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I’m on the verge of soon attending the local 250th anniversary celebration of the Marine Corps at the annual birthday ball, a deeply meaningful event that also marks my 30-year retirement from active duty. It’s hard to believe how special this occasion has become for me. In preparation, I've been working and dieting hard to fit into my Marine Corps dress blues, the very uniform I received while on recruiting duty as a young married staff sergeant back in 1980. As I pull out my well-worn cap, I can’t help but notice the cracks that time has left behind, a reflection of the years I’ve spent serving. I’ll also take a moment to dust off my chest full of ribbons, each one a reminder of cherished memories, though I admit I may not recall all of them. I know I’ll need to shave off my facial hair to meet uniform regulations, but I’m at peace with that. Every time I think of the comrades who have faded away, it stirs a mix of emotions, yet I am grateful to still be standing, even if for just a little longer. I’ll be attending with my girlfriend, who, while not very familiar with military traditions, has excitedly chosen a beautiful ball gown for the evening. I’ve also invited my golf and poker playing friend who's a retired Army Sergeant Major in the Army Reserve, and I know we will all have a great time together. It's going to be an expensive outing but that is OK, I never did buy myself that 18 year old scotch for my 50th anniversary of graduating boot camp. It’s a poignant realization that I retired before many of the active-duty attendees weren't even born. As I prepare for the cake-cutting ceremony, it strikes me that I might be one of the oldest Marines present. This thought fills me with humility and gratitude for the journey I’ve had and the experiences that have shaped me.

No mechanical or other issues to attend, why not help the paint. Just cleaned the paint from everything, and a little paintrepair.(not finished). Need to raise the seat a bit front. And did I mention, they are rideable [emoji16]. Yes they are special, for sure another IPA. Cheers Tom. Sent fra min SM-S906B via Tapatalk

A friend was in Europe this summer and brought back some motomags for me. I have been rationing them to myself and just saw this mention. Searched here, so don't think this is a double-tap. Hope large enough to read. Bill

Indian brand has been owned by many different companies, I own an Italian made Indian labeled dirt bike from the 1970’s bought for me in the 80’s when I was a child. Pertaining to Polaris ownership of Indian, I don’t think they wanted to “sell out” to the Chinese, so selling a majority stake to a PE with real estate and media portfolio seemed to make sense. With tariffs and other worldly pressures, HD & Indian’s bread and butter high end bagger global & domestic sales are down, making PE a good option for a soft landing (before default?) I am just glad that Moto Guzzi is building bikes in a new factory in Mandello del Lario….

I’m all ready for my next Guzzi

Some time ago in "Die Sachsische Schweiz". Edit: The back yard of @audiomick.

That statement is a poetic, and poignant, expression that informs our lives (whatever we have experienced and endured). Semper Fidelis, indeed, @Sempervee1

I got about 5 minutes into it, and decided the bloke is too much of a tosser.

Yesterday I put new spark plugs in the Scura and gave her a quick bath. But why new plugs? Well... @LaGrasta and I were out for a jaunt last week. I was going to introduce him to the Elfin Forest, but before we arrived at the enchanted road, the Scura started running horribly. Pulled over, found a plug wire dangling. Popped it back on. Rode through the next intersection with a smile on my face, until it popped off again. The cap wouldn't stay seated on the plug. It turns out that the plug's screw-on tip had rattled its threads right off from the inside, which I did not figure out till yesterday. First time I have ever seen this happen. The tip was lodged in the wire's boot, and yesterday I extracted it with a wood screw and pliers. So... without knowing the above, we searched for the nearest likely place to procure a plug. Apple Maps showed an auto-repair shop two blocks away in an industrial park. Rolling up, we found ourselves in a Ferrari repair shop with at least 30 stunning Italian steeds. The mechanics took pity on us, informed us that many Ferraris use motorcycle plugs, and turned their toolboxes inside out looking for a suitable fix while we ogled 4-wheeled Italian art - vintage and well-used to showroom fresh. But alas, no solution was present. So I rode it back home with the plug wire strategically tensioned to stay on. Today we tried again, but with a group of four, including @bzane. And she ran sweetly all day. Here is the original photo of the four bikes. And here is the same photo, but with 100% of the orange and 50% of the collective horsepower edited out.

We (company) just went to our bank for a short-term building loan. By the time it was over, I had to decline; I had to put up my *personal* assets against the loan. I told them, 'if I'm a corporation and you're a corporation, and my corporation needs a loan and you're in the business of loaning, and my corporation is viable with cash flow and assets, why should I expose my personal assets? After all, the primary function of incorporating is to separate the two". The response was at it's base, "Government regulations now demand it. We have no discretion". So that's the primary reason Private Equity has gained so much traction and market share. We just went out to PE, showed them our prospectus for the new building, and got the money. Simple papers, no hooks, no mountain of IRS returns, officer affidavits, etc. Just cash and business. Terms were agreed in about 10 minutes. Penalties in 5 more. Too easy- but, a predatory or dishonest PE could be Satan. As probably many are.

Tail of the Dragon isn't the craziest road in the country, it just lends itself to hooliganery better than most, and surrounded by great roads and scenery. The riding is comparable to California but wetter. Craziest road I've ever been on is CA 130 between the Lick observatory and San Jose. Handstanding in neutral to make the turns down, the air full of burned brake smell from the cars, what few dared. More like a hiking trail that got paved. https://www.google.com/maps/search/observatory/@37.3371791,-121.6615309,3558m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTEwMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Coppa and Nero carbon fenders treated with a couple of layers with clear coating. Nero absolutely ready for next year. IPA time. Cheers Tom. Sent fra min SM-S906B via Tapatalk

Another way to ease connections to the battery is this: https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/topic/19319-what-did-you-do-to-your-v11-today/?do=findComment&comment=270297 This leaves only 2 connections on each battery post, and keeps the original terminal sizes. +ve to starter & terminal block, -ve to ground and terminal block.

closer...

The early Hi-Cams were a morass of frictional losses. That, along with the twin, and too heavy, valve springs, (2 per valve.) and aggressive camming is what made them not only prone to lifter wear but also not nearly as powerful as they were expected to be. Hence the return to the tried and tested 2V Pushrod format. The early engines had belt cam drives at the front of the motor with camshafts that overhung the front bearings by a huge amount, stressing the oil wedge which was already being provided by a barely adequate oil pump. The second generation Hi-Cam has cams driven by chains up the back of cylinders, single beehive valve springs and the lubrication pump is a larger and much more efficient trochoidal Gerotor pump. There is no doubt that the Gen 2 motor is streets ahead of the earlier one. It is a far, far simpler design and considerably more efficient. It should have been the engine that opened a new chapter for Guzzi but the flat tappet fiasco put paid to that. By the time it was sorted out, five years on, the world was already moving on. It took the ‘Full House’ Piaggio V100 engine design to finally deliver what the Hi-Cams couldn’t. It’s just a pity they are just such a boring and unexceptional engine in technical terms. Oh and ugly! F*ck me drunk the V100 is an ugly powerplant! It gives me a headache just looking at it!

High mile Guzzis are suspicious animals. Probably has things like non-factory relays and wires running in funny directions to surprising places.

The 1000S there had over 200,000 miles. Original owner

And then you wonder why your side stand mount or side stand and side stand mount bolt bends and the sump mount cracks. Side stands are for propping the motorcycle not a mounting device.

So good to finally find out this here back story… I’ve always been intrigued by pics of this lawn tractor Sure hope it stayed as is! It’sa what happens when some good ol’ boys get on the weed instead of cutting weeds 🤣

Happy Happy Joy Joy! Replaced all 5 relays (which were most likely original to the bike) with the Picker units. Started on the button. Victory is sweet, however it was pouring rain and I didn't get a ride in. A special Thank You to all that replied. And thank you gstallons for walking me through the troubleshooting on the phone. Super helpful and kind of you. Sierra

Hello all, I just picked up #539 in the Northern VA area and wanted to introduce myself. I believe it is already on the Registry, but now with a new owner. It needs some TLC, but I'm really excited about it. I've posted a couple of pics. They're not the best, but once I get her all fixed up I'll post more.

I'd like to do some west coast rides. Chuck posts quite a few N of LA. I'l like to do all of them and PCH up the coast. I've done a good portion of the PCH in a rented Mini Turbo Stick, but would love to ride it all. So far as the Dragon. I think what makes it so special are the sight lines. And I'm guessing that is an enticement to the hooligans: The riders have good vision rounding those tight corners.

Private equity can be good or bad. It can provide funds for growth and expansion. But it can also focus too much on returns (profits). If that happens, a common path is to increase profitability by cutting costs. That often leads downwards, to eventual destruction of the brand.

This is the best place I know for connectors ==> https://www.customconnectorkits.com

Just the normal spring pre load. I have a tool for this nut I made 25 years ago. The larger round aluminium one with the 4 pins. Phil

I always put them on and tighten them w/a pair of pliers. And I get them snug !

Nice milestone today on the speedometer...smooth with all of the fresh fluids! Successful 100 mile run...no leaks!

I feel pretty confident mounting my NTX like that. It has a pretty stout sidestand. The damn thing is so high and with bags on I sort of have to.

My 1150RT was a police model, and that side stand was bullet proof. But the fact that they advertised how much better it was does indeed imply that the non-cop 1150’s must have been suspect. All this focus on the horse mount implies a demographic of riders that are “not very tall” while also not gymnasts. The high goose step onto the v11 is a piece of cake for yours truly (compared to multistrada, etc), though folding my legs up into position for long distances is a challenge.

No doubt, the unique vulnerabilities of our Rube Goldberg V11 sidestand should not be overlooked. The smaller fastener (red circle) is found loose too often. and the larger fastener is torqued to an impressive 70 Nm!

And here is the After Action Report Photo of me in Uniform... 30 years post retirement and still kickin it! Ourah!!

A dear friend of mine got home tonight from a serious surgical intervention. Makes me cherish our time together . . .

I posted this in the V85 thread on ADVR and sent it out as email to some friends and family, but repost it here. After all, at least here in the Northern Hemisphere, hope may spring eternal, but daffodils won’t for quite a few months, riding days are almost gone, and motorcycle enthusiasts in said northern climes can at least read about a ride. A few weeks ago, as the reality of the coming Long.Cold.Dark. set in, I decided to carpe some diems on and ride. But where? Decided on a twofer that combined an overnight ride with homage to my 4th-great-grandfather, James Hagan, Jr. (1754 - 1829). That resulted in this “staff ride” to the Brandywine battlefield in Pennsylvania to see where Corporal James stood with the 4th Maryland Regiment in September 1777 and faced the Redcoats and Hessians! Two Guzzisti friends, Steve (Alexandria, Va.) & AJ (Baltimore, Md.), agreed to come along. Another, Kev (PhillyJoisy), planned to meet us at the destination as he once lived there and be our "local guide.” Another “local,” Joe (who actually lives near Brandywine) joined in for the fun. So, after voting — as we departed on Election Day, courtesy of the bravery of my ancestral Corporal and his fellows — it was launch time. For the map nerds — not a perjorative, as I am one of those 😉 — here’s the route we took … OK, planned, but “where are we?” took over now and then, so it’s only close! Three Old Flatulents, with varying needs for fuel, hydration, energy food (as in Little Debbie cakes, the original American “protein bar”), bladder maintenance, fuel, and similar things led to a slightly longer run than Google Maps’ optimistic <5 hours. FWIW, the return, where we all took generally separate ways home, was even longer as I managed — my LANDNAV instructors at Armor Officer Basic 54 years ago (gasp) would not be surprised 🫡 — to get lost several times while getting lured into charming backroads. Without spousal units who tend to be more picky, we stayed at the Comfort Inn that was near the battlefield. As you might suppose, there were quite a number of bourbon toasts to Corporal Hagan and the Maryland Regiment that evening in the Hagan Hospitality Suite. I really had no idea that I could have as much fun in 32 hours — OK, with the exception of a few college weekends, but let’s not go there! — as I had on this short ride. I knew when we launched that the likelihood of seeing or learning much was slim for many reasons. The visitor center was closed. Much of the battlefield is now covered by subdivisions. Etc. Always interested in the Revolutionary War and a SAR, I had read several accounts of the battle, with the best, by far, being this, https://tinyurl.com/Brandywine-1777. One might reasonably think that I would have prepared better for my first visit there as I had last year at Camden, S.C., where Corporal James later fought in 1780, then transferred to the 2nd Maryland Regiment, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Camden. One would be wrong. I revisited Harris’s fine book, relooked at some youtube vids (see, e.g., this … https://youtu.be/fbu_y7jf8g8) I also checked out the relevant websites, and yet managed to muck it up, at least WRT the battlefield visit proper. In some respects, I followed the lead of George Washington who, by some intel failures, did not make what he could have of the situation. Yet, because of boon companions (and, if it must come out, bourbon, etc.), I — and I trust we, all — had a good time. I suspect that James himself may have smiled at our toasts and other references to him and his fellows even if we were not able to stand where he did back on that fateful “first” 9-1-1 day in ’77. Heck, three McMansions probably sit there now. But we did go, and talked lots about James and the bravery that he and his compatriots showed. Moreover, I’ll go back better prepared in finer weather in the next year or so, tho may first visit South Carolina where James was seriously wounded in September 1781, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Eutaw_Springs. So, here are some pix of that little "staff ride” earlier this week. As usual with my Smugmug slideshows, this opens in “landscape collage.” That means you’ll see all the pix at once. You can hover your cursor over any that might interest you and see the captions. All of that is easier to view in full slideshow mode. Or, you can take the easy way out and not look at all! Here they are: Brandywine Battlefield Boys Best, Bill

Good catch. Bob Benedetto is a Italian-American luthier that is a master. Benedetto in Italian is indeed "blessing" and it certainly has been one in my career. Since the instruments that Bob built himself are now very valuable, many of his guitars are in collectors possession and don't get played out in public. Mine gets played on every gig.😊 Now if I could just get my Le Mans started...I ordered 5 Picker relays from the link and I hope that cures my non-starting issue.

Aren't you a business writer? I bet you know retirement rules.

I'm planning on getting one next year; waiting to turn 59 1/2.

I am of the theory that I caught a similar airborne virus at around 12 years old when I had a paper route and an older (14) gave me a ride on his new Honda 305 Superhawk. I have suffered almost 60 years since and tried various medical, psychological and other cures. I thought I had it in remission (numbers going down) until recently when the count started the other way. I have enlisted a psychiatric nurse who claims she has a solution and last evening came over with some of her solution which involves two roaming cats that she brought along, in the last picture. I think it maybe my final chance to beat this virus!

What are you even talking about? I don't see anything sick or crazy here. Everything looks perfectly rational and normal to me. If there's anything possibly wrong, there does seem to be a bit too much room between the motorcycles. Probably could get some more in there.

. Her Grace, Kathi -- my Perfect Pillion & Polish Princess -- has just informed me that we will be attending. Bill

All my CF parts looked that good until a Cornwall toolbox drawer decided it could no longer retract at the same height it had extended over........and off came the 3 layers of clear. All the F-words in Scarface and Pulp Fiction did not equal the one F-word I announced that day! life was never the same......

Since you are in there, is the ground to the ECU from original wiring? If so, VERY recomended a separate ground to the ECU. Cheers Tom.

There is some confusion in the posts referencing the sight glass/ level window on the "rear drive" as this is found on the gearbox. The rear drive has a "level plug" at the very back of its radius that will overflow when the oil level is full.

its just a motorcycle... nothing exotic about this bikes charging system at all. Regular charging system, just like thousands of other bikes out there. Stator output, regulator output, condition of wiring and connectors, relays etc... its a 22 year old bike with a 6 year old battery... this is more preventive maintenance than anything. I have 9 other bikes in the garage that i get 4-5 years out of each battery using the nefarious (LOL) Deltran Battery Tender and will NOT be using a PC545 battery because of its "unique" charging needs... and i STILL got 6 years out of it LOL New relays and Motobatt MBTX12U on the way....