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As we are heading for some freezing days starting from Sunday, but only lasting into Monday, the local TV channels all made videos about how December 2021 broke all the temperature records since they are kept. I don't know if we should be happy, sad, or both.

You cannot call anything "Champagne" unless it comes from that French region. The non trade name is "Bubbly"...

Self Explanatory!

The Armadillo is one of the Texas official animal;

This M60ATTS battle tank was deployed in Vietnam and participated to the Desert Storm operations; HINT: the M60 has tracks...

It is my accent. A lot of people don't understand anything I say or mean.

Soooooo.... you post Triumph pics on a Ducati forum, and they don't kick you out? Seriously, looking at the fairing shown on the top pic, I don't like the "V" shape by the headlamp.

You forgot the Kawasaki KZ1300 in your 6 cylinders roster. The two strokes, you have missed out on something, that I can assure you.... Of course, the legendary Kawasaki triple, Mach III, H2, S1, S2, S3, S4. And later, the Yamaha RDLC and Suzuki 2 strokes four cylinders.... I have not looked for one here in the USA, but if you could get your hands on an Aprilia 250 RS, you would have a hard time leaving it alone!

When you say "sit", it means just that? no ride correct? What makes me cringe is the price tag. Its just insane to pay 20k+ for a pair of wheels.

I remember the power outage, and the desperation and losses it caused. I do hope we are not going to get a repeat of this. Losing power and water is something I have experienced during my ventures, so I know how to cope with that. Now people that have not been accustomed to rough conditions have difficulty to accept them. We only had a little taste of what it means. Most people in my neighborhood have their own generator now.

Don't let it go!

My Six cents; There is a thread of my looking for a right end bar weight because it fell off. I rode with no weight because it took a long time to locate one, and I can attest the vibrations are unsustainable. Very easy to compare between the left and the right hand side without weight.

I personally apply Murphy's law; you know if it works, don't touch it. Although the temptation to intervene is there, simply because you want to keep up with curiosity, or self satisfaction that you did it too, I have scaled back my ambitions to make my personal V11 closer to the perfection it aspires to be. Of course, I have multiple excuses that I comfort myself with. The main one, is the bike runs reasonably well; and I use it as much as I can. Immobilizing it if not completely necessary does not sound the healthy alternative to me. The current Houston weather is an invitation to do everything on your Guzzi, and that's what I am going to do. My front tire is ready to give up, and it was brand new before I fixed my odometer...

Eat your hearts out!!! riding has never been so pleasant with the Guzzi loving this temperature. Not even a cough at the usual 3krpm. And it has been like this excepted for I think three days of cold in November. But check it out, from Sunday, we finally are going to see some winter days...

All and all, I would rather have someone turning me back, than someone telling me no problem, and then flunking the job. As for DIY, it is not as easy as it seems. You could be a motorcycle enthusiast with little mechanical and technical knowledge. Inflating tires, topping off oil, those are not drawing too much in terms of basic understanding and experience. Thankfully, you can find videos on Google, and download the workshop manual too. But there are limits to what you can do that you have never done before, and just reading about it does not tell the full story. Most motorcycle manual draw on the fact that you understand the operation described. To me, having someone who can at least show you the ropes is important. Including in terms of safety. You don't want to find the hard way that what seemed to be so simple turned out to be a nightmare because you did not understand what it was you had to do. When I was in my battle tank factory, we used to travel to the regiments for a "train the trainer" job. In the military, all the steps were precisely described and illustrated with pictures. Nevertheless, they mechanics still managed to find new ways to destroy things.

I always thought business attracts business. When I go to MPH, they have a six weeks wait which they hope they can shorten. Their workshop is always full of oldies, any brand. Of course, Houston is special in that there are a lot of guys with multiple toys and loose cash. I can see why MPH does better. They simply concentrate a lot of business because they do things others don't. But they have those guys which have a lot of experience, and they most likely don't come cheap.

The refusal to work on a >10 years old motorcycle is relatively new to me. Coming from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, finding someone to work on your older motorcycle seems to be less of a problem. When I left, you still had plenty of "brand-less" motorcycle garages that would perform any kind of repair on just any kind of motorbike irrespective of production year. At least, they would tell you that finding the parts may not be cheap or fast. But they would not turn you back based on your bike's age. Imagine you go to the hospital, and they tell you they are sorry but they only treat patients below a specific threshold. I think I understood why when I realized that most of the workshops employ unskilled workers, with one serious tech that supervises a bunch of those low pay grade guys. In 2020, someone did not properly tighten an oil filter. I caught it in time (not my car) as the oil level was low but the low pressure warning was not lit. Of course, human error is always possible. I am obviously not painting every Motorcycle workshops with a broad stroke, but I can make the difference between MPH and the casual dealerships when it comes to personnel. The workshop is always the first place I want to visit.

I delivered four "Scura" with my Le Mans this morning! Move to H'town and you will get yours delivered too next year.

Unfortunately, not. I was going to get rid of my car to make room, however it is more difficult to part with it than I thought it would be. The lithography found its way inside the house, by special authorization...

Here it is, framed and really stunning! I was going to purchase the other remaining one, but someone beat me to it.... as usual, the frame cost twice as much as the lithography! the glass that covers it, is special in that it protects from UV's and does not reflect light... museum grade, but hey, it is really looking good! I like the narrative too: -"The International Favorite Road Burner"! it really reflects what it represents to me... I should have taken a picture of it in front of my Le Mans before hanging it on the wall....

To bring more emphasize on the topic: (both homemade)... Here's the Le Mans! Here's the Scura!

However, think about it.... If you are talking shop with someone who does not you, when you say Le Mans, chances are he/she will understand what it is about. Scura? does not have the same magic; unless of course, you are with a V11 addict !

I am the Man.... nothing can break me down! I got gas in the tank, money in the bank, and I ride a V11 Moto Guzzi!!! I am the MAN! you can't break me down!!!