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@PJPR01 I got the quote, I will pay tomorrow and will let you know when I get the goods; Box V2 taglia 2XL color black carbon 24,59 2 49,18 Box6 V2 taglia 2XL color black carbon 51,64 2 103,28 TS1L taglia 2XL color black carbon 53,28 2 106,56 TS3L, taglia 2XL color black carbon 68,03 2 136,06 TBX, color black carbon 18,03 1 18,03 Short Logo, taglia III 16,39 4 65,56 Merinos Socks" taglia II Colore rosso 20,49 2 40,98 Merinos Socks", taglia II. Colore Blue 20,49 2 40,98 TOTALE € 560,63 SCONTO 25% € 140,16 TOTALE SCONTATO € 420,47 Quindi il totale del tuo ordine scontato del 25% più il trasporto è di euro 459,47

The 2025 "find your next riders" has already started, even before the 2024 season debut; while Ducati has been playing it low-key, having Marc Marquez in the factory team would obviously work wonders for fame. They already have the best bike, putting the most notorious man on it would be a marketing coup. KTM is also on the war path. After all, Marquez was reportedly testing the waters, since he and KTM are Red-Bull people. Marc Marquez is, at least before the season starts, the hot potato everyone is trying to grab. We had a disputed 2023, at least on the pilot side, and 2024 is looking to be an even bigger challenged one; at least on paper. Time will tell.

On a Quota you could!

I have never come across home doors opening outward, and I have been living in a lot of places around the world. It makes sense to have an outward opening for safety in places that have to privilege an emergency exit with a mass effort, for safety purposes. All the doors that have been slammed in my face were always opening inward...

Well, after what I thought was a promising debut, the seller has gone into complete radio silence. I have sent multiple email in an attempt to set a rendezvous to check out the bike, without any reply since the initial one. Given that I only have a relay email generated by Craigslist, and no other form of contact, I would like to ask your collegial favor: Could you email check if he is only ignoring me, and you get a reply? since he answered from his phone the first time, I am guessing I may have spooked him by being honest and telling him I was currently out of Houston, but wanted to already plan ahead. thanks in advance!

There are some traditions around the world about the 1st day of the next year; for example, some seaside cities have the 1st sea swim of the year. I think we should have ours; the first Moto Guzzi ride of the year, to celebrate. Mine will have to wait, unfortunately, I am far from the damzelle. So instead, I registered for the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas 2024. Let's see what flag number I get this year.

@activpop What changed in 25 years? Before: After 25 years!

There is a follow-up article in the Washington Post today, about the software update deployed by Tesla to address the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concern with crashes while on autopilot. The journalist verified the upgrade after it was uploaded on his own vehicle. During his drive, he verified that he was still able to activate the autopilot in an urban environment where it was not conceived to operate in. While the update was supposed to force the driver to keep his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes on the road, he was able to have the autopilot on while keeping his hands off for longer than one minute at a time, and obscuring the interior camera that checks that you are paying attention. The journalist's conclusion is: (snippet from the Washington Post dated 31-Dec-2024, author Geoffrey A. Fowler)

I can share my own experience, since I stopped being a motorcycle owner at the end of 1991; I resumed riding when I purchased my V11 Le Mans in December 2020. Now, I did rent bikes along the time, but it is not exactly the same as owning and being able to ride as you wish. Your friend should first and foremost go for the bike he wants to ride ultimately. The one that is going to bring a smile to his face each time he thinks about his next venture on it. There are no other considerations to be taken. Getting a bike to get back in the saddle is not a proper reason. I will explain the rationale latter. What I did, is to take a safety course, so I could verify my ability to handle the motorcycle. However, it was not a real trial by fire, since the motorcycles we used were small 125cc bikes, which did not present any challenge for someone who has ridden before. In April 2021, I went to Pensacola to get the Le Mans; the plan was to bring it back riding. An easy ride on I-10. I am not going to lie, I had a little apprehension as I exited the parking lot. The few traffic light stops before I-10 got me right back in, and I was easily cruising the highway when I suddenly realized the odometer did not increment. I then proceeded back to the dealership and left them the V11 to be sent to me, as I did not want to ride home not knowing if the low fuel light would come at all, having lost trust with the dealership who had previously ensured me the bike could be ridden back to H'town. Bottom line? once you have ridden a bicycle, you will always be able to pick up where you left off. The only difference is your physical aptitude. This is what you need to ascertain and find out. When I mean physical aptitude, I mean strength; muscles; shear force! The only exception to not buying the bike you really want, is that you are NOT certain you will enjoy riding again. An analogy is when your kid comes and says he wants to play guitar. You buy him a cheap one first, because you don't know if he will drop it after a few strums, like he did with all that he tried before. A few three thousand miles on his dream Guzzi will put him right back into it! trust me!

@Speedfrog Bingo! the guy answered; it has 31,000 miles, one owner. The actual seller bought it from the owner's estate, so he does not know anything about the bike but he said it looked in good condition. I believe that he is some kind of liquidator? his wording led me to believe the owner passed away. I am planning to go to Arizona to check it out the first week of January. If I like it, I will drive it back to Houston.

Not specifically a fan of F1, and the reason for posting is that Michael Schumacher was wearing a helmet when he had the accident. Allegedly, the helmet shattered during the impact on a rock. Since the accident, Michael Schumacher has not been seen publicly. There have been a lot of speculations on everything in regard to the circumstances of the accident. One of the few facts that can't be disputed, is that he suffered permanent brain damage. In Europe, the law forbids riding a motorcycle without a crash helmet, or without appropriate riding gear. In certain European countries, you need to wear a reflective yellow jacket over you. Where I live, I see motorcyclists going at high speed on bikes, wearing bandanas.....

Thanks! indeed, it looks the part, minus this humongous safe in the back!!! Now that I have contacted a few sellers on Craig's list, it is always hit or miss. So far, I only had the one good experience with an individual in Boise, Idaho. All my other attempts to get in touch were either left unanswered or denied, because "not local". Everyone on Craig's list is so "defensive", like there are only "bad people" looking to steal a Moto Guzzi Quota from you, duh! I sent the guy an email to ask him about mileage and any other details he may have omitted to specify.

I think Albignoni wrote the Adagio for riding on your V11...

Is your friend travelling by road, or will he take a ferry? if he travels by road, I would be interested in some hints and tips. I am still planning to travel up there with my Guzzi.

I sent him the request this morning; he had not yet confirmed the shipping cost.

Let me know what you need, I have consolidated my order, and only waiting for shipping costs. I have ordered the very light socks for myself in size III. As far as compression socks, I use another brand when I skate (in line). I have requested to ship without the boxes to get the shipping ALARP (as low as reasonably possible). Also, the owner of the brand, told me the European have changed the law; to not pay the VAT, he needs to sell to a business unlike before where shipping to an address outside of EUR was the only requirement. As I happen to have a registered company (setup during Covid days), I can get the 20% off on top of the 25% discount I am getting for being a returning customer. It is still expensive stuff lol.... made in Italy!

Rapidly growing segment? The adventure bikes have topped the European market sales for decades now.... so much, they introduced a mid-tier to allow more persons to access them. What I found interesting is that Ducati is now going to get into Motocross, so does Triumph; for Ducati, Paolo Ciabatti is moving from MotoGP to Motocross. The USA is the ideal place for adventure bikes; even MV got his... I am wondering if Moto Guzzi should not resurrect another Quota project?

My next Guzzi will be VERY different from my Le Mans; in my flawed philosophy, I like diversity, diverse, different, variegation... currently considering "something else". Stelvio 1200 or Quota in red would be ideal, but it could be anything really. I keep looking in the usual places, Facebook Marketplace, Craig's list, Cycle Trader, and outside the USA too. I don't mind riding long hours solo. It is therapeutic. I may rush the travel to privilege the stay, providing I get the free window. I observed a lot of riders who get to the events with their bikes in a trailer. Likewise, I discussed it with a bloke who had done that at the Lonestar Rally, and he said that he did not want to put too much mileage on it, and that his motorcycle was not comfortable for long distance. He said he rode during the rally, from his hotel to the events; it was close enough. I don't see myself doing that, though. The event is only an excuse to ride there? no? when I first started motorcycling, I used to take my bike and ride with no clear destination in mind. I would just follow the road, wherever it would lead, just for the thrill of simply going on two wheels with no hard stop planned! At the time, there weren't any Tesla to poop the party....

More often than not, I inferred that some of us have to pass on purchasing "another one", or is it "one more", because they do not have the garage space for it. I am unfortunately in that category. But wait; I am not completely in that category... the HOA where I live has determined that nothing can be permanently parked outside our garages, to not make the community look like a used car parking lot. I often read in this forum, that some of you need to make room to purchase their next one. The Quota I went to see in Boise earlier this year was also surplus to requirement, and occupying coveted space. So I am here, Buenos Aires, and while I walk the avenidas, I see motorcycles of all sorts parked outside apartment buildings. In large cities, parking space is expensive indoors, and most of the buildings never were conceived to garage cars when built. I mean the old buildings. All the motorcycles I have seen are left outside, not even covered. The majority of them are small capacity ones, 125cc, 250cc; but I bumped into a few GS 1250 and other KTM. I also am aware there are many HDs here too, but those I did not left out in the weather. So, why can't we leave our motorcycles outside ourselves? why do we need to have them pampered inside? surely, they were made to take on the harsh or good weather? I give you that I would not leave my Le Mans out in the Texas sun all day long without a cover. I know what the sun does to colors, and plastics. But why is it a no starter for you? theft? degradation? no way my bike is going to be outside?

Ha! I am never going to get that much free time. Even if I limit my attendance to one day, I would have to ride it in 7 days max, door to door. Probably arriving at the meeting on the Friday night and leaving on the Sunday morning. Using my experience of the Texas tour, I think three days to travel out may be possible, but I need to plot it and add the usual refueling stops. I can limit the rest time to the minimum by riding late and starting early morning. I usually liked the mingling with the other owners, but that was then. Now, with the new ways of communicating, you no longer need to do it face to face compared to when I was young, and the only way to get to know the other riders of the same motorcycle as you, was to physically meet them. Also, there were always Saturday parades at night, requiring a passenger to hold the torch.

I communicated with him about having a stop in Houston, such as Iron Supply Powersports in Katy; the owner matches the criterion for being a sponsor, e.g. Texas family owned business, and the owner was willing to sponsor the tour. However, the tour director told me there was no free spot to have them in 2023. For 2024, we lost BMW Alamo, the biker's hotel, the Harbord Kourt in Coleman, but we did not get Iron Supply added to the list. I am guessing the tour director has his own road map and objectives, and his requests for tour stops may be a form of courtesy, and he never asked for sponsors.

It makes for an interesting run from Houston, with three possible, very distinct routes; The longest of the three via Arizona and Nevada, the shortest via New Mexico and Albuquerque; in between via Denver Colorado. The Southern most way is the most appealing, having driven through to Tuscon from Los Angeles via Las Vegas. On a Le Mans, I am thinking at least two days to reach John Day with no spare time to look around. About a 7 days round trip. What do these meetings typically entail? I have never participated in any in the USA; I have been to the Lonestar rally a few times, and it is not my kind of event. Maybe I am too old to enjoy it?

He has one already: https://primabergamo.it/viva-berghem/giacomo-agostini-un-suo-museo-via-quintino-alto-privato/ It is a B&B, run by his daughter. Something I would be interested to do. But the minimum is 8 persons, including dinner with Giacomo Agostini. So far the best YouTube video I found about him. It is not filmed by journalists, it is just a group of Italian admirers listening to him remembering. Obviously, it is all in Italian, but some of it does need translation:

Here is the link to SIXS 2024 catalog: https://drive.google.com/file/d/148g3yPzht0TV5LXk2TuFlniuyhAwka-e/view?usp=sharing I support their stuff unconditionally, as written above, I rode all my Texas tour wearing their garments. You will have to download the catalog, as it is too large to be displayed from "mydrive". The catalog is in both English and Italian. There is a guide to pick what you need depending on what you want to do with it. Last but not least, I would recommend to order two sizes above what you think would fit you if you were purchasing in the USA for US sizes. I normally pick medium, so I chose Large and it was too small. This time, I am going to go 2XL. If you order before the end of the year, you will get 2023 pricing. I paid about 80 Euros for delivery last time.

I edited the post to include the 750 MV America which sold for 73,000 USD. The motorcycle collector's market is very narrow. When Giacomo Agostini passes, it will be interesting to find out what his estate will do with his own MV Agusta racing collection.