PJPR01

Nics pics and trip! Zion is beautiful...a magical place. The Scura looks right at home in the red rocks... Next stops: Beartooth and Glacier (Going to the Sun)!

That burgundy color is a stunner...really nice...at one point, I wanted to paint my silver Norge a Burgundy....and also used a House of Kolor palette to find something close...more like a Black Cherry. But I wouldn't change the overall color on your bike Blight, it looks really nice.

Nice pic John...one of my favorite places no doubt! Scud...great riding there...keeping the revs up...I would say that yellow line looked dotted to me too! Nice road to play on!

Moto Skiveez are specifically designed for Moto riders - basically a bike short with padding in the right places. Add some Monkey Butt powder for extra comfort! AirHawk (properly inflated) and / or thin Sheepskin on top Cover it all with a King of Fleece water proof seat cover and you've got all day riding comfort... Layers help and you can adjust where the pressure points are to relieve some of the pain that arises after time on the stock seat. of course, flexing the gluteals while riding also helps...just squeeze and pucker and that takes some of the tension away!

Watching the bidding action here Swoosh! Are you going to go for it perhaps?

Perfect description, it's the reason many of us have multiple cars and motorcycles...each one has a unique personality and feeling. Thankfully there's enough room to accommodate all of the toys...now I'm drooling over that Coppa Italia! A friend of mine here in Houston, Texas had one and sold it a couple of years ago...pity I wasn't ready to buy at the time, I should have snapped it up!

Norge + Scura in the garage makes for a wonderful combination - two very different bikes, both equally enjoyable in their own right!

Indeed on the mesh. I'm relying on Mike's magical Guzzi connections - leaving it in his capable hands. I'm not 100% sure it's a RAM vs. another single plate original Guzzi clutch from a different model, or if RAM made other single plates for other models...but once I know more details, happy to share the source as well! Hoping to see it before it goes in so I can learn a bit about the difference between the two of them, my main concern was also that clutch lever pressure and shifting sensation be equal/equivalent to what I have today, and he's assured me it will be. If not...back to the drawing board!

The Scuzzi Scura is currently in the loving hands of Mike at MPH at his home shop, doing a few of the upgrades recommended here: Roper Plate install Single Plate steel clutch replacement (going to keep the original aluminum one in case anyone wants it, might even do a die crack test to see what sort of condition it's truly in) Upgrade the ground wiring on the regulator A few other small tweaks (grease head bearings and ujoints Had it out for a wonderful ride on the weekend with a few folks dropping by MPH for a morning visit, and it's purring like a big cat, will make me feel better to have the "Chuck recommended list of upgrades" and Scud's "ticking time bomb" taken care of so I can start racking up the miles. Farkled it up a bit with some matching gold/Rizoma colored shifters and added some brand new Aprilia/Guzzi mirrors to replace the lollipop ones, as I decided that I prefer the mirrors a bit higher than the bar end Napoleon position way down low - coolness factor vs. practicality! Still thinking about maybe springing for the Ghezzi CF chin fairing...will see! Since I'm Scura-less for a couple of weeks, the Norge will get some more mileage added to it..it's been complaining since Cedar Vale that it hasn't been ridden much! Now the question for the weekend: Mesh or Solid jacket with 75 low, 90 high, no rain in the forecast...could be 2 days of riding, I think mesh will win out!

Favorite artists: Just a few which come to mind... Robert Cray - 40 years of blending blues, pop, jazz and a little rock - outstanding performer seen live...especially at small venues BB King & Keb Mo - a little more bluesy/folksy Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young as well as separately) Dire Straits - even some of Knopfler's solo music or with Emmylou Harris Van Morrison ZZ Top (La Grange is just a 1.5 hour ride from home, so easy to visit the home of this little Texas Band!) 3 Dog Night All of Bob Marley - who doesn't enjoy him! World Music: King Sunny Ade Fatoumata Diawara - maybe the cleanest voice from Africa since Sade, perhaps the equivalent of an African Sarah Maclachlan in terms of purity of voice Tinariwen Reggaeton: Wisin y Yandel Daddy Yankee American Rap: Notorious Big Some Tupac, some Snoop Indian Rap; MC Panjabi - GREAT party music

I'm with you Scud...I had my CO at +30 and reset it to zero and it runs much much better. Smoother acceleration, much less engine braking when releasing throttle, and mileage has improved...plus no dying at idle any more after running for longer stretches. Just feels like it breathes much better...

Very nice...Take me to the River...how appropriate!!!

Sweet run!! Just out of curiosity, what kind of mileage did you get on a trip like this, if you recall? Any major differences in how the bike runs at sea level vs. up at 9k feet? I remember years ago rafting the Kern one summer in the early 80's with college buddies listening to Dire Straits "Money for Nothing" all day long, our theme song for the rafting trip! Great scenery as always!

Plus 1 on the Hydration Pack/Camelback...indispensable for all day riding when the heat is on!

Amarillo by Morning, ta da ta da! Only 586 miles away...trailer ready to go! Tempting to be sure...may have to get one of our other inmates on WildGuzzi to nab this one! Perhaps someone from Dallas!

Turns out that mesh above 93F is actually worse for you than non mesh...as you're basically driving in front of a massive hair dryer. Having ridden in those temps all day long, it's much more comfortable to ride in non mesh gear and keep hydrating and pouring cold water down the jacket on top of a shirt that allows evaporation as a cooling effect, as the dry heat just dessicates you too fast when using mesh gear. Initially it sounds a bit counter intuitive, but it's actually better for you. Putting an LD cap on and soaking it in water before putting on the helmet also provides a nice A/C device for the head to keep from cooking the noggin!

Great write up Chuck...sounds like a fun trip with good food, lodging, a few repairs and some fun roads to run! Thanks for sharing!

Super pics and adventure...that's the way to do it, nothing better than camping, riding and mountains...it's the best combination! A 5 million pound slab...that must have been a major surprise to the visitors!! Great story!

Now that's a Silver, I mean Green tongued devil of a bike there John!

Fairly admonished!

Thanks Scud...good to know...it's on my list of things to "eventually" get around to along with the Roper plate install as well. Too many hobbies and activities to get it all done quickly, but hopefully soon!

John/Scud...Mine is definitely the single plate, original clutch...prior owner had looked at it with the boroscope and showed zero signs of cracking, spidering or imminent destruction. The bike shifts cleanly, precisely...zero issues. Now...assuming that the current single plate is still in good shape, is it not normal for the OEM single plate clutch to be rattly when in neutral and disengaged, and quiet when pulled in? I see the exact opposite on my 2008 Norge dry clutch - disengaged quiet, pulled in noisy. If in fact, I'm sitting on a time bomb, then it's time for me to replace it for peace of mind for the RAM single plate... Thanks guys!

Interesting...similar issue, but my fast start also requires a hand on to keep it idling fast at warm up,...sounds like the spring should be removed, but I also "overrode" this a bit by adjusting the idle screws to a bit higher rate so at least the bike doesn't die when cold w/o the fast start engaged. On item #2...mine is super quiet when the clutch is pulled IN and you can hear the smoothness of the engine, but it's noisy and rattly when the clutch is not engaged (we're talking about the bike sitting in neutral at idle here just to be clear).

Another idea...using a stethoscope - can you tell if the noise is more towards the bottom or the top of the engine, i.e. sump vs. valves area...sometimes sound/noise travels and is deceptive on where it is originating. Hopefully it's not something as silly as a 10 m wrench wedged into the sump and getting ground down somewhere...thinking the oil change might show any filings if there were something down there already being eaten away. If I were a betting man, which I'm not...I'm sure Chuck is closer to the solution than I am...but guessing is fun anyway...maybe the combination of ideas will lead to the light bulb moment!