st. augustine

I had some good fortune to meet Frank ? at Ducati/MG/Aprilla NYC in manhattan. The guy was real knowledable and service oriented. their number is 212.989.1414

Can anyone comment on the sound of the Scarico QUAT-D sottomotore Ex-Box Catalizzato e OMOLOGATO? (I have no idea what I just cut and pasted into that question) As you might know, one of my Ti exhausts was damaged while in the shop, and we are looking for a replacement. Having trouble with that so thought I would look into the Quat-D. I love the sound of the straight Ti pipes, so the replacement has to be as good. http://rmcube.abd.it/RMcube/servlet/contro...Object=SI3001GG

Does anyone have a right side titanium MG exhaust for sale? Also looking for a new set if I can't find a replacement for the right side.

also make sure the switch on the kick stand is moving in and out. apply some WD40.

yes, a great place to ride. I am originally from Quemado NM(Class of '73 - 3 guys and a girl who was already married - no need for a senior trip). Actually got first road legal bike back in '71 in Baton Rouge then rode it to NM, an HD 350 Sprint. Road every road on the western side of the state (east side too flat) and the east side of AZ. My high school coach had a Guzzi and a BMW, he later became one of my best of friends. that's why I ride the goose now, in memory. Want to go on a longer ride, shoot over to Quemado way through Zuni (check out Salt Lake-a volcanic crater with an inner crater - I heard you have to get permission now, but when I was kid.....), head south towards Silver City, turn west before Clifton down the Mule Creek road (that's a RIDE), then back up north to Springerville or even Holbrook (the petrified forest), then back to SF. Wanna talk dirt/gravel roads? Been down a lot more of those...another day of stories on an Ossa 250. Hope to hear more stories and pics from you.

I'll be sure to pass that on. Here is a picture from our trip a couple of weeks ago, noticing where you are from, you should recognize the place. We had to stop there and get a spare pair of gloves. Nice folks ther at the HD dealer.

My daughter took her first MC lessons a year ago, she is 22 and 5'3" tall. Once the lessons were completed, she hit the web, checked out the local dealers and came home with a used 2001 DUC 750 Monster. She bartered with the dealer who sold it (knocking off 500$), set up the liability insurance, dropped the bike a few times, learned to pick it up, and recently completed a 3200 mile road trip. etc. Now she has her sites set for flying lessons and utlimately helicopter pilots license. My answer to the question is not to decide for her, let her make a choice she ultimately learns from, but of course, guide her by asking the right questions.

Sorry, forgot to mention, our tank miles end up being about the same. We tend to gas up around 130 miles no matter what. My bike always seems to take about 2 to 3 /10ths more gallons than hers does anywhere from 100 to 145 miles between fill ups. It turns out to be the length of ride we both perfer to stretch the legs and talk to each other (we don't have com sets).

In answer to the question on the luggage, here it is... At first I bought the Givi T431 Arrow saddel bags but they just didn't hang right when the bags are extended outwards. I have the Ti exhausts and I just couldn't get them to hang right without touching the pipes. It turns out the pipes don't get hot so it might be a mute point. My daughter liked the Cortech bags so she bought the following: http://www.sporttour.com/luggage/cortech/tail-bag_sport.htm for the tail bag http://www.sporttour.com/luggage/cortech/s..._bags_sport.htm for the saddle bags. She bought the Icon magnetic tank bag which I think is a real nice bag/backpack. I have the MG tank bag but 3 seperate zipper handles broke during the trip. I ended up weaving some dental floss for handles but have sense braided some fine nylon rope for zipper pullers (like you see on mountain gear). I tried to get an Icon bag at AprillaNewYork, but found out the tank isn't metal (they took the bag back, no charge). End the end, i traded Cortech for the Givi and we were both real happy. One thing though, the Givi rain covers didn't fit as well as the Cortechs and they actually left some inner cover residue on the givi bags (from flapping in the wind). It can probably wash off, but can't be brushed off. Cortech covers managed 85 mph in the rain real nice. We keep all our gear in the bags inside plastice trash bags for another layer of protection. I'll try to post a picture later, once I figure how to reduce the picture file size to something reasonable to post, along with some comments on our outer gear and helmets. SA

Just returned yesterday from a 2 week trip. My daughter with her Monster 750 and me on the Scura, drove down to Orlando, got on the auto train to get a couple of days ahead of the weather since we were leaving late. Ended up around DC around 5 in the evening on October 19th, then rode to Gettysburg. Spent the night then ended up in Watertown NY the next night. Then on to Montreal with temps around 1 degree C. Montreal is an awesome town. Also note I saw at least 100 bikers between Montreal and Quebec City (those guys have spirit), then rode on to Riviera de Loup before the night. Then came the pain....2 days of pure rain through Maine (didn't see a single rider in Maine). We pulled over a lot for hot tea and to run our hands under hot water at the gas stations but made it to Manhatten. Did I forget to mention the wishbone connected to the swing arm on the duc snapped off at the northern most milepost on Highway 1? We rode all the way in to NYC where the guys at Aprilla New York did a bang up job fixing up the duc (stop by and see them some time, those guys definately have passion for their work!). By then the weather was looking favorable so headed off to DC, did the site seeing, then headed over to the Far Blue Mountains (skyline drive). Experienced that at freezing conditions (elevation unknown but cold enough to make Montreal seem mild, there was snow everywhere). By then, we were getting ready to head home, so hit the interstates in North, South Carolina, and Georgia and played cat and mouse with cars running around 90 mph. Strange thing?....didn't see any smokeys! It was like a playground. Total miles 3190.

We went through 4 huricanes last year here in Florida. Lots of people around town got generators, etc. from FEMA. The guy who painted my custom softtail was really impressed with how it all worked out. I think after it was all over (his electircity was out for 6 weeks), he was offerred to keep the generator if he paid $100, whick he gladly did. Some other folks on the west side of Florida, however are facing federal charges for receiving too big of a helping hand (if you know what I mean). My son lives in the Woodlands (North Houston) and says it wasn't too bad there(his electricity is out), but it could have been a lot worse. Let's us all know if we can assist or how to help.

saw this on ebay...just passing on the link... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Moto-Guzzi-...1QQcmdZViewItem

I have an 02 Scura. I bought the Ti exhausts with the computer and it was easy to install. I don't recall getting any instructions with the brackets but after some trial and error they went on. It took a little while to get both of the cans to align when looking at the bike from the rear, but once done, they look - sound - perform great. I definately recommend the upgrade.

I checked out the travel section but was looking for what would be a good route to take from FL to Maine and back. My daughter did the Washington State to Florida thing, now wants a north to south one. I'll be riding the Scura and my daughter will be riding her Duc 750 Monster. We thought we would shoot up north fast along the interstate hiway, then sideways over to Montreal and finally taking our time returning. We will be leaving around Oct 18th and returning Nov 5th. Any info on specific hiways, what weather to expect (not sure if this is too late in the season, will we be missing the fall colours?), what gear is appropriate, safe havens for repair work, you know the Q?.

the global space left is only 3Kb. It's hard to find a picture that small to post.

Awesome recap. You are right about buda and pest being an awesome place. Did you get to stop by the bath houses? You should write an article for Road Runner magazine... http://www.rrmotorcycling.com/mags/frames.html I bet there are others outside this forum that would love to hear about your trip. Send the editor this link and ask him if he would be interested in you embellishing it for his mag.

Last night there was a horrendous accident by my house. My daughter (w/Duc 750) and me (w/ Scura) spent an hour looking over the scene and trying to make sense of what witnesses were saying and trying to filter out the rumors . Here is picture from the paper... http://www.staugustine.com/stories/062605/new_3168246.shtml (I couldnt insert the picture only because the V11 site said 11KB was to big to upload, not sure what's going on there. Can someone else upload it from the weblink?). and here was the text...A motorcyclist received "extremely grave" injuries Saturday night after he crashed his motorcycle into the side of a sport utility vehicle on Anastasia Boulevard, law enforcement personnel said. The man, whose identity is not yet released by the Florida Highway Patrol, was driving a cafe racer-style motorcycle southbound about 9 p.m. Saturday when a gray Chevrolet SUV pulled out in front of him at San Raphael Street, witnesses said. The bike T-boned the SUV, knocking it over and nearly folding it in half. Both vehicles were totalled. One witness, Laurence Champagne, 18, of Gilbert, W.Va., said he was in a car going northbound when he saw and heard the motorcycle "wind out," or accelerate rapidly. "It looked like he was going 90 mph," Champagne said. "The car just sat there, and (the motorcyclist) tried to hit his brakes but he was going too fast." His mother, Monique Lester, was in the car and said the accident happened "in the blink of an eye. It made me sick." The crash knocked the shoes off the motorcyclist. He was taken to Flagler Hospital by St. Johns County Fire-Rescue, but a condition report was not available by press time. The occupants in the SUV, said by witnesses to be a man and woman, were also taken to Flagler Hospital. Their condition is also not available yet. Motorcyclists in the passing traffic slowed down and stared hard at the broken bike. The driver's helmet sat undamaged on the ground. It isn't know if he was wearing it. FHP traffic homicide troopers measured everything, assisted by St. Augustine police and St. Johns County sheriff's deputies. A line of brake fluid and oil ran in a dark trail into the sewer, like blood. One woman watching the law enforcement officers work kept shaking her head. She didn't want to be identified, but said she was local. "You couldn't tell how fast he was going, he was going so fast," she said.

Hey VFish. Do you have the Ti pipes? I have a Scura with the Ti pipes and wonder if the Givis still work with up sweep pipes?

In my earlier message, I mentioned the "man - Machine" interface. Have you read the following in Sport Riding Techniques by Nick Ienatsch? Page 36... "Ride relaxed on a wide -barred bike or unintended steering inputs will create a wobble at speed. In fact, any bike will wobble if the rider has rigid arms and a death grip on the bars (Brian Blades)" Also on page 36... "Imagine welding a steel bar from your handlebar to your bike's frame. Every movement of your front tire would be immediately transferred into the chasis, creating a wobble, weave-or worse. This is exactly what happens when you grip the bars too tightly before, during or after steering inputs. Every movement of the front end moves those clenched arms and consequently disrupts the bike's stability." Am not saying this was the case, but thought it was worthy of discussion.

To add another perspective to this debate....there are a lot of factors that go into man and machine performance. One thing I haven't heard discussed here is about "the man"...see scan from Sport Riding Techniques on riding position. If it can be determined without a doubt that it wasn't "the man" then it must be "the machine".

fyi, I just did the waiver and accepted the goodies. Here are the options: 1. MG Grandraid riding jacket and pants 2. Matching men's and women's MG Race Leather Jackets 3. Hard saddlebag kit (Cal. EV and Stone - unpainted) 4. Leather saddlebag kit (Cal. EV and Stone, and Special Sport) 5. Carbon fiber Accessory Kit (V11 Sport and LeMans) 6. Soft Luggage kit (tank bag, tail pack, and parcel rack - V11 Sport and LeMans) Refer to Service Bulletin # 72903 for the details. My contact was Merideth, who was very helpful, but she is moving on. Her replacement is Michelle, her number is 678.238.0902 and the fax is 678.238.0273 Hope this helps.

This might not be the type of boot you are looking for but I use the Red Wing (Worx) slip on. See picture and web site ( http://www.rdwngshoestore.com/detail.asp?product_id=6499 ). I like it because it is made of SympaTex Allweather material (which is waterproof), has a steel toe, oil/slip resistant sole (for setting your foot down at that traffic light), and wears confortable enough to walk around in it all day (I mean workers work it them all day don't they?). For some reason (probably from watching my dad who was raised in the depression era) I try to buy a muti-use item. But I am guilty in some areas. For instance, you should see my garage...I have a couple of bicycle helmets, a snow boarding helmet, a rock climbing helmet, 5 different models of MC helmets....jeez, am I the victim or an accomplice? Though it wouldn't fit our commercialized economy model, I hope for a day when one helmet fits all activities. Sorry, got off the topic there a little bit, but that is why I like my multi-use boots.

Ben, a word of caution....I just had something similar happen to me around Christmas time. I got the original estimate from the dealer/repair shop and submitted to the insurance company (after making numerous calls and finally ended up with a call to NJ) who paid failry prompltly. However, after taking off the fairing, etc. they found more damage and the second payment took forever to get out of them. Not they wouldn't pay, just that they kept asking for more info, needed another appriasor visit, yadda yadda.... Not sure how to advise, cept for getting it right the first time. BTW, I did the upgrade thing with the dealer on the side with the insurance company knowledge also. Thanks for keeping it honest, most people take advantage of the situation, which ofcourse always gets past on the rest of the consumers cause I can gaurenteeeeeee the insurance company is covered.