Bill Hagan

Docc, my comment was not a real criticism, as there is no perfect place for such things. And, after all, it was banter. Yes, some solemn, even reverent between-the-lines meaning, but still banter. I apologize if I came across as the Old Guy I am. Bill

Joe, Apologies for this much-delayed response. Short answer? LOTS. Temper that with I've only ridden it 1055 miles, with only one longish -- and VERY wet -- trip to see grandkids in North Carolina.. Riding it to Erie in a week or so, SSR in early September, and Mutton Run after that, and those real miles should tell the tale. Meanwhile, I'll just say that I have been pleasantly surprised by its performance and comfort. Bill

Busy -- a good thing at my age! -- so have missed this and a number of other threads recently. I suppose that this thread is banter, but celebrating Independence Day is, IMO, hardly silly. My fourth great grandfather, Corporal James Hagan, Jr., served with the Maryland line of the Continental Army from 1776 -1783. He was seriously wounded at Eutaw Springs on 8 September 1781 ... interestingly, that is the day in 2023 that Kathi and I will arrive at Tellico Springs for this year's SSR. We celebrate The Fourth in a serious way. Unlike most folks around here who -- oddly, it seems to us -- put up Christmas decorations in November and toss it all in the garbage on the 26th, we leave ours up until Epiphany. Those same people put up the Fourth display here around Memorial Day, but as soon as the boom and smoke of the fireworks clear, down come the flags, etc. We put up our Independence Day bunting on the first or second of July, but leave those up for at least a week after. Here's what our front gate looks like "as we speak!" Bill

Thinking that this will be the official debut of my new Guardia d’Onore V85. Bill

A few brief — by my wordy standards, of course — on the above. Thanks, Docc, but I did not coin the “Garage Mahal,” and, in fact, that label has been on long use WRT garages. My only twist was to call mine, the GarageMahalo. That was a play on words based primarily on my gratitude for having what I had, and have. We had lived in Hawaii for a few years and the word Mahalo for thank you just seemed right. I am, by the way, back in Kentucky. This time in Daviess County for my semiannual Mutton Run. The event is tomorrow, but I left on Thursday with some buddies and just got here. Visited Cadre Cycles and Gateway, two great dealers. I’m trying to decide between the Navale edition of the V100 or the Guardia D’onore V85. Or, perhaps most wisely, neither. Had a fine time at KSR; more when I get home. Bill

Hope springs eternal! But, whatever the weather, watching those who know what they’re doing wrench V 11’s in the garage is pretty fun and fun, too. Bill

Well, darn it , and thanks to Best Buy fornicating me much of the morning, I didn’t get away from Winchester until 1 p.m. Made it to Parkersburg, West Virginia, which leaves a big chunk of an almost 400 miles to ride tomorrow. C'est la vie. There are worse fates. Bill

The V7 is pawing the stable floor. As for fuel range, Docc, it’s always, an “it depends” thing. i have never run out of gas on either of my V 7’s. The Stornello is the thirstier of the two, the V7 III has gone over 200 on a full tank, and I still had more when I filled it then I thought should be there. Given the forecast 38-40F overnight low, I am a wee bit less enthusiastic about an early launch than my mount, And, last-minute leave-the-house chores may mean a later and warmer morning start, anyway. Not sure where I’ll spend tomorrow night, but I want to get down the road as far as I can. My laptop is hors de combat and in the shop for a month, so everything I do digitally is a PITA on the cell phone. Riding will cure my whining. Bill

Bingo to all of that!

Great. I ride in that area a bit. As you know, it's quite fine. Will check out those loops this evening. Kathi abandoned me this morning for a trip to Italy, so I'm In the Moto Grappa getting the V7 III ready for my run to the KSR. I'll be back for two days, then return for my semiannual Mutton Run. Yee ha; war is heck! Bill

The best "Good Idea Fairies" don't only come up with suggestions, they do what Joe has done in Kentucky. So, Randy, assuming that your use of "we" was in the royal sense, what's your plan? Bill

As tech is pretty much a spectator sport for me, I look forward to hearing some stories about that girl you dated in college. Bill

Welcome. I hear that the US is a big place. So, unless you are in a very tight witness-protection program, consider narrowing that down a bit. Oh, and maybe a pic of that new V100. Best, Bill

Talked with Joe last night -- who was having his own 4-wheel travel adventure at the time. As I told him, my planned conflicting trip to the PNW has been cancelled/postponed as a result of my riding bud deciding that he should break his arm! So selfish. Anyway, as the old saw goes, "it's an ill wind ..., etc." So, I am back to attending. Joe said that my readmission will only cost me this: After this event, I'll ride back home on Sunday/Monday, and head back to Kentucky's Daviess County on Thursday for the Mutton Run! On the bright side, too, I'll get to see ailing Aunt Wilma again ... probably for last the time, at least on this planet. But, as Kathi will be in Italy , I can play. Have to figure out some way to keep the hummingbirds fed, and the grass will grow to the point I'll need a herd of goats to keep it mowable, but I don't want to miss the fun. Thinking that I'll ride the V7 III for Act I at Dale Hollow, then the Griso for mutton's Act II of My Old Kentucky Home on a Guzzi. Bill

What a great thread. I'll contribute when I get the time. See you in '24. Bill

Some of you who decry luggage are either bachelors or wear the same underwear for a week. I am neither of those, and am happily supervised. Bill P.S. The other reality for me is that I am a lousy planner and packer.

I'll ask him when I get back to Virginia. Naturally, there will be a surcharge for my providing contact info. I don't know the experiences of others, but I was aware of the sticking cable before the recall fix, but not since. Actually, my throttle grip still sticks, but because of my inept installation of heated grips. I have decided to view that as a "feature," i.e., aftermarket cruise control. Bill

Even though my EV has been garaged unless being ridden or on trips, all of my turn signals went south relatively early on. And, of course, with 107K miles, such is not unexpected. I used popsicle sticks as splints, black vinyl tape to cover those, and caple ties for additional support. Pretty lame, but, hey, they worked and only looked half-, not all-, bad. Then, the (Great) Wayne Orwig, Guzzi Guru Extraordinaire, sent me these: Made those on his 3D printer. Pretty high end -- as is all of Wayne's work, and even come with a period Guzzi eagle. Haven't installed them yet, but look forward to doing that soon. On an unrelated note, found that lost pic of HRH, Al, Lord Roethlisberger, at that moto-gathering this past Saturday in Cartage, N.C.. Off to home at the top of Virginia later this morning. Even tho I'll be on back roads where traffic is slower, I'll still be cursed by many for my Grapes of Wrath rig. The mighty four of the 2009 Honda Fit -- with 270K+ miles! -- can only do so much when towing. Bill

I tried pasting the whole post I put into the ADV V7 sub-thread here rather than the link, but failed in several ways to get that to work. Given the Al Rothlesberger content , it's worth your trouble to go elswhere momentarily. Actually, as I mention in that post, I failed to get Al's pic. Well, I thought I took it, but it disappeared from my phone. Maybe he's in a witness-protection program? A great fellow. Here's the link: ADV Post about "Meeting Famous Al" Bill

I'm cheap (he says, snapping suspenders ). Pledge works just fine. Bill

Too bad today won't work. Back to you on your EV questions soon, but here are a few quick comments. I have been attentive to servicing, and thus it's had few issues. One -- "over washing" as a new owner led to a corroded ignition switch and expensive tow. Almost missed a daughter's wedding. Needed TPS in early 20K's; fine since. Only recalls I "recall" were (1) rear wheel had potential spoke problems, but never heard of a real life instance of failure; and (2) to add a throttle=return cable. Recently, I have had "rough running" of the seemed unbalanced TB sort. Finally came to conclusion that it needs new injectors. Ordered those; they await installation. Our Wendell kids and grands are in Hawaii, returning tomorrow. I go home to Virginia on Monday. We come here every few months, so will let you know. Oh, HDM? Hot Dog & Mustard. Bill

Very nice, Al. Pity about your blue. My '98 is in the much more desirable and coveted HDM livery. Seriously, it has 107K miles and is still a strong runner. BTW, I am riding my Stornello over from Wendell for a 1 p.m. lunch at http://www.pik-n-pig.com in Carthage. It's a (small, I think) gathering of some all-brand locals. We are housesitting down here for a set of our kids vacationing in Hawaii. I trailered the Storny down here -- yes, I know; for shame -- and have been doing some local roads past few days. See, e.g., N.C. Day Ride 1 & N.C. Day Ride 2. Anyway, maybe I'll see you in Carthage. Bill

I am not sure what the best solution is, but I know that it doesn’t include this: I really like the watch -- #002/300 -- as a memento of good moto-times, but it is decidedly not from Glashütte. Have had it for 15 years or so. Stopped running about 10 years ago. Had watch shops in Davenport, Iowa, and, later, one in Fort Lauderdale, try to fix. Seemed to work awhile, then went back to sleep. One of the repair shops said that wearing it while riding a motorcycle transmitted too much vibration. Hmmmmm. OK, but more than flying one of these? I'll bet that those controls buzzed as much as a big block Guzzi! Anyway, a nice watch; wish it worked. Think I’ll send it here, http://www.watchrepairsusa.com, and hope for the best. Bill

This isn't a reply to Skip's, next above, as that's in Joe's lane. But ... legendary Virginia Guzzista Ron Komoroski forwarded this email to his list. I paste it in so that attendees of the sKSR might plan a raid on the krautrad riders and fellow travelers. I am still sad that I had to back out for unfixable calendar-conflict issues. Bill ======= Va Guzzisti, Dear Ron and Alice Komoroski: My name is Ken King and I represent the BMW Motorcycle Club of Nashville (BMW MCON). The BMW MCON is hosting its annual European Riders Rally in Burkesville, KY May 18-21. This is the 24th year for our Club to host the European Riders Rally in Burkesville, KY. As the name of the Rally implies, all makes and models of Euro bikes are welcome at the rally. In the past, we’ve had a decent contingent of Moto Guzzi bikes owners attend the rally. I noticed on the Moto Guzzi National Owners Club website that you were listed as the "Virginia Reps”. I just wanted to make you aware of the Rally should a group of Moto Guzzi riders out of Virginia want to attend. You can learn more about the Rally by visiting our club’s rally web page at European Riders Rally 2023 - BMW Motorcycle Club of Nashville (clubexpress.com) Also attached is a PDF of an promotion we’ve posted in various motorcycle magazines advertising the rally. It has a QR code you can scan to get to the same web pages. Feel free to pass the PDF along to other Moto Guzzi riders or even post to your social media pages. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at ken.king@comcast.net or call or text me on my mobile at 615-495-6374 (m). Thank you. Ken King Rally Chair - 2023 European Riders Rally BMW Motorcycle Club of Nashville 615-495-6374 (m)