The Gordian Knot
In Asia, upon setting foot with his army, Alexander learns of a prophecy: no one will conquer this territory unless they can untie a knot that inextricably binds two ends of a rope. According to ancient sources, many had tried and failed. Alexander draws his sword and cuts it. Now, I am obviously not Alexander, but I did want to cut through inaction—to pick up the thread, not sever it. So today, I visited a workshop recommended by Vladimiro. It’s AMI on Via Tiburtina.
It feels strange to be back in a place like this. Motorbikes, mostly Guzzis, are lined up and ready for their owners who have planned motorbike holidays to who knows where. I’m here because I need photos for an article on the automatic Idroconvert gearbox that I’ve already written and intend to publish soon. I meet Cristiano, the owner’s son, and explain the reason for my visit. He’s young and, despite my visit being for a relatively minor matter, he takes the time to assist me. Friendly, accommodating. We chat. He knows Emiliano from Di.Di., he knows Dado; they’ve prepared racing bikes for disabled riders. Our formal conversation soon flows naturally. There’s no denying it: motorcyclists are cut from a different cloth, recognising each other as members of a tribe even in a workshop where engines do the talking.
Cristiano admits he no longer has the workshop manual for the Convert that I came to find, but he makes a call and tells me he’s asked for Primo’s number, the legendary mechanic from AMI. He’ll pass it on to me as soon as he can. Meanwhile, he expresses some doubts about opting for a Convert. It’s heavy, and it’s complicated to work on because parts are hard to find, he says. With Vladimiro, he adds, to fix a Convert gearbox, they had to resort to the US market. Perhaps, he suggests, you just need to try to dispel the fear of not being able to handle a manual gearbox with only one arm. Then, of course, if you want, there are now Hondas with electronic management. He chuckles. It will be a Guzzi, I reply, maybe an old lady, battered and out of her time, but then again, I’m also out of time and battered.
By the way, says Cristiano, here is Primo. He is a gentleman who moves as fluidly as the seals in a cylinder. Shy, blue-eyed. He wants to slip away, but instead, we talk for more than an hour. A wellspring of mechanical knowledge. He even knew the mechanic where I used to take my Imola back in the day. And most importantly, he gives me the workshop manual I was looking for over the phone. He does not know it yet, but I intend to propose an interview. To understand how motorcycles and the way we ride them have changed over the last forty years. Distributor versus control unit. I will ask him because it will be his grease-stained hands that do the talking, and because, as always, I am incredibly fond of stories and the people behind them.
AMI Service – Aggiustatori Meccanici Italiani
Concessionaria ufficiale e officina autorizzata Moto Guzzi – Aprilia
via Tiburtina, 251 00162 Roma
www.motoguzzi-roma.it
facebook.com/AMI.Guzzi.Roma
