staedtler

YES....yes!

I thought you were racing against a benz!!! sorry... hey, i like your head guards better.... character baby! after the third time you dump your bike, you'll start appreciating these things... (don't ask me how i know) say,... are you selling them?

Next day, and since i couldn't use the bike, we decided to hang around town...so we wen't to the local cafes to have some breakfast and lunch, we walked, actually, you can walk from one end of town to the other in about 15 min. After breakfast we wen't over to this guy's place we meet last time i was there, i came back because he's selling a propierty that might be a good investment, and also a place to have if we are to keep coming back to Marfa... sitting at Delfino's back porch, he is the dude i'm talking about...very nice older guy, he lives right next to the tracks, along with half of the pop. in Marfa... last time at his back porch we were up 'til 3 in the morning mooning freight trains!! we were so plasted! so here's the propierty...an adobe fixer upper for sure, but is not too bad, is structurally sound, it only needs a good cleaning... it's tiny, about 600 or so sf. (perfect), we'll see if we can make a deal, we made an offer that night...if he can't get more than what we offered for it in the next couple of months, we might have a place! Later on the day, we proceded to go back to the Thunderbird's pool and... have some beer, and... then, some more... ...and more... ...and, who knows how late it was by then... Sunday morning came around, and we checked out, went to the Austin St. Cafe had some breakfast, actually i just had coffee (mixing drinks will do that to you), and left town around 9...well, just out of town Candid's rear tire went off... we made some calls and found this Harley mechanic in Alpine who could overcharge the hell out of a crappy Dunlop...perfect! I'm still wondering what's wrong with my bike... so we made it to 'big bend choppers' the only thing open on Sunday... the dude wen't ahead and got him a tire w/o balance...and proceded to see what was wrong with the Guzzi,...after first inspection, i could see dollar signs on his eyes...i started to get cold sweats... well, he starts tinkering with it and try to troubleshoot....nothing! by then, i'm like, "don't worry dude, i can get back to SA like this, and get our mechanic to look into it"... ...then he says, "hey, when was the last time you cleaned this thing?" and i said..."cleaned? what's that?" (laughing)... the dude goes back and get a can of carb and brake cleaner and sprays the hell out of the throtle bodies...guess what? it worked, the bodies were crusty in gunk there was no free play... it took like a minute to loosen all that gunk up, now it runs better than before, i only wished he had a dyno... here's the best part...it was free! So we took off Alpine an hour later after we got there and just hauled ass back home...i can say this time around we were doing great illigal time note: is cool to see the Border Patrol check point officers faces when we go by, not flying by, but when we stop and they and us nod as we take off....they smile! how can't you with that soundtrack...(later on i had to remain Ed that thas was not an Isle of Man check point.... ) i wonder if they might radio troopers up ahead? anyway, i think they seem to like it... Pecos river stop (after a F^&*ng cramp on my left hip) And finally at La Tuna back home...this is our backyard waterhole, we were there by 5, and toasted with a couple of Lone Stars. So there you have it Folks, a somewhat uneventful trip, definetively not as much fun as last time, in part because we didn't have anyone to rag on... Is bound to happen again.... soon, and Francis is not going to sneak out of that one. So until next time...

Howdy Folks,...it's me, and at it again as me and my buds do the Desert Run to Marfa one more time... After having a blast last time there in April, i decided to round up a posse and invite Francis along, since we had so much when he invited us. He agreed and was ready to go, realizing there were no Harleys involved this time around, he was setting up to rent a Buell Ulyses for this trip...well after he heard that some of us were considering getting race takeoffs just for the trip, misteriously 'something came up' just the day before and he couldn't make it....hhmmm? Well, the original group consisted of Francis, 2-748's 1-996 (George from last time), a LeMans and yours trully, well... only the two 748's an me made the final count...so here we go! That's Ed the young aprrentice, he works at our local Cycle Gear getting ready to leave HQ... Weather was great, not too hot nor humid, we made it out of town last Friday around 9ish, all the way to Del Rio, hwy 90 was clogged with troopers!, i don't remember seeing one the whole way last time... it sucked, who knows what was going on that friday? Del Rio... lunch at Marcelino's about noon, food sucked, then disaster strucked! Ed's 748 won't start...check fuses and relays, they're ok...starter? who knows?? On the phone with our mechanic...."just tap it with a rock under the battery!" really? "yep" so we did...then we push started on 3rd... evetything was fine, it never happened again on the trip, weird! Well i guess is true what they say about disasters striking on 3's... next, it was me... between Del Rio and Sanderson my throtle got stuck full open and my clutch lever was totally limp!! i had to kill the engine going north of 120....thank god it was a fairly straight stretch of desert... I'm literally in the middle of F#$&ng nowhere! it's about 2pm and i bet we were on the hundreds by then.... you could see buzzard going on circles above!... the big riggs we fly by just minutes before would slow down and flipped us off!...nice well, we could not figure out what was wrong (i found out on sunday, more on that later ), so what i did was to adjust the throtle body with my hand and made it out of there..(try that Ducati!!! HA!). We made it to Sanderson, we called our mechanic again,...he could not figure out what was wrong...the cable was fine, nothing broke or fell off....weird! anyway, i said F$%^it and rode like that the rest of the way. Actually it was fine! at speed is just like having cruise control...i could let go of my right hand, kind of funny!, when in need to slow down i just used brakes and clutch, it did the trick just fine...the problem was when hitting Alpine, there's a couple of red lights, it sucks not being able to use the powerband....when stopped the engine is just revving flat out!!! i bet those cagers at the intersections thought i was such a Squid!! but i made it just fine... So we arrived in Marfa, we stayed at The Thunderbird, a pimp cool hotel that just opened last year, it's a remodel of an old motel on the side of hwy 90 at one edge of town. We checked in and as i walked out of the Reception to go park the bike..."hey, is that your Guzzi?" this dude on his truck telling me about his old Ambo... so we get our rooms a bucket of beer and procede to chill 4:30 first beer of the day...it was about time! That's Candid,...Francis brother, no resemblance whatsoever! disaster will strike him on Sunday... That evening we just hang at the Thunderbird's Lounge and call it the day...

Mmmn....she looks like fun....

personally,....I'm a feet man...

PS: I almost forgot.... yes, they're everywhere..

Next day we headed out to Fort Davis, about 35 mi north of Marfa, so it's the first time we ride with the Harley crowd, which consist of Franci's wife chromed out Vrod, their buddy Mike on a brand new Sporster (what a waste) and Francis limited edition something of other 'special', don't get me wrong this folks are as nice as can be, but they do all that wacky shit like reving up at the same time when leaving a gas station....!? i know... So here i am,...again stuck behind cruisers doing 60,... George and I just stayed behind out of politeness.... Ft. Davis, Hotel Limpia, another Vintage place,...oh look! a Porsche Cayenne... So we stop there for a while, it's HOT, I'm hangover from the night before and feel like crap, i think i'm getting a cold or something... George is barely awake. We were talking to a Fire Ranger, just shooting the breeze, and yes, all of the sudden "who has the Guzzi?", later on a couple cross the street and look under the Guzzi, i guess looking for Ohlins or so... You can tell Francis has a awkward smile on his face... no one is noticing all that chrome right next to it.... So we take off south to Alpine, about another 30 or so miles... this time the road is surprisingly different, it's twisty, about 10 miles of it.... it was really cool! up and down and engaging turn combos...later that day George and I planned on coming back early next morning and give it a try, since we were stuck behind the group doing...yes, 60. actually they slow down on that stretch of the road We finally made it to Alpine, it felt like it took for f#$ing ever!...at a stop sign George said,..."that's it man, no more!" i knew he was going to take off... well at another light we told them that we were not 'feeling good' and that we were going to go ahead all the way to Marathon (were we'all were spending the next night)...but they said...ok! let's all go then (they were just being nice ) well, we didn't make it more than a couple of miles out of the last stop light when i see the road with no incoming traffic but a big semi, and at the same time i see george inching behind the Vrod,...i knew it,...i just see him downshift twice,...and i go F#$CK! not now.... well he just f@#ing took off so fast...i just saw him take the sweeper at the end of the strech, if he had ksliders he would have used them!... we turn and i barely see him crest the next strech....well, i could not resist, what can i say... i took after.... as son as i passed them i could hear them rev hard... i said: well, at least we'all get there soon,...tuck down and just hit it! never looked back...G was flying, i eventually catch him, then we started leap frogg'n, it was fun! it was right at dusk, not a car anywhere, just the wind and the tarmac...beautiful! we didn't let up until we got there, it was just about 30 miles, i wish it would have been further away.... we got to the Gage, parked, took our helmets off... and were greeted by Brad, the guy who had the spill the day before... we were just saying hi and walking up the steps when i hear Francis rolling in, and i hear him..."G..d Damn'it you guys are crazy!" "i was doing a hundred and i couldn't keep up!" (i was thinking..."Fran, no wonder you couldn't keep up") then he goes on telling Brad about how i kept getting smaller and smaller and then nothing..! "they were just gone! just like that"... at one level i felt good, on the other hand he's going to think we ride like that all the time...which is not true, we only do that when we are deprived of speed that's been bottled up all day, besides it doesn't help that i ride like i stole it to begin with... so there we are in order of arrival from left to right... guess what i did... if i would have known, the water was freezing cold!! This hotel is Pimp...that night at the bar, again..."who has the guzzi" by then they're just pointing fingers... (seriously) i'm just rising my hand and aknowliging with my eyes... we drank too much, got up late next day and G and I headed back to San Antonio late as usual. The Guys stayed for another night. When we got back in town i could not feel my f@#ing body! i was a wreck...but it was fun... so there you have it, that's how we spend our weekends on the South West...until next time

So we made it to Marfa, we stayed at 'El Paisano' Hotel, a very fancy vintage place used as headquarters for MGM while filming 'Giant' back then... heck James Dean drank out of the same bar we did,...cool. you can see the other guys rides, Harley heaven,... chrome anyone? That's Francis, our Tour Host...on the phone with a couple that never made it to Marfa, they had a spill on their way after they separated to go to the Guadalupe mts scenic way..., everyone was ok, except for a bruised shoulder on the pillon...their Road King i'm afraid was not, it got towed to El Paso, along with them following behind on an ambulance, they spend the night at the Hospital. They rented a car and caught up with us in Marathon next day. They were fine... That's George,...his ass still hurting.. While i was taking this picture, this guy walks in and..."who has the Guzzi?" then he tells me about his V7.... that's the local Pizza joint,...'Pizza Foundation'... that's the best Pizza i had in TX period...the dudes that run the show are from Boston, (no shit!). Have you noticed there are two Cayanne Turbos parked there? and i saw more around in Ft Davis and Marathon, and they weren't the same ones...hmmnn? After diner we went to the locals hang out to shoot some pool... and dance a bit,...those girls sure made George look scronny... Francis challenged the local pool shark, an older lady in her 60's, cigarrette on mouth, carbon fiber pole, calling shots and all... she was bad ass... but Francis is badass too, he made her scratch at the end, and won! he became our hero! You can't find a nicer guy than him, extroverted, funny, friendly...and on and on... He's not bad for a Harley guy ...actually he's the only Harley dude that i know of who is cool....we'll see how he thinks about bikes after this trip, is not his fault,...he has never been exposed to anything else, later on the trip he rode the Beemer...i'll elaborate on that. For a renassaince guy like Francis I'm surprised he fell for the Harley craze, his younger brother rides a 748,... i just don't get it.

So... we take off late, off all times i blew a fuse that morning, the problem got solved but took about a couple of hours, we got to an auto parts store and took care of it... by then it was HOT...mid 90's and climbing...once about a couple of hours out of town the road turns empy and we start haul'n ass... The Pecos river stop,... We swapped bikes there,...it was freak'n melting hot by then... well, the K1200rs is waay to civilized of a ride, it has a soft plush seat, gas gauge, it tells you what gear you're on, heated this and that which i didn't try , big ass adjustable wind shield, an ohlin suspension, low rumble Staintune and the list goes on and on...a total Pussy ride!! The only redeming factor was how fast that f@#"r is... it just catapult you like nobody's business, it "glides" on the road, it's like flying a couple of inches from the pavement, no vibration of any kind... it feels almost disconnected from the road, but you point and it holds its line with no fuss, the downside is that you don't feel the speed on that thing...after a bit i glanced at the speedo out of a turn, more like a big sweeper, and i wasdoing 130 ish....shit! let's roll that throtle thingy back shall we? see those feet.? that's George after the swap....he's a big guy, like 6' 2" and i guess like 200 pounder, hes an ex racer, his last track weapon of choise was a 996 until he demolished it last year on his last race...here's his review; "my ass is killing me!!" then he dropped to the ground...(i took the pic then) "hey dude, that's a pretty tight little ride you got there"...thumbs up as he lays on the floor..."i just wish it was twistier out here"....then he goes..."hey, you're right about that wiggle north of 120"...we think it has to do with aerodinamics...who knows...i'm kind of used to it... Sanderson, where we swapped back... Chicken who??...

This last weekend my buddy and I headed out to West Texas... Marfa, Ft. Davis, Alpine and Marathon... that was about an 800mi trip...it takes about 6 hrs give or take to get to Marfa from San Antonio (on car is about a couple more )... yes, we were mov'n... The plan was to hook up out there with the brother of a good friend of mine (my buddy with the 748), they took off on thrusday...we did on friday. So the plan was to leave town early, but we never made it out of town until right before noon My bud George took a K1200rs (which i have a test review of.. and he has one if the V11) and myself with the Guzzi or as G calls it...the "iron maiden" Once we all hooked up you'll start hearing "who has the Guzzi?" quite a bit or..the "hey i used to have a V7", etc... i seriously started to feel bad for the other guys i was with, with exception of George everyone else was a Heley dude...yep, that's right, i don't know how but we got invited... go figure how opposite brothers come to be... this guy who organized the trip, Francis, is a Harley Junkie, i mean he is dumping some serious cash on his toy, but hey...he's happy with the whole thing. The thing was that by the end of the trip, after the "who has the Guzzi" over and over, I noticed a look of confussion on him...we were gearing up and saying our goodbyes, and i caught him caressing the headlamp! he's seen the Guzzi before a couple of times, but never interacted with it for a couple of days... I don't think he ever thought of it as something different i guess, i guess he felt like it was a boring bland machine....go figure. Well when you dump about 30 large on a toy and no one aknowlages it because they're looking at the "boring" bike....i guess it'll make anyone wonder. but enough of my rant let's get on with the trip....

... ... yeah baby!!

Guys..guys,... you're missing the mark here, it's not about the ugly ass Vette... it's about being an idealistic romantic,...flipping the bird to the man...the 'money talks' mentallity that runs the stablishment...that's all it's a LOVE STORY....not only with the girl but with his ideals.....because he's young...man, he's not tainted by the system....we were all like that at one time in our lives....that's why the movie is soo cool...

I'm curious about this one... V-max ...for next year or two?...maybe? i'll give it a try!

I just finished watching it on Speed Channel..... what a cool movie! I saw it first when i was a kid...i now think is much cooler Her real name is not Vanessa!!

ok...how's this

Where is the Love?!....

Here's a video of the track where this pic was taken in Houston... yes the track is diff. from the street the turn the pic was taken is @ 02:05 on the video (vid.camera is in a Suzy 750 btw)

no kidding....put some flames on this ...that's how 202mph look like or...how's this view... now, that will leave a couple of miles of afterburner trace!!

All I know is that..... GUZZI'S ROCK DA HOUSE!!! PS:

i do...