activpop

You are comparing different models with different engines. At some point they went to the newer color scheme when they upped the displacement and changed to the 4 valve head. Not sure when the colors changed, but the engine was upgraded by 2008. I personally prefer the matte reddish orange to the older shiny red, plus the extra power. That's why I bought one. I think it is a work of art, just like a nice shiny V11.

Ohlins 1309 is what the manual calls for. Not sure what weight that is though.

So Seinfeld had the right take on it? There isn’t much I won't eat, so I look forward to trying it. So now I have to search...I won't be in Kentucky anytime soon. Without different flavors this world would be a little less interesting.

I don't eat much red meat, but lamb is my favorite. Those mutton dishes sound great. I never had it, but I'm sure I would love it. I think it could have got a bad rap from the one of many Seinfeld episodes. https://youtu.be/b-HisCMWaso?feature=shared

Was there a cholesterol check along the way?

Nope, didnt know about that until now. All back together now. But I did lube all 4 needle bearings on the rear shock to swing arm connections. They were not shiny at all from lube. Glad I did this. I feel so much better when everything is lubed right. Six dry bearings all packed with grease now.

I asked about the branding iron. Here was the reply... We have a branding iron that is specific to the Rally and others - that people are welcome to brand a piece of wood or if you have leather gloves, belt, etc that you'd like to brand you are welcome to do so. Roy Harvey from the Washington Moto Guzzi Club has been doing it for some time and will be there to assist and give pointers. You don't have to do it but it's available if you so desire.

@pete roperHow many miles on those? Somebody didn't get the memo.

Ok, the dry as a bone was a little exaggerated, but there was no grease to be found. They looked lightly oiled at best, which to me is dry. The should be lathered in grease. The races seemed fine as the bike has less than 6k miles on it. The needle bearings on the three point shock connection were void of any grease also so they got smeared too. Next is the Griso. About the same mileage, so hopefully no damage.

Yep, dry as a bone.

Branding with the help of Roy Harvey. ???

Not much...sign in, meet and greet, campfire and branding, whatever that is. You can pay when you arrive, no need to mail a check.

@swooshdaveThere was a V9 by the real estate tent set up by the building. I chatted with the guy for a bit. He was marketing homes with space for car or bike enthusiasts. He would have loved to sell you something.

Sad, but true. I have read many stories about aviation fatalities, mainly to learn from mistakes that were made. The story that demonstrated the most lack of situational awareness that I can remember is Eastern flight 401 in 1972. Many changes were made in commercial aviation training after that incident. The fact that there were four people in the cockpit and no one was flying the plane turned out to be devastating. I am not sure of this but there were good odds that some of them were military trained, the best training you can get. But they still made a fatal mistake. They broke the main rule of flying...fly the plane. https://www.faa.gov/lessons_learned/transport_airplane/accidents/N310EA

Well that was "fun". Aviation to boxing with a ride in between.

Without situational awareness, you wont be a pilot for long. To this day one of the things I like most about flying is looking out the window at the land I'm flying over. Flying out of your home base to a nearby airport should have been a slam dunk for her. Making all those turns to headings in the opposition direction of your destination is mind boggling to me. They might be alive today if she just went back to basics. I would like to read the NTSB report on this incident.

Took me almost 2 years to get my checkride...70 hrs of flight time. Life got in the way even at 30 years old. Passed on first try. I never would have been comfortable moving up to a complex aircraft at 100 hours. I was very comfortable in the 172 but knew I still had a lot to learn and skills to hone. I continued on with flying on my own in addition to going up with an instructor from time to time to work on different things...spins, flying under the hood, unusual attitudes, etc. Watching that video had me wondering how or why she stepped up when she seemed so lost in space, no pun intended. I knew my limitations and also knew how unforgiving general aviation is. She didnt seem to have a clue.

Not a big turnout because of early off and on rain, but the Norton guys don't mind the precip. @swooshdavehad his Interstate at the head of the pack and the Norton Club was there in full force. I had my Coppa there. Just one other Guzzi. We all lucked out though, rain stopped by 8AM.

When history called, they answered. David Brooks.

I never have either, but now I have two of them. After I do the Stelvio, the Griso will be a piece of cake.

I wish it was that easy.

The seals I bought were from Italy. They came with an Italian price tag, not one from China. I feel like they fall under the diminishing returns category, but it's history now because they are installed.