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I am an Hertz Gold member from my working days. There was a time when I was getting an email from them, each and every day about renting a Tesla for a heavy discount. I recently came accross an add stating Hertz was unloading a bunch of Teslas at sacrificed prices. Just out of curiosity, I went on their website to check out what "sacrificed prices" meant. It was all a lure. The so-called "discount" pricing was for cars that had around 100k miles, so well amortized already. The lower mileage cars were in the exact same price braket as what you could find on the market. This is not the first time I see adds for rental companies supposedly heavily discounted cars. When I was looking for a 911, I used to scan their offers, and their ask price was in the same range as other dealerships. Plus, they did not have the right color (here we go again).

There are a few varietals around the same Muscadet name. Read this: https://www.muscadet.fr/en/the-nantes-vineyards/our-grape-varieties/ Be careful that Muscat has nothing to do with Muscadet!!!! I am saying, because when I asked for Muscadet at Spec's, someone thought I was confused with Muscat, because they had never heard about Muscadet.

There is another issue with EVs; The resale value... The usually agreed depreciation of an ICE powered car is 30% within the three years it was purchased new. For EVs, it is said to be 50% for the same time frame. However, because the technology is evolving so much, including batteries, that 50% is meaningless with regards to the potential market. Once the solid state batteries become the standard, cars powered through Lithium + Ion or whatever else they came up with, may be impossible to sell.

I leave my Guzzis parked with the key on the ignition. I don't think anybody would want to steal it. In Europe, it would be different. I have had my helmet stolen once, and a very precious moped. In any case, if I was to track something, I would use an Apple Airtag. It has an autonomy of 1 year, easy way to replace the battery, and 29 dollars. Small enough to be hidden where it can't be found on your bike, and does not draw on the battery.

I think he now feels so entitled and megalomanical, that he is shifting his attention to politics. I don't know if you have followed, but he has publicly disparaged officials in both UK and France for the way they managed the respective countries in some specifics. At the same time, he got public praise from the Italian prime minister. I am guessing, that now he has established himself as an incredible business astute guy with Tesla and Space-X, that he has purchased a media, he would certainly want to be President of the USA. It is not going to happen because the US constitution does not allow US citizens not naturally born in the US to be President or Vice President. But his latest actions seem to indicate he wants to be more involved, and giving advice to every country. At least, he thinks he should.

Agreed. To be honest, I was very surprised to see that ALL the houses here around me I built out of sheet rock and wood. This is a very good recipe for disaster as any fire would spread fast. When you look at the desolation in Pacific Palissade (Palissade means fence in French; I am saying this because I bet not many knew that.), you can see the only standing structures are the fireplaces, wth the chimney on top. Because that is the only part of the building made of stones or refractar bricks.

Arizona. Before I picked this guy in Germany, I asked around, and there is more to it. The "Casa di Moto" German outfit not only fixed the jerky pointer of the tachometer, but he also got the pointers shiny too. I found someone in the US doing it before I elected Casa di Moto, but someone here chimed in saying they did a very sketchy job on his own Veglia instruments. So common sense; would you trust a European based shop who said he fixes those problems often, or a US based one who probably does it once every three years? The problem was not so much the fix, but the clean way to open the gauge. I have a little experience when I opened my ITI to look at the odometer. Better leave it to those who have the proper tools to operate...

You can order it from France, they ship out. I can give you some suggestions. It is not that expensive, it just takes longer. When you purchase out of them, it is tax free, and they often include some samples. The cost of shipping is not that prohibitive. Now you need to check how much you are allowed to import in Australia, and how much duty you are supposed to pay. But I guarantee you will be surprised as Muscadet is really an incredible white wine. Possibly because blokes normally don't drink wine but beer. Out of the rare that drinks wine, they usually favor red, as the white is deemed a "lady's choice). But Ladies usually prefer sweeter white wines. Anyway... Here in the USA, it is hard to find, but not entirely impossible. It is just that the wine not being known or popular, they usually only stock a single varietal. Here's a website in English that you can peruse, should you want to test one of the new Quantas direct flight to Paris. I was there in 2018. I guarantee you will enjoy it. This would be a real change of scenery from Australia... https://www.visitnantesvineyard.com/

Yes I did. But nothing out of the ordinary. I had been on the lookout for a Quota since early 2023, mainly looking for my favorite color which I am not going to ask you to guess. All the Quota that I saw for sale in the USA were around the $3k mark. When I got to Peoria to check the bike, the seller said he had attempted to set the tires at pressure, but in the process, the rear tube developed a leak at the valve. So I could not ride the bike, and had to purchase it blind. I later found the tachometer was really imprecise, the pointer jumping back and forth, which is something common for the white face Veglia of this era. Something about a floating ground inside the instrument. When you add the tires, the cost of sending the instruments to Germany for rejuvenation, the cost of substituting the collapsed turn indicator stems (the seller had stealthily wraped them in chaterton), then the actual possession went to 3k. But I still feel that it was a bargain.

It is like when US people say "deja-vu"; the "U" is pronounced the same way as the "U" for Muscadet. In French the sound "oo" is written "ou". Like in mood. We would write it "moud". The French U is not even the same sound as the U in mud, but it would be a closer prononciation. As for the way your French contact pronounces it, it also depends where he is from in France, because we do have regional pronunciation, and how long he has been without speaking French with French native speakers. When I go to France, I have some French people telling me I have an accent when I speak French. Some think I am Canadian from Quebec... they obviously never heard French Canadian speaking.

Using an adventure/dual-sport/trail bike would certainly be an advantage, although as far as I could see from the news, there are no clear path out through the woods and terrain. According to my colleagues that were in Houston during Ike, the main ordeal was to get outside of the city and suburbs, as gas stations had no power. But then, as soon as out of the danger zone, supplies were available and safe haven camps were setup by the authorities. It took more than a month for power to be restored though, and with those wooden houses, there is nothing that can be salvaged once mold sets in. As for fire retardant material for home constructions, I don't think anything can resist the generated heat without permanent damage. Unfortunately, the bulk of my photos are printed. It would cost me a lot of money to get them digitalized. Since the general understanding is that it takes three generations to completely forget about you, I am guessing that all those pictures have only value with me, as long as I am alive. Once I am gone, nobody will miss them.

@footgoose Very important... :-) Mus is pronounced like Mus in Elon Musk or Musk like the perfum, and not oo like in Booth When I was in Paris in November last year, I drank Muscadet with my raw oysters, usually served with rye bread spread with salted butter. Here in Houston, oysters are always cooked; it is not the same... Texas laws allow me to import 3 Gallons of wine, which equates to 15 liters. One bottle = 0.75 l. You pay 3.75 $ per Gallon. I tried to sneak in a 16th bottle, which was just a tad more than 3 gallons. Unfortunately, that bottle was confiscated. The CBP guy told me it would be destroyed. I bet there is one more CBP officer that now likes Muscadet....

As I am watching the current fires in Los Angeles, two things came to mind; 1) Rudyard Kipling and his poem "IF-": watch the things you gave your life to, broken... like everyone else, I have experienced loss. I am not talking about loss of life, but loss of memorabilia that you were attached to. I know it is incredibly difficult when you know and realize that you will never be able to get them again, at least not in the same format for some. 2) Evacuation; I was looking at the completely packed roads of people literally making a run for their lives, I thought that in such a situation, I would probably try to make it with my motorcycle, as I could easily overtake without blocking oncoming traffic, mainly composed of rescue vehicles. I know it may not be well regarded, but when I see those people in their cars, completely immobilized, while the fire is raging around, I wonder how better the evacuation could be improved upon if everyone was on a motorcycle! I would not even bother taking anything with me. Texas has designated Hurricane evacuation routes. I was not home when Ike hit Houston in 2008, but I have seen the roads being packed in the same way. So, motorcycles would certainly make better use of the limited roads space.

Same here... but given Ducati's performance in MotoGP, I would expect their software to be very capable. Now, I am happy with my older Guzzi with no sofisticated riding help. At least, I am the only one in control!! As for prices, at the last Toy Drive I rode, all those Harley owners could not believe I paid 2000 Dollars for the Quota. One of them told me his Harley cost him 40k dollars... that's 20 Moto Guzzi Quota or so....

If you like white wine, and if you like it dry, you should go Muscadet... this is a very confidential wine, not widely known, but so much better than all those Chardonnay and the rest of them...

I believe the Ducati Riding Software package is able to do it better than you, from what I understood. They have ported the experience gathered from MotoGP as a pilotage driver assist. Therefore, the system uses all the sensor's input to actually dose the brake pressure, and release it at the most efficient time. In the video, he said that the testers have ridden the Panigale S with a lot of the sensors directly from GP bikes to perfect the system. Maybe somebody that will get one could give us an educated opinion?

European lawmakers have written into law that in 2035, no more ICE powered vehicles could be sold new. They have obviously not taken into consideration that many people cannot afford to purchase an EV at today's price, and today's charging infrastructure considering the chargning times. In France, many people live in appartments, have no garage. Unless they have the ability to find a charger at each and every parking spot, there is no easy solution. They are talking about Solid State batteries to replace Lithium Ion ones, that would reduce the charging time. There is another factor that is not discussed; EVs are like computers when general public started to be able to purchase their own. The technology is evolving quickly, making your 2 years old EV already obsolete; still useable. This clearly affect the pre-owned EV market. ICE cars have evolved too, but my 2000 911 is still in perfect running conditions, and spares still plentiful. Will a 25 year old EV even be operational, including swapping the battery if required? I had an issue with a two year old computer; the specialist said the mother board needed to be replaced, because it could not be fixed. But that motherboard is no longer available, and it would cost more than purchasing a new computer....

N2 powered fuelcells it is, then. However, the cost of N2 in the USA is expensive. about 30 dollars per kg, and say 5.6 kg for a full tank in the Toyota Mira, which gives you about a 400 miles autonomy. Now, it seems that you can only refuel your N2 powered car in California. Its a pity, because the N2 refill is very much like that of gas, give or take a few more safety requirements. I always felt that N2 fueled cars were a much better solution. Incidentally, I read that it is not as cheap as one may have expected to charge up your EV while on the move. It is only cheap when you have your own charger and charge at home. The fastest DC charges are much more expensive.

As usual, if you watch using a YouTube app., you should be able to enable the automatic translation into English. He is extatic about the new automated braking system, which leaves the rear brake slightly applied after you release the front brake. He says it is really nice and working perfectly.

A quick note before I head out on the Quota in this blissful winter temperatures which I have longed for. Winter riding brings its own joy in many aspects... A bunch of changes are going to be implemented in Europe starting 2025. Some are welcome, others no so much, but hey, there is nothing we can do about them. If you travel to Europe, and you don't have a Schengen country passport, you will have to apply for an electronic visa. Same as what everyone else does to enter the USA. It will be valid for three years, or until the end of your passport validity, whichever comes first. You will be allowed to have a 90 days stay over a 180 days period. This is to avoid those that reset the clock by exiting to nearby non Schengen countries for one day. The good news is, with your Schengen visa, you will be able to travel to Romania and Bulgaria without any need for more immigration requirements! These two countries are beautiful in their own rights, and have plenty of incredibly beautiful places motorcycle friendly. Part of the good news, Europe is implementing facial recognition machines to replace the long lines we face when we land in Europe. My last entry to Paris, it took me +180 minutes to clear immigration, and I have a EU passport! crazy! In the bad news section, some of the very popular places are introducing a Tourist Tax; I did not really look into this one closely, but since many of us like to travel to Italy, including recently, I am aware that Venice is leading the charge. Remember to stay in Mestre if you want to visit Venice. Since I am at it, UK too is introducing its own Electronic visa system. Let's be honest, all these electronic visas sfuff is one more way to get money out of travellers. In any case, I highly recommend to put Romania and Bulgaria in your bucket list of things to do.

It is a true statement; that being said, the world has evolved a lot since we were young. My parents, grandparents, did not go to college. Back in these days, they had to work already to provide food. Especially after both wars. Education was a luxury then for many. A lot of them were already working at 16... We got better education than most of them did. What about technology growing up. I had a black and white TV, with only one channel, programs started at 8:00 pm during the week. Earlier during the weekends. Today, I don't feel obsolete; my parents probably did, but I do scratch my head wondering how did we get where we are today, with all the nonsense happening around us. I don't know what the young people are thinking, because they spend most of their time watching screens.

It appears that this is no longer the prime objective. Possibly because large dealerships are impersonal. The sales' assistant you are dealing with has no skin in the game, other than getting his bonus if he closes the deal. Besides, there seem to be a lot of turnaround in the staff. There is another big question mark: as we are progessing in this A.I. powered world, modern vehicles require less skills as they have integrated diagnostic firmware. The mechanics no longer need to have the same skills as before. Nothing is being fixed any longer, but replaced. We are the witnesses of the end of an era. Electric Motors are very reliable and can run for decades. Once they get the batteries and the recharge sorted, reasonable pricing, the EV market will really take off. ICE mechanics will slowly wane.

I know that as me, you keep an eye on the market. So far, I have seen a lot of 1200 8 valves powered Moto Guzzi around the 6.5/7.0 mark; Griso, Stelvio, Norge. There is a 1,800 miles 2013 Griso for sale in OK... 6.5k. Owner has passed, and being sold on behalf of. See the pic herewith. This one is completely original unlike the Houston one. There is another Norge like the one I reported above, same year, same color, same mileage give or take 30 miles, sold 1,500 USD more in NH. The cheaper Norge I have seen (Griso too) are the 2 valves one). Around 4kUSD. I don't know, besides us, who is in the market to get an older Moto Guzzi here in the USA. Except at the dealership, I am yet to see a V100 in the flesh around.

My guess was based on what I see in France, where I return regularly. So maybe I should not have made a blanket statement for the rest of Europe. But in Paris, and I was there last in November last year, throughout the day of the week, you see a lot of motorcycles and scooters. My son lives in the Western part of Paris suburbs, commutes to his job by motorcycle every day. Uses his car only in the week-ends. Maybe it has to do with that in Paris, motorcycles can split lanes. My son says it saves him 40 minutes each way compared to commuting with a car. I have to realize that times have changed, maybe. Even here, it is -1 degC this morning (30 degF), and I still went to get the Epiphany "Galette des Rois" with the Quota....