More Celeste, as promised…

Celeste green, that is.  You’ve read about my addiction to Bianchi bicycles, and I mentioned in an earlier blog that Bianchi used to make motorcycles.  I promised to show you a photo of a Bianchi motorcycle if I could find it, and that’s what I did.   First, though, I’ve got to show you another shot of my classic 1986 Bianchi bicycle…partly to get you into the right frame of mind (a Celeste green frame of mind), and partly because, well, I like showing off!

I sure am having fun on that old bicycle.  I bought it a few weeks ago for what turned out to be a great price, and I’ve been racking up the miles on it.  It needed a few things tweaked to be perfect, my local bike shop did the tweaking in an exemplary manner, and I am sure having fun.

I was out climbing some hills in the neighborhood earlier today, and I don’t mind telling you that the hills finally won.   I need to drop maybe another 20 lbs and put another thousand or so miles on the bicycle before I get to where I want to be.

Anyway, back to the Bianchi motorcycles…I don’t know too much about them, but I knew enough to grab the photo I’ve included below when my good buddy Dave and I visited Santa Paula about three years ago.

Dave and I go way back.  We both ride motorcycles, we’ve both put a lot of miles on our motorcycles (and I do mean a lot of miles…in three countries!), we’re both photography nuts, and we both use the same barber (just kidding about that last one…but you get the idea).  I had lunch with Dave today at the Derby (a well-known spot in So Cal with a well-deserved reputation for fine food).   We had a good time and talked about bikes, books, cameras, and other good stuff.  We talked about our next trip, too.   Good times.

Anyway, back to Bianchi motorcycles.  The museum in Santa Paula is a pretty cool place, and they were hosting a collection of vintage Italian motos when we visited.   I never knew Bianchi made motorcycles, so when I saw this puppy, you can bet the old Nikon was popping…

It’s a 1954 175cc MSDS (whatever that is) Tonale race bike.   It’s awesome, and it’s in Bianchi’s signature color – Celeste green.   Here’s a better look at the Tonale’s fuel tank and engine…

The Tonale.  The translation for “tonale” on Google is tonal.   I can only guess that this Bianchi motorcycle with its straight pipe sounds awesome.  With a name like Tonale, how could it not?

The Italians sure have a sense of style, and the colors on this motorcycle are awesome.  I’ve probably already told you about the stories surrounding Bianchi’s Celeste color.   One version is that after the war, they had a bunch of OD green paint left and they mixed it with other colors to get Celeste green.   Another version of the Bianchi legend is that Mr. Bianchi’s girlfriend had green eyes and he mixed the paint to match her eyes.  Yet another story is that her name was Celeste.  Who knows?

Hey, here’s another idea…how about a California Scooter in Celeste green?   I’ll bet that would be awesome!

Anyway, when I was climbing the hills above my house today I thought about the Bianchi motorcycle, I remembered I promised to post a photo, and here it is!