Dear Motorpeople,

Vacation time, motorcycle time. It's true, because we have already had some of the necessary beautiful summer days and nights to enjoy our classics. That has been different in previous years here in Holland. What is nicer then driving over our dike roads and passing by our green meadows, stopping at a nice café or terrace to drink some soda or coffee. It is even better doing so with your like-minded friends, driving their classic motorcycles. We are talking vacation time now, but this year our Company, vacation time or not, will stayas usual with just one small exception.(For ourng hours see the bottom of this newsletter.)

The one small exception concerns Saturday July 28th. We will be closing at 2 PM. This will only be on that Saturday, our normalng hours will apply to all other days, on which we will be able to assist you with all your classic motorcycle needs in our usual and courteous way.

Do not feel any petty for us, for we will get our share of motorcycle fun. We will make sure we let those classic kilometres roll under our classic wheels. We wish you a nice and sunny vacation, as we say in Holland: Have a nice trip and come back in good health.

For the MOTORCYCLE TEAM,

Harm and Robert

"Auto Motor Klassiek" did this. Better said, Peter Wilbers of this well known classic magazine climbed upon the still un upholstered buddyseat of this, built by us, classic sports bike. He wrote about his positive experiences, filled with humour , characterisation and in a professional manner in the NR. 7 issue (July,2001) of AMK (available in book stands). We have nothing to add to his enthusiasm.

Curious? Come see and be convinced.

Further more, we have a head turning, beautiful 949cc measuring Moto Guzzi Californian III from 1988 with EML-side car, finished in a very different brown-beige metallic. A side car combination to (figuratively ofcourse) die for.

To call it the pick of the week would be too simple, a very valuable motorcycle, complete with the righteous MV character.

When MV Agusta comes up in conversation, do not get us started. As no other Italian make, worldwide, numerous race wreaths have been collected and world championships won. That the "racing success" flows unto the factory products, goes without saying. MV Agusta was and is also a famous helicopter manufacturer, owned and managed by the Agusta family in the village of Verghera. Thus the name, MV stands for Meccanica Verghera.

MV started with the manufacturing of motorcycles in 1945. This branch of the business was more a hobby for Count Domenico Agusta then that it was seen as a viable business. This was a way to act on the demand for affordable transportation right after WW II and started the manufacturing of cheap 98cc and 125cc twin stroke engines. The 125cc model even appeared in racing versions. Count Agusta realised that the future would lie in four stroke engines and hired the most talented four stroke constructor he could find. It was, the employed by Gilera, engineer Pietro Remor. Remor, starting work for MV on January 1st 1950, was the builder of the pre-war four cylinder Rondine and the post-war transverse four stroke, four cylinder Gilera racers. Remor gained fame very fast, for in November of 1950 in Milan, MV showed the road version of a motorcycle built by Remor at a motorcycle show. A 500cc four cylinder road race machine. This while most of the industry was working hard to get out of the damage caused by the war. The presentation was a tremendous hit and the name MV Agusta was the talk of the town. That was the only goal for Count Agusta, because the four cylinder shown, never went into production. The technical four cylinder Know-how, had to stay with in the four walls of the factory. With a 125cc dohc racer , also designed by Remor, Cecil Sandford reached his first world championship for MV in 1952. That after that another 37 world championships would be won, Phil Read the last time for the 500cc class in 1974, was at the time not foreseen. Riders such as Carlo Ubbiali, Tarquinio Provini and Luigi Taveri drove MV machines in the lighter classes,125cc and 250cc, to those championships. Dutch championships in the 125cc class, were won on MV Agusta in 1955 and 1956 by Gerrit Dupont. The championships in the 350 cc and the 500cc classes were won on MV Agusta's driven by famous riders such as John Surtees, Gary Hocking, Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini and Phil Read.

A couple of the above named riders showed up a few years ago on the TT Circuit, of Assen, held Centennial Classic Grand Prix and the following mini-Centennial. A big collection of the famous MV road racers was up for show, to hear and see, on or off the circuit. The production models, among which also mopeds, scooters and tri-cycles, gained popularity with the public through the years. Racing fame stuck to the road machines. Next to all this MV produced, for the competition enthusiasts, the so called "over the counter" racers and enduro versions. Known and popular versions were the 175cc ohc in tame and tuned models. The 125cc in several versions, the 250cc and 300cc Raid, the 350cc twin in several versions. Also the 600cc, 750cc (S, Supersport and America) and the 840cc (Monza 832) four cylinders. When the Japanese twin stroke competition became to oppressive, MV Agusta decided to retire from racing. With honour, because with 38 world championship titles, 37 factory decorations and 4000 race victories, MV Agusta made an unforgettable name for itself in the motorcycle world. A name, which got new life because of the introduction of MV Agusta F4 Oro, a champion among champions! If you wish, you may admire this super motorcycle of Italian standing in our showroom.

By the way, not only this F4 Oro model, because we also have a supply of MV Agusta CS TL 175cc ohc (restoration project), a 350cc S twin, a 350cc twin Elettronica, a 350cc twin Ipotesi and a 750cc four cylinder S version).

For information go to: http://www.the-motorcycle-company.com or: http://www.themotorcyclecompany.net

N.B. ! TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENTS, WE ARE CLOSED EVERY SUNDAY, MONDAY AND TUESDAY!

As you know, the coffee…always fresh and always free!

BTW. Do you know of people who would be interested in our free monthly newsletter, please let us know. On the other hand, would you no longer be interested in receiving our free monthly newsletter, feel free to tell us also.

HH.