PJPR01

Ci vediamo nel anno 2022...forza Italia! Let's hope by then, things have finally settled down, and overseas adventures can begin again!

I like to wear vivid blue and red these days for my jackets, pants are either light grey, khaki green or black if in full armored gear, also have a medium grey jacket...but that combination is hard to see in the evening hours, which is why on long day trips, I try to wrap up by no later than sunset to get off the road, recover and relax, especially after 400 or 500 miles. Next time I'm up for a helmet refresh, will change out the black to a blue or red also... The other combination I've tried recently on these unusually dry days here in Houston (40-50% humidity vs. the normal 90% plus) that I like are long sleeved, UV protected dry fit material fishing shirts, and I put them on wet under the mesh jacket...that provides a nice A/C like effect that keeps me cool, then pour water on every stop. I think I might try leaving one in the freezer overnight and see how that feels too!

I remember living in Phoenix for 2 years back in 1993-1995, a memorable summer of 118 for 3 days straight seems positively cool by comparison to the heat waves you guys have had this year with days above 120F. That's just not humane anymore when it gets down to 100F at night as the cool spot! When golf tee times at 5 am are the most popular of the day...something is wrong! One thing I did enjoy in Phoenix/Scottsdale are those misting systems around everywhere outside you can walk near shops/restaurants. Riding thru Texas, New Mexico and Colorado in mid Summer on a trip to the Guzzi Nat'l Rally in John Day, we were going thru 3 full 3 liter camelbacks per day just to stay hydrated (partial Gatorade, no sugar mixed with ice and water to keep some electrolytes, or at times with Noom tablets)...just brutal riding conditions...but using the full non mesh jacket instead of the mesh helped a lot along with the other tricks posted above. Good post on Heat Stroke vs. Heat Exhaustion above...

A bottle of cold water poured over your neck, front and back every 1/2 hour...wearing moisture wicking materials. A bandana around the neck also soaked in ice water every 1/2 hour A skull cap also soaked in ice water that goes on inside your helmet, provides a huge cooling effect on the head, eliminating heat stroke possibilities A camelback filled with ice as mentioned above, refilling very often and drinking. Vented jackets above 90F work worse than unvented jackets....you're just frying from the blow dryer effect. Drink, drink and drink more...as they say...if you're not peeing, you're dehydrated! Riding here in Texas is perfectly safe if you follow the above...but the heat stroke is real and can catch you...seen plenty of folks passed out under the shade of a tree for lack of hydration.

That looks like a great lunch spot Docc! Looks like I got lucky...and secured the last room at the lodge, had a nice chat with Walt yesterday, so I'm booked the 10th/11th at Tellico lodge, with a departure on the 12th to meander back to Houston by the 14th. I notice that there is a nice bakery in town called Tellico Grains, looks like a must visit place as well for a breakfast or lunch spot. I'm guessing prior Spine raiders/riders have been there and can suggest the tastiest options! As tempted as I am to ride the Scura, it's a long haul from Houston, so 95% chances are that I'll be on the Norge. Sounds like I need to pack some Loctite to avoid pilfering of valuable parts...although I suspect there's not a whole lot of interchangeability as I look at the fleet in the garage other than tires, but for now I'll keep the Griso in between the Norge and the Scura to prevent any feelings of jealousy from cropping up before the trek out east. Hoping for nice weather, riding conditions in that part of the country look wonderful with plenty of interesting sights to see along the way.

Coming from Houston to ride the area in the first two weeks of Sept, If I were to show up on my Norge and not the Scura, would I be allowed to park the bike in the same building as the V11’s? Are there any rooms left for the Spine raid?

Scuras and more Scuras!! Music to my ears!! I’m open to suggestions on the pipes…the La Franconis sound good but is there a step up in sound from another brand? School me on pipes please!! Was lucky to see the Stones two years ago here in Houston…the day after Mick’s 76th birthday I think it was…what a show!

Super nice day for a ride on the Scura in the forest and surrounding areas…with a nice stop for cool drinks at the Classic Rock cafe to visit Cash and Mick! Had to celebrate the good news that the Stones are back on tour again and coming soon…with the last show at COTA in Austin! Still have tickets so it’s a go!

The V11 is the most "intuitive" bike in the fleet, requires no thinking, just feeling. It's about as close to a point and shoot bike I've ever had...and falls very naturally into tight turns or long sweepers. Like golf, I like to ride by feel, once you have a comfortable riding position...over thinking leads to over correction while riding. It's the difference between playing golf and trying to correct your swing on the golf course, and leads to twitchy performance. I saw your bike at MPH a few weeks ago when dropping off my Norge for a few maintenance items after the Cedar Vale rally, and it's a beauty. The only thing I would suggest is make sure you're on fresh tires...Pilot Road 2's sound old...I've been running Pilot Road 4's on my Norge, Griso and Scura for years now, and they are by far the best tire for dry or wet conditions...absolutely confidence inspiring, no matter how far you lean in. Riding I-10 for 160 miles... might I suggest you veer off the interstate, go thru Brookshire, Cat Spring, Fayetteville (stop for pie at Orsak's cafe), hit Columbus, head to Hruska's for a coffee, and then take the backroad to Lockhart, stop for BBQ at Blacks, and then head up to Luckenbach and surrounding areas. Plenty of roads to scrub all sides of the tires and MUCH more enjoyable than droning down I-10.

Lovely bike...it would make a nice cousin to my Scura...alas, it's not meant to be. Quick question on your rear rack...was it anodized or painted? I've got the same rack in stock aluminum, but seeing it black convinces me that's the right way to go. Thanks!

Fuel filter ever been replaced?

I’ve decided to let Mike and Davey at MPH take a look just to make sure I’m not overlooking anything...but no leaks on the exhaust and the baffling noise completely went away with this adjustment...unless there is something else I have missed. The bike ran great for the last 300 miles when I made the adjustment, got my mileage back, power back, all normal. a little bizarre I admit...we’ll see if they find anything else...I’ve never had a pipe’s exhaust burn a hole in the pannier before so we’re in uncharted territory!

Thanks John...yes indeed. Figured out after all of the suggestions that the problem wasn’t the muffler per se but I was running a little restricted on the right side. Halfway thru the return trip I adjusted the air bleed screw by a bit on the right hand side throttle body and all of a sudden the bikes mileage and response came back to normal. No baffle sound, normal heat, smooth acceleration, no longer felt like it was restricted or breathing hard. Will get it on Guzzidiag in a few weeks when I’m back from Colorado and go thru it thoroughly to see if anything else popped up. After that adjustment the ride back was just perfect... but the hardest part of the whole trip was the crazy wind...I got seriously wind burnt after 1400 miles...just crazy. Felt like I was wearing out tires while riding straight as often times I was leaned over quite a bit against the wind. was great to see you again, enjoyed our fire side chats!!

Found this today also randomly browsing....well put together!

So this is on Huzo's Norge I presume based on the CARC description, and not something to be worried about on the V11...am I right? Given Huzo has close to 200K km on his bike, I'm hoping that mine at a paltry 65K km so far should be fine, no unplaced sounds or any indication of a problem so far, but will bookmark this reminder! Thanks!

Precisely...I haven't even attempted to do it again. I just use my memory now...to track mileage.

Moto Inspections cost a whopping $7 bucks in Houston...MPH did my inspections for years but any car place can do them as well. Sometimes where I take my cars they don’t even charge me for the 3 Guzzi inspections

Well...in that case, we shall have to throw a welcome party Docc and have a proper escort at the Texas / Louisiana line! My suggestion wasn't to prescribe anything specific, other than some OTC pain killers as I sure as hell can imagine the kink in the neck after a few hundred miles on an unfamiliar bike in a new riding position... Anyway...by all means disregard the suggestion if it causes any harm, just speaking from experience here...

...and a pocketful of Advils as well as preventative (take them before you start to hurt), and plenty of hydration. Personally, I would avoid I-10 as much as possible and go on parallel highways. First thing I'd look at would be the tires too, and check their pressure AND age (so maybe bring a small plug kit and mini air compressor that hooks up to a cigarette lighter with you as well), and possibly a mini Lithium jump starter.

No...but you're going to need reasonably good abdominals and back muscles so that you can support yourself in that riding position comfortably...if ever there were a bike that encourages "core" muscle development, it's the V11 Variant.

You're looking far too happy there John! Surely you're not drinking that fine Macallan out of a King Henry VIII coffee cup!

Ok...good to hear. Boots are definitely out then. I have a practically brand new Nolan XL that might interest you (not modular), and if it fits, it's yours for a coffee and pastry at Fellinis and a small donation to the site here. The guy who owned it (also Guzzisti, passed away a couple years ago) wore it two or 3 times and he also wore glasses....It's as if it were brand new. Can send pics if you are interested. Spring Valley - got it! I lived in Spring Branch less than 1/4 mile away from Spring Valley for about 5 years, still have my house down there, but we live now on the NW side again. (Bingle/Westview area). By the way, I presume you know that MPH (Park Row and I-10) is where you can still get great service help for your Guzzi - I presume you're familiar with Mike Haven's long history as one of the best Guzzi dealers in the U.S., but if not, he's just down the highway from you for any service or parts needs, even though he doesn't sell new bikes anymore. Davey is the mechanic who works on Guzzis now at MPH. Hope the fly and ride goes well! A few other Guzzisti live out towards Katy, when we ride out to Brookshire or Fayetteville, we'll rope in those guys to join us from time to time. P.D. Down in Texas, note that it's Yee Haw, rather than Yee-Haa! These are important cultural nuances, as I'm sure you know! (I'm a Californian, living in Texas for more than 23 years now! Ci vediamo pronto as they say...

To be fair, it's only hot and humid here in Houston during the summer months, which is why you'll likely need to have gear for summer (lighter weight or mesh) vs. gear that works the rest of the year or can be used with layers. Anywhere else in Texas will be hot, but much less humidity once you get away from the coast a bit. If you're looking for good brands to try, you can find lots of good gear on Ebay also, whether that's Fieldsheer, Kathmandu style jackets, Aerostitch, Joe Rocket, Alpinestar or Klim gear. Best way would be to figure out if you're sticking to a budget. Depending on what size gear you wear or helmet, I have some very lightly used extra boots (I think size 10.5, will check) and practically brand new helmet (Nolan in XL) that a friend of mine no longer uses and they are too big for my use. If those are in your sizes, happy to have you take a look. Occasionally also on Wildguzzi a fellow by the name of Bikelee has very good deals pop up on high quality gear, I've bought a few of his items...impeccable, very lightly used high quality Aerostitch items. You can also look online for gear thru many online motorcycle vendors...tons of gear available at reasonable prices. Depending on where you are in Houston, let me know and can arrange to show you the gear. Once you get your bike in your hands and are comfortable riding again, there are several of us Guzzisti who go out regularly for weekend rides/coffee/lunch. Hopefully in 2021, the rallies will resume as well, there's the GRIT rally (you can also sign up on Facebook for the GRIT - Guzzi Riders in Texas) site, where we post up if we're doing a lunch somewhere around the state. October is when the Texas GRIT rally occurs, also the Oklahoma rally (Talihina state park) and then there's Cedar Vale Kansas in May, Louisiana rally, New Mexico rally etc...) So if you can get your V11 and self into a comfortable touring condition, those are fun events to meet other Guzzisti. Cheers, Paul

Thanks Footgoose! Nice history there! Indeed...I just did a major garage overhaul (sealing the floor, painting the walls and installing some overhead racks) and now going thru a few hidden pockets of items, I may even find a few more "goodies" to offer up...although some of them will be for other Guzzis not just V11's. Happy to help these items find a good home for items I am sure I won't use. Cheers and Merry Xmas all!

I've got a set of the original Scura lollipop mirrors in case anyone wants one or the pair. Small donation to the forum requested and you cover postage and they are yours. Thanks, Paul