A Gilera TGI. A Gilera what? I hadn't heard of it either. But it looked nice, with red paint, a black frame and a fair amount of original chrome. It started (eventually) and then ran well. A test ride showed that all appeared to work OK. It seemed pretty cheap and when compared with the MZ TS150 I had been riding, it even offered the prospect of some low key fun. I bought it.
My riding started in the seventies on an RS100 and eventually progressed on to a T500K (when they were reckoned to have performance) which I had to sell to stop the simultaneous disconnection of gas, electricity, water and phone. A Z250B (wire wheels, drum brakes and a 2-1 exhaust) also featured in my life around then. It had good handling, was cheap to run and offered reasonable performance for the time. Shame about the chocolate top end. When faced with the prospect of a third major rebuild in under 40000 miles I scrapped it. With hindsight that was probably an overreaction on my part but at the time it seemed like a sensible answer to a recurring problem.
The Hippies Revenge was a Dulux black CB125J with a CG motor in it - yes, they do fit and work extremely well. The name was a subtle joke about the bright red gear lever. This bike was purchased cheaply for use as local and winter transport. It was borrowed and thrashed by a wide range of people and is now the stuff of legend, with all of that particular circle still having their own fond memories of it. Even now, ten years after the event, with a much more relaxed attitude to life and a religious conversion to boot, I'd still like to kick the bastard who nicked it so hard up his arse he’d spit out lots of shoe leather.
Other bikes included a SR250 with a Vetter fairing (remember them?) that resembled a barn door and made a naff handling bike even worse. A GS550 was borrowed for a while but it was slower than the Z250 and had evil handling. Then there was a GT380 that had a Piper 3-1 exhaust that was so loud (as in painful for the rider let alone anyone within 100 miles of it) that I didn't dare rev it over 3000rpm in town.
Finally, the TS150 which I ended up with solely because it was given to me. It was reliable, needed little maintenance and was very cheap to run. The lack of acceleration, poor brakes and suspect handling could be accepted as a second class ride seemed preferable to a first class walk. Mind you, I still find it hard to believe the range of things that were carried on it for the DIY of a house I was renovating at the time - tiles, bricks, sand, cement, a loo, etc.
A change of fortune saw a move out of town to a commuter village surrounded by lots of narrow, quiet back country roads that just demanded a small bike for bumbling along. You know the times, when the sun’s shining and the best thing in the world, bar nothing, is to ride a bike. The MZ moved with us and was parked outside as a temporary fence to stop the geese getting into the front garden and biting the heads off the flowers. And there it sat for four years. Each year I threatened to put it back on the road but renovation of the bungalow and work took all my time.
In 1994 I finally got around to it. I was now well enough established in my new job to allow a bit of eccentricity to come out. Executive status on an MZ? Well weird. Anyway, I cleaned the points, changed the plug and put a new battery in it - it started up fourth kick! The cloud of smoke it blew out was very impressive (with all the petroil mix having sunk to the bottom of the tank and carb) but it eventually settled down and ran evenly. A new back tyre got the MOT; a new helmet and gloves came courtesy of a birthday present from my wife. I got out the old leathers and found that I could still get into them despite all the digs about putting on extra weight.
On to the bike and off we go. At last, back on a motorcycle again after four years and even if it is an old MZ I’m going to enjoy this. Whoopee! Three journeys and 69 miles later, I sold the MZ. There was zero enjoyment - they're reliable, rugged, cheap and sod all fun. I take my hat off to the UMG contributor who toured around Europe on one, two-up - I wouldn't even tour the village where I live on mine.
By now we had two cages so there wasn’t much spare cash for a bike but by Easter ’95 I had saved £500. This would have to purchase tax, insure and run a bike. Not a lot of pennies left so it was bargain basement time. I didn't really know what I was looking for apart from that it had to be fairly small and cheap both to run and buy. What appeared to be on offer at the time were either totally clapped out large bikes, nearly clapped out commuters or time expired learner bikes. I'd always fancied an Italian bike so when I saw the Gilera TGI I thought why not?
So what is it? Well it’s a commuter bike, circa the early seventies with a petroil mixture 125cc, single cylinder engine, putting out about 14hp at 7000 revs. It has electronic ignition, a nicely spaced five speed gearbox and weighs around 100kg. Now don't be put off by the word commuter. This is an Italian bike so it has both style and flair. A swoopy seat sets off the clean lines of the chassis. It has Sebac suspension, which is typically Wop - firm but enhances the handling. The front disc is a Grimeca, as are the six spoke cast alloy wheels which are finished in a tasteful grey colour that complements the rest of the bike. The carb is a Dell’orto, the bars Tommaselli, and the exhaust Lafranconi (and loud, just like all those mad Ducatis).
It will cruise comfortably at 50 to 55mph and return over 80mpg, making it cheap to run as well as to tax and insure. Top speed’s around 90mph but by then the vibes are pretty bad, although the bike still feels fairly secure on the road. The front brake’s very powerful and well suited to the bike. The handling’s excellent and the whole machine’s very forgiving in those moments when over-enthusiasm sets in. For this reason alone it would make a good learner bike. In town, which is where it really belongs, it is light and quick and encourages juvenile type riding - my best so far was riding up the inside of a Laverda 668 on a roundabout. Giant slayer!
On the downside the lights are pathetic even for a six volt system and this makes night forays out of town interesting to say the least. A previous owner had already removed the indicators which saved me the trouble. Indicators on a bike such as this are as much use as udders on a bull. A useful mod that had already been done involved fitting an ignition system requiring a key. Originally, it was a straight kick and go, which must have made it a thief’s delight. This addition was later identified as the reason for an intermittent reluctance to start. Now I just jiggle the key and try again - it’s always worked, so far.
The question of spares was one I considered before I bought it but Bob Wright Motorcycles of Weston Super Mare has all of the spares, both new and used, that you're ever likely to need at very reasonable prices, available mail order. Mind you, I have no doubt that some of the more imaginative readers would have no problem in persuading non-standard spares from a breakers to fit.
These bikes are fairly scarce and there is a quite simple reason for this. When mine was imported in 1979 it cost £678. At that time 250s were learner legal and a RD250 was available for the same or less. If comparisons must be made then don't look at Aprillias or Cagivas or even 12hp race replicas. Look at its proper peers RS, GP, KH125’s. These had similar performance and specs on paper but the TGI would run rings around them in terms of braking and handling.
As you can gather, I rather like mine and have enjoyed immensely all of my admittedly short and infrequent outings on it this summer. As I don't use it that much I can’t really comment on how well it would stand up to prolonged everyday use or even on how it would behave in the wet. I must confess to being that animal so despised by certain bikers - the fair weather rider. I don't mind admitting this as I've been there, seen it and done it - the rides where you stop every ten minutes to thaw out your hands on the motor, the ritual of wringing out wet clothes after a ride in the rain, etc., etc. My bike’s a bit of a toy, because in the end we're all big kids at heart.
It even has street credibility that works like this - on a similar Jap 125 I'm either a learner or a commuter. On a 125 race rep I’m another 40 year old trying to be 17. But this bike’s unusual enough for bikers on a wide range of both old and new machinery to accept that I run it simply for the sheer pleasure it gives me.
Mine cost £275 and I’ve spent about £90 more on spares, including a rev counter, battery, brake rod, inlet rubber, cush drive, brake shoes and a chain. The mileometer indicated 18000 miles when I got the bike but as it doesn’t work the real mileage’s higher. However, the bike’s been well maintained and had recently had a new clutch along with replacement crankshaft seals.
The bottom line to all this gibberish is that if you’re in the market for a cheap bike and come across one of these, give it a second look. You never know, you might end up as pleased with it as I am with mine.
Tat Taylor