JRD

Better yet, drop it off at my house, I promise to ride it at least once a day down here in Florida all winter to keep the battery charged up for you. Jerry

Geeze I forgot all about the Ventura rack system. I have one installed on my Aprilia and love it. When I don't have the rack on the bike I have the grab rail installed which really comes in handy when I am just moving the bike around the garage or don't feel the need to secure any items. If I am out for a day trip I install the rack so I can bungy a jacket or small items, although you can certainly secure a medium size duffle bag. I thought the price for the Ventura rack was very reasonable as the fit and finish is top quality and the directions were easy to understand. Photos of my Aprilia with the grab rail installed can be seen in the Southern Spine Raid thread. Good luck!

I have an '02 LM and just love the versatility of these bikes. I have both a set of H/B 40L hard bags and also a Nelson Rigg loop/tail bag similar to Scuds. In addition I have an expandable tank bag I can use in combination with either the tail or hard bags. When I planned on riding for a more extended trip I installed the hard bags and tank bag. It only takes 15-20 minutes to install or remove the H/B racks. I had the rain gear and other items I may need quick access to, (camera, tools, face cloth), in the tank bag. Extra shirts, pants, shoes and shave kit were in small gym type bags inside the hard bags. Disadvantage of the hard bags and racks is the staggering heart stopping price! I was extremely fortunate to scored a set of bags off fleabay for a decent price and used set of mounting brackets from Forum member Bill Hagen. I still own him that 750ml bottle of his favorite beverage. The tail bag held plenty of clothes for a several nights stay over in Daytona for Bike Week. An advantage of the tail bag is once removed, your bike maintains the original sport bike appearance. Just depends on how you plan on using the bike. Hope this helps. Jerry

Orson-thank you very much for taking the time and effort to post the pictures. That is a definite must do on the bucket list. I was fortunate to attend the Barber event last week and ran across a company that will have organized tours to the Manx next year. I am seriously considering it. If anyone else is interested maybe we could get a group organized.

Ah another champagne colored LM, my favorite color :-).

I'll be hitching a ride with Brad,(had the Centaro at the Five Bridges Ride). He just bought an enclosed trailer and new pick up Trying to decide whether to bring the T160 or the LeMans. I 'll text you when we get in the hood.

Docc-are you and Nic going to be there? I'll look for you

Czakky- I don't think you need to replace the gaskets but it certainly wont hurt, Im sure they have already been compressed and run thru enough heat cycles that they have probably lost all their compression and sealing ability. As for the alignment issue- you might need to remove the header and try "adjusting the bend" to get everything lined up properly. It shouldn't take much pressure. If the header isn't centered at the cylinder head it could possibly be blocking the exhaust port.

Blueboarhound-was great meeting you at the SSR. Question- where do you find all these exotic brews????!!!! Isn't there anything else to do up there in Hersey-hood so people just sit around make home brews? Enlighten us, please!!

Gee Bill funny you should mention that about throttle control. Someone else just happened to mention your riding technique concerning a certain sweeping left hander during our last outing together!!!!

The caption under that one should read---"No I am not sharing one of my mufflers just because yours decided to try and fall off!!!!".

dx- I 'll be glad to take it off your hands, shoot me a PM with your price including shipping to zip 33762. Jerry

Hi Bill- Even though I was feeling under the weather On Thursday, I left my house @04:30 and headed north on I-75. The sky was putting on quite a light show with that storm front that was moving in. I got just north of Ocala when I decided to grab a cup and check to see how bad the weather was going to be. While there a guy came in and told me he just drove down from Gainesville in a torrential downpour. Not really wanting to play tag with the cagers in a rain storm for the ten hour ride, and already feeling like crap, I decided to turn around and head for home. Always wanted to ride the Aprilia in the mountains so it was an easy choice. Drove up on Friday in in the air conditioned comfort of my little pick up truck . Turned out to be a good decision because the traffic thru Atlanta coming home on Sunday was horrendous. Overhead traffic sign said there was a seven mile traffic delay so I got off I-75 and took US19 all the way home. What a great ride, hardly any traffic and it only took a few minutes longer that the trip up.

I usually have some anxiety as a first timer going to an event that has been attended and organized by a core group for several years. As soon as I arrived and unloaded, (yes I hauled my Aprilia the 658 miles from Florida), people approached and introduced themselves making me feel as a welcomed member of the group. These guys are some of the friendliest and funny people I have ever had the good fortune to meet. The accommodations, the people, the ride, the roadside repair to a certain bike, all combined to make it an awesome weekend. Outstanding job Docc! Already making plans to attend next year.

Fotog-I saw those advertised on Amazon and seriously considered it, very simple design and operation. Decided to check with another local dealer before I ordered one and found the Kuryakyn Throttle Assist for $35.00. Took about 15 minutes to install and adjust. Plus, sales person advised if Im not happy with the I can return for refund. If this one doesn't work out I will try the one on your bike. Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Foto- Awesome video, thanks so much for posting! Especially the wild life. Having had a buffalo walk up next to the "95 Mustang convertible I was driving, I cant imagine how intimidated and vulnerable you must have felt having one step right in front of you and check out your ride. Thanks again, great job- Jerry

Thanks guys, I have never seen that one before

Getting the bike ready for the trip up to the Southern Spine Raid and wondering what throttle lock/cruise control unit other members are using. I tried one of the $22.00 plastic jobs from Cycle Gear but it would not fit around the throttle housing. Any recommendations and comments appreciated. Jerry

Does anyone else from the monsoon drenched sunshine state plan on attending? Maybe we could meet up somewhere along the way to keep each other awake.

Those 8,000 RPM power shifts probably don't help!

Hey Bill glad to hear you and the bike are re-united. Missed you on Saturday (8/08/15) for the Guzzi Bch Bash over in Melbourne Bch. With more monsoons forecast only three of us rode over. Had a great ride over but got drenched during the first hour on the ride home. Rest of the ride was uneventful and my bike ran great, cant thank you enough for coming over and helping me with that first tune up! Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Czakky- your going to need something with snow treads where you are headed.

Chamberlin- What a wonderful looking, all purpose bike!!! Piaggio should sit up and take notice on this one. I am all for having one bike that you can use for short around town trips, standard/ naked or put a set of bags and fairing on and use for extended trips and serious touring. Your bike would certainly fill a nitche market. Not everyone wants or needs a heavy cruiser like the Cali, or like the style of the Stelvio. Im not trying to criticize either of those bikes as they are both great for their designed purposes but they just don't do anything for me. I have often wondered why Moto Guzzi hasn't done exactly what you have, made the Norge available with or without the fairing and bags. Give the customer more of a choice. Great job!!!!!!!

that was another point I was not required to day with Keyboard. LowRyter, were you required to tie your bikes down yourself or did the shipping company do that? Czakky- when you get a chance go to the AF-1/Aprilia Forum. Check their general discussion section for literally dozens of comments and referrals for shipping companies.

Docc- I cant recall exactly how they actually charged as I called and talked to over half dozen different companies. What I learned was some of these companies are just clearing houses. They do the advertising and refer your request to the trucking company. The trucking company will then contact you for the pick up and delivery dates with the referral fee added on . Several companies required you to drop off and pick up your bike at a designated terminal. I also learned that if you read the small print many of these companies have the country divided into several "zones" and you are charged the fee for transporting from one zone to the next. An additional "fuel surcharge" is added on to the final fee depending on how many zones your bike is transported. And worst of all, some companies allow just about anyone with a pick up truck haul your bike. One photo showed a guy arriving with a pick up truck and a gutted camper trailer to haul a customers bike. Like I said before, Keyboard quoted me one price, no fuel surcharges, and had great insurance coverage. They had door to door pick up and delivery, contacted me when they picked up the bike from the seller, called me twice to confirm delivery time and date and had the bike securely anchored in transport. I could have saved maybe $50-$75.00 with another company but I was totally satisfied with no qualms about recommending them.