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Have AeroStich. Will Travel.

yup. called 'adventure'

Doesn’t matter what bike you ride something called pain will hit you., it’s nice to get off, stretch, and after 50 ~ 100m, and go again. Sleepy roads up Florida and making a left turn west. If you’re excited about this, just do it . Have a good friend picking up old bikes and cars cheap, never checks anything, but gets home. Pocket spare parts will do it. Have a fun trip. Cheers tom.

I have several throttle locks, the simplest, easiest to use and most reliable is the "clothespin style", one like this: https://www.wleodv.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=69377 It take all of about 30 seconds to install. Slip it over the throttle grip, make sure there is adequate tension, and then when you're riding, just slide it with your thumb on to the brake lever. (Just make sure you don't accidently slip it behind the brake lever.) I have a plastic one similar to this one. I also have an aluminum one from China that I never bothered to install. I have some more expensive ones that are more complex and never seem to work because they are always out of adjustment. These are $10-20 and sacrificial when they lose tension, although I'm using the same one a bought a couple of years ago.

Okay, okay - that is all fun, but riding an unknown V11 from Florida to Texas in January is serious stuff. Wear what you want (I would not go without my Roadcrafter and Alpinestar boots), but take a pocketful of High Current OMRON relays and make certain the battery has been properly conditioned (or ship one ahead with a correct charger). There are times the V11 clip-ons have challenged my wrists and elbows. Other times, the rear-sets have cramped my pelvis and knees. Hydrate and take an electrolyte supplement. Stop every hour or so. Watch the limited fuel range of the V11.

Pretty sure all those dudes in black at the stop light were on Guzzis . . .

Christmas bin berry beery guut to mi.

Maybe get all your protective gear first. I’ve dodged a few coffee cups in my day. A full face helmet would have come in handy.

Thanks for the concern. I will only take my decision to ride back once I have got a taste of the Le Mans. I have looked at the UHaul option, but I do not have a car to tow it. And getting both does not make sense economically. If I can't ride it, I will get it shipped. I will look into the throttle lock, but this is something I have never used before. I usually don't incorporate accessories I am not familiar with. No need to make it more complicated. As for Covid-19, yes, this is a risk. I have escaped it so far, I take the risk seriously. The biggest hazard remains my spouse. I have not "clearly" mentioned that I purchased a bike. Covid-19 is nothing compared to her wrath.

Here's one I took today just coming back to Bungendore from Canberra. This is looking east, towards Canberra. The hills in the background are the Brindabella ranges. [img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50774006347_c3149ab384_z.jpg[/img] This is the South East corner of Oz. I'll see if I can find some more remote ones later. Bugger, I forget the usual pasting of a URL doesn't work.....

Not sure where p6x's V11 is coming from in Florida, but if I get this gig I promise to ride his LeMans back to Texas properly and in style . . .

Otherwise, p6x, maybe you need a "double" to do the actual riding. Celebrities rely on this. Who is that rider in the background?!? And should p6x send docc in to do the dirty work?

Spoken like a true doc!

Here ya go: The bike is real, but the rider is probably a stand in.

This is a long running complaint with some members here, but personally I find the V11 stock position pretty good. I have a 2001 red frame, so maybe it’s different from a 2004. I am 6’2”, kind of a lanky build, and once I’m in the bike it’s good. The bars are on clip-on risers, so it’s not an aggressive lean. It’s akin to a Ducati SuperSport or other “gentleman sport bike” / sport-touring rides. It puts you forward enough to lean in and out of the wind a bit. Better for me than a more upright position. As mentioned, the wrist thing is about using your core and thighs and knees. The substantial and flared tank is good for this. Tank grips may help. There are aftermarket or Buell pegs that wil give you another inch or so, but your foot will be outside more due to the bend, and you’ll have to adjust the linkage. I am happy with the stock pegs. The most fatigue I get is from peg and bar vibration at certain RPM ranges. I do sometimes suffer hip cramps when I first mount, but I think it’s more from being old, drinking too much, and not eating enough bananas. Once I settle into the bike it’s a great ride, vibes and all.

No...but you're going to need reasonably good abdominals and back muscles so that you can support yourself in that riding position comfortably...if ever there were a bike that encourages "core" muscle development, it's the V11 Variant.

You're looking far too happy there John! Surely you're not drinking that fine Macallan out of a King Henry VIII coffee cup!

Agreed. But leathers are so sexxxxeeeeee! I look for opportunities to wear mine, but they are not very utilitarian. In my AeroStich Roadcrafter I look like a tarped-down flatbed load on an overweight longhaul rig . . .

I'm good with my Neotec 2, got it for under $500 from Champion Helmets in Europe. Has ECE emblem on it. It's a little tight in the temple over a few hours' ride, hopeful it will break in. Compared to the original Neo, this needs to slam shut which is a difficult when you're riding with it open and attempt to close it. It might drag more air when it's open too. So far as quiet, I wear earplugs. I recommend earplugs along with other gear. I've heard Arai is the loudest helmet and Shoei are actually quieter. But modular helmet is going to be louder. The Arai's are featherlight and the best quality for little I've ridden them. The only gear I don't wear regularly are riding pants, for local travel I wear jeans (and I have regretted doing that on fall off).

Here’s something unusual: a white (post) Christmas in L.A.:

Great point on the sun shade. Used to dislike them, on the older style Nolan helmets, but love the newer ones now that are better integrated.... use it all the time.

Well, the last time you embarked on an epic (10,000 mile circumnavigation of the Continental US) ride, you managed to work the South'n SpineRaid in! Swing by again, then ship your Guzzi out of Atlanta . . . Or better, swing by on the way back home!

The idea is give your wrist a rest when you feel it getting sore. And you only have to take it off for a minute or so, maybe 20 seconds. You don't have the issue with the left wrist since you can take it off the grip when you want to. Go on a long trip, especially on a long straight interstate, then you'll know.

Wow.... if you got that done on a "no brakes" Harley, you are a hero! but it proves that it is just a matter of getting use to what you ride on.

It feels "odd" to use a cruise control system on a bike... it somewhat infers with the idea of being free; as in having a direct link to ecstasy via the throttle. But I always follow advice. I will carry one, even if I don't use it.

Really.. can't even go for the obvious cx500??? Neg 1 for lack of effort Meh if the bike is a non runner putting it back on the road in any condition is a win. I guess asking this forum is a non wining strategy but few of these are rolling art. There is a reason the E-Type or 911 or Healy is collectible and an MGB, alpha sud or TR7 isn't. Notice I didn't ask about classic Le Mans right??? Most round cyl Guzzis are workaday aquired taste at best.

Got my licence at 14. Then I got my car licence at 16 and there was no separate motorcycle endorsement then. Moved to Texas many years later, got my licence and needed an endorsement. Had to take a complete exam and riding test. During the test, the examiner would follow me and I had to turn left on a honk and right on two honks (or vice versa). Anyway turned the wrong way and flunked on the spot. A month or so later, went to another exam station across town, dang if I didn't get the same examiner! During that test, I was driving through a stop light intersection, and I'll be dang if a group folks jay walked right in front me me, then it was dilemma whether to stop or ease through them. I eased through and waited on the examiner. I tried to explain myself but he waved me away while he tallied the score. Somehow I had passed.

This was a consignment sale. I have asked the dealer to check the exact maintenance status with the previous owner, which I hope I will get to speak to once I get there. I asked for that information initially, but never got a clear answer. I am planning to have the bike inspected in Houston by MPH once its get here. I will make sure the bike is in perfect working order before I decide to ride it back. Fuel autonomy will be one of my initial concern. I will stop often and check how much fuel I have used to work out an average consumption. Hopefully, I will be able to quickly determine if I will be able to ride it back. It is not going to take much time to find out if the position will be difficult to sustain for several hours.

The ride starts Place Vendôme, where all the famous jewelers have a shop, follows to La Concorde via rue des Tuileries. Riding in Paris on a bike used to be one of the best ride you could ever experience in a life time. Especially early in the morning when few cars were present. And she is wearing Alcantara, which does not sag as leather does. I concur that she is not the one riding the bike. If my memory serves me right, squeezing the clutch required a strong hand on the older Ducatis.

Looks like Big Sky Country! And a road-ready Griso.

One of the test to get your M license is controlled braking: you have to reach a given speed, start braking at a specific point, and immobilize the bike with the front wheel between two cones. Seems to be an easy one. But when you train, they vary the speed, and the braking distance so you don't get into a routine. Up to the emergency braking with and without ABS, on dry and wet asphalt. Zig zags between cones at various speeds and spacing is good too. I am going to do the Texas motorcycle safety course just to check if I still have it.

I personally wouldn't ride due to Covid. And I wouldn't ride in Jan regardless. I probably wouldn't do a fly and ride unless I was very certain the bike was going to make it. Instead, I'd rent a bike trailer from UHaul which I've done on several occasions. Hopefully this bike has luggage. Make sure you have lots of layers of clothing and wet weather bike gear. At least a couple of different pairs of gloves. Bring some fuses and relays, some tools and a tire repair kit and compressor. If the tires are old, get them changed out before you travel. I'm not sure if this bike has 170 or 180 rear. If it's a 170 you may need to special order it. I'd also get a throttle lock so you can rest your right wrist for a minute or two before it hurts constantly. I-10 has FL panhandle, Gulf Coast and New Orleans on the way. Normally I would enjoy that if the weather was nice and I wasn't afraid of getting sick. I suppose I haven't hidden my feelings but since the topic was brought up...... So far as distance riding it, I find my 30 inch inseam to get a little cramped. I've ridden my Sport as far as N Carolina hills from OKC, and to Austin for a few trips and Arkansas for maybe more. So all of these were 350-450 mile days. Typically take a Tylenol or Advil before you go. Don't drink more that one cup of coffee. Hydrate properly. Eat light but often. Get off the bike and rest, particularly if your legs, back or wrists get cramped. Fatigue is the enemy, rest or stop.

thanks Kane!

Well...in that case, we shall have to throw a welcome party Docc and have a proper escort at the Texas / Louisiana line! My suggestion wasn't to prescribe anything specific, other than some OTC pain killers as I sure as hell can imagine the kink in the neck after a few hundred miles on an unfamiliar bike in a new riding position... Anyway...by all means disregard the suggestion if it causes any harm, just speaking from experience here...

In Indiana, easy. It's an endorsement "M" to the drivers license. Once you get the M, you keep it. If you are applying for it, you need to take a M test at the BMV. They give you a manual and take the test (written) and then a physical rider test. You show up to a parking lot with a small group and an official and do some tricks that I would describe as maneuvers to show you can handle a bike. I moved out of state for awhile and let my M lapse so I had to take the rider test in 1993. It was a joke really. The rider portion of the test could be averted by taking a MSF course through the AMA.

Yesterday I looked on this excellent forum for any ideas that may explain poor cranking and starter performance that rather suddenly appeared when I tried starting in the morning after a fairly cold night (around 6deg.C 43F) a few weeks ago. I first assumed that, after 5 seasons my LiPO battery was starting to age and with the cold and higher oil viscosity that this was the problem so I bought a new battery. The effect seemed to be temperature related; always being a problem when cold starting. The new battery didn't cure the problem; hence my looking at the forum. There didn't seem to be a dedicated topic focused on exactly this problem, hence this new specific topic, but by various searches i did find a few ideas, even one that reported a similar problem because they had put in 20W-40 oil rather than the recommended 5W-40 oil and this became a problem on a cold day. In fact I made a list of all the possible options and there are lots, (battery, starter, starter contactor, connections etc. including the possibility of the magnets becoming demagnetised (on a Ferrari forum), but obviously the most likely was a poor connection so I stripped down all the connections between battery and starter, including the heavy duty earth cable that fixes to the gearbox casing, cleaned them, added corrosion protective grease and reattached but really didn't see anything that gave me the slightest concern. However, on dismantling I did take off the insulated spade terminal that supplies the voltage to the starter contactor and it didn't feel a tight push-on. I used pliers to compress the jaws of the female insulated terminal, cleaned up the spade that emerges from the starter contactor next to the large +ve starter terminal and reattached. Problem solved! Obviously high resistance to the contactor coil can cause the contactor to pull in rather weakly, leading to high resistance in the main starter contacts and a weak start. I am putting this experience out just in case anyone has a similar problem. It might be useful for others to add their own experiences associated with solving the problem of the starter motor working but having difficulty in cranking the engine as quickly as normal.

Keep in mind that all battery types have poorer performance when cold. https://www.power-sonic.com/blog/batteries/lithium-vs-lead-acid-batteries/

I want that those are leathers. I want that that is a real Ducati Sport. I want that she was riding it and wearing them. Of course, that is what Coco Chanel was after . . . that we would want . . . Getting real riding gear that actually works for us is a process. How many of us have a bin full of what didn't work. As much as "we wanted" it to . . .

I got a reply from MotoItaliane yesterday; They confirmed the sale and will ship the book. At this point, I would advocate to purchase directly from them rather than Amazon.it. The shipping is only 5 EUR compared to Amazon's 29....

I am 6' tall and 174 lbs. Probably in the lanky category too. I have never been on what could pass for a "comfortable" bike. I am sure I am amenable.

Ok...good to hear. Boots are definitely out then. I have a practically brand new Nolan XL that might interest you (not modular), and if it fits, it's yours for a coffee and pastry at Fellinis and a small donation to the site here. The guy who owned it (also Guzzisti, passed away a couple years ago) wore it two or 3 times and he also wore glasses....It's as if it were brand new. Can send pics if you are interested. Spring Valley - got it! I lived in Spring Branch less than 1/4 mile away from Spring Valley for about 5 years, still have my house down there, but we live now on the NW side again. (Bingle/Westview area). By the way, I presume you know that MPH (Park Row and I-10) is where you can still get great service help for your Guzzi - I presume you're familiar with Mike Haven's long history as one of the best Guzzi dealers in the U.S., but if not, he's just down the highway from you for any service or parts needs, even though he doesn't sell new bikes anymore. Davey is the mechanic who works on Guzzis now at MPH. Hope the fly and ride goes well! A few other Guzzisti live out towards Katy, when we ride out to Brookshire or Fayetteville, we'll rope in those guys to join us from time to time. P.D. Down in Texas, note that it's Yee Haw, rather than Yee-Haa! These are important cultural nuances, as I'm sure you know! (I'm a Californian, living in Texas for more than 23 years now! Ci vediamo pronto as they say...

Docc- check out these AGV for pricing. https://www.championhelmets.com/en/helmets/modular-helmets/agv-modular-helmets/ The Neotec 2 are now under $400 Euros ($480 USD).

Hi Paul, Thanks for contributing! I have seen that a lot of equipment is being sold on eBay. But I think I will go brick and mortar just because I need to try on everything and will probably test multiple solutions. I am usually around 13+ for shoe size, depending on the brand. Medium/large for helmet; but again, some helmets are uncomfortable when wearing prescription glasses. I live at the limits of Spring Valley. For the time being, I am planning to drive the bike from Florida. I may rent the gear for that single trip, or purchase my own. I will test drive once I am there, and if I don't feel comfortable, I will get it shipped. I have driven rentals with long interruptions in between, never really felt uneasy before, but I am not going to take any chance. I never imagined there was so many Guzzisti enthusiasts in Texas. I have been a couple of times to the Lonestar Rally in Galveston, and mainly saw HD's and Japanese bikes. Again, thanks for the information.

+1 on the modular helmet with glasses (and also being able to expose our face for a conversation, whether it is to accept a compliment on our V11 or explain where your vehicle documents and permits are. I haven't settled on the perfect modular as my Shoei NeoTech II is so horribly noisy, I rebuilt some of it myself. Shoei only said, "Sorry you don't like your helmet." $700US worth of sucky. I am hoping the AGV Sport modular fits me for helmet-next. One feature that really surprised me (as I considered it a gimmick) is the flip down "fighter pilot" sun visor. As it turns out, I no longer switch between clear and sun glasses. This is an awesome improvement as it precludes me fumbling with two pair of (prescription) glasses to change out and stow. There was that time that I got the changeover all down except zipping the stow pocket. $800 worth of litter on the roadside out there, somewhere. Also, the advantage of instant change riding in and out of sun/shade.

All the good stuff has been said, and I’d only add a couple nuance items: As noted, Bilt and Sedici are house brands at cycle gear, and vary a lot in quality, with one model/item being great and the next model being pretty junky, so you just need to evaluate each item on its own. That said, their warranty is arguably the best, at least in a practical sense. Since it’s house brand stuff, they have long warranties and pretty much just let u swap it for a new one if you have an issue. I only used the warranty once on a Bilt ADV suit I bought for my son, but it was totally painless and devoid of any need to ship anything.... just walked into a local store and they gave me a new one, and there are hundreds (?) of their stores around. And I’m another big fan of the roadcrafter. I don’t live in hot climate, but plenty of friends who use the Roadcrafter suit and just vary what they wear underneath based on season/weather.... fleece or just boxers and a T, and they have seemed happy for a very long time that way. On big euro trips they really shine, where rides may take us into the alps or down in a hot Italian city, so just bundle up or unzip and it’s pretty easy. It was my go-to outfit for about 20yrs, though recently I’ve changed it up mostly just for the hell-of-it. Dainese, always a great choice. That’s what I’ve been eye balling again. Bad idea for me since I’m mostly too skinny even for dainese, and it’s expensive, but such nice gear. And if u have a cool/cold season when u ride, do NOT forget heated riding shirts! Maybe it’s age, or getting soft, but I love it. On a long distance ride where you’ll have cold weather at some point, having that relatively little heated shirt in your kit rather than a big bulky 4-season jacket is a no-brainer. Last fall I rode a couple thousand miles through weather with ice in the morning at the hotel, and then later at 100+ deg in Death Valley, and the heated jacket allowed me to focus on the hot weather gear and just have the heated shirt in the bag for the cold stretches. Way less bulk, and it’s warmer than any jacket ever made. Just make sure it fits snug. I’ve got a couple brands, but warm-and-safe I think is the brand of my heated sweater. Only complaint is that the sweater is hard to take off, if u get the good snug fit. I’d recommend a full zip front instead (my old jacket is that way, but it’s loose, so not as warm.... u want that heat close to your body). Helmet- as noted, get what fits. And some disagree with me on this, but I’m a huge fan of the modular helmets. I have a Nolan 104. Riding the road, face shield down. At a stop light, or around town on a hot Texas day at slow speeds I have my helmet flipped up so I can breath. Except for track days, I’m never going back.

I had a salesman knock me out of purchasing an Arai helmet some time ago . He said "you buy the helmet that fits you" . I ended up with a Shoei .

Thx for that Phil. Always on the lookout for new and well done pieces on our beloved Guzzis. Ciao

From Fredericksburg Texas...