GEOFF WARREN FOUND THE BARE BONES OF this little 1963 Aermacchi Ala Verde (Green Wing) in a sorry state at a classic bike dealer in Somerset in 1991 and brought it back to life. He’s had it ever since. We spotted it on the Wells Classic Motorcycle Club stand at the Bristol Show this year and were immediately taken with it.
Geoff told us he found the Ala Verde when the dealer was shutting up shop. “He had the remains of several bikes to dispose of. One Aermacchi had already been made from the best bits.”
Fortunately, those remains of bikes were enough for Geoff to get started on and he was able to bring the almost forgotten Italian classic back from the dead.
“There was an engine, some wheels, a frame and a tank, but no seat or mudguards. I put a US model top yoke on it as the clip-ons were a bit too low and fitted ace bars instead, using the later rubber mountings. It’s got lower footrests, a later Sprint model gearshift, and I was delighted to find it had the much sought-after five-speed gearbox.”
For many years, Geoff ran the Ala Verde with a homemade seat that used a racing hump made from an old
