To anybody of my age with an interest in bikes, Gilera means Geof Duke, 1955, unofficial first 100 mph lap of the TT course. Then he was banned for a year for supporting the underpaid privateers who struck at the Dutch TT and refused to ride for such a pittance.
Move on to 1963 or 1964, and the four cylinder Gilera “Fire engines” were available to race under a “private” banner.
Now for my first connection with Gilera. Alan Shepard was racing one at Oulton Park, and I was a spectator. Afterwards, I went around to the Dunlop tent trying to buy tyres. Used racing tyres that is. I came away looking like Bibendum (the Mitchelin man).
I rode home with some difficulty, sold three of them covering my original outlay (£1 each). One of the remaining two was a triangular section tyre with oil on it. It had been fitted to Alan Shepard’s bike but then got the oil on it. It might have done one lap. It had his name in yellow tyre fitter’s crayon on the side, which of course I did not remove.
I put it on the front of my Norton-Vincent and got about 4,000 excellent miles from it. At the time, a partly used race tyre on the rear lasted less than 1,000 miles.
I had a very good run out on the Cagiva today, just beating a younger pal with his early 2,000s Triumph Bonneville the 20 miles home. Still a teenager where it matters.
Before anybody asks, look for piccies of a 1985 Cagiva 650 Alazzurra.
Les.
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