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Well said. Truly, my Sport would not have survived without the amazing, and humbling, contributions from this community. This outcome is not by my own hand. I cannot thank all of you enough.

Yep true... bikes for real mountain men. Men who like mountin’ women!

Seasons greetings all................ love this site thx to all. Ciao

My first riding buddy (RIP) was thirty years my senior. I benefited from so much of his wisdom, much well beyond riding and motorcycling. After buying and selling countless motorcycles in his lifetime, Bruce decided that a motorcycle is worth 10¢ a mile in what it gives us in the use and joy of riding. Having paid some $12,000US for my Sport new, it is now paying me back 10¢ for every mile. And doesn't owe me anything. Not even that 2¢ an hour for all of those countless hours of fettling and fuss. What makes > my Guzzi < "quirky?" It is no longer a consumer product, but now more a product of craft, care, devotion, and community.

When people see the mileage on my >20 year old, uncommon (if not downright rare) Italian (of all places!) funky motorcycle, I am often asked where my dealer is. I used to reply, "My local Moto Guzzi dealer in Seattle, Washington!" (Which is 2500 miles away. ) Since Moto International closed, I enjoy saying, "Varsseveld, in The Netherlands. Some fellow named FieldHorse."

Come to think of it a transverse Vee twin is the only engine design that mimics biological bilateral symmetry and has the same cadence as a heart beat. No wonder species Homo Sapien relates to it so well as it seems to be an extension of one's self. Chris.

Very well put Doc.. These bikes are SO MUCH MORE than just Motorcycles!! Cheers Guzzler

Yes, Merry (Second) Day of Christmas from Edmonds (Seattle), Washington. Was near the late Moto-International yesterday, and sure sorry it was no longer there. Hoping our flight home on the 29th isn't canceled as I can take only so much of gray skies and rain . No, wait. This morning, there's a different look ... ... a winter storm warning, 26ºF, and several inches of white stuff on the ground. Lordy, I miss Virginia. On the bright side, grandkids and a demented Yellow Lab here make it pretty darn tolerable. Bill

I read this article on The Who . This writer called them "the thinking man's rock" . The same for the Moto Guzzi .

The thing I like about this network of owners , they can discuss any facet of a bike . All other owners need someone to check tire pressures .

Uhhhhh , red bikes and red high heels .Yeowwwww !

The bad thing is , a cycle shop can't pay a mechanic $60k/yr . There is not that profit margin on motorcycle sales/service .

My 86 yr old buddy gave me a class on the V twin , firing order , degrees of everything , carb jetting , etc. He explained how the # 1 cylinder did the most work at lower RPMs and got more even as the RPMs went up . It didn't take long for me to be "lost as an Easter egg on the 4th of July" . One of these days I will have another class on this .

The refusal to work on a >10 years old motorcycle is relatively new to me. Coming from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, finding someone to work on your older motorcycle seems to be less of a problem. When I left, you still had plenty of "brand-less" motorcycle garages that would perform any kind of repair on just any kind of motorbike irrespective of production year. At least, they would tell you that finding the parts may not be cheap or fast. But they would not turn you back based on your bike's age. Imagine you go to the hospital, and they tell you they are sorry but they only treat patients below a specific threshold. I think I understood why when I realized that most of the workshops employ unskilled workers, with one serious tech that supervises a bunch of those low pay grade guys. In 2020, someone did not properly tighten an oil filter. I caught it in time (not my car) as the oil level was low but the low pressure warning was not lit. Of course, human error is always possible. I am obviously not painting every Motorcycle workshops with a broad stroke, but I can make the difference between MPH and the casual dealerships when it comes to personnel. The workshop is always the first place I want to visit.

Unfortunately, not. I was going to get rid of my car to make room, however it is more difficult to part with it than I thought it would be. The lithography found its way inside the house, by special authorization...

Well said Twin AH Riding my V11 Scura R is even more fun... because cruising V11Lemans learning up on all the helpful tidbits about V11’s just adds to it! Merry Christmas Guzzisti!

All and all, I would rather have someone turning me back, than someone telling me no problem, and then flunking the job. As for DIY, it is not as easy as it seems. You could be a motorcycle enthusiast with little mechanical and technical knowledge. Inflating tires, topping off oil, those are not drawing too much in terms of basic understanding and experience. Thankfully, you can find videos on Google, and download the workshop manual too. But there are limits to what you can do that you have never done before, and just reading about it does not tell the full story. Most motorcycle manual draw on the fact that you understand the operation described. To me, having someone who can at least show you the ropes is important. Including in terms of safety. You don't want to find the hard way that what seemed to be so simple turned out to be a nightmare because you did not understand what it was you had to do. When I was in my battle tank factory, we used to travel to the regiments for a "train the trainer" job. In the military, all the steps were precisely described and illustrated with pictures. Nevertheless, they mechanics still managed to find new ways to destroy things.

I always thought business attracts business. When I go to MPH, they have a six weeks wait which they hope they can shorten. Their workshop is always full of oldies, any brand. Of course, Houston is special in that there are a lot of guys with multiple toys and loose cash. I can see why MPH does better. They simply concentrate a lot of business because they do things others don't. But they have those guys which have a lot of experience, and they most likely don't come cheap.

That is what you end up making .

I delivered four "Scura" with my Le Mans this morning! Move to H'town and you will get yours delivered too next year.

Here it is, framed and really stunning! I was going to purchase the other remaining one, but someone beat me to it.... as usual, the frame cost twice as much as the lithography! the glass that covers it, is special in that it protects from UV's and does not reflect light... museum grade, but hey, it is really looking good! I like the narrative too: -"The International Favorite Road Burner"! it really reflects what it represents to me... I should have taken a picture of it in front of my Le Mans before hanging it on the wall....

To bring more emphasize on the topic: (both homemade)... Here's the Le Mans! Here's the Scura!

However, think about it.... If you are talking shop with someone who does not you, when you say Le Mans, chances are he/she will understand what it is about. Scura? does not have the same magic; unless of course, you are with a V11 addict !

The 'fits and niggles' of our era Guzzi are a result of an old world motor co being kept on life support by passionate Italian folk who simply refused to let it die. Guzzi was a normal competitive motorcycle co. and relative equal in the moto world till the CB750 emerged in '69. A day of reckoning for every other brand as well. It was up to the "driven" players and the bean counters to make necessary changes (if the money was there) or let your marque die. So think of it from the business decisions made at the time while many other brands went by the wayside, Guzzi moved ahead with what they had. An old motor they couldn't afford to replace, and the desire to build and sell bikes. They spent what they could on what they felt was a priority. Internationally, police motorcycles kept a cash flow. Dr John Wittner gave them the public performance injection needed at just the right time. Sure there were other models available but the spine frames were what kept the marque moving forward technically, at a pretty dark time. When I look at the stupid wiring or bicycle grade gauges, or sub standard castings, or obvious afterthought arrangements, I see acceptable loss when all that mattered was a price point that had to be reached. I see passion and patriotism, and love. I don't get the feeling they were cheating in any way to just make money. (C'mon, you know nylon is not what designers preferred for gas tanks) What we're left with is the answer to a math problem several decades old. The sooner you think of your bike as the Italians had to to just get her produced and to market, the sooner you can learn to have a glass of wine and just enjoy the relationship. Just change what they could not. To me 'strange and quirky'.. are, for my Guzzi, terms of endearment.... like... "my girlfriend is crazy" but you should meet her, and you'll see everything about her is not "standard."

Does the Breva 750 have the non-adjustable TPS with straight holes instead of slots? In that case, the throttle angle is preset and the idle stop screw should not be moved. Glædelig jul, Hans!

In 270º twins, as in 180º twins, one cylinder works slightly harder than the other , so idle exhaust temperatures will never be the same. Heavy flywheels help smooth that out.

A Holden or Ford with gear drive (lumpy) cam is a thing of beauty. 50 years ago, I worked security at a paved 5/8 mile oval track, where Nascar short course cars ran. Love that sound as they slowed for the pits.

"Thou shalt not ride red bikes" says a "grape ape" owner 😅 ( my hypocrisy has wide boundaries!)