It was love at first sight of this bijou Italian beauty and everything about the riding experience was gentle, civilised and charming, with the bonus that it’s very easy to imagine that you’re back in the Fifties living la dolce vita
With some bikes, it’s love at first sight. Like the Royal Enfield Bullets I saw in the dealer’s yard in Delhi in 1998 that Paddy Minne and I were about to ride the 7,000 miles back to the UK on, one pillar box red and the other lemon yellow, the colours of our sponsors Nambarrie Tea.
Or the little electric Maeving RM1 and the new BSA Gold Star.
And now to that pantheon of beauty I can add the Benelli Imperiale 400.
Benelli, as you may know, was founded in Pesaro in 1911 by Teresa Benelli after her husband popped his clogs, leaving her with six wayward sons and no means of supporting them except for her savings.