v50man

I think I have a new hero!

CRG's are equally lovely. I treated the Buell to a set......

more 8mm lens Buell weirdness...

HeliJim -- I'm gonna back away from the wheelies -- for the moment. I really dislike changing out fork seals. But, don't despair, I'm actually quite immature and will most likely delve into hardcore hooliganism as the weather heats up in the ATL. Seeing as how I just gifted the lovely redhead with a Nikon D200 -- and have given her free access to my substantial lens collection -- you can rest assured that any future two-wheeled stupidity will be well documented -- and in super high res. Now, you'll have to excuse me while I play a round of Battleship with the neighbor's kid...

I dunno. For me, the warmup of ANY vehicle (car, truck, motorbike) is key to the endurance of said vehicle. I NEVER ride away cold -- ALWAYS give ANY of my bikes a few minutes to warm up. I think perhaps there's a solid reason they misbehave in the cold...

Chesham, schmesham...

I don't think the subtraction of Superman from the series results in a second-rate series -- and please understand that I love Rossi. He's probably the best ever. It'd just be nice to go into Sundays wondering who's going to win. And, dammit -- I miss Max. All this sportsmanship and kindness is killing me!

Yamaha will -- quite simply -- return to crap. Sadly. Honda and Ducati will duke it out -- and the series will become better (without Rossi). Perhaps the others will conspire to "sacrifice" one rider per race to take Rossi out at the beginning and let us see a race. Of course not, but wasn't Jerez a blast to watch? Short of a MAJOR injury, Rossi's gonna win again... Without Rossi, only Yamaha suffers.

That's right -- Stoner has the pole. Amazing -- and good. This season is shaping up to be the best in a while.

I feel your pain, Dave. Really, I do...

Nogbad -- One more thing: Always warm the bike up for several minutes prior to taking off and -- most importantly -- NEVER blip the throttle or rev the motor until warmed up. Doing so could result in fouled plugs and -- unlike the V11 -- the 'Bolt's plugs are a bit tough to get at. Just trying to stop this from occurring before one of the neighbors comes by and demands that you "crank her up so I can hear her." v50

Oh, yeah -- the race kit is actually quite mild compared to the pipe I threw on my Firebolt. The "Special Ops" pipe is made in Alabama, USA by a fine man named Odie -- and only costs $250 with the exchange of your old pipe. If you inherit a load of dough, Nogs, Quat D makes a lovely setup for the Buell. They're quite proud of it, though... Enjoy -- but be safe. v50

Nice assessment. I agree with most everything. Just like the V11, it hates the cold -- so just warm it up for 4 or 5 minutes. The front brake is strong, but NOTHING compares -- feel-wise -- with Gold Brembos. Enjoy. v50

It'll be infinitely better than stock. After some initial fitment issues (warped mold) mine has served brilliantly. You'll love it.

Gorgeous bike -- very tastefully done. Nice work -- and congratulations. v50

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Congrats. That's a damn sexy ride!!!!!!

That makes sense -- he was a North Carolina boy as I recall. If you find out where, let me know.

Skeeve -- It is a completely selfish sort of sadness. I met Glenn in 1994 when his photo studio was in the now demolished (to make room for a public transportation rail yard) photo and film district of Atlanta. He was in front of the studio revving the piss out of a perfect vintage Ducati -- I heard it while standing outside the studio I worked at -- and ran over to have a look. I met Glenn -- a chain-smoking gentle giant of a guy -- and he told me he had "a few more bikes in his studio" -- would I like to see? Uhh, yes -- yes sir. We go into his studio -- he pulls back an old curtain -- and reveals about 25 or so vintage Guzzis and Ducatis. He did his own work and was passionate about bikes. I had a new hero. Sadly, our buildings were demolished, and Glenn moves his studio to Tucker -- a suburb of Atlanta. As I understand it, he is now making a living doing both photography and Vincent restoration. So, yes, I'm sad -- but I'm also happy that he can make a living doing what he loves doing. Considering that Glenn was the MGNOC Georgia rep for quite some time, it's just kind of odd to think of him as a dedicated "Vincent guy" -- though I totally get the fascination with Vincents. I hope Glenn is well -- I think I'll give him a call and catch up. P.S. I'm actually quite a good speller, but the fingers I use to type still have no feeling since my accident last December, so typos abound in my posts (for now). v50

DLaing, that's the spirit! And. oh yeah, the dog piss taste starts to fade after the second vigorous brushing.

I guess it's revenge of the shrimps: 5'8" and 160 lbs. -- and I fit perfectly on the 'Bolt. V11 does me justice, too... ...as does the v50........... ...and the Duck......... .....aw, geez -- I should sell one, but I'll probably end up buying another one......... .......anyways, thanks for the clarification....... ....if you respect against-the-grain thinking and brilliant (yet somewhat obvious) engineering -- then you gotta love Erik Buell........

Greg - Just throw a leg over a Firebolt -- give it a chance. No bike is as sexy as the Guzzi (save perhaps the occasional Duc or MV), but these damn Buell Firebolts are ADDICTIVE! On an aside, it is both sad and interesting that Glenn Bewley -- who shot the cover of your wonderful book -- has pretty much left the fold to concentrate on Vincents. Glenn is a great photographer and a highly original person. I'm sure if he saw my 'Bolt he'd slap me -- ' til I let him take a ride. Best... v50

Seeing as how the V11 is discontinued -- and the fact that it was a low-production motorcycle -- I wouldn't count on a more refined version coming out. Anyways, it doesn't matter, as around-town drivability is ENORMOUSLY increased and -- with the catalyst yanked out -- there is no NOTICEABLE loss at the top end. Just buy the Quat D. It's expensive -- yes -- but you can justify it if you eat Ramen noodles every other meal- and serve slugburgers in the place of hamburgers at dinner. It's all about priorities, man.

Carl -- "Sunday" was interesting. However, I've gotta stand by my contention that "World's Fastest Indian" is a simply terrible, schmaltzy movie -- on all levels. It seemed to me that the target audience for WFI played with Barbies and LOVES romantic comedies... v50