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Hers's my 1198 Ducati with the factory alloy tank. The bare alloy part is a Brushed finish like Scotchbright covered in clear gloss. Leaving an alloy tank a completely polished finish looks too much of a wank to me. Its got that "look at me I'm aluminium" dorky feel about it. A painted finish with a section of brushed aluminium and cleared over is class. My 1198 has a bit too much aluminium showing for my taste but thats std. The original was plastic but I got a deal on the alloy tank which is 2.5L bigger. Ciao

Sent this as an email to some UnGuzzisti friends -- mostly because I enjoy annoying them -- and others, and posted on another forum, but thought (despite no spine-frame content) I'd post it here, too, especially as ride reports are getting scarce above the Mason-Dixon line until spring. So, a Guzzi buddy in Rochester, N.Y., has a wife who is as indulgent as my Kathi. She and their daughters surprised Bob 10 years ago on his 60th birthday with a new Guzzi. They recently reprised that gift with another on Bob’s latest. Guzzista and N.J. friend, Nick, and I saw this as an opportunity and excuse for a road trip. After all, a new Moto Guzzi must be blessed with Grappa! Nick and I rode from here at the top of Virginia to Rochester this past Sunday, spent Monday in area, and came home on Tuesday. We were blessed ourselves with some incredibly fine weather on all three days, but were sure glad we got home before yesterday’s drenching rain. But, of course, you ache for the pix. The link opens in what Smugmug calls “collage landscape,” which means you can see all of the pix at once. And, if you care, hover your cursor over a pic to see the captions. Some captions are truncated in the wee pix, so — again, if you care — open the guilty photo to see the full comment. Blessings, Guzzis, & Grappa! 1921! Bill P.S. For the nervous “Kovid Keepers” out there, know that, with occasional exceptions, Nick, I, and the others followed the rules in public. Well, OK, with the possible exception of our actual invasion of New York State without a C-test!

V11 sport, nuda and le mans should be fit

I installed one of these on my 2001 Sport, has worked well. I would say this is quite a rare part at this point in time. Not very heavy either.

Maybe a little better...

He was about the right age for that unexpected heart attack if he hadn't been keeping up with his yearly physical exam. That was about the age I had to start staying on top of various heart related issues. My half brother died suddenly at 52. (!) I have a half sister that is still going strong at 93, though.. Just the same, the Reaper told me that tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Enjoy life..

It's sad day to lose a fellow rider. I remember 15 years ago in Texas at a Suzuki Bandit Rally. I met one of the ralliers at the breakfast cafe, had a great conversation, he had two young daughters. The group of us, perhaps a dozen, went out in slow procession and he missed a corner and died at the scene. I'm still confounded with what happened as I was the back of the line and everything was so confusing and tragic when I got to the scene.

That's a real sad one Bill, sorry that you had to witness and live through that. I'm certain that your presence brought great comfort to the victim's friend. Please be very careful using tools or doing things with any risk involved for the next few weeks while your head is busy digesting what you've just been through. You may never know the true cause of the accident, but I hear of similar fatals in my area on a semi-regular basis; that innocent looking curve is deceptive, seems like a bit of a downhill, off camber tightening radius, with shiny patches on the pavement; there can be room for error or minor miscalculations on a light, responsive bike, but on a heavy cruiser, the weight and momentum can be very unforgiving when things go sideways. Condolences and prayers to all those involved. Thanks for sharing and keeping us mindful Kelly

Very sad. Could he have gotten a flat tire? Blow out? That happened to me a few weeks ago going 40mph on my trail 90.. up at the lake where I grew up not wearing any gear so I wasn't this time. Coulda been a lot worse.

What a sad day. I have seen people die on motorcycles, and it serves as a reminder that this is a dangerous hobby and should be treated as such. My thoughts go out to you, the guys friend, and the guys family and loved ones.