Apparently I needed another non-working motorcycle to add to my collection, so UPS made it happen. An as-yet only partially identified Moto Guzzi somehow made its way from a snow bank in North Dakota to my garage this morning as I was leaving for work. I tore into the box like Ralphie in "A Christmas Story" and took quick stock of the contents — a frame with a motor. A swing arm. A rear fender. A seat. A piece of a header pipe and set of handle bars. I spent some time trying to decode the VIN number to no avail. Why did I buy this basket case, you ask? It's a long story, but the bottom line is that I thought it might be worth something — it's 50/50 that it's worth something less than what I paid for it. We'll see. If I can't source enough parts for a rebuild, I'm guessing it will go in the vault until I get inspired to build another tiny terror. Anyway, if anyone can extract anything from the VIN, please enlighten me. My best guess is that it's a 1965 Stornello 125cc. Stamped on the head tube is the following: MOTO GUZZI T 11GL GM227 80M. Uh whaaa?

I love my 1979 Triumph Bonneville T140V. But you wouldn't know it to look at her. I came to own this bike through a complicated flurry of trading and swapping a couple of summers ago. The dealings involved, among other things, a 1981 Kawasaki KZ550 and a 1996 Land Rover Discovery. Had a blast riding it around and was always impressed when it roared to life on the first kick. Anyway, when other projects squeezed Bonnie out of the garage into the elements, she took a turn for the worse. Now I have less time and space than ever, but my guilt is peaking and I have to do something. I'll probably clean it up, wait for some Brit inspiration to hit me and have at it. But come to think of it, I'm on the lookout for an old KZ1000. I wonder if anyone wants to trade. Hmmmm. (Photo: Adam Ewing)