It’s all about the connection between rider and motorcycle.
From 1966 to 1969 Montesa made the Impala Sport 250, something which might barely be a blip on your radar. It was a time when Spanish two-stroke motorcycles were plentiful, both on the road as well as on racing circuits. While this particular bike doesn’t seem exciting by today’s standards, thanks to the mere 26-horsepower produced by the engine, keep in mind that in modern figures that’s more like 100-horsepower. But it’s not just about rocking the quarter mile, because the joy of the ride and the feel of the bike under you can sometimes be even more invigorating. You can get a feel for the motorcycle in the video below, but since it’s in Spanish you might not understand what’s going on (fortunately, I do, so read on).
The woman in the video is Alicia Sornosa. She’s quite experienced with motorcycles, having gone all over the world on two wheels. When she was presented with the opportunity to acquire a Montesa Impala Sport 250 a while back, her initial reaction was familiar: she had too many bikes already.
But there’s a catch. The person who approached her about the Montesa had a mission: to find someone who would appreciate the vehicle for what it is. Some would send such a machine to the scrap heap or just abuse it and then send it there. It was this person’s father’s motorcycle he cherished, so sending it to a home where it would be valued was paramount.
Not to be reproached so easily, the woman tried placing the motorcycle with Sornosa again a year and a half later. Thanks to a connection between the deceased and her extended family, Sornosa finally agreed to take the bike into her rather large fold.
Funny enough, Sornosa now sings praises for the Impala Sport 250. She loves that it’s an “authentic” motorcycle with everything analog, not a single electronic anything onboard. Anyone who’s ridden such a bike knows it’s almost a spiritual experience, especially if you’ve grown up only exposed to electronic fuel injection and the like. Sornosa has also come to love the interesting quirks on her Montesa.
Really, this is about the connection between human and machine and not about anything more.
