po18guy

I'm always the last to find out, but Canadian Sue Foley tears up the blues.

Well, I think its a sin to muffle V-twins - except Harleys. The afterfire only emulates Ducati singles which had the Brevetti "Silentium" mufflers and Del'lorto carbys. "I" would have chosen different cans myself. Re-pop Dunstall "Decibel Silencers" would certainly fit the café theme. Still loud, but less obnoxious. The Euro CXs had a better frame, but I see he used the Yank style. Still, it came out far better than most of the flat seat, monster front tire hack-jobs I see. And the CX650 has some real steam. Not as quick as a V11, but not far behind, either.

Docc, here's a 650 V-twin "Tourist Trophy" Go to about 2:50 in the vid to se the morph.

The Katana 650 always looked "just right" to my eyes. Colors and shapes that flowed together. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_650_Katana

Choose the right road, you can do all three at once.

Protection is hot. Kevlar vests are hot. In the law enforcement world the expression is: "I'd rather be hot than shot." Cannot fault that.

You will soon know its effectiveness! Apparently, we have a much better relationship with the Royal Mail than with others. I have received fasteners from England to the west coast USA in 7 days. That is quicker than some domestic service.

D'oh! I have a Cortech back protector, which is great, but also insulates, Wicked. hot in the heat. Remember those old evaporative burlap bags that car drivers used in the 50s? I know there is evap clothing, but it quickly dries and then there you are, hot again.

Crazy, isn't it? We have had from 9ºF to 85ºF in the NE USA. Record rainfall with local flood warnings. About 20 years ago or so, DW bought me a Marsee mesh jacket at CycleGear. They can still be found on eBay. Full mesh, it is about as warm as riding with a long-sleeved T-shirt. I judiciously ventilated the back pad and it does help with airflow. Do you remember the air conditioned helmet back in the 80s? I forget the brand, but it was short-lived. I see that AGV offered one in '87-'88. https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/would-you-buy-an-air-conditioned-helmet However, I now see this new helmet out: https://feherhelmets.com/

Coffee...a few years back, DW and son bought me a GeneCafe coffee roaster. I had roasted years before that using Melitta hot air roasters and then a Nesco catalytic roaster. You do not save all that much when buying green beans, but you have your choice of 50+ varieties of beans and infinite roast levels. Can do a half-pound every half hour. As the green bean seller states: "Life is too short for bad coffee"

Excellent idea, as they can gall.

I am another who dislikes the flat/matte black "invisible" look. You risk adding red to the black - your blood. If my Chinese no-name bicycle helmet has a programmable rear LED, shouldn't all M/C helmets? You can get a wireless bicycle computer for less than $20. Is it so difficult to do a wireless brake light using the same technology? Riding the freeway/Interstate in urban traffic, I swapped on an LED taillight and an accessory LED brake light under it. On my Kwacker, I have flash 5 times then steady brakelight bulbs. The V11 got Amazon "iBrightstar" signal bulbs. I like that they use both the OEM reflector as well as a projector beam lense aimed straight forward and back. Nary a problem with any of them.

I wish the MGS-01 body kit was still available.

I had problems with the lever sticking when downshifting and not returning to center. Suspecting the worst, I peered around and found that I had reversed the bolt on the front spherical joint on the shift linkage rod. This caused the nut (now on the inside) to foul the trans case just enough to stop the lever from returning. So, I pulled it all off, cleaned and lubed everything, ran the bolt with the head toward the inside with the nut and washer on the outside and happy shifting resumed. I also placed a thin 8mm mylar washer between the inner end of the shift lever pivot and the threaded tab on the frame. A good slathering or Mobil1 synth grease and a washer and locknut on the right side of the frame tab keep it all properly snug. As usual, access to install the washer and locknut required an interesting combo of nut and washer taped to the socket in conjunction with various wobbly extensions. A few bodily contortions later, it's all happily in place now. No bloody knuckles, a personal best.

It is a big bike with amazing torque. You must take charge of the bike and ride it like an Italian for it to reward you. Totally different from other sport or adventure bikes. I recommend that you practice low-speed maneuvering in a car park, just to get a feel for the handling and weight distribution at low speeds. At high speeds, the bike takes care of itself AND you. It is then in its element.

Welcome! The gearbox spring may or may not occur. If it does, there may still be some improved springs available. These are rare and, in a sense, quite desirable bikes. I have an extra for my '04, just in case, but so far 18.4 kilos, no problem. These bikes do benefit greatly from owner involvement and maintenance. I do not think you will be disappointed, as on the right day and the right road, these are absolutely the perfect bike. I suspect that there are many such roads in Finland - except you can afford to speed only if you are a poor man!

"Even rode my motorcycle in the rain And you told me not to drive But I made it home alive So you said that only proves that I'm insane..."

Received yesterday. Excellent! Clearly, a new patch must be sewn to a new jacket.

Likes to listen to himself talk. I don't. I hope the bike has reasonable success, as it is a storied name. Will cost a small fortune, but that is the cost of non-Guzzi rarity. Interesting roots. https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/2010/10/1/the-real-commandos

My hematologist explained to me that the USA subsidizes most drugs for the test of the world. We also develop the most drugs. My new "Crusty Senior" medical plan limits insulin to $35 copay. I use about one pen yearly. Celgene corporation comped me $1 million+ in an experimental drug and paid for all scanning and other trial costs, during a clinical trial and long term study of a then-experimental drug. So, I am ambivalent about the entire situation. However, when I see the federal billions in waste that "might" be used for retiree health care, I need something stronger than Tylenol... PATCHES! Now to find a new jacket to sew them on!

To shepherd a drug from concept through a 20% chance of final approval, it costs drug companies 5+ years and 2-5 billion dollars. Without investors, we would have only about 25% of the drugs we have now. IOW, I would be long gone. Necassary evil or double-edged sword? Or both? Fortunately, yesterday I signed up for an insurance plan that will cut me down to $3K/year out of pocket. A $175,000 SAVINGS!

PayPal address? Bike trip w/cash? Have been distracted as of late, wrangling to get health insurance to help pay for a $178,000/year drug that keeps me alive.

Can we be PMed on where to send payment? Gotta lotta things going on right now.

Last year, I noted that cranking speed on my '04 V11 was slowing significantly. With a charge, all was fine. However, I noted that the rectifier has a multi-pin connector at the left front down tube on the subframe. Rather exposed to weather. I undid it and cleaned the terminals with contact cleaner on a pipe cleaner, blew it our with air, then applied Caig De-oxIT and snapped it back together. All is well since. Water from rain or washing runs into the connector and corrosion begins. It doesn't take much before resistance rises. Anyway, as easy fix if that happens to be the trouble, and a maintenance item if not.