2009 MotoGiro Catskill, NY Reviewed by Bill Blythe

On the first weekend of May, I had the pleasure of riding in the 2009 MotoGiro East which was headquartered at the Friar Tuck Resort in Catskill, NY. It was a well run 2-day event covering somewhere around 250 miles of scenic back roads in and around the Catskill Mountains. It is like an enduro with FIM rules and a 20 MPH average speed limit with special agility tests. The rules state that only bikes from 1968 and earlier (or like technology subject to approval of the officials) and maximum displacement of 305cc are eligible with sidecar and scooter classes, too. The promoter was the United States Classic Racing Assn www.race-uscra.com/, and the event chairperson Rick Sawyer. They billed the event as sort of a rolling museum, and there certainly was a varied bunch of motorcycles and people there. Some of the motorcycle manufacturers represented were Moto Guzzi, Ducati, Gilera, Honda, Suzuki, Bultaco, Motobi, Yamaha, Aermacchi/Harley Davidson, Moto Morini Jawa, Czetta and Vespa/Allstate machines, and all machines were, to one degree or another roadworthy. Some of the riders were MotoGiro specialists, with Giro-specific tools to help with the agility tests, and some were road racers connected with the USCRA who are just out there for the fun of it all.

Recently I became a Harley Davidson owner after purchasing a neglected but very original 1966 250 Sprint. At the time of the purchase, there was no notion of using it for anything but to pop around town on. However, after reading up on the MotoGiro, it seemed to be a good fit, in fact the bike looked like it might be qualified for the “not so coveted snatched from the jaws of death award”. Once the bike was up and running, it struck me like a nice, un-restored original bike, and too sweet for such an award. The bike was left in its ‘as found’ state cosmetically, which included all OEM components like seat, tank, fenders and exhaust. All in need of chrome paint or stitching, that gave the bike a nice patina. There were several other Sprints at the event, and each one had a story behind it. One was fou nd on a porch somewhere on Long Island, and left just as it was discovered in it’s breezy time capsule. It ran just as well as some of the other fully restored bikes. My little Harley really has earned my affection, and it was fun to see others there in various conditions. Once the Sprint owners all found one another, Team Harley Davidson was formed and five of us entered the team competition.

In preparation for the MotoGiro, I registered the Harley and put on some miles around town to shake out the bugs. It needed freshening up with new rings, gaskets, wheel bearings and fork seals. I found everything I needed for this service including valuable advice from Ron at Lancaster Aermacchi Sprint http://www.aermacchisprint.com/ . Broken side stand and chain guard brackets were welded. The original brake shoes were still in great shape because the previous owner had greased the brake cam pivot so heavily that the shoes were grease soaked. It is the only bike I ever saw with goo drip ping from the brake drums. Not so good for emergency stopping, but the shoes were perfectly preserved from all the grease. After a good baking, they were surprisingly quite effective. A video on the internet that a friend filmed with an on-board camera at last fall’s MotoGiro convinced me that the original tires on the Sprint would need replacing. The riders were zooming around corners on twisty back roads, and knowing that I might be tempted to buzz along as well, I decided to get better rubber on the road. A pair of low profile Michelin Macadam fronts were fitted to the front and rear and looked like they would do just fine. So, with good power, impressive handling, and despite its diminutive size, the bike looked to be well suited for the task.

Route sheet holder and clock are necessities at the MotoGiro, and all I had was a cheap stopwatch on my bike. Once I saw all the other riders’ gadgets just prior to the start on day 1, I took a large ziplock bag and duct taped it to the tank for my route sheet, using tire tube rubber bands for quick tape-free accessibility (I tend to revert to rubber bands, vice grips and duct tape when I am unprepared for an event ). Since the bike is so small, it was very difficult to read the route instructions as they progressed to the bottom of the page by the nose of the saddle. The only way I could read them was to scoot back on the saddle, place my finger near the next turn instructions and read as quickly as I ever have, because slowing down to read was just not happening. This was tough to do on unfamiliar roads while going along so quickly. Much like an endure event, riders definitely needed to be able to navigate in previously unknown territory. Arrows were minimal although they were everywhere you absolutely needed them. The problem was that they were only about 2”x12" and flat colored. They also looked very similar to an arrangement of three reflectors that was on nearly every pole in all of Greene County, NY. Riders really had to look for arrows if they were uncertain of the mileage. I did not trust the in-the-headlight CEV speedometer with the wobbly odometer numbers, so it was all the more important to keep track of the route sheet and upcoming turns.

As mentioned previously, there were special agility tests. These tests consist of riding around a short course of cones in a certain number of seconds, measured to 1/1000 of a second. Getting around the course of cones itself is a bit difficult especially on a hot old bike with a mind of its own, but the timing presents the real challenge. The rider’s performance in the test is where the event is won or lost overall. My stopwatch only worked when it pleased. The intermittent service was probably due to the long stretches of horrific vibration at ¾ of a throttle out on the course. When it did work, the stopwatch was helpful. I discovered after some poor performances that I am not a natural at the agility tests, but it is a good way for the organizers to sort out the real competition-minded riders in the MotoGiro. At the start and end of the test, the front tire breaks a light beam, which starts and stops the official timer. My agility test strategy was as follows:

Day 2 ascended a seasonal road called Devil’s Kitchen. This climb is used in the Tour Dupont Bicycle race. At our riders meeting we were told that some of the professional cyclists in that Tour actually had to push their bikes up that climb. We were warned about severe drop offs at the road’s edge, and told that the police would close the road for our event. Well, they closed the top, so tha t no cars would be coming down in our direction, and not everyone got the message. I had to pass a couple of cars that were going up and passing on a narrow 12% grade with 18 HP calls for some definite forward planning. The Harley needed to shift into second gear for the steepest part of the climb. One rider with a 65cc Moto Morini had to push his bike up much of Devil’s Kitchen. The decent was beautiful, and not as much of a nail biter. That’s just a few of the many memorable roads that were part of the event.

Checkpoints and lunch layovers were a chance to look at other bikes, socialize with new friends and visit old acquaintances. It was fun to see so many cool machines actually being used. There were very few sick bikes, which was a surprise, since some were quite old and probably finicky even when they were new. We had lunch stops in Woodstock on Saturday and at the Sunny Hill Golf Club in Freehold on Sunday. Woodstock was a cultural extravaganza. When the Giro riders were finished with their agility test, in the municipal parking lot, the bikes left in an impound area and were free to wander the streets, bask in the warm sun and enjoy sidewalk café luncheons for about an hour and a half. The Sunday stop at Sunny Hill was lovely as well. Flame cooked lunch outdoors for the riders at a beautiful golf facility on a hillside overlooking the Catskills. There was an agility test after lunch at Sunny Hill, and 30 miles of twisty back roads to the finish.

Overall, I found the MotoGiro to be quite a unique event, and one that I would highly recommend. I hope to have another opportunity to ride in the MotoGiro in Vermont and/or the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts this coming fall.