and his Moto Guzzi 850T

Dwinnell said he sold the bike 20 years ago, and he figured it was gone forever. Or at least until earlier this year. “I found the bike four months ago just by shit luck, looking on the Internet. I bought it back after having it 20 years gone,” he said. Think it’s safe to say he won’t part with it again?

Not far away, a scooter owned by Rich “Ogre” McKay of Woonsocket, RI got some looks due its scaled front end.

It was a 1962 Lambretta LI150 with a GP200 engine from India that McKay said he’d ridden everywhere. He’s heavily modded the scooter.

Rich “Ogre” McKay and his Lambretta LI150

“I did everything. The parts on this are like a United Nations,” he said. The seat was made in Asia, the floorboards in England and the gas tank in the U.S.

A 1962 Moto Parilla Gran Sport 250 also drew covetous looks.

It was owned by “Patois” from Boston, who declined to be photographed. He’s owned it for 15 years, and obviously takes good are of it.

Not only were there great looking bikes on the show ground, but the adjacent parking lot provided a secondary spectacle.

That’s where Mitch Frazier of Brimfield, MA had parked his 1959/60 CZ-Jawa.

The Czechoslovakian-made bike – a 175cc, two-stroke single – has been in Frazier’s possession for three years. “It has shift assist. Once you get it going, you don’t have to use the clutch,” he said. “They’re like tractors. They don’t break.”

Mitch Frazier and his Jawa

Frazier told me that I could take it for a ride if I could deduce how it started. I looked and was stumped as the bike didn’t have a starter button or a visible kick-start lever. Frazier then reached down to the shifter lever on left side, pushed it in, and rotated the lever backwards. Voila, a kick-starter. I’m betting he’s pulled this trick before.

Another unique feature of the Jawa is a neutral position not only between first and second gear but between second and third, too.

While Frazier’s Jawa proved educational, the overall IMOC show once again was entertaining thanks to the diversity of the entries.