Bologna - NCR workshop - the bike comes to life!

For the seventh time in as many summers we "the Vicki Group" as they call us on the Motogiro, referring to the ever growing group of North Americans who attend year after year, are back in Bologna for the Motogiro d'Italia 2007. This year the event begins and ends in Sicily, where we are slated to asend Mount Etna which is (unfortunatly) currently the worlds "most active volcano". Translation? It's spewing flames and ashes a mile into the Sicilian sky but somehow no one seems too concerned. Why? Because it's Italy, and that's why we love it here. Nothing is a problem, the food and people are fantastic and the riding is the best in the world. The adventure always begins in Bologna where Ducati's are born and the historic NCR shop is located. Day one begins at the workshop of Rino Caracchi, for the reunion with Rino, his family and one of the groups Ducati racebike's, which has arrived on Rino's doorstep in cartons.....
By Vicki Smith

At one point Rino asked Jim how many bikes he had. Rino wrote a number on the workbench of how many he had. Jim held up his fingers how many he had. Rino asked him to tell him again, and then a third time. No misunderstanding. More head shaking. Then discussion of how long it takes to find and buy this sort of history. In this room on this day the people assembled had between them close to five hundred bikes, almost all Italian, the vast majority Ducati's. And that seemed perfectly normal. (OK, to be truthful we know it's not, but we don't care) :-)

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At one point Rino asked Jim how many bikes he had. Rino wrote a number on the workbench of how many he had. Jim held up his fingers how many he had. Rino asked him to tell him again, and then a third time. No misunderstanding. More head shaking. Then discussion of how long it takes to find and buy this sort of history. In this room on this day the people assembled had between them close to five hundred bikes, almost all Italian, the vast majority Ducati's. And that seemed perfectly normal. (OK, to be truthful we know it's not, but we don't care) :-)