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Moto Morini is owned by the Chinese Zhongneng Vehicle Group; not really a small company.

You can pre-order your Stelvio (only if you live in Europe). https://www.motoguzzi.com/us_EN/models/stelvio/ It is available in two colors: Yellow Savanah and Vulcan Black. Two versions: Standard or with the Rider's assistance solution which is composed of: -Forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and warning, lane change assistance. Standard is 16,749 Euros or 17,549 Euros with the Piaggio PFF(Piaggio Fast Forward) assistance. Those prices include VAT. Standard includes ride by wire throttle, six axis IMU, cornering ABS, traction control, shifter up and down.

This starts to be really cold!

And no water either... since all the water towers have been made redundant, no power means no water flow either. Food and heat can be mitigated, but the lack of water has the most unpleasant outcome.

Piaggio has the means to do it, if they want to. But business is business. I had a discussion with Iron Supply Powersports last week; the owner told me he attempted to get Aprilia however Piaggio told him he could only get Aprilia if he took Moto Guzzi too. He told me he checked the sales data of Moto Guzzi in the USA, and declined Piaggio's offer. Even among us, Guzzi enthusiasts, only Tomchri has a V100S; do you know of anybody else who has one?

Well, this morning we got a little taste of coldish weather, with 28 degF on the clock, while felt temperatures were much lower because of the wind and humidity. The big freeze is expected to happen tonight. I went out to protect the shrubs in full riding gear, and could still feel the howling wind hacking at me. So far, no power interruption.

I doubt Piaggio would do that; it would be sacrilege... I think that since the 70's, Moto Guzzi has been known for their engine's typical architecture. I realize it's pretty standard to give multiple uses to a power plant, and it also saves the cost of developing a mid-size engine that would only be useable on a Guzzi? while a vertical dual cylinder may fit a Guzzi, the opposite may not go well on an Aprilia. Personally, an Aprila powered Moto Guzzi would not appeal to me. Modernize the V35 to V50 keep it air cooled and voilà! no? Triumph, BSA, Royal Enfield do it. Triumph just came out with a completely new 400cc power plant... https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/triumph-speed-400-exclusive-first-test-review/

I admit this California specimen is really stun looking! If anyone is interested, I am going to post the eBay link here below; the "buy it now" price is USD 7,500; there is one bid at 4,995.00 USD "reserve not met" and 5 more days to go. https://www.ebay.com/itm/364678986881?hash=item54e88fbc81:g:hw4AAOSwQX9lnyD-

I found a Texas based review of the Red V100 Mandello... What is hilarious, is that the reviewer could not get the windshield to move up. That generated a follow-up video by a real Guzzi owner, who kind of shamed him for not doing his homework before posting his video. I am not going to say anything about him messing up gear changes... This is the initial video shot around Austin Texas. I recognized the "highway" limited at 55 mph. Below is the counterstrike... a little sarcastic...

I have not seen any so far. I have seen vintage photos when bikes would be completely assembled at a single post. I think I read somewhere that the new V100 power train was not manufactured at Mandello del Lario. I could guess that Piaggio/Aprilia have better facilities and ship the units completed and tested to Mandello. This has to be verified though. As Moto Guzzi, Aprilia's historical manufacturing plant was in Noale Italy. Piaggio who owns the two brands has a state of the arts facility in Scorzé Italy. I would think that Piaggio's assembly line is pretty much a carbon copy of that of Ducati. I can see that in the long term, Mandello del Lario will become more a sanctuary than a very active Guzzi headquarter. Sort of an empty shell. It may remains a Museum of the Moto Guzzi brand. I am planning to find out this summer, as I am thinking of heading to Italy on a memory tour.

I worked there, I mean in Atyrau, on the Caspian Sea. My German colleague purchased an Ural side-car and went on a craze. Kazakhstan is beautiful, absolutely! Today it is more open than when I was there, until 2009. You can get a visa on arrival good for 15 days. Don't go there in winter, unless you like Siberian temperatures!

Looking at the assembly line, I am wondering if any other brand have such an incredible industrial tool? Noticed there aren't many females shown... this is surprising as the Ducati production line have quite a lot of them. I really liked the test jig for the engine that only requires compressed air... the complete bike assembly data is being recorded and checked as it moves through the setup points. They achieve zero defect, at least in the assembling process. They cannot completely check-proof the various assembly parts for quality; or do they have a quality control for the parts they don't manufacture themselves? The robot putting sealant on the carter....

Expecting the cold front to reach Houston tonight, lasting throughout till Wednesday... I am hoping we are not going to have power cuts like in 2021... two days without power, and water is unfathomable in the modern world.

If you want the real Yurt experience, head to Kazakhstan.... closer to us, indeed the Yurt is fun. When I got to El Cosmico they had a family in one of them, and they have a lot of RVs or Trailers that have seen better days. I think some of them have AC; They also have an area dedicated to those who bring their own tents. The facilities are rudimentary. Not much privacy; it reminded me of the army, including filthy bathrooms!!!! I always try to stay at the Hotel Paisano; however since it housed James Dean and the Giant movie crew, it gets full easily. I like to watch the old photographs of them and what is left of the shooting site. As you know, we have a solar eclipse over Texas on April 8th, 2024. It would be a great reason to head to Marfa. Unfortunately, Marfa is in Zone A, so only partial eclipse. The Marfa viewing area is more or less in line with Chihuahua, thus in the path. @docc sorry again for leading the John Day topic astray...

Sorry; Andy Timmons. I spoke about him in a different post, under the topic: favorite songs. He lives in McKinney Texas. (45' from Dallas) I really like his music. I used to go to his concerts at the Guitar Sanctuary, in McKinney. Sadly, during the pandemic they created a virtual platform "StageIT", so musicians could still safely perform and earn money. The equivalent of "Zoom" for the rest of the work force. After the pandemic, he continues to use "StageIT" which obviously allows him to sell his shows from home. No equipment to carry, setup, rig down, carry back. No living home and family. No travel. Not the same. Going to McKinney from Houston was a good excuse to V11 or 911.

If you ever get the need to do something very different, and you decide to do it in France, I would like to recommend a boat trip along the Canal du Midi. This is a unique experience that does not require any specific skills. You rent a boat and off you go; bring the entire family, and live the most incredible 15 days of your lives. I have seen motorcycles on the boats too. This video is subtitled in English, and shot by Canadian French. It gives you an idea of what the trip can be. Once in a lifetime. You can even follow the Canal on your Moto Guzzi while your better half drives the boat. This beats anything you have ever done so far, shy of riding a V11 perhaps! I lived several years in Sète, and the Canal du Midi experience is mind-blowing; each time! for those of you living in Europe, you should give it a try. This is enchanteresque!

@docc @PJPR01 My best ever version of Tin Pan Alley is of course this one; In Texas, Stevie Ray Vaughan, whose name I mispronounced for a long time, is an institution. I was saying the "ghan" like "gan" of Organ.... lol... I include a live version too, for good measure. Which one do you prefer? When I first moved to Houston in 2008, my first trip was to Austin to check Antone's where he used to play before he was known. The place has now closed down. It is a pity, because they had all the pictures of him on the stage when he was still a 16's year old guy. I have seen Lucky Peterson live in Paris. I was always a Blues enthusiast from my early days. My mum took me to see Jimi Hendrix when he played at the Olympia in Paris. This was a revelation, and I immediately decided I was going to learn to play guitar. So I learned music and trumpet for 7 years after that. (my mother did not get a good impression of Jimi Hendrix; she said Electric guitar was not a noble instrument! Louis Armstrong was a better incarnation of music in her mind! Trumpet then....) When I finally could buy my first guitar, I was already past the time when I could dedicate the time to learn. Strangely, my favorite guitar player is not a Blues guitar player, but that is another story. He is also based in Texas though! Sure thing for BB King; I also saw him live in Paris. But I am more a Texas blues style of music. Lucky Peterson is Chicago style. I also like Robben Ford very much. His use of the half diminished blues and pentatonic scales is incredible; playing Blues with a Jazzy touch.

I wonder if people know what a vaudeville is.... But I came across similar issues; such as the song Tin Pan Alley, and the Chitlin circuit when I became interested in Blues guitarist. Plenty of those that don't translate well in other's cultures or languages.

It had to happen, sooner or later! Piaggio wants to have an entry level bike for Moto Guzzi as every other brand is currently purporting; only it will not be one with the legendary V twin; rather, it would use the Aprilia RS 457 parallel twin, and final chain drive. This is not 100% confirmed, it is just a guess: https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-news/moto-guzzi-retro-roadster-spy-shots/ Whoever came up with the idea, I think it is a mistake. Moto Guzzi must remain special and different. I am not certain, slapping an Aprila power plant on a Guzzi chassis will do much to promote the brand. The Guzzi identity must be preserved. Why couldn't they take a V7 and make it a V5?

This went right above my head..... unfortunately I will google it to understand; Peoria as Peoria in Arizona , next to Phoenix AZ; now I am aware of the Phoenix!

I use a tool to plan my journey according to weather.... of course, I can only check a few days ahead only.

@Icenian I would recommend buying the motorcycle with the least foreseeable problems; unless you are completely dead set on a particular model, which you don't seem to be, since you requested advice. When I set out to purchase my V11, I knew it was going to be a Le Mans, and it had to be red! any other consideration unimportant. The same applies today when looking for a companion bike. I want a Red Quota or nothing. No compromise. There is no rationale to it. I am dead centered on what I want, whether a good or bad choice. I don't know yet. Something I do understand pretty well, is what I want to do with the Quota. That also helped to focus on a single bike.

No more camping for me.... You know I camped at Marfa, this year for the tour, at El Cosmico... this was my first time since I last camped, like when I was 16? my tent was the furthest away from the sanitary. How pleasant to do the trip every three hours during the night. Under the Chihuahua desert sun, a fan is just as useful as a band-aid on a prosthetic limb. The lady staying next to me had a huge dog parked outside her tent, very keen on getting a meal supplement each time I passed, barking mad and waking up everyone in the process. El Cosmico? never again!!! If I buy that Quota, there is a huge trunk in the back. I should be able to carry a lot more equipment now.

I spoke to the seller tonight. He apologized for not answering email promptly, as he said that he was simply overwhelmed with the amount of email he was receiving daily. Not for the Quota, but he has other items that he is selling. The owner of that Quota passed away; he was a Guzzi enthusiast, and owned two Quota. The owner only sells one, if I understand properly, which is fine with me. He said that he fixed the turn indicators with duct tape, and all the electricals work as they should; his only concern would be the tires. My next step is to get there, check the bike, and return with it without breaking down. I was thinking it was going to be a walk in the park, but he said they have lower than normal temperatures in Peoria; 39 degF... Of course, I have no winter riding gear...