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Since that idea floated around me, I watched and read all the material that I could gather on the Internet. The weight of the bike is a big concern to me. I already witnessed a couple of guys' efforts to bring it upright from the side stand. I also happened upon a guy explaining why he was retiring his (HD) mega cruiser for that same exact movive. Weight! I probably need to temper my enthusiasm, even if none of my current bikes are exactly feather like. My objective is to go and check one out when the opportunity presents itself. There is one in Lemon Grove California sold by a motorcycle dealer. I checked the map, and it is almost a straight line from Houston. The one in Allen is closer to me, but I don't want to deal with a private seller, because at this point I would only check how I blend with the mastodon. However, I do not have the free time to do it immediately, I have got more pressing outings to accomplish. It may just remain a desire which like so many more, I will never fulfill.

As strange as it may be, I am warming up a lot to the Flying Fortress; I thought the Griso was going to be my third and final Guzzi, but it is close to the V11 in terms of spirit. There are some MGX-21s with low mileage around me, slightly North of 10k. Not sure about the weight though...

@guzzler Most modern cars have backup cameras, proximity detection alarms, you would think these kind of accidents would become rarer right? But check out what most people do right the moment they get in their vehicles; they check their phones while they maneuver. At least we don't when we ride our motorcycles.

Crodino too... not as well known as Aperol.... lol...

There is a bar in Italy where the Moto Guzzi serves as lounge chairs. They are drinking Prosecco.

This is the now defunct "Old Gringo" bar and hotel. This is at the very west of Texas, and the owners were biker's friendly. They had a motorcycle exclusive indoor parking!!! a real treat.

Another favorite of mine, this time in Navasota, Tx; The walls are decorated with guitars.

One of my favorite "water hole" in Brenham Texas. The Pioneer BBQ. This used to be a train depot.

This is the U Drop in, on Route 66 in the Texas Panhandle; There is no issue with drinking there, they only serve pop and icecream.

This is where I will eventually take a picture of my Moto Guzzi xxxxxxx (not sure which one it will be). This is the location where the movie "Badgad Café" was shot in Newberry Springs, CA. The town of "Bagdad" vanished as many others that did not survive the decline of Route 66.

Look at what the Chinese are proposing; they are the ones behind Benelli now. Why can't Guzzi do something like this? It reminds me of my Quota; selling for $4595 + the usual US add-ons. This is the Leoncino, but they have a street version too.

I could probably get one, there is some red about it...

I think "Audace" is what you need to drive such a truck looking bike....

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?

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.

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.

@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.

@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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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....

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.

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.