Scura build

[R.I.P. Mikko]

I’m going to try and pawn this job off to the pro’s.. a new pump is unfairly priced. I got lucky and paid a reasonable amount for mine.

Be just my luck I ruin it....

[R.I.P. Mikko]

wow...TLM from The Netherlands ships quick!  My seat is here.

[al_roethlisberger]

Nice looking seat.  I've had good experience with TLM 

[Rox Lemans]

4 hours ago, Mikko said:

wow...TLM from The Netherlands ships quick!  My seat is here.

Ooooh, where you get the carbon bodywork???

[R.I.P. Mikko]

11 hours ago, Rox Lemans said:

Ooooh, where you get the carbon bodywork???

I sent a new tail fairing and my pillion cover plus a '03 fuel tank to Exotic Car Gear. They did all the laminating in 3k twill CF. It was $1,800 to do all 3 pieces. 

 

[R.I.P. Mikko]

Wow! 

One down and one to go! TLM had the MGS-01 rear wheel on sale for about half what they cost when you go looking at the spare parts suppliers.  Hopefully I can get lucky finding the front wheel for a discount next!

[al_roethlisberger]

As I recall, didn't the OZ wheels fail to incorporate a cush-drive?

Will it bolt up to the V11 as-is?

[R.I.P. Mikko]

a fair portion of my saving will be spent buying all this crap :/ it does have something like a Cush drive. See #4 & 5. I’d be super disappointed if I paid the $3,000+ they list for annnnd cough up about 1,200 worth of crap to make it work. I paid $1,224 w/ shipping so that’s still cheaper then list price for just the wheel.

[R.I.P. Mikko]

I wasn’t even looking for a wheel. Joe Caruso asked me to buy him a Ducati 750 wheel from eBay because the seller wouldn’t deal with international types.

So when I bought his wheel, eBay has those “recommended for you” things and boom there was this rear wheel for less then half what they go for. 

In a moment of blood lust I’m stabbing the “buy it now” button 

[R.I.P. Mikko]

So I just happened to be in Chicago this morning and I was able to stop and see The Guzzi Dr. First time meeting and speaking in person and had a look around the shop.

Really nice guy, reminds me of my uncle Agostino who passed away from cancer. (Hardly a day goes by that I don’t think of him) We talked about the project and I feel much better about it.

I didn’t know the other guy that works there, Frank is a machinist of 30 years experience and they have a Bridgeport milling machine.

So when I started talking to him about my ideas and what I see in my mind he was excited. And can do the work needed to make some pieces fit. Lucky for me I don’t need to source all those parts for the rear wheel. Just the drive flange.
 

lucky and unlucky for me his shop is right across the street from a truck stop and while I was there during my visit, a trucker backed into my truck and did quite a bit of damage.

what was a cool stop along the way turned into the cops coming out and reports being filed. First time in 20 years anyone has hit my baby and I’m very disappointed.  
 

 

[gstallons]

Sorry to hear . Pick-up truck you were driving ? 

 Who is the Guzzi Dr. ?

[R.I.P. Mikko]

No, my semi truck. It could have been worse. I’m still rolling down the road albeit just to make it back to the shop to do some emergency field repairs. Don’t really want to mess with it too much till the insurance adjuster comes out to look.

The Guzzi Dr is Joe Walano 

https://theguzzidoctor.com/about-us/

He is much closer and knows Guzzi’s better then the company I had lined up to do this job before. As much as I like to mess with stuff and do things myself, I don’t have the time and from experience, I’m not ending up with a bike in pieces collecting dust.

I already have one of those and that’s turned into a huge mistake. It’s upset me to the point that I’ve sold it and washed my hands of it.

Exciting developments forthcoming!

[Chuck]

Joe was the "wrench" for this Indian in the Cannonball run. Dorcia and I spent the day with him at a stop in Illinois talking Guzzis and what it took to build a reliable Cannonball bike. He's meticulous and knowledgable..  While others were scurrying about working on their machines in the evening, Joe asked the rider, "Everything ok?" The rider said, "Yep." "Have another beer, Chuck."

He's the kind of guy you want working on your machine.

[R.I.P. Mikko]

That bike was there, Joe and I talked about it. He has a few old Indians. A 4 cylinder caught my eye. Those machines are a far cry from today’s “built to a price” bikes vs those that were “built to a standard”

Chemistry and how you get along with someone is important. It took us all of about 35 seconds to get a feel for one another. He really is one of those kind of guys that are unfortunately too few and far between. 
 

When I started explaining the more radical ideas, he pointed to a guy at the workbench. He said “That’s Frank, 30 year retired machinist, whatever we need to make for the bike we can”

Wasn’t fazed in the least...he said “there’s your corner over there.. you just keep sending me parts and that’s where they go”

In respect for his time, I didn’t stay very long. I did walk away feeling like a giant weight was lifted off my shoulders and I knew my baby was going to be in good hands.

Then... as life tends to do to us with regularity, I get to my truck to find some ignorant bastard backed his trailer into and alongside my truck.

He hit it with such force that it buckled the roof where a mirror bracket bolts to, caved in my air cleaner and pressed it into the body of my truck, gouged the hood and shifted it over a good three inches...broke the hood pin and the mount that attaches to the cab. 

That is a very substantial chunk of steel.. I felt like that dude from the opening of ABC’s Wide World of Sports...you know, the skier who wipes out over a jump? “Agony of defeat”.... 

[al_roethlisberger]

Was it a hit and run, did he stay, or did the other guy even realize he hit you?