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I've been fairly lucky with Harper's in the past, and if they didn't have something they would let me know within a week. I think we're lucky to even have a Guzzi retro part store at all...

A nicely illustrated ride Bill. One day I’ll tag along for the riding as well as the mutton.

Honestly, I found this a lot better to listen to and much easier on the eyes . . .

Wholeheartedly agree, I only made it through about half way and had to get up to have a shit.........

WARNING! if you detest “TLDR,” skim & scan … or just run away now. Paid by the word for 50+ years, I won’t change those spots any time soon. Oh, and I am also a Luddite WRT getting the fonts here right when I cut & paste as I have here from ADVRider where I first posted this earlier today in a V-85 thread. Apologoies. Feel free, Docc, to make it all "prettier." =============== Twice a year, I and others ride to Daviess County in western Kentucky. Why? Mutton. Yes, that’s an acquired taste that not everyone even wants to acquire … but it’s acquired me. But, of course, there’s more to it than that. The paternal “Hagan” contributors of my DNA started off in 1662 in St. Mary’s City, Maryland. In the late 1700’s, when Catholics were no longer welcome in Maryland, Hagans were part of the migration of 200 Catholic families to Kentucky, traveling first by foot and then flatboat to what is now Maysville, Kentucky — then Limestone, Virginia. Led, BTW, by Basil Hayden, they went on from there to settle for a time in central Kentucky south of Bardstown. If you enjoy bourbon whiskey, thank “My People.” If Protestants had settled there instead, Maker’s Mark might be a brand of iced tea. Be that as it may, they moved again in the 1820’s to the better dirt in Daviess County, where their descendants — i.e., many of my Hagan family — still live today. Their church, St. Mary of the Woods, in Whitesville, Ky., was established 177 years ago. Parish picnics started soon thereafter, and mutton has been the common, delicious denominator. I clearly remember the first such picnic I attended in the mid-1950’s. But this post is about the latest such gathering, from where I, Kathi, and two friends just returned earlier this week. Scott (Lima, Ohio) and AJ, (Baltimore, Md.) both longtime Guzzisti, and I rode from the Moto Grappa in Cross Junction, Va., to Whitesville. We took three days, riding exclusively on interstitial backroads. [I only learned that word, “interstitial,” yesterday — thanks, @Pillionviewpoint — and am excited to use it!] Seriously, it was a grand trip. The roads between here and there are made for motorcycles. We even travelled on many — e.g., U.S. 62, a twisty challenge, especially between Maysville and Bardstown — that my hardscrabble tobacco-farming (and distilling! ) ancestors would have used, albeit much more slowly. A six-mile blacktop hypotenuse off of 62 — SR 1504 — between Mount Olivet and Oddville (seriously) is one of the most entertaining pieces of pavement on this grand planet. And, in Ohio, we serendipitously stumbled upon — code for “lost” — SR 348 between Lucasville and Blue Creek, a 25-mile collection of scenic sweepers and a surprise whiskbroom or two to keep you on your toes. My ever-indulgent wife, Kathi, has been to many of these picnics as a pillion and, in this instance, driver of our “support vehicle.” She took only a day to join us in Maysville, and, on the return, be with me at Mount Sterling, Ky., before heading home solo. For some context to the slideshow, below, on Day 1 of the outbound leg, we spent some time with Guzzista @Chethro in Ripley, W.V. [Thanks, Chet] And, on Day 3, we stopped in to visit the Ky. Guzzi Rally near Frankfort. On the return, Kathi and I went to Mount Sterling, where I had arranged to have www.gatewaycycles.com/ do the 6.2K service to my V85. I bought my V85 there on my return last June. I cannot say enough good things about this dealership. Carl, the owner, is an avid Guzzista who went out of his way to ensure that the service would be done without delaying my ride home. For example, though closed on Mondays, he and "Super Tech" Coty, made the service happen that evening so I could leave early the next morning! Enough background. Here are the culled pix (bit still lots) in a slideshow with captions. The link opens in “landscape collage” format, so you can see all at a glance without slogging through one by one unless you want to do that. Hover your curser over any pic to see the caption. [For maddening reasons I do not completely understand, the captions “disappear” if one enlarges the pix and goes through them. On “pure” slideshow, i.e., automatic switching to next slide, the captions continue to appear, but the pace is quick. Keeping the cursor in the “caption area” seems to help if going through manually. As I said, maddening. If anyone knows the code to make it more seamless, please tell me.] The pix? Go here: https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Moto-Muttoneers-Sept-2023/n-LxVRBJ/ Bill P.S. in the (exceedingly unlikely!) case, you yearn for more tales of Mutton Runs, try these: https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Motos-Mutton-More-Less/n-HnchJc/ https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Muttoneering-Sept-2021/n-VzxTGK/ https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Mutton-Running-May-2018/n-dHftGV/

Curtis has an analog era motorcycle shop, & thank God he does. I’ve had friends that ordered parts from an Italian manufacturer and he never got the order filled. But he has sold me oil gaskets & maintenance items with no problem. He also found a new old stock mud guard upstairs for my 01 Rosso, for cheaper than the scratched up salvage yard price.

Hey, Call Curtis...that always yields the best results for me. Art

(A Little Bit) "Out of Control " . . .

I like anything with a Banjo

The museum was the best part of the video.

This has certainly been my experience. After using aggressive HH front pads (along with my characteristic Jackrabbit-on-hot-lava riding style ), my front rotors reached minimum thickness at an embarrassing 50,000 miles/ 80.500 km. (The replacements are at 82,500 miles now and holding up fine.) I learned to use pads spec'd for the Brembo rotors (FF, GF, or GG) and also changed my service by restoring the piston movement at fluid changes, and my rear rotor made 114,000 miles/185.000 km before reaching minimum thickness. Seriously YMMV . . .

Thank you for telling about Teo Lamers. Now that museum/collection makes sense!

Thought I had a pic in there of Moonlite. I have to say that for years I was an Old Hickory fan over Moonlite. The last several times we've been there, I've found the mutton less than I had remembered. This was a shorter visit than most, so we didn't have time. Will give OH another try next May if not sooner. Another option we'll try again is olesouthbbq.com/. The BEST mutton -- by far, IMO -- is that at St. Mary's Sure, some of that is parish pride. That said, of the many church picnics in the artea, I think that ONLY St. Mary's doesn't parboil the meat before grilling over a slow fire. Many restaurants that claim to be BBQ specialists do that, too. Have you tried the Green River bourbon yet? Bill P.S. Am working (yes, finally) on the pix of SSR XIX.

The most important is that we feel alive....

It’s always a bit of a hit or miss with Harper’s. Their website is non-functional for the most part despite Curtis repeated claims of upgrading it over the years. Otherwise Harper’s is a great vendor that can sometimes get you parts you cannot find anywhere else. Best way to deal with them is to get Curtis on the phone before you place an order. Edit/PS: I do not know what is currently going on with Harper’s but being an old school family business they have had some hiccups in their service in the past. Good luck with your order!

cheers for your write-up on the gearbox phil- got me thru it. It was only after i re-re-read it that i realised i should’ve draw-filed the bearing surfaces- i polished them but probably put a slight radius on them. Working bloody lovely though now 🙂. Makes me appreciate the v11 setup as when it’s good it’s very good. I got a vfr400 this year and the action thru the box is no comparison. Which i wouldn’t have expected as when i saw inside the v11 guts it looked so… agricultural?