2026 Festival of Italian Motorcycles (FOIM)- Illus...

2026 Competition of Italian Bikes

With Alec Simpson

The 2026 Competition of Italian Bikes (FOIM) is finished and dusted, wonderful climate ensured a giant turnout and whereas the occasions essential organiser Phil Doland from the Traditional Italian Motorbike Affiliation of Australia (CIMAA) described this years Italian grime bike theme as ‘self-importance eventing’, it did encourage fairly just a few others to convey their Italian journey bikes alongside to affix the throng.

For many who don’t know, the FOIM is the biggest Italian bike gathering in Victoria, and since it includes a number of golf equipment, it all the time options all kinds of Italian bikes and scooters on show. This 12 months’s occasion was no exception, with almost all Italian manufacturers, each trendy and historic, in attendance. In previous years, native bike companies would have stands, and this 12 months, Mojo Bikes and Fitzroy’s Scooterama promoted the brand new Lambretta scooter vary.

To assist this 12 months’s theme, Phil Doland introduced alongside some very particular bikes from his assortment.

The primary being the 1985 Moto Guzzi Dakar prototype 750 4-valve. Phil restored it within the type of the bikes raced in Europe as a result of that’s what he thought it was, however in 2022, he found it was the one remaining Moto Guzzi 1986 Dakar race bike. He plans to revive it to replicate its heritage, however not till after one other journey to Italy to conduct additional analysis and supply uncommon components. Sure, which means the one within the Moto Guzzi museum is a duplicate!

The second is a 1993 Cagiva Elefant 904cc SP1 (Particular Undertaking 1). That is an authentic manufacturing facility race bike, and when he acquired it, it nonetheless had the race quantity decal from the Grasp Rally, its final competitors outing in 1995. Phil believes it was one of many two French entries in that 12 months’s Dakar and was possible painted yellow. It was then painted inexperienced for the Grasp Rally, however Phil has restored it to white to match the unique press-release pictures. Ten SP1 variations have been produced earlier than the SP2 model was launched, and this bike is actually the identical because the one Orioli rode to win the 1994 Dakar.

The Third is a 1983 Moto Morini 350 Camel with a Valentini accent package.

This distinctive package included a novel double-headlight design. Valentini was the Italian dealership answerable for the Morini bikes within the Dakar and ISDT all through the Nineteen Eighties.

The fourth that I’ll point out is the Montgomery Ward’s 260cc Mojave Scrambler. This bike was constructed by Benelli for the American chain retailer and appeared within the USA shortly after Benelli had been visited by Steve McQueen and Don and Derek Rickman, in search of an appropriate engine for a brand new Rickman mannequin. Phil says that the trio dismissed the Benelli lump as heavy, gutless and old style and moved on, however Benelli thought it was an awesome concept, and there you’ve got it. Phil says you may change a lot of the heavy metal Benelli bodywork with light-weight fibreglass Rickman components, and also you suppose, “Ah, that’s the place I’ve seen that body earlier than.”

You wouldn’t be stunned that Phil managed to bag just a few of the prizes within the grime bike classes, lets hope he selected a wine he preferred for the prizes as a result of he shall be preserving just a few bottles.

Different notable highlights among the many a whole bunch of Italian beauties included the fantastically restored Laverda RGS 1000, the Moto Guzzi 750 Ambassador that had crossed America, Barry Jones’ MAGNI Guzzi racer, the stunning blue Ducati Mach 3, and the mint Aprilia RSV-R Mille.

The FOIM celebrates all Italian bikes and scooters; a Bimota DB3 Mantra even received Greatest Bimota, which implies you may by no means underestimate the advantages of a wood-grain sprint…

See you all subsequent 12 months!

2026 Competition of Italian Bikes Pictures