p6x

Came by this "Harley Auler" at the Brenham "Hot nights/cool tunes";

few more miles from previous Mike's MPH location, unfortunately. It will be from 12 miles to 48 for me; besides the fact that MPH was just off I-10, so a 15 minutes ride to a 45 minutes ride. As for Buc-ee's difference in Ethanol free Octanes, I don't know what to think about it. Buc-ee's Katy is located in the middle of a fast growing residential area. A lot of the people working in the Energy Corridor live there. The surroundings is community after community. I am guessing most of the vehicles using E-free gas don't need high octanes. They probably sell more by keeping it 87 Octanes and cheap. What puzzles me, is the 90 and 92 figures. I would have thought; take the usual fuel, and don't blend Ethanol with it. So 89 or 93 would make more sense. But I am missing something obviously.

I am definitively a low rpm V11 rider....

@PJPR01

May I make a recommendation? Try this: https://www.buubble.com/ Remember that Northern Lights are never guaranteed, because occurrence depends on the Sun's activity and the delay to go with it. So it is a hit or miss. However, the experience to be in a transparent bubble in the middle of the winter is a lifetime memory.

Air France used to do that too. Calling passengers from row number to row number, starting from the back. Business and First class passengers could board at their own will. It is difficult to understand if there is any time gain by doing it this way. Because initially, this was the objective; Now Air France uses the board by group number which most airlines use. I like the way Southwest does it, without assigned seat; I think it is the most efficient and fastest way to board. Air travel has seriously deteriorated over time. Not only because of the newly implemented security measures. The number of passengers that use that mode of travel has exceeded the capacity of the infrastructures in several ways. Airports are too small in many of the major hubs. Access to the airports, terminals are no longer coping with the flow. The number of gates available to board passengers is finite in many cases. At least, in Europe, fast trains supplement or replace short haul flights. All European airports are connected to the cities via rail. The lack of alternatives to flights for long distance travel in the USA is a major problem. Any weather issue, even if localized in one part of the US can disturb air travel everywhere else. In Houston, you can only access either IAH or Hobby via road. There have been cases when passengers had to leave their cars and walk to the terminals. We have also seen some absurd issues happening, such as passengers stuck in a plane under the sun with no air conditioning in Las Vegas. I have been using air transport frequently since 1980; my last flight to Boise Idaho proved the point. A weather system forced an extended stay in Denver, at least we made it back in the early hours of the morning. But this is the lack of alternative transport that I think will become unbearable. A fast train connecting Dallas / Houston / Austin should be a de facto project. By the way, I flew Iceland Air to New-York several times in the 80's. DC8.... because it was the cheapest way to get to New York from Paris. The plane ticked included a train trip to Luxembourg, where the flight initiated, and a stop over at Reykjavik both ways. I love Iceland too....

I found the Etsy solution working nicely. Plus it matches the color of my Le Mans, which makes it even more palatable. This picture was taken in Eden TX, around midday, without any shadow to shelter from. The cover fits the Guzzi surprising well, even if designed with Harley Davidson motorcycles in mind. I have been using this cover each time I leave the bike in the sun, including at home, and it is very fast and easy to deploy. The folding to take up as little space as possible could be improved. The elastic bands that anchor the cover to the bike may certainly age quickly in the unforgiving Texas sun. I have a coupon if anybody is interested in getting one. They have many colors, in case red is not yours.....

That new idling rpm has had an effect on my instinctive driving. I was so accustomed to my low revs, that now, when I stop at a traffic light, I think something is wrong. Like I have not returned the throttle to its back stop. However, the V11 is easier to ride in traffic as I can let it idle run. No need to touch the throttle. No hiccup as if trying to just run it on a very narrow opening. It is still 100 degrees F here (38C).

Interesting; The Federal recommendation, if I am not wrong, is for Premium fuel to be minimum 91 Octanes (R+M/2), usually max being 93 (R+M/2). This reinforces the idea that Buc-ee's purchases fuel from various suppliers. The photo below is from 2022. 90 Octanes (R+M/2). 87 Octanes (R+M/2) on Buc-ee's at Katy.

Factor in desertification; all over the world, people tend to regroup in larger cities; small towns are slowly losing their population. This year, in France, small villages have actually gone out their way to bring in Ukrainian families in for a reboot. I would love to go live in the middle of nowhere; cities are now bursting at the seams.....

You may want to specify the motorcycle model and year. I infer it is an oldie, but it is worth mentioning. In the USA, generally, dealerships don't take bikes older than 10 years. Class6 should be able to help? whenever there is a "6", it is usually trustworthy

@audiomick Do you think "Der HS B+S Monitor" could be worn underneath a helmet? They say they can form fit the monitors according to your hear duct; do you do a mold and send it to them? I am interested to those because they can probably attenuate the wind noise, and at the same time, transmit the directions. I can connect them directly to my Bluetooth unit. Or were you referring to the MEP 2G? this one seems to be a good solution with the possibility to choose the attenuation level.

Same in France. No names, no photos.

This is certainly an issue. But I am confident there will be locations were the beaver and his acolytes will never set paw. On my third consecutive year of Texas touring, I have observed how Gas Stations in small towns have the same purpose as small cafés back in the 60's. The beaver is impersonal and business only. It is going to work in places with major transit. Similar to what you have on European highways. I would dare to say the concept is older than Buc-ee's. These European gas stations offer regional and local products, places to rest, to eat. Plenty of amenities: free air refill, free water, limited mechanical assistance... at Buc-ee's, you find none of that. Buc-ee's is only interested in getting you out of dodge once you purchased something. They lure you in with their glittering bathroom, but it works. Small towns like to mingle while they have breakfast. Buc-ee's only has commercial smiles to offer. They are not going to set business in Terlingua.

Low idling no more.... Sorted it this morning in less than the proverbial two shakes of the lamb's tail... I am now around 1000 rpm give or take 50 rpm....

It is difficult to understand what Buc-ee's represents if you don't live in Texas. I think one has to visit one to get it all. The concept seems to be expending as there are copycats, and Buc-ee's itself is already expending beyond Texas. I suggest that you read this article from Houston's newspaper, the Houston Chronicle. The study was conducted by "GasBuddy". My #1 gripe as a motorcyclist is they have no rest area dedicated to us. I do not purchase food from them, although they have a kitchen, but I would not mind sitting at a table to drink my coffee, rather than on my motorcycle. Especially when the sun is hammering as it does now. During vacation times, I have observed traffic issues going in or coming out; they are victim of their popularity. For the sake of being thorough, I did a little search on what are the qualifiers for the best gasoline in this country. Consumer Reports is citing a study carried out by AAA. I let you read it, but as it turns out, the best gasoline, named "Top Tier" are those with special additives. As I had dealings with Chevron, I know they have an additive named "Techron" which helps in keeping your valves from carbon deposits. If you peruse the list of Top Tier brands, Buc-ee's in not in it. Costco and Kirkland are. I searched to find out who is the supplier of gas to Buc-ee's, but I did not find that information. The closest I got was on a forum, where that question was asked, and someone claiming to have been a former Buc-ee's employee in Wharton said: various suppliers. It makes sense; Top Tier brands would not supply Buc-ee's without their brand showing. Buc-ee's is probably purchasing batches of gasoline from several of those refineries around Houston. Possibly, Buc-ee's gas is as cheap as it could be, so no additive. I think this is the extent of how good or how bad we can say it is. There probably is a minimum recipe imposed by the federal government on what can be called Gasoline. Their "Premium" should be named "Super", and not "Premium". But at least it is 93 Octanes (Ron+Mon)/2. Halon, which is another brand not on the Top Tier list, has Premium 90 Octanes (Ron+Mon)/2. However, we don't know why Halon is not on the list, since the AAA test was conducted on brands that agreed to participate. Same for Buc-ee's. To conclude, I have had the opportunity to work in plenty of developing countries, including Africa. Driving 40 years old cars, and using whatever gas was available. Land Rover, Toyota Land Cruiser and other Isuzu. I only once had an issue with a diesel engine powered car, because the diesel had too much water in it. But I could never really determine the quality of the fuel I pumped. It remains true today too. I stop when I need fuel. Love's too...

MPH is one of the too few places where you can get your vintage motorcycle looked after; At one time they were a Moto Guzzi dealership, but have parted ways with Piaggio's take over. I visited with them today, August 7th 2023, and was informed Mike, the owner has sold the car part of the business Mike Haven Automotive, and they are going to move the Motorcycle repairs to where Mike lives in Hempstead Texas, Waller county. The move should take place before the end of 2023. Mike says this will save them the commute, and will improve the turn around time for the bikes, which is currently around six weeks.

Just back from visiting MPH (108 degF) Davey says over time the rubber boots harden and lose their flexibility. That may be a factor too. In any case, I need to get that sorted by verifying there is no leak.

@docc, @Scud: Agreed. I did check all the collars on both sides. There is no way I can do any kind of work as long as this extreme heat continues. The inside of my garage is 104 degF. The vacuum hoses were replaced last year, because the previous ones were all crackled. I did a quick visual check, but did not see anything out of place. @GuzziMoto I am going to go check with MPH what they think about that. @Tomchri Yes, indeed! my idle is about 550/600 rpm, when Guzzi recommends 1100 +/- 50 rpm. When I purchased the bike, it was already low idling. Since it never stalled, it was on my contingency list. All of that tied up to GuzziDiag, which I have not yet managed to connect to the interface.

One of the major attraction the beaver has over other stopping places, including Texan, is the cleanliness of the bathrooms. They literally have someone there all the time, cleaning; they have hot water which helps to clean visors. This makes a big difference to a lot of people. As for their gas quality, I think I remember a study comparing brand less gas, such as Costco and similar, and the result was Buc-ee's' gas is good.

This morning, my Le Mans started to run on one cylinder. In the 87 Octanes topic, I reported that my V11 had a lot of misfiring. Fortunately, I was less from a mile from my house, on my way back from a run, so I limped back and a quick look at my left intake identified the root cause. The rubber boot had slipped from the intake pipe, and was no longer sealing around it. I was intrigued to find out there seem to be no lip on the pipe to prevent that kind of mishap. I have seen similar assembly with the pipe having a lip and the rubber boot a groove underneath the collar recess. Tightening the collar would lock the boot onto the pipe. But here, it looks the pipe is smooth, so the rubber boot is only held by friction. If you have not, worth checking on your bike.

Bingo! I did, for reason though. The dealer where I usually go, https://www.rideironsupply.com/, is one exit before Buc-ee's Katy. I usually get my gas at Costco; but I wanted to make some room in my tank to get as much as possible 93 to blend with the 87. Other than that, Buc-ee's is not really super welcoming for motorcyclists. They purposely have no seating area.

To close this topic, I am able to confirm that my V11's fuel of choice is NOT US 87 Octane + up to 10% ethANOL.... I filled up with regular gas (87 Octanes ((Ron+Mon)/2) and while it runs fine, if you drop a gear and turn the throttle, you can clearly hear the knocks. Conclusion: yes, in an emergency situation, you can run 87 Octanes. As long as you stay gentle on the gas. By the way, Ethanol free gas is 87 Octanes in Texas. @PJPR01 not enough Octanes. In today's 111 deg F (felt temperature), the engine was misfiring a lot. 87 or 93 Octanes does not make any difference. Even at low rpm, up to 3500, plenty of misfires. The engine only run smoothly from 4000 onward.

Terrible, but typical of today's driving. As discussed already, the way people drive and behave is changing, and not for the better. There seem to be no lesson learned gained from any of those accidents. We all hear about them, but still behave irresponsibly and keep destroying lives. This one which happened in Florida is particularly horrible: https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2023/05/02/samantha-miller-jamie-lee-komoroski/ I am imagining how the families and the groom are left after this.