Last night,

I went along to a little bike soirée that my friend Simone invited me to. He (yes, in Italian, Simone is a dude's name. Makes you think, don't it.) was showing his Guzzi there as part of a "café racer" contest.

He has done a fantastic job of resurrecting my old motorcycle, and it was really satisfying to see it properly done. Also, the fact that I didn't think "man I should have kept it" was a very good sign.
See for yourselves, and yes, he does have the front mudguard at home, it just needs a bracket:

I also got to see some other buddies: a belated happy birthday to the German! He's getting his classy green Fastback (seen behind Livio's Commando special, below) back to top condition after he had a bit of a spill with it. Coming up, new Asatek shocks, some front fork parts and I think even a belt drive. Good for you my friend...

Now let's see, what else was there...

Augusto's SR500 special, with a really high level of detailing and finish, and a sound that'll make you think you're at the 1951 Isle of Man TT: bloody hell.

A gnarly modern Triumph special...

One of the latest offerings from Moto Guzzi, the current V7, is probably one of the most attractive options for newcomers to motorcycling: classic lines, real-world performance, economy and timeless cool.

Another interesting modern Triumph...

And a really f**king tasty Sportster-Scrambler. That thing looked like it was just asking for trouble.
Other than that, there were sadly many examples of the "more money than taste" trend that's sweeping across the motorcycling world.

Now, there probably won't be much going on about my Norton for a while: I need to outsource some sandblasting and machine work, so until I get that sorted out and done, things will probably be a bit slow on the blog, sorry please.
Still, do come back, there will be progress!
Ride safe.