The 2026 Festival of Italian Motorcycles (FOIM) is done and dusted, excellent weather ensured a big turnout and while the events main organiser Phil Doland from the Classic Italian Motorcycle Association of Australia (CIMAA) described this years Italian dirt bike theme as ‘vanity eventing’, it did encourage quite a few others to bring their Italian adventure bikes along to join the throng.
Phil Doland from the Classic Italian Motorcycle Association of Australia (CIMAA) presents the Best Modern MV award to Mike Boyd
For those who don’t know, the FOIM is the largest Italian motorcycle gathering in Victoria, and because it involves multiple clubs, it always features a wide variety of Italian motorcycles and scooters on display. This year’s event was no exception, with nearly all Italian brands, both modern and historic, in attendance. In past years, local motorcycle businesses would have stands, and this year, Mojo Motorcycles and Fitzroy’s Scooterama promoted the new Lambretta scooter range.
Mojo Motorcycles and Fitzroy’s Scooterama promoted the new Lambretta scooter range at the show
To support this year’s theme, Phil Doland brought along some very special bikes from his collection.
1985 Moto Guzzi Dakar prototype 750 4-valve
The first being the 1985 Moto Guzzi Dakar prototype 750 4-valve. Phil restored it in the style of the bikes raced in Europe because that’s what he thought it was, but in 2022, he discovered it was the only remaining Moto Guzzi 1986 Dakar race bike. He plans to restore it to reflect its heritage, but not until after another trip to Italy to conduct further research and source rare parts. Yes, that means the one in the Moto Guzzi museum is a replica!
1993 Cagiva Elefant 904cc SP1
The second is a 1993 Cagiva Elefant 904cc SP1 (Special Project 1). This is an original factory race bike, and when he acquired it, it still had the race number decal from the Master Rally, its last competition outing in 1995. Phil believes it was one of the two French entries in that year’s Dakar and was likely painted yellow. It was then painted green for the Master Rally, but Phil has restored it to white to match the original press-release photos. Ten SP1 versions were produced before the SP2 version was released, and this bike is essentially the same as the one Orioli rode to win the 1994 Dakar.
1993 Cagiva Elefant 904cc SP1
The Third is a 1983 Moto Morini 350 Camel with a Valentini accessory kit.
1983 Moto Morini 350 Camel with a Valentini accessory kit
This distinctive kit included a unique double-headlight design. Valentini was the Italian dealership responsible for the Morini bikes in the Dakar and ISDT throughout the 1980s.
Montgomery Ward’s 260cc Mojave Scrambler
The fourth that I will mention is the Montgomery Ward’s 260cc Mojave Scrambler. This bike was built by Benelli for the American chain store and appeared in the USA shortly after Benelli had been visited by Steve McQueen and Don and Derek Rickman, seeking a suitable engine for a new Rickman model. Phil says that the trio dismissed the Benelli lump as heavy, gutless and old-fashioned and moved on, but Benelli thought it was a great idea, and there you have it. Phil says you can replace much of the heavy steel Benelli bodywork with lightweight fibreglass Rickman parts, and you think, “Ah, that’s where I have seen that frame before.”
They bought them when new…. 😉
You wouldn’t be surprised that Phil managed to bag a few of the prizes in the dirt bike categories, lets hope he chose a wine he liked for the prizes because he will be keeping a few bottles.
Beautifully restored Laverda RGS 1000
Other notable highlights among the hundreds of Italian beauties included the beautifully restored Laverda RGS 1000, the Moto Guzzi 750 Ambassador that had crossed America, Barry Jones’ MAGNI Guzzi racer, the lovely blue Ducati Mach 3, and the mint Aprilia RSV-R Mille.
Moto Guzzi 750 Ambassador
The FOIM celebrates all Italian motorcycles and scooters; a Bimota DB3 Mantra even won Best Bimota, which means you can never underestimate the benefits of a wood-grain dash…
