Introduction Thread

[gthyni]

Hej Tommy,

 

raise your hand.

I live in Sweden too but at the other end of the country (Luleå).

I actual does not have my MG yet, I am picking it up on friday in southern

Sweden and will ride it home hopefully without being hit by a snowstorm

 

I am 40 years old and have always liked Italian and British motorcycle,

I currently own a 1970 BSA twin which I will probably keep for shorter runs

when the sun shines. The V11 I am picking up is for longer trips then I trust

to the Beeza for.

 

I am also a member of Svinkallt MC the friendly biker club of my former home

town Kiruna, probably one of the most northern clubs in the world.

[alfaguzzi]

Hej Göran

 

Hope you get a nice ride whit your new bike back to the bright north.

 

Maybe I can raise my hand on Friday, if I meet you in the south of Sweden.

 

 

alfaguzzi

[MotoG5]

Hello All,

I live in Lincoln, NE and have been riding Guzzis for a little over thirty years now. I have at present three of them. The latest being an 01' VllS. The majority of my experience is with the older models of course. This forum has been a very good sorce of information on what is to me quite a different beast. My touring bike is an 81' V1000 G5 that I bought new. I have not posted much yet as my experience level with the Sport is not great. I have almost 7k on it now and am very pleased with it. I have had some of the common problems listed here and all of them have been taken care of by the dealer and myself(he is 350 miles from here) in little or no time. My only other Guzzi sport bike was a new 76' Le Mans 850 that I rode for ten years and then sold. A mistake that I have regretted for a long time. I hope this forum keeps going and maybe sometime I will have gained enough knowledge to contribute more often.

Ray Rowen

Hello Again,

Well its been some time since I posted the above. The V11S now has a little over 10k on it and is out from under warrenty. I am waiting to take it to my dealer for the tranny recall work. I still love the bike and will be getting it taken care of as soon as I get the call to bring it in. I will let the list know how my experience with the repair goes and what if any thing seems diffrent when I get it back.

RR

[Guest Le Man]

Hi Guys!

 

Just traded my 996 in for a '03 V11 Lemans ( five hours ago).

 

Have owned a lot of bikes in the past and loved my 996 but needed a bit

more of a touring bike and couldn't do the 'Wing thing.

 

Any good after market fairings out there? I'm looking for a belly fairing and maybe a sleeker/lower front fairing.

 

 

Thanks

 

Mike

[Guest Jaap]

Congratulations on the LM! *You've made a wise decision, my son* and welcome to this forum!

 

You mean a full fairing on the LM? Haven't seen one yet.

 

(btw. this introduction thread is to tell a little bit more about you. Where you're from, what bikes did you ride in the past, how do you make a living, ect.)

[Paul Minnaert]

Well, Jaap made a composition of the daytona fairing on a v11

, for that fairing exists a bottom to make it a full fearing

 

[callison]

 

Here's a carb Sport somewhere in Europe with the full rig.

[Guest ckknives]

Live on the Olympic peninsula in Washington. Have owned four Moto Guzzis and still have two. Bought Eldorado, put 48K on and tried two different side cars. Bought Monza, put 44K and three drive shafts. These two are gone. Currently own Rosso Mandello and Nuovo Falcone Tattico. Wife rides a Virago 535 and is waiting to ride the new Breva. Employed as a DWDM engineer.

 

ckknives

Charles Kasicki

MGNOC # 11753

[Guest John Y]

Hi all, my name is John and I'm a 38yo graphic designer living just north of Australia's capital, Canberra.

I bought my first Guzzi, a LM1, at the tender age of 21 and they've been in my blood ever since, having owned (in order) the LM1, a V50, LM3, SP (which I converted to a LM1 lookalike), another SP (converted to a cafe racer), T3 (converted to an S3 lookalike), T4, Stornello, Nuovo Falcone, another LM1 and my current brand new black V11 Lemans!

I've only had the V11 for a week although work, lousy weather and family committments mean that I have only managed to put 100kms on the clock but I absolutely love it - it is the perferct blend of performance, sportiness and practicality I was looking for; plus I got it for a bargain price (try AUD$5,600 off recommended retail!) as it was plated '02', despite being an 03 model complete with crossover header pipes, 43mm forks etc. I also got the dealer to throw in a set of Staintune mufflers for nix (!), so it really sounds the part too... maybe my ancestors were camel traders, or perhaps my timing was just very good for a change...

I still have my ex-Italian army Nuovo Falcone, 160 Stornello and cafe-SP but I sold my LM1 last weekend to help finance the V11 and I suspect the SP will also go soon - but those are sacrifices I'm more than happy to make considering just how GOOD the V11 is.

On a personal note I've been with my fabulous bike-friendly partner Mandy for 22 years (married for 14 and a half) and we have two boys, 7 & 10, who are showing a keen interest in motorcycles - hell, they can even pronounce 'Moto Guzzi' properly (mo-to goo-tsy) so the future looks bright!

You can see my bikes at

http://photos.yahoo.com/johnmandyy

Bye for now,

John Y

[Guest RFusi]

Hello all. I live in Mississippi and have had all different kinds of motorcycles all my life. Never had a Guzzi.......until today. I sent them the check and it ships Friday (from Calif.). '03 Sport Naked. I must admit I am very excited I am 45 years old, married with no children.

 

I raced Moto Cross and flat track and later road raced at Sears Point with the AFM. I got into road racing because a guy named Rich Oliver told me I would like it. He was right. Sears Point is an awsume track!!!!!! I wonder what ever happened to him

 

I rode a Harley FXRP 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Might have been the best job in the whole world. Paid to ride......I still miss it.......The bike, not the rest of it.

 

I look forward to spending time on this site. It is really special!

 

Randy Fusi

Carrollton, Ms

 

My late father told me something years ago and I still carry those words with me today. He said " Son, being half Itailian is better than being no Itailian at all "

 

Cheers

[Guest Thundering Subash]

It's great to see all the detailed BIO's. Here's mine:

 

I grew up in Minnesota and started riding in 1977 when my grandpa bought me a Honda 70 mini-bike (it was blue, with a gas tank under the seat, had little knobby tires, and was fast as hell for a 9 year old). My next bike was a Kawasaki KDX 90, which was a lot of fun but always in the shop for something or other. I rode the snot out of that bike in the rolling hills of Western North Dakota (which were just out my back door). I then bought a Honda MB50,my first bike with blinkers-oh boy, and rode it for a couple of years. I quit riding for a year or two, then got the urge and finally moved up to the big time when I purchased a brand new Yamaha Radian 600 (which I still have). Compared to the little ones I'd ridden before, and even a Honda 750 my dad owned, this one was a screamer. In between all of this, I managed to go to college, grad school, and start a career in Public Safey. Oh, and I also bought a crazy Thoroughbred a few years back (which I sold 4 years later due to him being very head strong, and very very fast-which as you may guess is not a good combination). The horse hobby lead to the meeting of my lovely wife (who owns a Morgan which I trail ride on occasion) and recent purchase of a larger home. Lastly, I bought an '02 V11 Lemans last winter (after having not ridden for a few years), which has been in the shop for warranty work almost as much as I've ridden it (but it's a joy to ride).

 

 

 

I drive my bike daily, and in the time it's been in the shop over the last 3 months, I've ridden a Triumph RS, a Triumph Daytona, a Ducati Multistrada, and a Suzuki Bandit (none of which seemed to suffer from oil leaks or electrical problems, or the same unique character of a Guzzi). It seems that I need to get my motorcycle fix in one form or fashion every day. But when I'm not fixated on bikes, I occasionally mange to get some work done, travel a bit (for both work and pleasure), and enjoy spending time with family and friends.

 

Ride Safe All.

 

-Chris

 

Oh, and if you're wondering about my Login Name, it's the name of my former thoroughbred race horse.

[al_roethlisberger]

....ewwwww, you are gonna be in sooooo much trouble when Jaap sees the size of that photo you just posted

 

al

[Guest Thundering Subash]

So sorry about the size of the photo (am I approaching the maximum file size of 300k???). Perhaps you could shrink it down a bit Jaap.

 

[Bill Hagan]

Hello from Atlanta.

 

I was born in Wuerzburg, Germany, in 1947. My mother was German; my father an American soldier. I like to say that I came to the U.S. in 1949 as a non-English-speaking immigrant. Of course, at 2, I couldn't speak anything much!

 

I got into motorcycles early, tho. My mother was from Tuttlingen, in SW Germany, and we would travel there regularly from Wuerzburg—on a BMW motorcycle. I have been told that I rode in a saddlebag. Not sure how apocryphal that is, but I like the story, so there it is. Moved around lots: 13 different schools before graduating from high school. In the mid- to late-60's had four motorcycles: 60, 125, 80cc Yamahas, and a 90cc Honda. Liked 'em, but … well … we all know how "reality" gets in the way of that sort of life.

 

After college and law school, I joined the Army and, to my significant surprise, loved it and stayed in as a career. Started off as a tanker, but transferred to "JAG Corps," i.e., the legal branch. Had a blast. Was primarily with "troops," to the extent that a legal guy can be, i.e., in Army divisions (2d Armored, 82d Airborne, 24th Infantry, and 25th Infantry); taught at West Point, and even worked at the Pentagon. Had to be dragged there kicking and screaming, but learned a lot and enjoyed it. Lived all over the U.S., including Hawaii, and had overseas tours in Italy and Saudi Arabia. Travelled even more.

 

Saw my first Guzzis I can remember in Vicenza. I worked with the Carabinieri, whose offices were next to mine, and, at the time, they rode V7's. I was younger and fitter than I am now (duh), and was consumed by a passion for race bikes of the pedal sort. I continued that for a number of years before scared off of them.

 

I retired from the Army and moved to Atlanta, where I have now lived in the same house for six years, the longest I've ever been in one spot in my life. Love the American South, thus – for reasons rural southerners can understand – do not like Atlanta much. Still, our neighborhood (see www.inmanpark.org ) is a delight. And, speaking of delights, I am married to Kathi, a sweetie from Erie Pennsylvania, the delight and light of my life. Oh my. I am lucky man. She is a saint, which is a burden for me sometimes as I am not! We have four grown children, a son and three daughters, all living in the Washington, D.C. area. Kathi teaches ESOL in middle school.

 

I study and write about military law, history, and current affairs … or, more accurately … I used to do that BG: Before Guzzi. A young friend across the street had a Katana 750. I looked, thought, and remembered. Poof, I'm another over-50 re-entry rider. A serious one. I narrowed my search to a Honda Aero or ACE, but—no kidding—got lost looking for the dealer and found a Guzzi dealer. Next thing I know I own a new 1998 (leftover in 2000) hotdog & mustard EV. I have put 52K miles on it in the past three years. I love it.

 

But I have also wanted more, and knew it had to be a Guzzi. Rode Texas Phil's 02 LeMans at Cheaha (Alabama) during a "gaggle," and liked it. The seating ergos worried me a bit, but loved the power and handling. Recently -- perhaps it was Kathi being out of town for 5 weeks in Boston! – I decided I was going to buy some Sport variant. Narrowed search to Ballabio, Café Sport, & leftover Scura. Was at dealer when a large crate arrived. Seeing the red Ballabio appear, with Mandello dirt still on tires settled it then and there. Put on carbon-fibre pipes, but otherwise bought as is. Kept the EV, of course.

 

Am annoyed by speedo cable that went out at 882 miles, but compared to its other joys, that is trivial. The odometer is always interesting, but speed is … uh … situational … anyway. I'll try to remember that philosophical approach when I am handcuffed and being measured for my orange suit!

 

Look forward to meeting many of you and on the road.

[Guest russ]

Welcome Bill I know you from the WildGuzzi site but I spend more time here. This is a great group, very helpful and knowledgeable. We all love the V11 Sport/LeMans and you can learn alot from this group. We are all anal retentive about our rides and there are lot's of wannabe racers and Sport Tourers in the group. Although not as active as WildGuzzi, I think you'll find the content much more helpful in most respects.