Orson

I continued on thru Austria headed east. Austria is like some strange otherworld where gas station attendants resemble doctoral candidates in the states. Motorists don flourescent orange vests just to change a flat tire. Coming from the chaos of Saudi Arabia, it feels a bit unsettled to be around such orderliness. I crossed the border into Hungary near Graz, Austria. No problems at the border crossing. A quick look at the passport, a rubber stamp and I was on my way. After Austria, the terrain changed from mountainous to hilly and eventually to a lumpy carpet terrain. Not much to write home about motorcycling-wise but kinda neat to be behind the former iron curtain. While the Goose tries to figure out how to pronounce Szekesfe...er..whatever..I jumped off for a quick pic.

I met these Germans on Aermacchi-Harley Davidsons near Cortina. They were just returning from the Gyro d'Italia. Can you imagine pounding the Alps into submission on 175cc ringdingers? YEEHAW!

I continued on thru the Alps to Cortina D'Ampezzo and the Dolomites. No matter how many times you see the Dolomites, they never fail to impress. They seem to jut out of the ground and claw themselves skyward. Fantastic stuff.

Another shot from the wine growing region in the foothills of the Alps. If their was an Olympics for the beauty of countries, Italy would be on the podium every time. My favorite country in Europe.

I'm back I just finished a trip through Eastern Europe. The loose knit plan was to pick up the Guzzi from Guareschi Moto in Parma then, head east to the Carpathian Mountains in Romania then, swing around and follow the Carpathians for as long as I could through Slovakia and the Czech Republic before continuing on to my friend's house in the UK. I flew into Milan then hopped onto the train to Parma. When I arrived at Guareschi Moto, Gianfranco had just returned from the Sound of Thunder races at Assen. I had the honor of helping Gianfranco unload his racing equipment and the two MGS 1s I forgot the pictures of Gianfranco and the MGS-1s on my home computer but, I'll post them when I get home! Gianfranco & Vitto are extremely friendly chaps as are their mother and father. Gianfranco even excused hiself from some sort of business meeting to say good bye to me as I left and wish me good luck. Good people. Unfortunately, the Alps stood between me and the Carpathians. It's a tough job but, someone has to do it I made my way north to Lake Garda and followed the road alongside it. The road is along a steep mountainside and is constantly disappearing into tunnels.

I've had 2 AGVs. I haven't had any complaints from either one. Both seem to be fairly air tight (not drafty). The shield opening mechanism works with no fuss. I'm no helmet expert but, I'd grade my AGVs on par with my old Arai.

So, what was all this stuff about Corbin going out of business because of that 3 wheeled car?

I somehow doubt we'll never see another "sporty" Moto Guzzi model. maybe just a hiatus...like Vanilla Ice's career...on hiatus They are Italian after all...sport bikes are in their blood.

I noticed in the latest Motorcyclist magazine, the only Guzzi models they list are: MGS-01 California EV Touring Breva 1100 Breva 750 Nevada 750 The official Moto Guzzi web site still lists the Le Mans but, that's probably there so they can sell their remaining models? Either that or the web site hasn't been updated.

The thing I found the most fascinating when I visited the Moto Guzzi museum at the factory was the section for experimental engines. They had a triple which was essentially a regular Guzzi twin with an extra cylinder in the middle. There was an inline 4 that looked to be a carbon copy of Honda's CB 750. They even had an inline 6. Fascinating stuff. I don't know why I wasn't snapping pictures. Maybe cuz my mouth was hanging open

Congrats on the new bike My bike hates city traffic. You can just tell by the way it sputters occassionally...it's like a horse chomping on the bit...it wants to RUN. When I get it out of town and on the open road, you can tell it's in its element and loving it Enjoy the ride

I stopped at Agostinis, the Guzzi dealer in Mandello a couple years ago. They had a guy there who spoke passable English. They also had a big picture on the wall of a large gathering of U.S. Guzzi enthusiasts from some meet in the states so, I gathered that they did some dealings with U.S. customers. Their phone # is 0341 735 448 Their e mail is: assistenza@agostiniduilio.com Now I'm getting worried about my spring 20,000 miles on my '02 Tenni

Moto Guareschi is the Mom & Pop shop in Parma where I bought my Tenni. Mom runs the office while dad is chief mechanic. The two sons help out when they aren't racing. They're really nice folks and treat me like a long lost relative whenever I show up. Bravo Gianfranco! I thought something was strange when I saw racing trophies in their shop...racing trophies from Japan! It turns out, Vittorio was ex factory Yamaha superbike racer & former team mate of Scott Russell. From what I understand, Pop Guareschi has a hotline to the factory and regularly uses it to call them and lambaste the engineers over certain questionable designs

I heard that is what Dr. John is working on.

Thanks guys! What about from the train station to the circuit? How far? Walking distance or will I need a taxi? Will the taxi get stuck in traffic?

If the stars align right, I may be able to be in Holland for the Assen TT. Unfortunately, I may not have my bike with me. My question is... Is it a big hassle making it to the circuit by train or rental car? I'm not big on camping so, how far from the circuit will I be able to find hotels that aren't full? Thanks

That sounds like a good idea. I'll try 2nd gear next time I encounter a 10 mph hairpin. Sampling Guzzi torque always brings a smile

Here's a web page with some pictures and info. Apparently it is "softly tuned". I think I read somewhere that the engine was a bit gutless but undoubtably smooth. The quoted price in the mid-nineties was $60,000. I'd be willing to bet you'd get a whole lot more than $120,000 for it 10 years from now.

I saw this ad in Classic Bike magazine: Morbidelli V-8 One of only four built. Last one available. $120,500 + VAT

I have the same problem in tight, tight slow stuff like, 10 mph hairpins, where you have to back off the throttle then get back on it. Maybe those curves just aren't Guzzi's forte. I'm also interested if anyone has any ideas. It absolutely loves fast sweepers

I read about this exchange overheard on a police scanner during Daytona Bike Week about 20 years ago. Squad car: Come in base. I've just clocked a bike doing 165 mph. Base: Roger that. Are you in pursuit? (moment of silence) Squad car: Are you kidding me? Obviously someone out fine tuning his TZ 750 before the big race

One of my best memories from attending the Isle of Man in 2002 was the morning I woke up at the crack of dawn to take in a quick lap of the TT circuit before the crowds woke up. As I was nearing the village of Kirk Michael, I spotted a lone headlight in my mirror. I thought to myself, one of the crazies must have woken up early. Soon enough, he blasted past me. It was a police officer on a Pan European. It was too early for any criminals to be out and about so, all I could figure was that, he was out enjoying a lap of the course just as I was

The original BT020s made it to 7000 miles but, were probably a bit overdue for changing. I then mounted Pirelli Diablos and the rear only reached 4800 miles. I think the front made it to about 7000 miles.

I think it shares the same Rotax engine as the BMW 650 GS...I think.

Count me in as a fanatic. I was fortunate to attend the '02 TT and watched David Jeffries set the all time lap record of 127 mph. That sounds really fast then, you realize that's only his average speed. Then your mind tries to conceive what his top speeds were and how long he kept it at "full chat". The mind peels © Kelly Bundy. There are places on the circuit where, you hear a bike approaching at full chat. After about 10 or 15 seconds, he swooshes by. Another 10 or 15 seconds and he's out of earshot. The entire time he was within earshot, the throttle had been held at wide f*ckin open Here's a photo a friend took of David at Rhencullen just outside of the village of Kirkmichael. Wide open, as usual but, the scary part is that, as soon as the wheel touches back down, he has to flick the bike through a left hand kink Lots of lunacy you don't see on film. I must have seen about 6 bikes wadded up and left on the roadside by people who had gotten a bit too exhuberant I was really impressed by the travelling marshalls. Those guys really motor around the circuit. I read that they are all ex racers with a minimum of 1500 miles of experience on the TT course.