po18guy

I note that most desirable of all is the V11 Ballabio. Hey, wait just a minute!!!

Have not laid eyes on the Mistrals. I cannot imagine a much better build quality than the Staintunes. As I said, they came on the bike and I see no need to swap them out. You're happy. I'm happy. Life is good.

Rather, I like to think that Ducs sound like slightly tinny Guzzis. Here's vote for Staintunes, as they came with the bike but have a really low and mellow sound, even if a bit on the loud side when you wick it. The dB killers kill more than just decibels though, so they are in the box. Staintunes are spendy and the company is on the block, but all else being equal, I should never have to replace them.

Dunno if you can get it in Oz, but KBS in Indiana makes some really great stuff. All sorts of engine and cast iron colors, Hi-temp in various colors and gloss hi-temp. Their specialty is rust neutralizing and sealing, much like POR15, but I personally think it's a bit better. Priced about like U-Pol. https://www.kbs-coatings.com/

I replaced the signal bulbs with the LED 7507 (BAU15S) bulbs which have the projector lens on the end as well as the perimeter LEDs. The perimeter LEDs use the OEM reflector and are probably acceptable as they are, but the projector lens points straight back/forward is like shining a flashlight toward the other vehicles. Very bright and noticeable day or night. Bought five $1-and-some-odd-cents adjustable LED flashers on eBay. If one messes up, I toss it and slam in another one. Very nice to have the adjustable flash rate. It came with an LED taillight and I installed an LED headlight bulb. Also have some LED T5s for the instruments if I ever get around to pulling the gauge covers off.

Well, what I meant was the video guy coulda' had a 1298, Desmosedici or some other double-throwdown Duc. The SS is very nice as it is, but it still seems to be about 500 wet. It fits me very nicely, but the buy-in and voiding the warranty by slipping a slipon on it were downers. I couldn't wait three years to hear the engine I was paying for!

No place for her to sit? Well, in a chair watching you ride by, of course!

And, here's a Centauro after a Chola makeover.

As to styling, they'll never beat the MGS-01. It still looks great. Magni was sorta close and Ghezzi & Brian as well, but the noses! Girl next door when you want a wh... well you know. The -01 is the standard for styling. Gear-head Kevin Cameron called it "impossibly beautiful." But, I'm just musing. I've bought my last bike. Time to get better acquainted.

Many of the made-over Adv bikes are poseurs. The bad boy on a Harley craze is wearing thin and something a little more socially acceptable, a little more promotable up the corporate ladder is needed. Thus: Adventure! Not real adventure, mind you, as that is for military veterans, emergency workers and drug dealers. A Paris-Dakar or perhaps 'Lawrence of Arabia with a more reliable bike' type of adventure. Thus, they are strongly symbolic but do not deliver all that much of what they symbolize. To my eye, the small blocks have a squatty look at the rear - Harley Sporster-like. Kind of "anti-sport bike" Oh, you can dress them up all right, but they don't dance all that well.

So I've heard. Outside of Oz, it sells swimmingly. That says nothing about Fosters, but an awful lot about their customers. As to the V85, I think they need Edelbrock to make some better looking valve covers for it.

Well, McDonald's sells billions of unacceptable burgers and, hate it or hate it, Foster's sells an awful lot of liquid.

Sweet. I can almost hear Carly Simon singing "Anticipation" in the background.

Well, at 5300 miles everything seems pretty good. Being a perennial rider of twins, I am sensitive to throttle imbalance. It seems that Big Red does quite well in that regard. New Iridium plugs already and the air filter is more old than dirty. The valves are not terribly noisy, which is a concern… ;-)

As to idle speed adjustment, I backed out the left throttle plate stop screw a turn or so. No change. Applying "slight" counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise) torque to the cable attachment "spindle" atop the left throttle body slowed the idle. Thus, I went to the other side. That screw is not as out-in-the-open as the left side, but it is doable. However, it was rather tight from not being moved for 15 years as well as the electrolytic activity between the steel screw and alloy throttle body. The Eklind 2.5mm ball-end wrench was a so-so fit, slightly on the loose side to suit me. Scanning my eclectic assortment of otherwise useless sockets and bits, I spied a WIHA T10 hex bit. Torx bits have essentially the same contact surface as a standard hex wrench, so why not give it a try. Aha! And, using it with a Pittsburgh (Harbor Freight) right angle ratcheting screwdriver (an exorbitant $2.99) did the trick. Idle now being too low, I brought it up to 1050 +/- using the left throttle body screw. All is right with the world once again** **A few notable exceptions, but all-in-all rather good. *

Search "Hugger" as awhile back, one seller thought it was a rear hugger.

I'd kiss you but, well, you know... Now, I have to adjust the throttle cable slack, as it won't allow the throttle body to close sufficiently. Easy enough.

But I sneaked out and put a few miles on the Ballabio today! I think the engine is breaking in/loosening up, as the idle RPM has risen to 1400 or so. Gotta look in the manual and see how to lower it.

We could use some global drying here in Raintown USA. Something like 34 days straight. Had three days of sun, but it just could not stand it and began raining again.

And Champagne has quite a bit of silver in it...

Killer deal! I would almost see if someone might want to make a cast of it or measure the coordinates for a CNC duplicate. We're all one get-off from needing another timing cover.

D'Oh, probably, dang it! Too pricey for the work it will need. Crappy header wrap is coming undone, and I see the rear master cylinder shield is gone. What else?

Another mysterious Scura, $9K, in Sacramento. https://sacramento.craigslist.org/mcd/d/las-vegas-2002-moto-guzzi-v11-sport/7071357568.html

I see that banana-swingarmed "newer and more exciting" spouse in the background...

Would try it myself, but DW assures me that my obit would be the last thing posted here.