In my student days, in 1990, I got my motorcycle license and bought a Honda CB350F from my neighbour. He had this bike as an alternative during the revision of his Guzzi V50 Monza. For 750,- guilders (250,- GBP), I was the proud owner. Together with others, I made many short and long trips in the "Eiffel", "Ardennes", "Schwarzwald" and "Vosgès"…. and of course to the UK. I learned to make curves during a long Easter weekend in the "Ardennes" and "Vosgès"(Route des Crêtes), where we found out that your bike goes where you eyes look. Although I don't remember it as falling of the bike, I do remember myself standing in mud beside the road for many times and I remember as well seeing my mate in the mirror driving straight into the snow covered potato fields of Le Markstein. The  underpowered  CB left all my mistakes unpunished and the tremendous lousy brakes only made me end up at a side-walk once (and in the mud some other times). 

One or two years after the Route des Crêtes-experience, I was riding in the Dean Valley in South Wales, where I lost interest in MY CB. I had seen too many taillights. Back home I bought the Suzuki GS500E. This bike was a wise decision (and wise is not always good), but I never felt attached to this bike........ until I had sold it. 

In '98 one of my bike friends participated in the Amstelario rally. This Rally is a two times 24-hours endurance from Amsterdam to Mandello de Lario (the Guzzi factory) and v.v. It is held once every two years during the long-weekend of Ascension. It is not a rule, but all rally entrants ride Guzzi's. That's why I sold the GS and started looking for a Guzzi. Completely against my reasoning, I fell for a Le Mans 2 (known as Spada in the UK, I think). And in 2000 I entered the Amstelario. In order to do a large revision on the LM2, I bought a LM3 last September to keep on going for the 2002 Amstelario.