velofish

please be a joke please be a joke please be a joke please be a joke...

Joe; Just so we are on the same page here: the Arrows are soft luggage. They are reviewed in the June 2005 issue of Cycle World. PG3A also has a set and likes them; he might be able to get you some pics. Saw a variety of soft saddlebags at the National and they all seemed pretty nice. Thought the Givis looked the best, though. They came with raincovers, detachable shoulder straps, and two rubber bungee cords. I used that non-slip tool drawer rubber mesh lining underneath and they did not scratch the bodywork or move around on the bike. I mount about level with the seat and there is at least 4 inches clearance to the pipes. Sorry to be such a luddite about the pictures, but I have webtv not a computer. Good reason, though-- we have dsl at work and some of my co-workers are exploring the "naughty bits" sites. This way, when the shit hits the fan, I can honestly say that I do not know how to work a computer, which I don't. Can't even turn one on. Why the hell are all these married guys such porn pervs!? Christ, don't get me started! I did buy a disposable digital camera for the National. When I fill it up, I will see if some kind soul will post some pics for me. "I have always relied on the kindness of (IT savvy) strangers. Blanche "fish" Dubois

To promote parity in the series, I will donate my BMW R100 for Rossi to ride. This might even things up a bit. Might have to leave the hard bags on to give the other fellows a chance, though. Does anyone else do this-- four riders battling in one curve and the positions start to scroll across the bottom of the screen partially obscuring the action. I sit up in my chair trying to see around the graphics. sigh Great race, but I did not know that they were going to 800cc in 2007. Why? fish

st augustine: I have the Mistral oval carbon pipes. The Givis work fine with them.I am not sure if they are as high as ti pipes or not. One thing the magazine review said about the Givis is that the heat resistant panel on the bottom could be better. No complaints here, though. fish

Me too, me too! Actually I am running two for two this weekend. Yesterday, a young girl pulls out in front of me from a parking lot in town. She is driving one of those enormous Cadillac pick-up truck things and occupies both lanes in my direction while pulling out. I hit both brakes (always covered) and let loose with the verbal barrage. The kids running the charity car wash in the parking lot may have learned some new descriptors. Today, an older woman pulls up to the cross traffic stop sign in front of me as I roll into my little town. Looks right and NEVER looks left. Another panic braking procedure and I may soon go hoarse with my high volume constructive criticism. Both times on the 1978 Suzuki with the single front, laughable, disc. Heard that the old Indians had a left side throttle so that cops could ride and fire a pistol at the same time. Thinking about it... fish

Just bumping this up for thgil. I ended up buying the Givi arrow saddlebags and am very pleased. Well-made and easy to use. $114 US. fish

Try a search under "saddlebags." I just asked for and recieved a bunch of advice on this topic about a month ago. Thanks guys! FWIW I bought the Givi Arrows bags and am very pleased. They seem very well-made, fit well and easily, and have an expansion zipper for big or small loads. Got mine for $114 US. fish edit-- Just looked and my post was labeled "What soft luggage should I buy". Lots of good advice there.

davidb: sell the bike to Enzo. No sense in endangering yourself any further. BTW 5k is not "cheap". 3k would be good. Enzo, if you want to unload it fast, call me. fish

Waist size? Did somebody say waist size? I occasionally get to measure people at work. I always ask the men what they think thier waist size is before measuring, big laughs. Your pants size is NOT your waist size. Find the gap between your pelvis and your ribs-- on the side of your body-- and measure around there. Men average about +4 inches on the bullshit scale. Best I ever saw was the guy who told me he was a 34. Measured at 48. Yup, a beer drinker. Go ahead try it. prepare to be depressed. Fish -- 6 foot 2 and 220 lbs (today anyway) and yeah +4 on the bullshit scale

Deben you "living on the edge" crazoid. Blaspheming against Joey Dunlop is like spitting on the pope. He is the God who would come in from a lap on the Isle of Man with paint scraped off the side of his helmet. Was rubbing his helmet against the roadside cottages at an unholy speed as he sped past, dontcha know. Valentino Rossi is a pantywaist in comparison. Have you seen V-Four-Victory? Trundle yourself down to the local church and light a candle in atonement for your heathen ignorance before the wrath of the Manx faithful descend upon ye. And God have mercy on your soul. fish

No chance in hell of getting any of that here. Have to pop in V-four-Victory for the hundredth time and put my Joey Dunlop poster up in the living room for atmosphere. Lucky bastards. fish

Deben: Motogp is on the Speed channel. Can't you get it there? I hooked up with the Dish Network just so I could get F1 and MotoGP. Worth it, big time. For the record, I think Rossi is the best racer on two wheels alive today. It was amazing when he won the first race on his new Yamaha. However, I will have to respectfully disagree with Baldini. I think Rossi screwed up and cost Sete the race in Spain. Poor form. fish

I really appreciate the non-US folks on this board. One of the reasons I ride a Guzzi is because of its European flavour. I like that on this board, too. I would dearly love to ride in Europe, or Australia, or NZ, but when I have the money, I don't have the time; and when I have the time, I don't have the money. If I ever do cross the pond, I think I would skip the museums and tourist traps and just find a nice neghborhood bar somewhere and chat with folks. Maybe walk through a hardware store or motorcycle shop and enjoy the differences. In a way, this board allows me the chance to do that. Thanks Jaap. fish

Enzo: I think the German word you are looking for is "Jackass". Rossi wins because he is the smartest racer out there, both on the track and with bike set-up. However, his out of control move cost Sete the race in Spain, and his arrogance kept him from admiting it. I just wanted to see him get punted off by Sete, then you would have seen some cry-baby action. fish

Have to admit, I was kinda hoping that Sete would punt Rossi off the track in the last bend as revenge for a few races ago. Good racing anyway. Nothing else compares. fish

An intervention may be in order here before deben strays to the dark side. He sounds like a big fella, though, a Taser may be needed. I have had at least one BMW in the garage for about twenty years, so I am qualified to give one-sided, skewed, perverse, and totally ignorable advice on this subject. The beemer has always been a good tool for covering ground in the real world. I believe "Bike" magazine from England found that the R1100S was faster over their real world testing loop than the Ducati 999. I believe it. Usable power, compliant suspension, more comfy ergos, etc. = real world speed. BIG FREAKIN' DEAL! The beemer has no soul, no character, no anima. No big,thumping, grin-making motor. Also, the packaging is too much like a car with densely bundled and inaccesible geegaws that can make maintanence a nightmare. Modern BMW is notorious for ignoring and/or denying problems on the bikes. And BMW riders can be total chumps equal to the likes of Harley riders when it comes to ridiculous brand chauvinism Oh hell. I need more coffee so that I can make more sense, but you get the idea. How about a Benelli, or Aprilia, or MV Brutale. Otherwise, we might have to get mideval (sp?) on your ass with a Taser.

Seems ike belfastguzzi has been imbibing. Why did God invent whiskey? To keep the Irish from ruling the world! Slainte (sp?) fish

"I'm rollin' I'm rollin' I'm rollin a" Soul Coughing is cool. And Portishead. No one is as cool as Tom Waits, though. Best biking song: "My Red Joystick". Lou Reed. "Took my GPZ out for a ride..." Fish Edit: Sorry, that's "New SEnsations" by Lou Reed.

Congratulations, beautiful bike. I have a black 2000 with red frame and sometimes think it would look better with the colors reversed. Didn't know they came that way... John

Chris: Bear in mind the Guzzi national rally is in New Cumberland WV over the Memorial Day weekend (Thursday to Sunday). With a little creative navigating this could be on your path home. A good place to see the disreputable crowd you may have gotten yourself messed up with. I am about 80 miles southeast of that site, let me know if you are riding through here and we can go for a spin. John

Thanks Richard. Glad to hear Jason and dad are doing OK. I may take a ride up there this weekend and waste some more of their time looking at that Stone they have on the floor. John

You could call Speakers Cycles in Stuebenville, OH. They are advertising a 03 LeMans at dealer cost. They seem like nice guys. John Edit: Speakers (740)282-5399 www.Speakerscycle.com I have been there a few times, Jason and his dad are nice people.

I am almost certainly shocked and disturbed by that picture on a wholesome biker site like this. Almost certainly. If you could post a couple more just like it, I will review them and let you know just how upset I am. Especialy girl #3. Shocking. John

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope to have something in time for the Nationals. At least enough space to carry a good bottle of whiskey. Off to look at more websites. John