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It was pretty simple. New Girlfriends either passed the bike in the house test or they didn't. The wife passed. What can I say. Phil

from SoCal. All I had to surf the internet out there was my Galaxy Tab 4. For whatever reason, it wouldn't let me post on *this* forum.. strange.

Fabulous. My test for potential long-term relationships was if they would ride with me. No ride, no future. My wife passed the test. Now I have a new rule that my wife and three daughters know well. H=M>W. The secret to my happiness is to have more motorcycles than women in the house. (Personally, I count the garage as part of the house, and it is the best room in the house). I've never wanted a bike in the living area of my house, but if I did... or ever do... this is a useful thread. And Phil - I recall a conversation a few months ago about the definition of art. I might have to go find that and re-read our various definitions of art - maybe link these threads.

Another 150 miles today on the Norge! Hopefully tomorrow out on the Scura!

for the bike, or for you when yourWife comes home?

Bugger.... Knew I shouldn't have washed and polished the bike before Friday's ride! All was well come the appointed hour and we headed off through the twisties on the other side of the highway.Took a couple of corners to get into the groove but well into it. It was sunny and warm but bloody windy,although wasn't so bad as the road is quite sheltered here. Dave on the MV blasted off in front determined to test his new suspension settings and I stuck to my Brisk pace.This went well till we came off the Old Sale Road at Newborough and found ourselves on basically single track roads that goats would surely appreciate! This was definitely not V11 Sport territory! The roads were 30 -60 Kph and 1st and 2nd gears with the odd chance to get into 3rd, barely wide enough for 1 and a half cars, littered with crap from the recent wild weather and dodging Cockies ( Farmers ) and their tractors! I was very pleased to pop out onto the very good secondary road to Thorpdale and twist the throttle a bit! Stopping at Thorpdale, the Bakery was closed so no coffee and we notice that my bike is spewing oil onto the road and the top front of the motor is covered in it....WTF. Panic mode sets in about now and it's bloody hot in the gear. Dave volunteers to head back and get his van to put the bike in it and get her home but I realise what's happened.The last couple of times I've ridden her I had some odd streaks of oil on my pipes and thereabouts, cleaned it up and checked but could find no sign of any leaks. So I think that after the higher revs in low gear work the infamous rubber breather pipe has decided to finally let go! After much deliberation and checking the oil level ( fine ) I decided I'd ride her home but keep her under 4k. Luckily no oil on rear tyre. As there was no easy way back to the highway and plenty of twisty elevated road to get there, I didn't set any lean angle records!! But after a gentle run back home we had a better look at it and pretty sure my diagnosis is correct.Rob (mechanic) confirmed that he thinks so too when I called him and he even has the part in stock! So, instead of enjoying a counter attack ( Pub lunch ) at the beautiful Tarwin Lower Pub by the river I have a rather oily bike sitting in the car-port awaiting a trip in the van to Rob's next week, where these 23 year old rubber bits will be replaced! Ironically, I was going to have the inlet rubbers replaced next service as I've taped these up in the meantime so this has just fast tracked it I spose. Well after canned spaghetti on toast for a ( quite ) late lunch I retreat to the balcony with a glass of Shiraz and think about a dip in the pool to cool off... Bugger # 2.... after a warm to hot day the bloody (now cool) wind whips up and urinates on that idea! Time to give up and go inside and listen to some music... as have by now have given up on any further plans! Cheers Ps hope the second ride of the years a better one eh! Pps No photos were taken unfortunately folk's.

My wife keeps plants in the house. I don't mind. I keep motorcycles in the house, she doesn't mind. A woman who won't allow a motorcycle in the house is not a "keeper".

That would depend on the bike(s), obviously. If the bikes is drained of fuel the risk of smell is reduced dramatically. But even there, modern bikes in the US have a vent system for the fuel tank that is designed to capture the fuel vapors. Fuel is probably the main possible source of an odor. These are my two bikes in my living room. But they don't get run. So there is no fuel in them. I did add a secondary floor for them so if they do mess up the floor under them (Old Ducatis do sometimes mark their territory) it is not the real floor but a secondary floor that they are messing up. I did that with snap together flooring and some trim for the edge.

Find a strong apprentice. Raise your rates Ride more. Happy Trails! Don't be a stranger.

Congratulations Pete and thank you for all that you have done, contributed over all these years making Moto Guzzi such a special community of enthusiasts. If your next chapter in life (retirement) is anything like mine you will wonder how you ever had time to do that thing we call "Work"!

Confirmed my alaska buddy is driving down in a van, as he’s moving to lower 48, in retirement. He bought a Stornello, i think in Washington, and I’m assuming he’ll trailer that to John Day. He’s then driving to New York. Retirement life. Back to the AK route briefly, the Alcan and the Cassiar are both good, but are different. I’d want additional time to peel off over to Prince Rupert area, and side trips like that, if I were to do the Cassiar again. Alcan is just a matter of trying to do it when its not too busy. For P6x thoughts on variation…. I’m in process of buying a V85tt out in Denver. Looking at where I’ll try and store it till the weather brakes (spring). But for John Day it would be the V11 for sure… a perfect trip for me on Red, about a 5hr run, via several nice route options. I was surprised at how comfortable i was on the V11 when going from Texas to oregon a few years ago, but i still prefer an ADV type bike with larger windscreen for long treks, and prefer the V11’s for the weekend/shorter trips. And my Multistrada Enduro is getting nervous in the corner of the shop, sensing that I’m looking at the new Stelvio as a possible replacement.

I've done it on all brand's with these tank bubbles..ie: Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, Ducati's..As you mentioned..I use a larger sized needle ( as in leather sewing) pierce the bubbles and then lightly heat with a gun and hold the spot down with my thumb, sometimes you may have to pierce in more than one spot if a big bubble....usually works very well. I had a black Aprilia tank which had 0ver 25 bubbles..when I finished you could barely tell. The thing is..whenever I have done this I also removed the tank for at least a few weeks, ( couple months if possible in thhe off season) washed it out with hot water and dish soap and let it dry out real well..then sometimes In the winter I stuck a hair drier in the top and let it run on low all day. I also usually caswell treat the tank after before installing . The results are very good..the tank is back to original size and the bubbles dont show..I have had some for a couple years after and they never returned. Worth all the trouble imo if its an otherwise nicely painted original tank.

I had two small bubbles on my RC tank prior to coating the inside with Caswell "Dragon Blood" epoxy. I did use a small needle to pierce the paint layer. There actually was water/ or alcohol emulsion inside the blister, which I pushed out. I didn't apply heat ( and I don't think heat is a good idea here). I did this probably 15 years ago and now the only person who notices any difference in the paint, is probably me...its really hard to see the small pin hole, and the paint/graphic layer looks good. My blisters were small, so I can't say this would work for you, just my experience, FWIW

Whale oil beef hooked.....

Most of the American vernacular for this expression is blocked by the latest forum software. Well, I'll be . . .

Very close. The closest I can think of is "Verdammt". Not literally the same, but functionally in the vernacular more or less the same.

Ha ha Cheers mate, yeah it does look better today! Even the weather... Not wrong about the roads round here eh!

myWife is away for the weekend. Maybe I should slip a bike into the house and see how it goes . . . Anyone have a spare room?

There you go @activpop . . . A road map to matrimonial bliss and harmony . . .

They never do until they are forced to reset their notions of what's appropriate in a house. Every woman I've ever know at first look was horrified at bikes in the house including my mother and mother in law. Because they all had zero say in the issue, surprise, surprise they then just became non plussed about it and realised there wasn't a problem in reality. Sometimes you have to challenge the "models" people have in their minds. Phil

I have my 1989 Honda GB500 (Cycle World 600cc feature bike) on display in our house, full of oil, but zero fuel or battery; no smell at all.

I kept my MV AgustaF4 and my 1000ss Ducati in the house. One in the lounge room and the other in the adjoining dining room. When the MV went the 1198 Ducati took it's place. No issues with odours or anything else. New girlfriends would be somewhat surprised at first then because the bikes didn't smell or leak oil or anything else and they realised they were quite benign they would forget they were there. I used to tell them they were kinetic art. Phil

Enjoyed the "string" and memories brought back. As luck would have it, I'm wearing a T-shirt from "Frank's Place Bar/The World's Farthest North Biker Bar" acquired in Fairbanks in 1992. Rode an '88 Softail (fuel capacity: 4 gal.) from Tucson via a HOG rally in Reno up the Alcan...which also happened to be its 50th construction anniversary. The HD dealer at the time was located in IIRC a log cabin looking building...and was even back then fighting HD's corporate push to standardize dealer's "look". (A battle I see they lost googling the current Fairbanks dealer.) Anyway, the then owner had spent time in SE AZ...so we spent some time shooting the breeze...I recall sitting in a barber shop chair with some of the help wondering if we had seen the same whores given our animated conversation. He poo-pooed returning on the Alcan...and said a return via the Cassiar would be less...well...pedestrian. Challenge accepted. Still have my copy of The Milepost from back then. And still have the '88 HD. Oh...now with a 5 gal. tank.

Congrats on your retirement, Pete. And best of luck to your friend Michael in carrying on the business. Were I on that side of the world I would certainly give him my business.

Lucky you. Just looked at the weather forecast for here. 5°C for tomorrow, and then... for the following five days, nothing above -1°C, and down to -5°C, and for the next 16 days, noting above 3°C. A couple of spots of snow along the way. Bugger...