Kane

Here’s something to be careful off, and perhaps there’s a solution? Yesterday I gave the Green Goddess her bi-weekly bath (whether she needs it or not!). Took her for a ride to dry off. This morning I check the gas level in the tank, and the spill-over gas tank flange (the moat that goes around the tank’s filler hole) is full of water. I am hoping that water doesn’t make it past the gasket and I guess the excess water drains out the hole in to the atmosphere or fuel recovery system. However, after taking the bike for a good run after washing yesterday I am surprised to see so much water still there. Does this sound normal or is there a concern to be addressed here? I have never noticed this before, but will probably cover the gas filler area the next time I wash the bike.

Will this work?: https://www.youtube.com/embed/0cn_RCfI6P8 At least it’s a link to see. Just “something to do” huh? Dang. RESPECT to you, sir!

I love this picture! Beautiful composition and exposure. Makes me want to jump in a canoe and go fishing! docc, are you back to running the flyscreen? It certainly gives your bike the “Silver Bullet” look.

Heck, I’ll go for two!

Chuck, I’m in for another run if there’s enough demand and you’re so inclined.

Congrats, docc! That’s really awesome, and your bike looks great! Well done!

That’s great! At the end of May as a birthday gift to myself I took advantage of the sale that Vanson is running and ordered a set of their Sportrider jacket and pants. I did the whole custom measurements chart, and Kim at Vanson was really great to deal with. I don’t expect to see them for awhile as it sounds like right now they’re putting a lot of resources into making PPE. Nonetheless, I am very excited. What is the GP armor? Is that the standard armor that Vanson puts in their jackets and pants?

I ordered a pair of their gloves with my boots, but I returned them because the fit was not good for me. The fit was inconsistent between the two gloves: one glove had the thumb cut too long, and the other had the pinky cut too long. They look to be well made and hand made, which may account for the difference between the left and right gloves. I think they would have worked if I were in a situation to mix-and-match individual gloves to get the perfect fit. As I understand it, in the past Helimot had a shop in the San Jose, CA, area, and one could try on the gloves to mix-and-match the perfect pair, and once they broke in Helmut would adjust the fit as needed. That would be really cool. Now their business has moved to on-line. I didn’t want to go through a drawn-our exchange process with the gloves so I returned them and kept the boots. I was interested in the Helimot gloves because I was looking for a three-season gauntlet style. After I returned the Helimots I ordered a pair of Lee Parks DeerSport gauntlet gloves, and they fit great and I like them a lot. I think both the Helimot and the Lee Parks DeerSports are good gloves if you’re looking for a high quality leather gauntlet. One difference is the Helimots have a layer of padding over the knuckles and back of the hands, whereas the DeerSports are thinnner with a double layer of leather over the impact/abrasion areas. The Helimots felt a bit bulky like a ski glove to me, but I only had them on briefly at home, and I have heard that they break in and get bettter as they are worn. The DeerSports feel like a soft driving glove from day one. Helimot is a pleasure to deal with. I really enjoyed my conversations with Helmut and he was extremely helpful.

Mikko, thanks for posting. The Falcons look like a cool, serious boot. They will go well with your emerging dark knight bike! As for the Daytona boots I was asking about, I did buy a pair from Helimot. After trying the regular 45 size I exchanged for a narrow 45, and it’s a good fit. The turn around time with exchanges was pretty fast, and Helimot does a good job. Their price on the Daytonas is very good and I like buying from a small mom-and-pop operation like they are. The Daytona are pretty comfortable and seem to be well made. Not too hot for summer riding so far, even with the Gortex boot liner. I have not yet tested the Gortex boot for water protection, but I look forward to cooler and wetter weather, although wet is only a dream it seems in Southern California.

It’s really important to be happy! Your back protector looks like a good piece. Along those lines, a lot of retailers are closing out the Cortech Piuma jackets. These are mesh hot weather jackets with leather bits for protection and equipped with CE elbow, shoulder, and back protectors. I think they were $300+ jackets when in production and I got one from Revzilla for $179. The fit is just ok for me, but I really needed something for the summer heat we’re in now, and I wanted the elbow, shoulder and back protectors. My main riding jacket is an old-school Cal-Leather jacket. It’s a hot and heavy beast. Thick horse hide, but too hot right now, and old-school “we don’t need no stinking armor!” I have a jacket and riding pants being made for me by Vanson as they are having a good sale to keep things moving, but I think it’s going to be awhile until they get to it as it sounds like they are working with a skeleton crew mostly manufacturing PPE (that’s great!). The Cortech Piuma jacket with the armor will suffice for these hot months. Cortech seems to make good gear at good prices.

It will be interesting to see what you do with the seat, with sculpting and cover material. Thanks for posting all of this. It’s great to see the work in progress!

Wow. I can’t wait to see it all together! The Scura is a great dark beauty, and you’re taking it to another level.

Wow looks amazing! Did the tank you use have any swelling from ethanol gas? If so, did you do anything to it to mitigate the swelling and get it back to its original shape? I have heard that if the tanks sit empty for a while the swelling goes down, but I don’t know.

Mark of Moto Guzzi Classics in Long Beach / Signal Hill, CA, has just posted a bunch of bikes on the local CL. Lots of cool pics of vintage MG’s: https://losangeles.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=moto+guzzi&sort=rel I took a look at the Cal/Cafe Racer conversion and the 850T last time I was there. Both are very nice. The 850T was a trip for me as that is the model I had back in the day, the one that infected me with Guzzi Fever. Mark does great restorations and is a great guy!

Great representing, Dave! Very cool vid. Cheers!

I don’t know the seller, but here’s a Breva 750 parts bike in SoCal in case anyone needs it: https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/mpo/d/gardena-2004-moto-guzzi/7159529025.html

That’s awesome. Thank you for that! I remember his shows were always really fun. He seemed like a down-home good-time positive guy. And a heck of a picker! It looks like he’s still playing the ES335......I wonder if that’s the same guitar he had way-back-when? I’d forgotten about that awful tragedy. God bless Elvin.

Wow! Fantastic! That is a very badass ride. Shades of Dr. No. Have you considered having a girl in a wet bikini with a diver’s knife running in front of you at the parade?

Growing up in the Bay Area, I saw Elvin Bishop many times as a youth. I think he lived in Marin? Just a funky soulful country boy!

They have a rubber called C3 that sounds more cushy than the Snake Skin rubber.

Was the 1100 the last engine with carbs? Not to sidetrack, but while we’re on the subject, does the Griso 1100 have the same engine as the V11?

Hi Randy, they don’t list the Moto Guzzi V11 on the website, but they have a templet for it on file, at least for my model 2001. They made them for me the same day and I received them in two days. They were nice enough to add a center tank protector for an additional $5. The ones I have are made from their Snake Skin material. Give them a call and tell them the year and model and they’ll help you: www.techspec-usa.com Ph: 775-783-5110 Good luck!