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In the past, I have gone down WoG (without gear). Young, foolish, ignorant, mostly happy. Ahh... but once again I digress. I prefer not crashing, but with gear if I must. Recently bought a couple of Spidi jackets for a relatively good price. They do not come with back protectors. Hmmm. Looked around and it seems that CorTech has one of the best accessory spine/kidney protectors, all things considered. It's called the Latigo and retails for about $90. Found a new w/tags example for less than half that, shipped to my house. Tried it today with the Spidi mesh jacket on an 80+ degree day: rural, freeway and traffic. Not bad. Was much cooler than I thought. Level 2 Euro protection level. (2 prior back surgeries), plus side "wings" for kidney protection (stage 3 kidney disease). You wear it like a back-pack and it also has a cross-chest strap to better hold it in place. Wide straps with elastic tensioners across the belly (yeah, that too). You know you are wearing something, but to me it feels pretty much like an elastic back support. T-shirt did not stick to my back, at ride's end, so it ventilates rather well. If I broke scapula, glenoid and right ribs 4-9 into 12 pieces using only 498cc, just imagine what 1064cc could do!

I've known Elvin since 1967 I was a teenager when he first came to S.F. by way of Chicago where he went from High School in Tulsa Where he won a National Merit Scholarship to The University of Chicago and played with Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield.One of My High School Chums from back there was his manager for many years, so I don't think I ever missed a gig where he played in the Bay area and a couple others I knew from High School were in various blues bands with him around SF, He lived up in Marin and still does in the same house.. I went to a couple fish fry party's at his house back in the 70's and did some lake fishing in Marin where he was along on and a few other guys and friends who worked with his bands. Never into drugs even in the 60's when everyone in music seemed to be, he always just liked to have a couple beers and share a good laugh's and a stories. He still plays the little clubs around SF when he is in town, I last talked to him last year...One of a kind for sure...This new song really shows his sense of humor....amazing he still has one after what happened to his wife and daughter a few years ago..if anyone has a right to play the blues its him.

Growing up in the Bay Area, I saw Elvin Bishop many times as a youth. I think he lived in Marin? Just a funky soulful country boy!

She's done. I'm going on my first art car cruise this weekend, and yes she can breathe fire!

I'm glad I live in New Zealand. Only 20 odd cases currently (All from overseas and isolated) Life fairly normal (No overseas travel) And its a great country for motorcycling

Saw this on Ebay thought y'all might be interested https://www.ebay.com/itm/2000-Moto-Guzzi-V11-Sport/224080450606

I put that into Google without safe search on...

Yeah, docc posted the listing. Is your Ballabio in the registry? One fine day we'll have an 'all Ballabio no Baloney' gathering. (Bologna for the Italophiles)

Ewan is only 49? He had the "old man" pegs installed! Lightweight! I got 19 years on him and I'm looking for rearsets!

That’s awesome. Thank you for that! I remember his shows were always really fun. He seemed like a down-home good-time positive guy. And a heck of a picker! It looks like he’s still playing the ES335......I wonder if that’s the same guitar he had way-back-when? I’d forgotten about that awful tragedy. God bless Elvin.

Is it really? https://www.ebay.com/itm/224080450606

Wow! Fantastic! That is a very badass ride. Shades of Dr. No. Have you considered having a girl in a wet bikini with a diver’s knife running in front of you at the parade?

Na they would have all been out along my route to salute and throw down a bed of rose petals being an Aussie Guzzi rider:) Ciao

They heard that an Aussie was coming!

The shift lever return spring. Ciao

the pawl spring only puts tension on the arm, for positive engagement. Not sure which spring aids the shift lever. I suspect one of "those others"

Would be interesting to see all production numbers for the V11 Sport variants, broken out by market.

Thanks Gene,I did all that first,when this started a while back.Once it gets a thorough road test I will post...

I think Elvin has turned into the Randy Newman of the bluesmen. He's a good ol' Tulsa boy who's always had an Okie sense of humor and blazing geee-tar. He would make it on Prairie Home Companion whenever the show played the Bay Area. Apparently Elvin is an avid gardener.

If you want to know what VDST is like I suggest you get a bottle of tomato passata, take it somewhere with a white marble floor and then throw the bottle of passata hard at the floor, watch it smash and look at the delightful pointillist pattern on the marble. Now, stop for a moment and imagine that rather than using a bottle of passata for this experiment you had got an older food processor, one of the ones that doesn't turn off when you take the lid off. Now imagine squatting down naked and lowering your wedding tackle into the bowl of the blender with the blades whistling round like glittering swords of death!. Now imagine taking the results and tossing them onto the marble floor and doing a comparison between the amount of pain, pleasure and useful information you got from the two experiments. Which one equates to the misery experienced by people who bought into the VDST hoax? You guess.........

My Rosso Corsa and V11 Sports

283 has moved to NJ to be with her younger cousin.

I went through some suspension business on my Greenie. It gets a little weave when around 80 with HB Jr saddle bags. I screwed around with the rear shock, got it rebuilt (external clicker didn't work) and heavier spring. Not a big difference IMO. What I finally discovered was I had the fork set too stiff. The adjusters make a huge difference on the front. If it's stiff, it makes the front "bounce" and not compliant. So when I put the bags on, I soften the front, I can stiffen the back but it seems to do little. I know it's a little counterintuitive to actually soften the bike when loaded but the saddle bags are big and behind the rear axle. So keep the rear stiff and front soft. So, my advice: 1) make sure the adjusters work on the shock and forks. 2) If they do, adjust them and you'll be surprised how you can dial it in, especially on the front. I keep a small screwdriver in my tank bag, so I can easily adjust the forks I move the adjusters in tandem in the same direction. I usually keep it in the middle range but put it quite soft when I load the back of the bike with saddlebags. Actually, I keep it in a "sweet spot" now and it seems to work 80% of the time. Now for tires. As mentioned I've known folks that have ridden Shinkos for years. I've never heard a complaint. I'd just ride them until they were worn or if they felt squirrelly (doubtful IMO). I'd keep the 170 on the rear, it's another reason the bike feels to agile.

What Docc said. Spend money on new springs and valves up front, (Todd at Guzzitech did mine) get a longer shock for the back, maybe 10mm longer than stock (my stock was 278 so I got a 290 with +-5mm) and get an adjustable one: Hyperpro, Penske etc. Raise the fork tubes a bit above the top triple, start with 5mm. Also, contrary to conventional wisdom, put a 170 on the back. Many suggest dropping to a 160 but I found after new suspension front and back that the 170 settled everything nicely.