I promised to post a brief report on this year's Piston Rally and how my 500 performed. Here it is.
For those who are not familiar with it, the Moto Club Piston is a Spanish motorcycle club based just outside Santander and with a particular interest in Classic bikes. They organise 3 rallies every year, the biggest being the Piston Rally in late September. I have been attending for the last 5 years and this was my first time on a Morini. The rally is in two parts, first a 4 day tour in the Picos mountains, based in Potes, the first and last days being a touring ride to and from Potes from El Sardinero, a suburb of Santander and the main base of the rally. The scenery is just stunning and the roads are smooth, winding, well maintained and practically deserted (well, apart from a bunch of nutters on old motorcycles). This photo might whet your appetite:
I was travelling with a mate on his BSA A65 Lightning and the two bikes seemed well matched. I had been a little concerned that the 500 Morini may be a bit short of "grunt", but actually it did rather well. In fact you can pull through uphill hairpins quite smoothly in second gear without feeling it's about to stall, and the bike has a good lean angle, essential on those roads! Last year I did the rally on my 750 Bonneville which suits the terrain very well indeed. If anything the Morini is even better, though I'd be happy to do the rally on either.
That Picos tour takes you from Sunday to Wednesday, after which you re-join the main rally, which consists of daily rides of around 200km starting and finishing in Santander. There is also a "short route" option of around 100km for older bikes or anyone for whom 200km is a bit too much. There are always a few pre-war bikes and plenty from the '40s and '50s. These two photos give you an idea:
The bike is a military Ariel, which had a good try at shaking itself to bits, losing the float chamber top and the seat mounting bolts - the second picture shows imaginative use of cable ties, sticky tape and a plastic bottle. He completed the rally!
With the scenery in the mountains, you tend to get into the habit of stopping at most viewpoints and it's most entertaining to find them all full of pre-1980 motorcycles:
People come from the UK, Spain, Netherlands, Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia and probably a few more. There is always someone to chat to, everyone is in good spirits and very friendly. Every day incorporates at least two breaks, with sandwiches, drinks and often full meals provided. Breaks tend to be in rather nice locations:
The last Friday is the BIG DAY. The day of the famous 5000 Curves. This is a ride of around 330 miles (530km) all on mountain roads and of course on a pre-1980 bike. It is a bit of a navigational challenge and there are three timed checkpoints, the location of two being declared and the third is not. If you arrive too early, you'll miss the checkpoint, too late and it'll be closed. At each checkpoint your card has to be initialled. The day is huge fun, just about the best day's motorcycling I can imagine.
The event is strictly for pre-1980 bikes and is superbly organised by the Moto Club Piston. If you are interested, check them out on the web.
The 500 Morini was superb, I can't tell you how pleased I am with it, though I do have a gear selection issue to attend to this winter - more of that in another post. I met a Dutch guy on a 500 Sei, who was having the same experience as me - i.e. grinning from ear to ear. I also met an English guy on a 350 Strada - his first time on a Morini, first time with a R/H gear change and first time on the rally. His starter packed up on the first day and the alternator stopped charging a day or two later. He had a great time! He also confirmed that despite the very steep hills and "challenging" terrain, the 350 was just fine in the mountains. Oh, one last thing - a couple of people told me before I went that the Dell Orto carbs don't work well at altitude. It's nonsense!
Regards to all,
Joe.
because meanwhile I have my job there is no time in autumn 