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p6x

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Everything posted by p6x

  1. I think "Audace" is what you need to drive such a truck looking bike....
  2. How do you backup such a monster? I know it is low on the ground; still the engine make the bike top heavy. Was there a reverse like on the modern heavy motorcycles?
  3. I purchased this tail bag in 2022, sent from NZ, and never used it. I wanted to carry my photographic equipment which did fit in my Le Mans tail bag, but I quickly realized this one would not work either. I have the original packaging and the rain cover, as you can see in the pictures. I paid 250 USD. Let me know if interested.
  4. The most annoying with "Gros Monos" (that's how we used to call them when they came out), is the lack of low rev torque. When I was in Sicily, I had an HD Sporster, and all my colleagues some sort of Honda Dominator, Kawasaki KLX, Suzuki DR; I rode those on the sand of the beaches, and it was a bit like two stroke engines. You could easily stall if you were too low in the rpm. I never tried a modern fuel injected one, I suppose those are probably not exclusive. Although, Suzuki still sells the DR650 with a carburator, which must be unique given emission controls nowadays.
  5. @activpop So many iterations of those "concept" bikes on YT, complete with robot narration. They remain a stylistic exercice, I think. From what I saw, the mid-capacity segment and dual sports, adventure, trail bikes, whatever you want to call them seems to be where the focus is being given. And the Chinese companies are the one really coming strong, such as CF Moto, Voge and many others. I continue to think Piaggio has to give a 400cc 500cc V twin to Guzzi.
  6. @docc based on what I saw in Paris, the cruising bikes are mostly replaced by GSs and wannabe GSs. In the USA, the cruiser continues to make sense. I also noticed a lot less motorcycles than on my previous visits, and more mid-size engined ones, combined with the usual scooters, including electrics. What has really exploded, is the use of new mobility devices, including mono wheels and E bicycles. The Parisian roadways are set to include new boundaries to the ICE powered traffic, but not only. They want to limit drive through vehicles. If you are not going to have a stop to make in that zone, then you cannot transit through it just to get somewhere else by the shortest possible way. I mostly walked, which is also good for me. In districts like the Marais, on weekend days, there are so many pedestrians that sidewalks don't suffice. I think adventure bikes are eating into the cruiser's market, outside the traditional biker's population. ADVs are just as comfortable, and offer more versatility than your typical cruisers. Purist will stick to cruisers, but they are not getting any younger.
  7. At the main Piaggio Paris dealer, the Moto Guzzi models were relegated to the back of the store, while the window offered a direct view of the Aprilia ones. I don't think it was by chance. It was probably a dead give away. Somehow, Moto Guzzi reminds me of the Maserati sad wanderings. Having been taken over by so many outfits, including Ferrari, which "regulated" what Maserati could propose, to avoid any serious competition with the master. I think the V7 Sport was a real opportunity to make an impact, given the lack of new models. It is a bit like Triumph with the 1200; they have demoted the base model to make the 1200RS more attractive.
  8. It may sound corny, but finding a good helmet that is comfortable to wear is like finding a good pair of shoes. It is not always easy, and in today's Internet purchases, it sometimes takes many attempt and returns. Plus, the added enticement of having a real way to actually touch and feel and weigh the helmet. Two years ago, I think, Shoei opened the "Shoei Gallery" in Paris, avenue de la Grande Armée, where many of the Motorcycle dealerships have set camp. It is the opposite avenue of the best known Champs Elysées, and it also has the major advantage to be outside the prerogative of Paris mayor. There is another main location for motorcycle dealership and gear in Paris, at "La Bastille", or in the 12th arrondissement. There, the Paris mayor has prohibited transit traffic; but never mind that for the moment. Shoei, at their Paris gallery, takes the mensuration of your head, and fully customize your helmet of choice to your particular skull. According to the vendor, they use the same application for their pilots, only their padding is custom-made at the factory. For the vulgus human like myself, they just add padding where required to make the helmet a glove to your head. After the modification, they made me try a standard to compare, and I must admit you feel the difference. Does it change anything to safety? I can't tell. How does the custom padding age? we shall see. Nevertheless, they took out all the colors in the series, NXR2, and they had a red one... I could not resist. The NXR2 is not sold in the USA. Its equivalent is the RF1400. However, they did not have red at my local outfit, and they did not have the Personal Fitment either. The Shoei NXR2 is ECE 22.06. I also purchased the photochromic visor, which taint itself when exposed to UVs. It is not as convenient as a dedicated sun visor. First, it takes about 2 to 3 minutes to darken, and I suspect the Texas sun is most likely going to make it age very quickly. The photochromic visor is not made by Shoei, but by a specialist that does it for Formula One and other dedicated sports that require that kind of oddity. I was really happy to have a sun visor in my Shark I3, I really think it is convenient. Until then, I have a second pair of prescription glasses for UVs. The Shoei is also supposed to be quieter than my Sharks. In any case, it is RED!!!
  9. Sooo... from the city of lights, on my third day, and after watching all the videos on YT; As I thought, there were no real reveal for 2025 in Guzzi. The V7 Sport has inverted forks and a second rotor; however, they missed the mark with proposing what was for a very short while the fastest motorcycle when it was first introduced. They should have made it with the clip-ons. I felt like watching an Apple presentation, with new colors and slightly different screen sizes. Or maybe I am disappointed because I was expecting a mid-capacity new engine. Ducati introduced their new V2, non desmo.
  10. Live stream of all the new bikes at EICMA; The show is opened to professional only today. They have already uploaded a lot of videos on YT. Its in French, but hey... Just about to bolt to the airport to air my head a little bit from all the US turmoil....
  11. Despite the flooding in Barcelona, the last GP has been confirmed there, from 15th to 17th November. Both Bagnaia and Martin like the track, the unknown will be the weather and temperature conditions. Some think that Martin will try to get the two points difference he needs during the sprint race, so they really duel during the main one. Not sure if either Bastianini or Marquez will be able to stick with them.
  12. Sadly, I came upon the truth that all night trains that used to be running every day between Paris and Milan have never resumed service after they were stopped by the pandemic. Same situation between Paris and Rome. Those trains were cheap, because slow. But it means you would travel on hidden time. Travel during the night, arrive in Milan in the morning, spend the day at EICMA, come back during the night. But it is now impossible. They only have fast trains running throughout the day, but not fast enough to give me enough time in EICMA and come back the same day. So, no... but it is not a big deal, because there are plenty of youtubers who are going to be there, and I am plenty certain Moto Guzzi has no real new model for us this year.
  13. I don't think so... There is nothing to be gained because they are never going to change their mind anyway. They also easily get agitated if you try to lecture them with factual data. Fortunately, the flat-earthers seem to belong to older generations. Hopefully, from the millenials onward, they will understand that earth is actually square.
  14. Not only Ducati's issue, but everybody's. This has been described as brought by the new Michelin rear compound which provides extra grip, and, de facto, transfers stress to the front of the bike. Ducati is said to have already found a way to mitigate the problem for their 2025 bike. Bagnaia tested it and is satisfied. Since it was a chassis modification, they could have implemented it immediately, but given that Pramac is leaving for Yamaha, they do not want to give it away. Although the championship seems to be a given, Spain announced flooding possibility in the Barcelona region, which was the backup track to end the championship. So we know it is not going to be Valencia, and it may not be Barcelona either. Nice gesture from many of the pilots, including non Spanish ones, giving their bonuses to Valencia region devastated by the flooding. I am wondering how some people still say the extreme weather problems we are now seeing happening worldwide have not been influenced by men's activity on earth. Scientific evidence and sea warming does not seem to be convincing enough. I don't know what would.
  15. Today, November 4th 2024, a legend went to write and produce more music with Michael Jackson. Of course, you knew Quincy Jones for MJ's Thriller and many more. But Quincy Jones has produced so much good music for so many, including himself; So many of us danced to that song.... Ai no corrida...
  16. Or you could purchase this 1956 Moto Guzzi Iodola for $4500.. it's in Monterey. Seller says its equipped with the 235cc engine; not the 175. Runs like the wind!
  17. i found this 1993 Moto Guzzi daytona es 1000 for sale on FB Marketplace; listed in Ohio for 23k USD. I think I reported it before. Seller says it only has the original 11 miles that were accrued during factory testing. It is #39 out of the only 117 in total shipped to the USA. It was never titled, the seller advertized it as a "collector" item. I guess that a bike that never ran for 31 years most likely requires a complete overhaul before start. Questions: how can you title a motorcycle which has never been titled before, even if it was imported in 1993? can you purchase a vehicle and not title it?
  18. Ahead of EICMA, I was combing the net to see if I could get an idea of what Moto Guzzi has in store, outside of the beaten V7 path. I have been hoping for a smaller cubed engine, as other brands have had much success in the 400ish cc. Praying that Piaggio would not resort to their parallel twin which is used in the Aprilia line. YouTube is full of those AI generated concepts which are just there to gather viewers but are not based on reality. It seems that many are thinking the Le Mans will be the next revelation, even one using the 850 cc air cooled engine. Moto Guzzi is not the only target though. You can find Honda resuming six cylinders CBXs too... I don't expect much Moto Guzzi changes this year. Between the Mandello and the Stelvio, and all the declinations around the V7 and V85 engines, they have rounded the circle. I think what they need is to come out with a modern V45 engine, and use it on a Scrambler, Adventure, models.
  19. How accurate are the feeler gauges you use anyway? Was there a metrological check included with them? I think they are mass produced so the entire procedure is kind of relative anyway. Its rather an approximation exercise. Not withstanding the temperature at which you are using them. Usually, properties are measured at standard conditions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_temperature_and_pressure Lol....
  20. Looks like Jorge Martin has taken a serious option on winning the title. Unfortunately, it really takes the form of a demolition derby more than anything else. Marc Marquez was again the best of the seconds, even if he said that he struggles a lot on this track, due to his injuries. He still does a pretty good job. I also learned that Jorge Martin has hired someone to keep him from being too nervous because of the proximity of winning the title. This is something he had not done last year, and he confirmed it helps quite a lot to be more relaxed. It is really going to be a shame to remove one of the main protagonist from the championship next year. The Aprilia officials are way behind. Next year, it is only going to be between Bagnaia and Marquez.
  21. The two times I went, it was really rowdy, but I may still ride there tomorrow, just to stretch the V11 wheels, or not. My last time, there were a lot of different police agencies and special police teams on motorcycles. Many different brands. We had Honda, BMW K6 and RT, HD. Some of the bikes modified to carry long guns. As I said in a previous post, in France, every police and gendarme ride the exact same motorycle. BMW RT's exclusively. It makes sense, because I am sure they get a large order discount, but also, they get the bikes as required and you can go from one to the other without any adaptation. I think it is the same in many European countries and UK too. BMW seems to have the monopoly for that kind of equipment. In France, you can purchase them for next to nothing after they are retired. Unfortunately, they have extremely high mileage, and even if they are cheap, you often need to do a full engine overhaul. I just did a quick check of what they have available, and they have auctions for 2015 BMW 1100 RT with 85,000 km starting at 200 EUR!!! however they are difficult to snatch, since there are a lot of professional buyers competing.
  22. I went a couple of times, but it is not really my kind of event. Seems very popular since they have a lot of people from everywhere attending, including Germany and Switzerland.
  23. Because the owner told me spares are available from Europe, and when I asked him if it was a Piaggio engine, he omited to answer. For all I know, they could have installed a Kubota engine. But the dead give away is that Piaggio does not make a 4T 200cc engine. it is 50, 150, 400; Vespa has 50, 125, 300 Now, the only 200cc engines were 2 strokes in the Vespa PX.
  24. Westview within Spring Valley is safe. The Spring Valley police is there hunting all the time. However, as soon as you are pass Wirt East or Campbell West, traffic goes back to no limits. I have not been to Uptown Park in a long time. Last time was a B'day at The Rustic.
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