THE GUMTREE GUZZI
One of the abiding pleasures of being a member of the Scottish Classic Motorcycle Club (SCMC) is the camaraderie and eclectic mix of motorcycles and characters that swell our ranks. Young and old rub shoulders and swap motorcycling tales in our club’s buzzing car park. The same can be said of their steeds – all sorts attend our events and provide your humble scribe with an endless supply of exciting and unusual pickings. Coveted machines like Vincents, Broughs and Gold Stars might not be so common, but it is the everyman’s RealClassic that I personally find exciting. These are the bikes on which I long to bag a ride.
In this case I should say ‘everywoman’ – for the elegantly aging military Guzzi V50 that is featured hereabouts belongs to Catherine. It’s a NATO machine that is as splendid in its patinated matt green and white stencilled paintwork as Cath is in her riding leathers, full-face hat and plaited pigtails. Both create a striking pose when encountered on the road or gracing SCMC’s car park with their presence.
Cath caught Guzzitis when she met her ‘intended’ at the tender age of 21. Today Cath has an impressive score of five V50s under her belt... plus two T3s, a Spada, a Le Mans and a Nevada 750 and, dare I mention possibly not one of the prettiest Guzzis ever, a Sessantacinque GT. So Cath can rightfully claim to be a baptised Guzzi disciple. Over to her:
‘My introduction to the seductive world
