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Extra points, @Admin Jaap, for bringing your neighbor . . .

In recent years, these winter months turned out to be the right time to make advance reservations at The Lodge at Tellico. I know some of you dedicated Spine Raiders make your reservations when checking out the year before. FWIW, the innkeeper ordinarily doesn't grant reservations a year out. For us, he makes an exception. Which speaks volumes about the caliber and character of Spine Raiders.

Mr. Bonham really was a shit hot drummer, wasn't he? Oh, yeah, and the others weren't that bad either. I read the other day that Jimmy Page has turned 80. No, looked it up: yesterday. Hope he had a good day.

First, thank you all for fast replay. Now back to current topic I have driven V11 Ballabio and it is absolute pleasure. And love. But finding good V11 is difficult, even so close to Italy. I still didn't drive any of CARC models ... My focus is now set at finding good Norge or Breva 1200 and bring it to Sport or above standard. Mainly by suspension tweeks.

Maybe. I, personally, would go for the V11S, the last of the "real" Guzzis.

Plates should be ready this Friday but we are expecting some solid snow here in Seattle at the end of this week, so I will have to see how the roads are that day. Will keep you all posted.

So I was all set to choose between a V11 Le Mans and Ballabio; they're quite different I guess, but the Le Mans is maybe a little sportier than I would ideally choose, and the Ballabio a little more roadster than I'd like, so I would be happy with whichever I got, and the choice was going to come down to the best deal I could get. Then along comes a 2v 1200 Sport (maybe called Breva Sport where some of you reside?) to tempt me. There's also potentially a Griso 1100 in play; but if I wanted a CARC bike, the 1200 Sport seems better value and more practical. The 1200 Sport looks like best value for money on paper, and yet, and yet... the V11 just has the air of a proper old school Guzzi roadster. It just feels like the bike I would get out the garage because the sun's out. As it's a Friday I wondered if anyone would be inclined to contribute some random opinions. Maybe there's something I haven't taken into account. But let's not be too serious about this.

Do lots of research on the CARC models. Once sorted they are pretty much bulletproof but they do have a couple of Achilles heels you need to be aware of. Pay particular attention to the throttlebodies before you make your purchase and learn what to look out for that will give the game away is they have been messed around with.

YAH He and Keith Richards both turned 80 yesterday I believe....deep sigh...lol Bonham really WAS the Shit!

The two valve CARC bikes are nice, but I was not impressed when I rode a Norge. It was too soft for my tastes. I can imagine that to some it would be perfect, but for me it was too soft. Like riding a marshmallow. The V11 Sport is a sharper focused tool, along with the Griso. But the V11 Sport is likely a high water mark for Guzzi. We will see if the new V100 delivers anything comparable.

It's probably related to the catalytic converter. My Mana has very similar discolouration, it doesn't affect performance, it's just a bit unsightly.

Quota , a little quirky , get 'em sorted and they're fine . i've got 2 . , 2 mates in Italy have some . odd parts ...you just have to work eBay a bit. there were no more than 40 imported into the UK.

This picture This picture was taken over 10 years ago. The bike is gone, and so is the pretty neighbour.

Thanks, appreciate your work.

No more camping for me.... You know I camped at Marfa, this year for the tour, at El Cosmico... this was my first time since I last camped, like when I was 16? my tent was the furthest away from the sanitary. How pleasant to do the trip every three hours during the night. Under the Chihuahua desert sun, a fan is just as useful as a band-aid on a prosthetic limb. The lady staying next to me had a huge dog parked outside her tent, very keen on getting a meal supplement each time I passed, barking mad and waking up everyone in the process. El Cosmico? never again!!! If I buy that Quota, there is a huge trunk in the back. I should be able to carry a lot more equipment now.

I spoke to the seller tonight. He apologized for not answering email promptly, as he said that he was simply overwhelmed with the amount of email he was receiving daily. Not for the Quota, but he has other items that he is selling. The owner of that Quota passed away; he was a Guzzi enthusiast, and owned two Quota. The owner only sells one, if I understand properly, which is fine with me. He said that he fixed the turn indicators with duct tape, and all the electricals work as they should; his only concern would be the tires. My next step is to get there, check the bike, and return with it without breaking down. I was thinking it was going to be a walk in the park, but he said they have lower than normal temperatures in Peoria; 39 degF... Of course, I have no winter riding gear...

You just pay your registration fee (there's a thread on WildGuzzi with the information on who to send the check to for registration prior to June), the campground is one big field, so you can pitch a tent wherever you like...no shortage of space. I think if you want one of the RV sites, there's a more formal process to reserve one of those...we just showed up the last time and grabbed a few tent spots together with friends.

I don't really understand it myself. But I looked together with Mike at the Road 6 availability, and from his supplier they were out of stock. I was travelling anyway, so it would not have made a big difference. Tomorrow, I will check with Davey; I am hopeful the bike is ready.

Quota also means Altitude or Height in Italian . . .

Price for camping at the rally: Zero! For $500 bucks, might as well go to the Caribbean for a nice island vacation!

Hotel prices have gone insane following the general freeze. Besides that you no longer get room service after the initial move in, but still pay full price per night. Many hotels have also implemented the infamous Las Vegas "Resort fee" which you need to pay even if there isn't any resort. Furthermore, I tried a couple of dates on their website, and it is a two nights minimum stay.... the cheapest I found was $500, while the average was more around the $700. Three nights, and I could buy another Moto Guzzi Quota.....:-)

I found a couple of pictures in the german forum. I'll risk linking them here, as on of the posters would certainly permit it, and the other is no longer active. From the first bloke with the comment "the frame has the usual cracks", it is a Quota 1000. He also commented that the 1100 frame is "immune" to the problem. This bloke is a vehicle engineer, and very knowledgable in Guzzi lore. Not very good photos, but one can see what is meant. And this from the second bloke, apparently a Quota 1100 So I would be having a very good look at the frame in those areas. Edit PS: further reading indicates that the second bloke's problem with the 1100 may have been a one-off, but the cracks in the 1000 frame seem to be a known problem.

Column driving with EV over the mountains, good luck . Cheers Tom.

With any CARC bike there are a few things you should be aware of that will need addressing if they haven't been already, and they rarely have. Most critically on the 2V models are the swingarm bearings and shock linkage bearings which are rarely, if ever, greased properly ex-factory. By now, sixteen years on in the case of any 2V bike, the bearings will be a mass of rust unless the bike has only ever been ridden in the dry in somewhere like Arizona! While you're fixing that up is also the ideal time to dribble a tiny bit of Loctite 'Super wick-in' down onto the threads of the pinion nut in the bevelbox which will help prevent it loosening if the bearings loose their preload. The third and final thing which isn't vital but is wise is replacing the sump spacer gasket that goes between the spacer and the block with one of the thicker aftermarket gaskets as the factory ones have a habit of blowing out around the front delivery gallery diminishing oil pressure and causing big end damage. This is more prevalent on 8V's but can happen on 2V engines as well. The actual tuning of a W5AM Guzzi has been covered here before so I won't repeat it but it is vital that nobody messes with the throttlebodies unless they are fully conversant with how the system works. If you do a search for my vids on YouTube I've actually done an explanatory video on CARC bike throttlebodies which you may find useful. The TB's in the vid are a set of 50mm ones off an 8V but exactly the same principles apply to she smaller units used on the 2V bikes.

@p6x tells me if you see this V7 coming, you better hide . . .