Chapter 1 - CHR Azzalin 900 Marathon
Chapter 2 - CHR Azzalin 900 Marathon
Chapter 3 Azzalin 900......now we get it!
We, Shaun and I…Shaun is my partner…Business as opposed to life partner, if you get my drift…there’s nothing wrong with him…he just doesn’t blow the wind up my frock.... so to speak…source a suitably sized VW box van from a UK hire company and set off to the warmer climate of France.
First, to a little village in the Vichy region, near Clermont Ferrand to collect the 888 after the “in tank” fuel pump failed on the way back from Mont Dore 06. The replacement part was sourced, in France but, would take 3 days to arrive and fit or I could leave the bike there (France) and collect it on the next available weekend after storing it safely in a Renault dealership showroom!
Bearing in mind that I had to pass Clermont Ferrand to collect the Azzalin Marathon by van anyway…it seemed like a good idea.
Also it appeared that the 888 bike was only 170 kms away from Malataverne, where Murtas Moto were based.
So ..armed with the import papers and forms from Her Majesty’s Revenue, Customs and Excise departments…and the DVLA
"How to Import a Vehicle" leaflet...we set off for France via Dover.
Due to the “War on Terror” all strange movements, vans and monies, were being looked by HM Customs…in the past you used to get a shrug of the shoulders and caustic look whenever you left Blighty. Now you were being subjected to: Where, Why and How.
British Customs were particularly interested in 2 blokes (I regularly get mistaken for an Arab) in a hired vehicle with £5000 in Sterling and 8000 Euros...both cash…(the ACTUAL maximum you can take out of the UK without filling in forms) and a map of France with big red highlighted routes!
Compounded by the fact that Shaun, looked like something from a National Front rally and I had the behaviour patterns of a 6 year old, on Xmas morning.
Fortunately, we had a copy of all correspondence relating to the sale and after a visual inspection of documents, our clothing and the van contents, we were free to join the line of traffic, waiting to board the ferry…. thankfully Customs never noticed the 500 kilo bag of chapatti flour or the bottles of battery acid…. makes you proud to be British!
After a boring journey, we finally get to the Renault garage where the 888 has been on show! We strap the thing in the van and hit “Malataverne” on the old Garmin GPS thingy and follow the van graphic on the screen.
Great…expected time of arrival 15.30.
We phone Benjamin..who has once again, offered his help in the final stages of the sale …just to make sure that all goes well….and inform him that we will be there at approx 15.30.
“No problem…Gavin, I finish work at 17.00 and will be there by 17.30…we have ONE hour to tie up all lose ends…Murtas closes at 18.30…easy, see you there”
“A piece of the proverbial” …states Shaun…”A nice drive through
the French countryside…looking at the old folk throwing those funny
round bowles thingies and collect the bike from Murtas Moto ..
then find a curry house!”
After about 2 hours of driving, we are in a deep mountain range…
I kid you, not…the Garmin GPS is indicating a ETA of 12minutes,
yet, we can only see goats and other hill animals!
“It has got to be here somewhere, maybe it is the other side of the mountain?”
The mountain pass leads us to Malataverne…at last!!
Only it is not, THE Malataverne that .....
Murtas Moto is located in!
This one... has 4 houses, a bridge, some sheep, geese and lots of green hills….a great place for a motocross shop but NOT a lot of passing traffic!
“What the??”
“Get the map out!”
“Bollocks…there are 4 Malatavernes in France!”
“How the hell did the Nazis ever conquer France?”
"Its a friggin conspiracy!"
“Bollocks…great country…shit road signs!”
The GPS had taken us to the most southerly placed Malataverne in France…some 120 kms from where we wanted to be!
And it was 16.30!!
We punched in the correct Malataverne and the ETA shows 18.35!!
Bollocks!!
“Shit… this is the kind of slack behaviour that lost us the British Empire…
lets get sorted and hustle on"....trying to put light in the situation.
”Bloody GPSs!!”
“There is nothing we can do but push on and call Benjamin…
perhaps he can convince them to stay open a little longer?”
Once again our French fant friend comes to the rescue and we only just make the meeting at 18.30!!
As we pull up to the dealership...
Benjamin, has already pushed the bike out of the showroom
into the last of the days' sun!
Whilst also making sure of his TRUE intentions ...
the bike WAS going from MURTAS MOTO!
"Is that it?" says Shaun
"It is the ugliest thing ever...your NOT going to buy that are you?
...Its a dog!"
"Say what you feel ....Shaun...no point trying to hide your emotions!"
"Its a friggin bitsa!"
"Some of your bikes are pretty....this is NOT"
"Its uglier than a pig!"
I care not a jot....there were only 40 of these
SP things EVER made and 15 or 16 of the previous models
with the different rear tanks....where they kept the standard
subframe and welded onto and built the rear tanks
using the original Cagiva structure.
I am looking at it with the same eyes that a mother
looks on an ugly child....
and I am NOT letting this one get away!
Its GREAT ....and I'm having it!!
Even the original stickers are still there!
Shaun still can’t see it…to him.... it is an ugly bike.
The history is lost on him.
There were only ever so many CH Racing Azzalins ever made…
some were built from kits of parts and are not the famous SP types.
But this is an actual CH Racing built Azzalin SP Marathon …
built by the CH Racing factory…
rarer than Hens' teeth and ANYTHING, but UGLY.
It is simply, the trickiest thing that I have owned …
and I’ve built Dresda’s and Harris’s
and been involved with Spondons…
BUT this…this is the REAL DEAL.
All I have to do is sort out ...the paint
.....strip the engine...
......rewire it...
.....get it registered in the UK
.....pass an MOT...and satisfy the DVLA
....generally check everything over
and..."BOB'S YOUR UNCLE!"
Oh....and I might take a look at the suspension
as it looks like its dragging it rearend....
in the same way that dog with worms.... does!
Yet ...the rear is not sagging??
Still........It IS beautifull......No?
NEXT TIME.......TROUBLE.......TROUBLE.
Trouble with the DVLA..."Does it matter ...if it deafens passing dogs?"
Why won't Cagiva answer my fax?
Hello...FCRs.....ah..that's what they mean by "Fast RoadRallye Spec!"
I met Edi Orioli ...he signs the bike...I fall over..pissed!
.
Chapter Index
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CHR 900 Azzalin..........Final Chapter.....maybe!
CHR 900 Azzalin .....Update for November 2008
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