Al Roethlisberger

[leafman60]

Hey, whatever happened to Al R ??? Is he still around ? Does he still have his V11 that he entertained us with so much a few years ago???

[docc]

Good question. I remember he moved to, was it . . .North Carolina?

 

Good guy. Maybe we can get him to the South'n Spine Raid.

[leafman60]

He must have sold his V11. I wonder what he is doing with all that spare time now ! lol

[leafman60]

Or, maybe he is actually riding it all the time now. NC has some of the very best motorcycle roads in the world.

[leafman60]

Paging Al R.

[al_roethlisberger]

BOO

 

 

 

Well, I would say that I drop in fairly frequently, but just don't post as much anymore... but that would be disingenuous

 

The truth is that I just did a Google on my name, and the first match returned was this thread. How coincidental!

 

 

So here's the deal, I've just been completely unplugged from riding and the bike for about 2 years now.

 

We did move to NC two years ago, and prior to the move I had just gotten the bike back from being in the shop in San Jose after several months for a case swap. So I was already sorta out of the habit.

 

Then we moved, and you know how that can be. I had no local friends that rode, and was really consumed with the new job locale, our house hunt(we rented first), and just getting settled.

 

Then after dealing with trying to find a lot to build a house or shopping just about every weekend for a house, we bought one and moved again within the year.

 

The house we bought was a fixer-upper, and didn't have a working garage(the doors and windows had long since rotted off), so I continued to store the LeMans up in Cary while we were 30 miles in Sanford. So again, not too much riding.

 

Then we lived the next 7 months in our basement while we fixed up the upstairs, and I finally got the garage put together and rode the bike down. That was this last autumn.

 

.... oh, and I got laid off during all of this. So I spent every day working on the house we just bought, or looking for a job.

 

 

I mean, how much fun can a person ask for! I tell ya <_>

 

 

Perhaps riding the bike would have been the best therapy during this whole 18 month ordeal, but alas... it just didn't work out that way.

 

So I start the bike up, run it around the block every so often, and I have gone for a handful of brief rides. But it just hasn't worked out, and to be honest, as nice as NC is(and we love it here), the roads aren't Northern CA unless I ride 3 hours west, and even then . That's a hard adjustment as well. And the Guzzi community is also more sparse.

 

And then there's the family aspect. When I started riding, I was single and care free. Who cared if I became roadkill, other than me of course!

 

But now, I also tend to worry that no matter how careful I am.... well, my 3, 10, and 13 year old make me consider my responsibility there.

 

And finally, times are tough financially right now for us. It's amazing how things can go from "great" to "scary" in just a year or two, but it can happen.

 

So although I do still have the bike, I have been wrestling with selling it since last summer, and I think I am pretty close to coming to terms with it this spring. I'm not sure how much it is worth these days, but every bit helps, and my current contract job ends in 3 months with no guarantees.

 

I've got a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.... not to mention $$ in that bike, but I also realize that it should be ridden, not sit in a garage

 

 

So we'll see.

 

Al

 

 

 

....and hey, I updated one of the FAQs "recently"

[Baldini]

Good to see you're still around Al. Take it easy - hope things work out for you. KB

[ptrkbeam]

Hi, Al.

 

Thanks for checking in. Always enjoy your informative posts.

Prayers going out for your employment situation.

The LeMans is a great bike, but family and home are beautiful things.

Three, 10 and 13 year olds? I can't even imagine.

Sounds to me like they have a loving and resourceful Dad who'll pull through all this.

[Admin Jaap]

Good to hear from you! Too bad things have gone belly up a bit, but as the above speaker already mentioned, you'll pull through.

 

Hang in there and keep in touch! And think really hard before selling that lovely LM...

[al_roethlisberger]

Thanks all!

 

 

Well, my current contract(with the NC Dept of Transportation ironically <_ has me putting in a daily mile commute.>

 

So the V11 isn't condemned quite yet

 

 

Along with other cost cutting measures, I'll be selling my current vehicle(Volvo wagon) as I am just piling on the miles with this commute, and that's about the only thing it gets used for.

 

As a replacement I was looking at a high mileage Toyota/Honda type of commuter, but in today's economic climate... apparently everyone else is too. So they are like GOLD.

 

So I thought, "hey, I've got an economical vehicle sitting in the garage" Plus I don't know what the future holds in 3 months, so buying another vehicle is dicey.

 

 

But I'm just not certain I am up to a 110 mile commute EVERY DAY, and during the winter... rain, ice, and COLD

 

I've done my share of cold and wet riding, but daily could be much, especially after a long day at the office. I dunno

 

But I'm going to give it a test next week I think. We'll see if my out of shape body is up to it, if my carpal tunnel can take vibrating every day for 45 minutes each way, and the weather isn't too unbearable. It should require a minimal investment of at least a pair of new riding pants that match my expanded waistline!

 

And if it isn't too bad, maybe I'll pick up a set of those nice relaxed foot controls some of you have fitted. That might make the daily commute more bearable.

 

So we'll see.

 

Al

[Skeeve]

Thanks all!

 

 

Well, my current contract(with the NC Dept of Transportation ironically <_ has me putting in a daily mile commute.>

 

So the V11 isn't condemned quite yet

 

 

Along with other cost cutting measures, I'll be selling my current vehicle(Volvo wagon) as I am just piling on the miles with this commute, and that's about the only thing it gets used for.

....

 

Keep the ovloV for use during the winter, & as soon as the weather warms up a bit switch to the Guzzi. Long miles on cold, wet & icy? roads are not conducive to motorcycling happiness. Nor rider longevity.

 

Best o' luck

[Steve G.]

I Al,

What took you to N.C. anyways? Just curious. There's nothing wrong with northern California in my books. Well, the bay area is a bit busy, but it's because it's so nice.

Ciao, Steve

[leafman60]

Allllll, da man is back !!!! You wont get enough money for the V11 to make selling it worthwhile so you may as well get over that idea. Keep looking for a job! If you can, get over in the western part of NC, at least west of Hickory.

 

I have a place on the coast of California and its nice out there but I think the roads in western NC are better. There's so much lush vegetation there too. Unbelieveable curves and topo changes make it a riding paradise. You ride that V11 a while and ease over into those parts of the state and your whole attitude and outlook will change.

 

Having kids and not wanting to get killed are nice sentiments. I have kids and I dont wanna get killed either. In fact, I happen to know a lot of riders that dont wanna get killed. You dont have to run like some of these crazy crotch rockets that really push the envelope. Snick the lemans in 3rd and enjoy the mountains. Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherohala Skyway, Winding Stairs, Corkscrew Road, and many other wonderful rides await you. Take advantage of where you are and youll realize things you dont yet know.

[docc]

[quote name='leafman60' date='Jan 31 2008, 10:45 AM' post='136805' Snick the lemans in 3rd and enjoy the mountains. Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherohala Skyway, Winding Stairs, Corkscrew Road, and many other wonderful rides await you. Take advantage of where you are . . .

South'n Spine Raid?

 

My kids (and wife) are always glad when Dr Jekyl comes back from his ride without Mr.Hyde . . .

[al_roethlisberger]

Thanks guys.

 

I've got a new pair of winter overpants on the way that should pair well with my old Tour Master cold weather jacket.

 

It's not too bad here in the winter, but it does get in the 20-30s every so often.

 

Rain is currently rare(we are in a drought), and snow is something that makes news

 

 

So we'll see how it goes.

 

The Volvo has to go though. It simply is too much $$ in monthly payments and insurance <_>

 

 

Al