What to Ride?

February, 2022 - In January, I started researching motorcycles 1932 and older. The oldest motorcycles I have owned include a 1959 Harley-Davidson FLH “Panhead” and a 1978 BMW R100/7 among several other BMWs from the 1950s through 1970s. I wanted to find a vintage motorcycle that would be comfortable and reliable. In the Midwest US, common marques of this vintage include Harley-Davids, Indian, and Excelsior-Henderson. I quickly learned that these bikes are hard to come by and expensive. I could start with a basket of parts and re-build one, or I could buy one already restored—in either case, these are expensive.

I found a 1921 Matchless for sale in Georgia that caught my eye for a moment, but it sold before I could inquire on it. I continued my search and learned about the 1920s Moto Guzzi singles. These machines are known to be nearly bulletproof in reliability. There were only about 450 machines built between 1921 and 1928, but more than 4500 made for the 1929-30 model years. I found one with a sidecar for sale at a dealer in Verona, Italy. I was hooked.

The photos here are from the dealer listing. I had to use Google Translate to communicate with the sales leader at the dealer. Over a short period of about ten days I learned the bike was for sale on consignment and had been for some time. It appears it was fully restored in the late 1990s, maybe a few years earlier. I negotiated with the dealer to throw in a few spare parts and tires for the asking price. We had a sales agreement in the last days of February, 2022. I wired the money and they started working on a crate.

Now what? How do I import a motorcycle from Verona, Italy to Wisconsin, USA? Oh boy….