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@PJPR01 Saturday and Sunday I did a 10 stops hitch with the Hotel Texas as the final destination. At the Hotel another rider chimed in; Get this: his family, two kids, two dogs are on the trip. This is narrated to me... Initially, I thought this was really nice. Having your whole family coming with you. But get this: his motorcycle is on a trailer, behind the car. When he gets to a stop, he unloads it, takes the picture, and on with the road trip. I don't understand. I thought riding your bike is the gist of why you would participate. It gives you an objective, the mean reason why you would do it in the first place. I am aware that many do the same when they participate in popular motorcycle rallies, such as Sturgis, Daytona Beach, LoneStar. Well, I guess one has to see it all, and some.

No problem; enjoy Kansas! It is going to be a test for me. I have never yet ridden in a motorcycle group per se. The maximum I went out for a ride were three, that's a long time ago. Since I got a confirmation notice, it means the ride is happening; more than two people have subscribed.

Each time we purchased a new motorcycle, in the 70's, mostly Japanese, we replaced all the cruciform fasteners with Allen ones. At the time, a company sold complete kits for every popular motorcycle. The only issue, they were not stainless steel, but had a Phosphating surface treatment (makes the fastener black); unfortunately, those would rust easily.

@PJPR01 It is on a Sunday, and Montgomery is only 55 minutes from Texas says Google maps! I have submitted my candidature. My Quota is ready, said Davey, the last delay is for him to make the invoice... I have never participated to one of those. How do you raise funds? just being there and riding your motorcycle?

@FreyZI I have to command your perseverance! Nothing is impossible when you set your mind to it. I always wondered why some fasteners would refuse to come out at times. Overtorqued? repetitive bending forces? fastener material? maybe installations made to never needed to be disassembled?

Ah... now I get it! The only times we did this were when we met a new girl. The group's presentation would determine if she would be admitted. The main criterion was accepting to ride on a motorcycle. Many candidates lost privileges because of trivial issues such as messy hair and make-up because of the helmet. The major offense was always to not being able to wear the clothes they wanted, of course the shoes.... Now about opinion on vehicles... my first car, my father came with me. We could not agree on anything. I suspect that it would be identical with a motorcycle. But to a lesser extent because I do all the research behind a screen. The actual "live presentation" part is not the most important. At that point, I have already made up my mind. Besides, if excepted for my first V11 purchase in 2000, I have always asked this forum collegial opinion. A good example is that I wanted to purchase a Stelvio 1200 NTX, and ended up purchasing a Quota 1100 ES based on the feed-back.

Ha! i am with you here.... So you would like "her":

I am prepared to bet that not many of you ever knew that band: Propaganda? 80's music, but they released an incredible album(at that time). "A secret wish" that I encourage you to listen, if that kind of music is your particular flavor. Maybe @audiomick? were you there already? https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_(Band) Claudia Brücken made my heart go "boom boom"...

I was under the impression that a good deal would mean that I, am happy. The seller maybe too, but he is not my main preoccupation. I always make my purchase the lonesome way. But I agree with your statement that it is better to be more than less. The "good cop bad cop" works that way too. Especially with dealerships. They use that trick a lot. You deal with one guy, but when it is the time to close the deal, you have to face a different person. They call it a "hand change". This is meant to kill the confidence and comfort you may have established with the sales assistant. But I do all the pre deal in writing via email, so there are no misunderstandings. Once I am satisfied that all my questions have been answered, including pricing if I disagree, then I go. Something I never do, is to try to haggle the price when on site, unless there was something that was not disclosed previously. When I accept to check the bike out, it means that I am going to buy it as is. Otherwise, I don't waste my or the seller's time to try to get the price down. As for someone trying to lower the price during the test drive, I have had that. Even when my narrative was very specific, the price was firm because reasonable.

@audiomick Nice catch! I should have thought about it immediately. What is really incredible, is they dubbed the electrical whining to make it more enticing with a real ICE sound. This is really hypocrite... Especially with current's Paris mayor, who has been on a crusade to eliminate all ICE vehicles from the city, including motorcycles. She also came up with the paid parking for motorcycles, while it had been free, and the interdiction to park outside of motorcycle dedicated spots, those dedicated spots being very scarce. Her latest idea, is to keep some of the restrictions that have been introduced for the Olympic Games, in particular the "reserved" third lane on the Paris circular road. We shall see how's that going to pan out.

I'd be tempted to say it is a Triumph Speed Triple.

I was wrong. This is not a twin, but it is either three cylinders or four cylinders. Three cylinders but not with a 120 degrees crank angle, because it has not got that typical triple sound, so it has one of those T-Plane arrangement. This is based on the sound of the motorcycle in that "behind the scenes" video.

Knowing that he actually does his own stunts, including the many jumps for his last Mission Impossible movie, he is perfectly capable to ride a bike in the middle of Paris.

To be honest, he has shown remarkable adaptation to the Gresini GP23 this season. He is yet to win one, but he has so far be the top rider on the GP23. In a slightly less efficient environment that a factory team. Next year, with Factory Ducati's top-notch entourage, with a current year machinery, it will be on him. I don't know if it is true, but Dall'Igna said that this year, the competitiveness difference between the GP24 and GP23 is more pronounced than between the GP23 and GP22. Marquez and DiGiannantonio have also said the same. Marquez also said that he still makes mistakes if he just puts himself in strictly racing mode, as his natural Honda reflexes take over. You know what they say: habits are difficult to get rid of once they have become your routine.

Exactly!

I am with you here. In another post, I explained how I was lectured by a dealer about why heavy modifications on one's bike maybe a deterrent to sale it. Unless the changes are those regarding comfort or safety, providing the original equipment is still available, that's fine.

All of those arguments will equate to bring the spotlight on Ducati, which I believe is the objective. I am yet to be convinced that Marc Marquez has retained that edge that made him a tad better than the rest of the top of the crop. Notwithstanding that his Honda was tailor-made to suit his strong points. Now, that only three year current GP will be in the mix, instead of four, and six total GPs instead of eight, the field will most likely be in his favor. Two of the major riders have gone to other brands, diluting the strength of his opponents. His only real internal adversary will/may be Francesco Bagnaia. The third GP25 will be handled by Fabio DiGiannantonio, and he maybe at the same lever as the other two, including the VR46 team's first time with a same year package. As for Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin new machinery, it is difficult to say if they will be able to be at the front right from the get-go.

They have obviously shot the sequence to occult easy recognition. As far as I can tell, it is a vertical twin cylinder, but that's all I can make out...

Here's another one in Nevada; same price, it's another one-year-old listing. Well taken care bike runs flawless Bought new off show room floor Title in hand Garage kept Bike has 7500 miles Oil change done regular New tires last year Bike has trac control Hydraulic clutch New battery Shaft driven 2015 moto guzzi grisso 8v 1200 Price 7500 obo No trades

Earplugs have their own safety issues. I know they don't completely isolate you from the environment, but if you listen to music while driving, then it probably has some effect on your focus level. My customized Bluetooth earbuds are not perfectly filtering off the wind noise; anyhow, I don't listen to music when I ride.

You are correct; this adjective is now trite. I think the ask price is above market; he probably expects a solid 7k for it.

oh! shocking.... I would have never thought the German people would transgress the law. In France, the only time you can use a phone, is with a hands' free system integrated with your vehicle. It used to be that you could install one if your card did not have one, but they modified the law to prevent people to simply connect their phones to earbuds via Bluetooth. Phone integration needs to happen through the cars' audio system. All the modern cars have that anyway.

I don't really fancy the additional lenticular LEDs in the front. I don't know what to make of the "Custom Power Commander IV with autotune". When it is not stock, you may face issues later if something goes wrong. Seller's comments: Up for sale is my rare, unique, pristine Red Devil Griso 1200 8V Special Edition. This is the pinnacle of the Griso line with its 1151cc "Quattrovalvoe" (roller bearing 4-valve heads) transverse-mounted 90 degree V2 air-cooled, fuel injected engine sporting 110hp and 6 speed dry-clutch transmission. This is a particularly nice example with a full custom Power Commander IV with Autotune (dyno-tuned by MG Moto in CA), throaty Agostini hydro-formed exhaust and K&N cleanable/reusable air filter. It sports the highly-desired spoked wheels sporting tubeless Continental ContiSport Attack tires and EBC sintered brake pads in Brembo racing calipers. The suspension is fully adjustable for compression and rebound dampening, and preload settings. A Renthal FatBar is fitted with MotoGP grips and Acerbis handguards. The bike is fully converted to LEDs with headlight/driving lights, turn signals, and flashing brake lights. I hold full title to this bike and have factory manuals and both keys. I am selling as it's simply time to do something different. I do ride it very occasionally and keep it in great condition mechanically. If you desire a distinctive, characterful Italian V-twin roadster, it’s a far rarer and beefier choice than Ducati’s Monster, is a far more stirring joy to ride, and this 8v SE version in particular is classy and handsome. It's also a tremendous value.

This is particularly true in Texas. During my Texas Tour rides, the Le Mans gets a lot of compliments, always with the usual question about the bike's country of origin. The Orange looking Stelvio 1200 NTX which I was following since January 2023 has still not sold... The two Griso close to me on Facebook have sold...

Absolutely, each one its own. It is true that our brains are better wired for visual information; now keeping your eyes on the road at all times, scanning for hazards, is what I prefer to do. While the aural information dispensed by navigation apps is certainly perfectible. In the USA, these apps provide additional voiced information, such as traffic, speed traps, possible hazards such as road flooding. There is a learning curve to properly decrypt the voiced turn indications, and once you get it down, it is fairly easy to never miss a turn. Mainly, driving in Houston is a much more challenging environment that requires keeping your eyes on the road at all times. Unlike Europe, drivers text and drive, hold their phones in hand. The roads are filled with debris of all kinds, including pieces of regrooved tires, lost equipment, you name it.