Morini: The Bike I Always Wanted
I first laid eyes on a Morini at Caffe Soma in San Francisco, where I worked alongside of a fellow by the name of Paul Barker. We all knew him as Ion, and he rode the most beautiful motorcycle I had ever seen. It had a red frame, and the tank and seat were matched so that the horizontal plane of the seat continued a curve that the gas tank began. I started looking in the Sunday classified ads for Morini's for sale. I remember responding to a classified ad at 9:30 Sunday morning only to discover that someone had called the previous night and the bike was sold already. About two weeks later I saw a Morini 500 in my neighborhood, and I ran across Market St. to meet this person. I told the fellow what a Morini nut I was and that I'd seen the ad in the paper a couple of weeks back. He told me that the bike he was riding was the very same bike, and that had bought a paper the night before and called up right away. Thierry and I later became friends, which is good, because I would never have forgiven him otherwise. (Thierry and I rendezvous'd at the Moto Morini factory in Bologna back in 1989.) Eventually, I found a 500 Sport in the paper that belonged to a Frenchman who, I presumed, didn't have the patience that an Italian bike (or anything worthwhile) requires. I was in Hog Heaven.
Other Morini's
I fully intended to bring back my Morini Settebello 250 from Italy, but alas as Bears Will Attack might say, the fates conspired against me. I did fall madly in love with Morini singles, and I hope to bring one home with me someday. In Italy, I met Luzzi Cesare (now deceased), a true passionato of Moto Morini's. We drove from his shop in Siena to Suvera, where he kept the remainder of the inventory that Gabriela Morini sold to him when the factory was being sold to Ducati. Across from the shop, Luzzi had a showroom of sorts, with all manner of bikes in various states of restoration. Luzzi was kind enough to give me the manuals in the reference section gratis. The memories they bring back are priceless. I just hope someone somewhere finds them useful.
Invaluable Assistance On All Matters Morini
The Moto Morini listserve has been of unmeasurable help to many people in keeping their Morini's roadworthy. Any opinion that appears to be the consensus of this sage assembly can be regarded as gospel.