billgreenman1

I sat on the black frame burgundy that I now own at a motorcycle show in Indianapolis, and was enchanted enough to stay in touch with the small "dealer" in a small town north of mine. I made monetary rationalizations and negotiations and bought it. The feedback from riding was unlike anything else I'd ridden and since it isn't the easiest machine to ride, it keeps one's attention more active in my opinion. Mountain roads in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, etc. sealed the affection. Then the dreaded electrical gremlins came, and it sat languishing for several years in the garage. A crash ( obviously on a different bike) left me grounded and slightly spooked for a couple years. When I got the desire to return to riding back, no mechanic would touch it without a suitcase full of unmarked bills and Methuselah's scheduling. Somewhere I heard the phrase "If it's going to get f***ed up you might as well do it instead of paying for someone else to. " Around that same time I remembered this forum and was encouraged. The first startup after relay exchanges and the "decent tune up " brought tears to my eyes, and I thank you all...

Happy holidays to all. Santa didn't give me improved electrical connections on my Guzzi, so I'm gonna have to do it myself. I guess he knew better than to open that can of worms....😅

Point, squirt, repair, replace, repeat.

Part of me wonders if we'll even be around by that date....

Good to see the Lawrence quote. +1 on the "quirkiness" being a desirable trait. I relived the Brough vs. Brisfit moment about a decade ago rolling towards Mid-Ohio. An ultralight was buzzing beside me and waved before peeling off. I like to think that it was Neil Armstrong, since it was near Wapokoneta. (Sp?)

I like the ones that have the little plastic loops so they stay on the valve stem. Aerostich used to sell them but I'm not sure if they still do...

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that I could only rely on consensus. My "grape ape" naked is registered in Indiana as a Rosso from the VIN...

Still have the t-shirt ( I wish he'd signed that!) One of my favorites. It has a LeRoy Neimann-esque pic of Ago in one of the (I assume) 500 MV GP bikes in a cool multicolored silk screen image.

I used to have the pricey Aerostich sidestand plate ( in carbon fiber " Ooh la la!) on an orange paracord but lost it through time ( like half my shit....)

I stood in line for Ago's autograph back when MV was the showcase marque at Mid-Ohio's vintage days. I also demo-ed the F4 that they were releasing. The man was cool, the bike was terrific and terrifying ( mostly because of the price). I lost the autograph that same week touring on Skyline Drive when I proved the axiom that nothing is truly waterproof when riding in strong rain... I love the round headlight on this new one, but I'm sure I'll never be able to afford it.

The optics are fantastic and it may be the safest way to travel in Paris. 😅

A big torquey single with zero aerodynamics may not even need 90hp. I can get behind farting around on both city and back roads, and maybe tucking down for " the ton", but we'll have to wait and see. It may just be for posers and perfume commercials....

Well if money is absolutely no object the Godet Egli Vincent is a grail bike...

Who is next, Velocette? Does anyone know who owns the branding?

Of course, if I had a boatload of disposable money and I wanted a kooky neo-retro I'd go a couple hours north of me to Goshen Indiana and get a semi-custom Janus! I sat on one at a show pre-covid and it took quite a while for me to shake off the idiotic grin on my face! (And that's enough hyphens for one post.)😁

I imagine that it is difficult to pass Euro emissions on a big single without water cooling. I'd prefer air/ oil also.

Now if they could sell it for around $10 per cc. ....

"Thou shalt not ride red bikes" says a "grape ape" owner 😅 ( my hypocrisy has wide boundaries!)

What about a bigger sump?

Never seen the guards with the skid pucks; those are cool as all get out!

Today I stared at it for about 2 minutes and started thinking about getting more heat to the garage...

I had an '07 Bonneville black, crashed it in '13. (2 broken arms.) Fun neutral steering, not the best brakes. I was about to improve them with stainless lines and an improved rotor when a Hyundai pulled a stunt and I ran out of room too quickly....

My first car was a '62 Volvo PV544 built from two ( one and a parts car) frame up rebuilt by my father and me total cost including a newly found interior maybe $1200. I loved that car and still have dreams about it. Crashed it in 1989. Unit bodies are nearly impossible to straighten out... My present car is just a box with 4 wheels.

Mine decomposed and became disgusting to handle. I think they were made from boiled leeches and bubblegum spit...

This could open up all kinds of cans of worms; how about a V8 with a modernized dustbin fairing?