We can't give a definitive answer to the questions contained in the title and the summary, although after the test - carried out during the Giro Motociclistico di Sicilia organised by fourteen Sicilian clubs federated by the ASI and a historical re-enactment of the 1950 race held on Sicilian roads - of the 1938 Moto Guzzi GTCL, we did get a bit of an idea.

Riding a motorbike of which there are no more than a dozen examples in the world is tense, but after the first tenacious and rhythmic bursts of the 500 cc single-cylinder engine, the fear vanishes and you enter a magical dimension, incomparable to any emotion given by a modern motorbike. A dream for a select few, but at the end of our experience our reflection is that everyone should ride such a jewel at least once in their life.