Feelin' Satisified

Memory fails as to who, but years ago I heard a famous actor being interviewed on the radio. Commenting on the bevy of beautiful co-stars he'd worked with, this forgotten (by me) Hollywood legend revealed that his acting coach suggested a full court romantic press to give the love scenes they shared a more realistic feel. “It's easy to fall in love” he quipped. “I mean, just look at them!”Thinking it over, the same thing happens to me. And while you'd have a better chance snagging a lap dance at the Royal Wedding than seeing my craggy mug on the big screen, the trap of writing about exceptionally beautiful motorcycles is a real one. Now strictly vintage bikes (VMOL's standard is 10-years old and older) but extending back to my days as a mainstream journo, the allure begins at first glance. After researching the engineering and technical aspects and road testing, the spell can be cast as early as the second sweeper. People often ask me if a certain motorcycle is 'good'. The truth is, there are far more good motorcycles than bad ones, regardless of size. In the seven years I tested new bikes (about four a year on average) there were only two I wouldn't have spent money on.

But like their romantic counterparts, moto-crushes come and go. Only the special ones, those bikes that made a lasting impact, remain for the long term.

The world of motorcycles opened up for me when my friend Marty Cohen gave me “The Book of Superbikes” (Laurie Caddell and Mike Winfield, ISBN # 0-89586-067-8) during a visit to his shop with my brother. On page 93, the 850 Le Mans pictured burned a hole in my heart that didn't heal until I hauled a battered, but salvageable Guzzi CX100 home from Texas ten years later. Although I'd previously owned a Moto Guzzi V7, it was the Le Mans that transformed an interest for the brand into lifelong devotion. Three seasons past, in 1994 and on my first paid assignment as a journalist, I saw the motorcycle that eventually took its place.

Pitched and sold to Guzzi headman Alejandro De Tomaso by chief engineer Umberto Todero and that famous American racing dentist Dr. John Wittner, the Sport 1100 appeared in 1994. Using a tuned version of the firm's evergreen pushrod vee, the engine was enlarged to 1064cc with Florida's Crane Cams helping in Wittner's quest for more punch. The engine sits in a production version of Wittner's championship-winning spine frame, married to an ingenious monoshock swingarm design that first appeared on the OHC Daytona superbike of 1992. Weighing in at 440-lb dry (shockingly low for any Guzzi twin) the Sport was a budget version of the 8v that outperformed its more expensive sibling in nearly every category. Sleek, serious and impossibly sexy, the Sport 1100 was everything I never knew I always wanted. But as fate often plays, the wait was long.

There's no need to explain why it took 13-years to find a Sport of my own, but as many of you can no doubt relate the issues of raising a family and making a living were the priority. On a Sunday night in April, 2008 while surfing eBay, this same 1996 Sport (with under 10.000 miles!) glowed on the screen. Featuring the mods (HeliBars, aftermarket exhaust crossover) and located in nearby Phoenix, the clincher was the bike's fire sale price tag. Ringing the owner, news of my interest in this model had reached the seller before I had. “A few friends predicted you'd call” he laughed. “I understand you've been looking for awhile.”

Few times in life is the reality better than the dream, and the Sport is everything I knew it would be, and more. Displaying the same willing confidence to lean as a really good Desmo, the Sport is the best handling Moto Guzzi to date; excluding the MGS01. Most owners don't list comfort in the bike's attributes, but the aftermarket HeliBars and a relatively flat, wide saddle has allowed me to do several 800 mile days in reasonable comfort. Having arms like an orangutang helps. The Sport apty carries on Guzzi's reputation of reliable toughness, and gains favor by mixing simple, straightforward Mandello engineering with a second-to-none chassis. And while there are more important things than style, the machine's line, stance and shape place it in an elite group of motorcycles by being truly special and unique.

As an official online moto-cheerleader, maybe it's not wise to confess that except for research and investigation, I rarely peruse the market for another motorcycles. That doesn't mean there aren't other bikes I've love to own, but the list is short. Sharing shop space with the Sport is a Bloor Daytona that's better than the Guzzi in more ways than I'm willing to admit, making the desire to get out on my own bikes stronger than finding something that isn't available. .

Experience teaches to never say never, but when it comes to motorcycles I'm right where I want to be. Who knows what might appear on the horizon, but unless Velocette ramps up production of the Venom or Guzzi re-pops the 750S3, I'm not likely to make a move any time soon. Society often labels satisfaction as lack of motivation, but ignore that nonsense. Fulfillment is freedom. Nolan Woodbury