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Thanks for sharing your plan and trip with us, @Biglangster! Some great advice, here, already. I opened your pics in Dropbox, right clicked on the image for menu, and selected "Copy Image Link", paste into the reply box and, hey: A very nice late model black LeMans!

Ooohhh... I see a Black LeMans in your dropbox links. Well done. I notice the Hepco Becker racks in the pictures. Does the bike come with all three hard cases? Those could come in handy on a long trip. I've found that a tank bag can give a little relief on a long ride - like a pillow on the tank. One thing to consider is the age of the tires. You might be safer with a set of new shoes before you take off on that long trip. Re the Utah to California route... Unless you really want to go to Las Vegas, it seems you have chosen a long route with a lot of Interstate. Consider going through central Nevada instead. I camped at Great Basin National Park once and loved it. From there it's less than 400 miles to Lee Vining (including the fabulous route 120 from Benton to 395 by Mono Lake). Depending on the route, you might need to carry a gallon of gas (ride 50 miles then top off the tank). Central Nevada would likely be very nice at that time - and almost certainly cooler than going through the Mojave desert.

Howdy folks! I was told by one of the members on here that I should make a little "blog" about my upcoming trip so here ya go! My son is moving back to Indiana and I offered to go along on his road trip, meanwhile as his move was being planned I got ahold of an old friend about a bike he had for sale and that I had interest in picking up the bike and riding it back to California. The story on he bike: The bike originally belonged to a dear old riding buddy and I even remember when he bought it "with a credit card" from Tipton Hardware, Moto Guzzi, and Red Wing Boots dealer. haha We moved back to Cali in 2011 and he passed away shortly thereafter. A mutual friend bought the bike from his sister as a memento and has probably only put 1k miles on it over the last 10 years. Now it's my turn to take over the "memento". The trip back: I plan on leaving Sept 14th from Northern Indiana down the 55 to hwy 36 thru Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and into Colorado. Then I'll take the 70 to the 15 in Utah into Nevada, once I hit Cali I'll take 395 north to hwy 108 back home to Copperopolis. I plan on doing approx 500 miles a day and giving myself 6 days if needed to return. If anyone has any cool camping spots or roadside attractions to check out along the way please let me know. I'll try and do a daily update to this post. Thanks, Langley

That’s going to be a wonderful trip but I think your neck may protest after the first few hours…unless the riding position is more upright? Does the bike have clipons or a more upright setup? if you can swing it, try to get in as much of Colorado as you can off the interstate, the roads are much more fun than I-70 although that is a scenic ride as far as interstates go! Taking any spare valve cover gaskets, tire plug kit or air compressor just in case? Fresh set of plugs installed before leaving?

The bike has the side boxes and I'm taking the top case from my Ducati. I also have a tank bag. I may consider your route as well.

Yep, she has a fresh tune up and new tires. Oh and a spare shift spring from Scud

Yeah the forum is going to be a learning curve for me. Haha I'm a telephone lineman, I can build you the internet, but I really don't try and use it. 🤣

That sounds like a great adventure. Heartwarming to read the backstory on the bike, nice to hear it ended up in your caring hands. Your bike is almost identical to mine, glad to hear you've got new tires on it. When I got mine the tires looked brand new, but the date code was 17 yrs old. If you pack a couple of good relays in with that shift spring, you'll probably never need them, lol. My experience with the 1064 cc engine FI engine is that the regular fibre valve cover gaskets will always eventually fail,,, usually at the worst time as I recently found out far away from home on my CalVin. Subject to verification because I just checked quick to grab you a link, but these are the metal reinforced valve cover gaskets made by Valpolini, they eliminate a potential problem, especially on a road trip,fwiw, fyi. https://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4634 Anxious to read your thoughts and impressions as you get to know your new bike. Wishing you fair weather and a safe ride home. Tks for sharing and taking us along for the ride.

Good luck..Do you normally ride long ride alot of back to back long rides? 500 per day is certainly doable but it seems like a lot 5 days in a row on a new to you bike. Don't push yourself too hard, smell the roses..:-). Have a safe and enjoyable trip!

Seriously, I've seen riders leave Tellico at 86ºF ("feels like" 90º) and encounter the morning fog/afternoon rain at The Divide (over a mile above sea level) and discover "feels like" 49ºF in their cotton clothes, wet, at speed. Up in those mountains, where we paddle the "white water", there is a (hypothermia) phrase: "Cotton Kills." > Knowledge is Power < (jus' sayin')

So exciting, thanks for sharing and congrats on your new bike! I agree with the others, that's a lot of miles in one day, x5! I know myself couldn't or wouldn't do it, on any bike. Even in a car, any more than 6 hours and I'm drained. Please bring precautions like valve cover gaskets, plugs, check tires date codes, etc. Please be careful! Post throughout the trip, so your forum brothers won't worry too much! God bless.

I don't know if anyone here watches Colbert but I really like the band. You might know that John Baptiste has left and Louis Cato is the leader. Anyway, the Late Show band was playing this (Buddy Miles "Them Changes") during one of the breaks

I normally do 3-400, and I agree it's going to be a lot. I figure it's 8 hours in the saddle and I'm going to try and break it up as best I can.

As a willing audience, I would have whipped out my "mille lire " without even looking around!

Hi-resolution forecast models are coming into range. I see Saturday, up on the Cherohala, 61-67ºF. With morning fog and rain later. Subtract "wind chill factor" at speed. > What does this mean to me < . . . Leaving Middle Tennessee after three months of record temps and heat indices, it is hard to add "layers" and winter gloves to the load out. But: Been there. Done that. Consider it done . . . Actual temps on the Cherohala can be 10-15º below the Tellico Plains temps. And "Feels Like " temps even lower, especially if we get wet . . .

And for full enjoyment it’s best to assemble and fill with oil, then find the wee circlip when you’re tidying up. Then, for extra magic ace-ness, assemble again, fill with oil again, then find out that you’ve nudged the eccentric out of whack. Can’t beat doing it a few times to really get speedy at doing it 😀

https://www.leccotoday.it/attualita/mandello-guzzi-iniziato-moto-raduno-lago-centenario-.html

Docc, This year going to be the SpineRainer's Rally?

The fact each of you are from very different and far away places is fantastic! Thank you! @PJPR01 @MartyNZ @Tomchri I appreciate your suggestions, but you misunderstand. It fires on starter fluid, and will run only as long as it is being sprayed. At no time does it continue to run after the fluid stops being sprayed. Thus, it's a fuel problem. This weekend I plan to crank it with the injectors removed, but hooked-up. I hope to see fuel being squirt from each. Then, I will pull each plug to confirm spark. This will help confirm a few details.

What he said... "The single biggest improvement you can make to the shift action of your V11 is to lengthen the shift lever arm and incorporate a neweye end mount hole 12mm ctr to ctr from the original upper hole."

Gonna miss you, for sure. And RaiderBill. Tell him "hello" from the SpineRaid crowd!

Life drama is keeping me close to home this week. Will miss you guys. I'll have to wait for the next installment of "Lifestyles of the Cheap and Restless" and settle for whiskey dreams and beaver nugget wishes I suppose. Rain in the clouds ain't so bad if you have an Aerostich (or comparable) and an anti fog visor/lens. 28 N out of Franklin is not a great road for rain riding. jussayin. Have fun gents.

Yes, it does. It plays better to the audience.

"Gotta love that instant she looks down and declares, "OH! La benzina !! " " Wasn't that before Guzzis had a fuel gauge? They would merely start to sputter, so you'd know to turn the petcock to the reserve tank. So there was nothing for her to glance down at, and exclaim. I could be wrong.....

Ah ha! Of course! 😬 Thanks man, I have a koso combined clock that only has one warning lamp. I had decided to wire it up to the oil warning rather than the battery warning. So naturally i was not warned when my reg failed haha. I think i’ll pop a lamp somewhere to wire it up to. For me, every day is an eleckrickity-learning day.

Computer and cables

For your viewing and listening pleasure...

The V7 is ready ... sans the too much stuff I think I can pack on it -- but sure glad launch is tomorrow, not today! Bill

If the shift plate must come off for the new, improved SuperSpring, @dowieze, definitely apply @Lucky Phil's deft methods to the internal shift mechanism:

What a travesty. For one, docc doesn't "kick [people] off the board." I suppose the more considerable concern for us, as a small community, is our "tone" or general decorum. This is as grumpy a thread I've seen in a long, long time. Over what? Brakes? "Delivery?" Some perceived slight to one's knowledge or contribution? FWIW, I was learning a little more and more all along the discussion. Until it got unnecessarily "personal."

COOL! The first round is on me.

Bled brakes and changed fluid yesterday. Caliper fine. Goes rhonk rhonk rhonk (warped brake rotor noises). Piston stuck some last year and I think it's catching up with it. I can still ride, not an issue. Just annoying hearing Rhonk Rhonk Rhonk.

If anyone has a spare rear brake rotor I could use it. Mine warped a little on the way here.