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Thank you, @KINDOY2, but @p6x, @LowRyter, and some others here would likely be fine guides, too. Perhaps the interested among us might plan a Tour d'Grappa. Better hire a driver. As evidence, consider this. Many years ago, during that same three-year sentence to "confinement" in Italy (and the rest of non-commie Europe), I was seriously into pedal bikes. Think I have told that story here before ... but not this part. Bob, one of the other Americans who lived near me in Zanè (Thiene)(VI), 18 miles or so from Caserma Ederle, was also an avid bicyclist. In good weather, we frequently commuted. It was a very gentle downhill slope from home to the post, and, obviously, the reverse going home, so the latter -- again, obviously -- always took longer even tho we were both young and fit. We both had also come to appreciate the charm of grappa. Perhaps you see where this is going? One spring day, we decided we would ride in and then, in a twist (without a lime), we would stop at every bar -- a term a bit different in Italy than here, but all served caffè (espresso) and, of course, grappa of many sorts. To digress, a specialty of mine, one of my favorites -- mostly to make wives groan -- was "grappa alla vipero," e.g. ... Makes worms in tequila seem downright sissy. Anyway, our plan was to ride back to Zanè after Retreat ... with a stop at every bar on the right side of the road for a shot of grappa. What could go wrong? Actually, nothing at all. For the first three bars, anyway, tho we were still in Vicenza's city limits! Oh, wait, time for another digression. If you read any of my (LONG) post yesterday about grappa -- https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?/topic/24056-moto-grappa-tech-days-mmxxii/&do=findComment&comment=270524 -- you know of my reverence for those courageous men on both sides in WWI who fought and suffered at 10,000 feet in the Dolomites. The typical American stereotype of the Italian military is ridiculous and unwarranted then and today. I was always struck by the name of a street in Vicenza -- that was along our commuting route home: "Via Ragazzi '99" -- the boys of '99" -- named, of course, after the generation of young Italian men lost in the Great War. Most of those died in the Dolomites; if they had time, they no doubt called for their mamas as men do in extremis. Now their bones are in mountain ossuaries or mummified in the ice. OK, back to the Great Grappa Bicycle Ride! So, after a few more miles into the ride, we were, quite literally, feeling no pain and, in fact, feeling great. Thankfully, we then had several miles with only one or two bars in the little towns along the way, e.g., Motta and Villaverla. We did OK ... until the latter village. Somewhere north of there, Bob just disappeared. One moment, we were stroking along and then only I was. It took me more time than it should have to realize that I was now riding solo. I doubled back and saw Bob down in a ditch. He was conscious and -- I am serious -- singing something. I asked him if he wanted me to help him out of the ditch so we could ride on. "No," he said, "I'm done." He then made the only smart suggestion of our day. "Better go get our wives." Recall that cell phones were decades away and, in fact, none of us had gotten a telephone in our homes after a couple of years on a long waiting list. The ditch was dry, Bob was "happy," so I rode on. Naturally, I thought it would be unsporting and possibly deprive me of counting coup if I did not continue to have a shot of grappa in the remaining few miles. That meant, as I recall -- and, as you might guess, I don't recall much of anything after leaving Bob in the ditch -- several more stops. I could then speak enough of (slurred, and possibly improved and inspired by the circumstances) Italian to convey my mission to bar patrons. Somewhere along the way, I (think I) remember one guy saluting me, paying for my shot, calling for huzzahs from all, and then buying me another shot. An hour or so after abandoning Bob to his fate, I rolled into Via Europa, Zanè. I was not given the hero's welcome I expected. No, instead, I was met by a group of distraught and irate wives -- including Bob's and mine -- who were on the verge of looking for a rope and a tree! They had already dispatched a rescue car of the other husbands to find us. I figure that I must have been in one of those bars when they passed by; Bob would have been invisible from the road unless you knew where to look and he was still singing. Three of the wives -- I was lucky there was a disinterested one who kept Bob's wife from killing me -- got me into a car and off we went to find Bob. Enough. All (eventually) turned out well, but "eventually" took longer for our wives than for us. The next morning was a Saturday or we would have been useless at Caserma Ederle. Happily, the Russians did not choose that weekend to cross the Fulda and Goriza Gaps. So, all of what I remember of that is true, tho I have filled in some details from what others told me after the fact. I have other grappa stories, but that will have to do for today as I got little done yesterday in the Moto Grappa and it is calling me now. Alla nostra! Bill

Another fascinating topic of conversation about Italy! It seems Italians have so many different aperitifs with funny names, and "bizarre" tastes. I am sure most of you heard: Martini, Cinzano, Campari? Well, when I started to work in Ravenna, we had Crodino every time before lunch... Anyone of Italian descent knows Crodino? it is a non alcoholic beverage though..

https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2003-Moto+Guzzi-V11-5020373013?cmp=email_cycle_search-alert Maroon '03 sport naked in Lynchburg, VA, $3795.

Good morning -- or whatever it is when and where you read this -- from the top of Virginia where we are still tidying up the battlefield and shooting the wounded after the latest iteration of Moto Grappa Tech Days. The slideshow and its captions tell the story without more, so I'll just post the link with the only intro being that it's mostly about wrenching, bench racing, competitive eating, bourbon, beer, and BS. As with my other Smugmug albums, the link opens in "landscape collage," meaning you don't have to slog through every one of the (yes, I know, too many ) pix to see all or the ones, if any, that might interest you. Hover your cursor over individual pix to see captions if you care. MGTD MMXXII Bill Logged

Thanks, Bill.. you've outdone yourself this time. Give Kathi a hug from Indiana.

It wasn't an issue. What was his biggest issue was 2 years spent on the Honda CRT bike which was a total POS. Even Nicky Haydon confirmed this. If Miller had gone to MotoGP on a Yamaha or even a Suzuki he'd be a different and possibly even more successful rider. Starting on that Honda was a liability. As you can see from testing the speed really isn't an issue for Rookies going to MotoGP these days, the bikes aren't that difficult to cut a fast lap on an empty track or alone, what separates them from the experienced guys is leaning to "race" a MotoGP bike. Riding them and racing them is two completely different things. You see Darren Binder now on the Yamaha and pretty fast. He's got the best bike in the paddock to learn on and will prove the step isn't too great. One advantage coming from Moto2 is they have greater adjustability to chassis and engine so you get greater experience in setting a bike up. Ciao

Since there was so much traffic about "the Grappa", I thought I might share some of my stories regarding Travel, Guzzis, and Grappa. I first of heard of the drink from Bad Chad (WG) at the National Rally in Iowa a decade ago. A few years later I went to the biggest liquor store in town to procure some for Dusty's Cedar Vale Rally. The closest drink I could find was Grape Brandy, best I could tell it's the same stuff but with some actual grapes in it. Anyway, not many takers at Cedar but at the next rally at the Okla Campout, a few folks (Rudy) got a taste for it and it was gone. Anyway, I'll move forward in time a half dozen years. One thing I can tell you when traveling, if you aren't wearing a nice suit when going to a nice a Italian restaurant, whether in NYC, Rome or Cinque Terre, wear a Moto Guzzi (or Ducati) t-shirt. Someone, usually working on the floor, will appreciate it and get you a nice table or suggest something on the menu (or even show you their motorcycle helmet). I digress, so the story moves to the Rhine Valley where the Mrs and I were taking a tour of Europe. Myself, along with half dozen newly befriended fellow travelers ended up at bar. The local specialty was Riesling wine. I confessed to the group, I had never cared for it since my samplings always had a bad aftertaste. This was confounded that no one of the group liked White wine anyway. As a result of that, the wife and I were presented a challenge of drinking a Flight of Riesling. We were gifted a Flight, while they all drank Red. I must say, the wine was incredibly good and each glass better than the other. This was to the amusement of the group as we raved. I think they were a little jealous. So our traveling group finally made it to Italy. The entire group of 20+ were assembled for a meal in Florence. A couple of things came up there that allowed me to explain to the group about dinner that came from my experiences with the Guzzi crowd. First, our meal of Spaghetti Carbonara was made from bacon and egg sauce. Next, when the aperitifs were offered after the meal, I explained the origins of Grappa. I will say that no one but the Mrs and I had any taste for it. And that turned out to be a good thing, since we both got more than our share of Grappa throughout many subsequent meals. So the moral of the story, going to Guzzi rallies are educational and wearing Guzzi shirts can be social passports. Now, let me share that although Grappa is a Guzzi tradition, we might enhance it. I would guess the national drink of Italy (at least in Venice) is the Aperol Spritz. Aperol is an Orange Liquor that's mixed Prosecco (cheap dry Italian Champagne). So for your next Italian cookout, I'd suggest the Spritz to start with, Carbonara for the meal, followed by Grappa at the end. Not much of a story but I'm snowed in (and the news on the TV makes me sick).

Thanks LP, great insights of the racing world...! Great reading. Cheers Guzzler

I trapped the front wheel in the wheel chock and just supported the bike on the oil pan.

I like that color a lot. And it's an 02 carryover which I prefer, (except the motor paint.) That wouldn't hold me back if I needed another V11.

The last two posts remind me of a couple of things, particularly the photo of the snake in the bottle. My cousin worked for Phillips for most of his career and lived in Mainland China for about 5 years. He used to visit every Christmas and bring gifts. Funny, I would see him more often when he lived half way across the world rather than now where he's three hours up the road. His family brought a Chinese painting one year, they have unique style, lots of color, flat/two dimensional. Anyway, one year he brought me Snake Wine. It was a commemorative gift in an upholstered box. He told me that people did drink it, I declined. I set it out for display for a couple of years but after the novelty wore off, I put it in the pantry. I suppose it's still there. The painting is still hanging on the entry hall. Very cheery. PS6 mentioned trying the various aperitifs in Italy. In fact we did try many. I found many too sweet for my taste, particularly the lemony one. Actually, I was the one out of step for the group preferring the Grappa over the sweet stuff.

A la notre! or if in "aparté" A la tienne! although I never heard this said in Italy. Salute!

I have several magnetic dishes that I got from Harbor Freight. I try to throw all the fasteners for a section into one dish - and another dish for another section.

Regulator and valve cover gaskets are in so I will be putting it back together today hopefully No mechanical wizard I spend more time looking for bolts I've dropped that actually turning a wrench

I rented from Cycle Visions Rental once. Limited selection of bikes and no Guzzi. But good customer service and the bikes were in great shape. I would go back again.

No, a good story.. but the news makes us sick, too.

Let's say it wasn't exactly off the top of my head. Yet, a search for the flags of the provinces of Italy lead me to Lombardy. Investigating a flag for Mandello del Lario was unproductive, but asking about "Lecco" gave success! (I know to consider Lecco because of our good man, @v11_meticcio !) Such a very nice display, Sir! Welldone, as always!

VERY well done. Have help or solo?

The flag of Lecco Province in the foreground and the flag of the Lombardy Region beyond . . .

I have Ohlins, so no knob like yours but I could easily get my fingers to that area reaching from the rear over the tire. Feels like there is maybe 20-30mm between the shock top and the airbox where your knob is, so not much room. If you have svelte little monkey hands it's doable. I don't know how stiff the adjuster is to turn but I'd maybe think about somehow enlarging the diameter of it for more leverage. I didn't pull the seat to see what access is from there. Possibly a little tool could be made

damn, now i’m hungry…

yep. It rides similar to a v11, without the mad grunt obviously, but still shifts Very Nicely. Very light, very low slung, just lovely really

Nice story John. 90 year old grandmas in Italy and here in the US of Italian origin are fond of putting a little grappa in their morning coffee. When I was a student at the university, I rented a room in a house, owned by the chancellor's secretary and her 90 year old mother from Sicilia (Palermo). She was an amazing cook, making gnocchi by hand, fantastic chicken and pasta dishes, and every morning started out her routine at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and some grappa. She would always offer some to me just before I headed out to class on my bicycle... Years earlier, on a long family trip trekking around Europe in 1978 in a MB 207D van my Dad had bought, we spent a lot of time in Bolzano and surrounding areas (village of Brez), Bassano del Grappa and Trieste. Needless to say, the elders of the village were also quite fond of their various types of grappa. It certainly warms the heart, and lots of great stories can be made over a favorite liquor!

Forget about the testing timesheet, it's largely irrelevant. The conditions are such that there is so much rubber laid down on the track that the times are misleading. Sure if you're dog slow then there's an issue but all the riders know track condition in testing aren't even close to the real world. Wonder why after 3 days testing in Qatar come race day the testing top boys are struggling? That's why. During a race week end the Moto3 bikes are out first and scrub the track clean of rubber and then the Motogp bikes go out. Non of this happens in testing so the conclusions are moot. This is why MotoGP riders also struggle when at some rounds they alter the race programme from the practice and qualifying so the Moto2 bikes race before them. They have set up their bikes during practice and qualy for a track surface scrubbed clean by Moto3 bikes then have to go out and race after the Moto2 bikes have laid down a races worth of their rubber. All the MotoGP setting are then not optimal. On top of that they all do a lot of laps and are pretty mentally and physically spent for the last 1/3 of it all. Ciao

Well there's always Remy to follow as well now. I like this kid, unpretentious, has done a lot of hard yards and in his spare time his hobbie is modifying his old Volvo Amazon in his own nicely set up workshop. His only issue swapping to MotoGP is going to be he's a "slow burner" and I'm not sure he'll get the opportunity of 2 or 3 seasons to get to grips with a MotoGP bike. He is however talented and passionate about what he does in the workshop and engineering so I see a future for him post racing as a factory engineer. Take a look at "at home with Remy Gardner" on youtube. Likeable down to earth kid. There's broadly speaking 2 types of riders at the top level, those that have an understanding of the technicalities and detail of set up and those that don't get involved and leave it too their crew chief. I dont think you can get away with being the latter anymore. Even years ago it separated riders but if you had a great crew chief you'd scape through. I don't think that applies anymore and now you not only need to be across the technical stuff as a rider but also you need to be looking in detail at every aspect of you competition as well. Thats why factory operations share all their data and a lot have rider coaches wandering the track looking at riding lines etc. I'm not sure Miller is that committed to this kind of stuff, I might be wrong but these days it's not optional anymore. I remember Carl Fogarty struggling massively in the 1996 WSB series on the RC45 Honda. It wouldn't turn for him and he was struggling with it big time. On the other side of the garage Aaron Slight was getting the job done and getting top results. About 5 races in Foggy said they finally cracked the setup by raising the ride height by around 20mm or some extraordinary amount, so it was the same as Slighty's bike. I thought when I read this, how can you be in that situation with the handling and be parked in the same garage and not see the obvious setup differences between someone who's getting results and yourself. You can see that kind of ride height difference from 50M away. You need to be studying your adversaries and learning from the faster ones even as a factory rider. Interestingly another thing is physical strength, I'm sure part and only part of the reason Rossi became so uncompetitive in the last 4 or 5 years was he just didn't have the upper body strength necessary. I saw a recent shot of him and Marquez on holidays posing for a photo together in their swimmers. One looks like a body builder and one looks like a marathon runner. Not sure you can get away with that lack of upper body mass and strength anymore either. Too many riders get to factory level and look for the edge in the bike and setup with a whole team focused on your particular needs and forget most of the gains at that level are still in the hands of the rider and his ability to adapt and learn and stay mentally focused. Ciao

Mick Doohan was just an animal on a race track. I'd love to see Jack do well but I don't see him riding a works Ducati next season. Too many young fast guys in the Ducati stable and Jack like the majority seems to lack that last 1/2% needed to be a superstar and that's all that separates all of them these days. I always use this as an explanation. The average race track lap is around 100 seconds give or take and with .4 of a second covering the first 5 rows these days that means the guy in 15th position on the grid with basically no chance of getting on the podium is less than 1/2% slower than the pole man and the other guys further up the grid are obviously even less than that. There's not much margin between podium placer and also ran these days. Millers biggest issue is tyre preservation. All these guys can lay down a lap time and Miller better than most at dragging out a quick one off lap but the the real skill is in maintaining your speed and managing tyres come race day. No good having a bike setting that gets you onto the front row which you can't use during the race because it's too aggressive a set up for the tyres and then losing your speed advantage from qualifying because you can't produce the race speed with a race setup. In other word you need to be fast with the qualifying setting and also with the race/tyre preservation setting. I worry that Miller doesn't have the "adaptability" in his style to take the final step. He seems to be more an "instinct" rider and that takes you to 99.7% not 100% where you need to be. He should look at some of the images taken of himself and Pecco at the same corners and the vast differences in their body positioning on the bike if he wants to eek out another little bit. Peccos fast and preserves the tyres so Miller might want to study and adapt his riding position to someone on the same equipment that's obviously got an advantage over him. Having said all of that nothings from this coming season would surprise me and I wouldn't dare make any sort of predictions. Ciao