Zoom Zoom

I purchased a set of theit bar risers for the LeMans a couple of years ago. I started with an e-mail asking if they spoke english, shipped to the US, and took credit cards. Theu DO ship to the US, they can get by with english, and as previously stated, do not accept credit cards. I wired a bank transfer to them and got the bars I wanted. It took two or three weeks, but it went well. They have really top notch stuff! I would deal with them again and would recomend them. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

I have not posted much here of late, but I have to agree with the above statement. Obviously, I must have missed the offending post. That's fine. This is, after all, Jaap's sandbox. The way I see it is pretty simple. Treat people the way you want to be treated, weather it is in person or hiding behind a keyboard. In all things, there is usually a tactful way to express an opinion. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Very enjoyable. Thanks for the link! Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Eventually, Richard, the bikes WERE picked up. One of the summer residents started a fire around day break. At that point, an RV in that same location as the V11 was still under water. We watched as it slowly become visible and waited. That green V11 was in a low area that was dificult to get to for some time. People started on the higher ground and had begun to stand up bikes. He got his bike, but his truck and trailer was lost.When the water receeded, there was still 5 or 6 inches of mud covering everything. I am truly sad to hear of the loss you had to endure. How do you suppose you might have felt if someone standing around in proximity of you had made some comment regarding something THEY think you should have done? TELL ME YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PUT OFF! I can no more comment on what you shoulda, coulda, woulda, done than you can on the present situation. Having endured a devastating loss, YOU, of all people, should have thought twice before you opened mouth and inserted foot. You can defend yourself all you want. Your comment was still out of line, the same as if I had made a comment like that about your situation. In your comment above you mention seeing "one lousy picture". So, you're making an uninformed comment about something you know very little about. There are probably close to 60 bikes that suffered that fate, as well as motor homes, campers, and trucks with trailers. After a bike being under water all night, do you really expect everything to happen all at once? Maybe I should reflect on why there was so much carnage and nobody was informed properly??? Hindsight is 20/20 is it not. I can't change what happened. We all felt sad. Many were happy to be alive too. You can relate to that, right? There were several areas that were much lower than where several of us were. This is an event that nobody ever expected to get to this magnitude. The locals have never seen the likes of it. Many years ago, I was delivering news papers and there was an accident on one of the streets that was on my route. It drew a crowd. There was a person lying on the ground and emergency people were working. Someone in the crowd made the following comment: "Is he dead yet?" That got me to thinking. What if there was a family member standing there in the crowd to hear that? DO YOU THINK THAT COMMENT WAS OUT OF LINE? Richard, you're probably a nice guy. Please consider the ramifications of your comments in the future. Nuff Said! Zoom Zoom, John Henry Ben: You are of course correct. I do however feel that this needed to be said. I was there. I lost a bike. If I had to pick, I'm thankful it was not the LeMans. My point is that people should think a little before they open their mouthes. I guess this is all I have to say on this topic.

A sad picture indeed. There are many more. Tom Au was just ahead of me with his Nero Corsa. He got it out but it drowned at the last minute. He and a couple of us spent the night pushing it farther up hill as the water came up. It was a very tough night. Frustration, I suppose. Those that were there were not only frustrated, but looking at the widespread damage, there was also a feeling of helplessness. The pic you refer to is Pat Cowden(sp). He has a very nice LeMans, (vintage), that did not fare well. He is from Tenn. I still feel that comment was out of line. John Henry

Well Richard, I didn't take that photo but.............. You try nearly being drowned, spend the night cold and soaking wet, and look at the carnage all around you when daylight breaks. At daylight, things were still under water. Frankly sir, I couldn't have given a rats a** if my bike was upside down on its handlebars after all that! And YEAH, I lost my EV in all that mess! I'm also thankful I'm alive to complain about it. Don't be so quick to critisize unless you were there to deal with it. You sir, have no idea what it was like! John Henry

Just a bit over 8,000 on the '03 LeMans I purchased new two years ago, in '05. My '01 EV has nearly 80,000 since new in Feb. '01 Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Once the H-B bags are in place, there is very little room for the passengers feet on the rear pegs. At best, they will get their heels on the pegs. Otherwise, no trouble. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

The easiest way to cope with the seat is to buy an Airhawk. It can take a bad seat to great and a good seat to fantastic for $150 bucks. I always use it when taking a trip. I leave it off the rest of the time. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

There is a recent thread over on the Wild Guzzi board concerning service from "The Motor Company's" dealers. It would seem that looks can be decieving. Simply because there is a dealer every 10 feet down the interstate does not mean they can/will service your bike in a pinch. It took my buddy Pat over 4 months to get his late model Road King repaired after an accident, so I guess the parts agguement gets blown right out of the water on that one, huh! In any case, I find much to like about my LeMans and my Cali EV. They compliment each other very well. I have drouled over a new Norge, but I refuse to part with either bike in order to obtain one. I will eventually add a Norge or B1100 to the heard though. There are several bikes I would not mind having, other than Guzzi, but I can't get rid of the Guzzi's to do it. The sound of the LeMans with the M4's is simply fantastic. Pure music to the ears. If you like the HD, keep it! Find another Guzzi to your liking and don't worry about the dealers. I bought my EV new in '01. I have to date put 78,000 miles+ on it. The only time I stopped at a dealer while traveling was to visit. My HD buddies have needed their dealers several times while on trips. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking them. This is simple first hand fact, nothing more. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Interesting stuff this! I personally have followed others with a GPS and also with a map in their tank bag. It has been my experience that the tank bag map people are more apt to wander around the road than the GPS bunch. In either case, it is certainly not the fault of the map or the GPS, no more than a firearm is in and of itself a "weapon". It is the user that makes it what it is. I do enjoy doing is deliberately getting lost without worrying about how I'll find my way home later. That is fun. When traveling around the country, it helps me find food, gas, lodging, and friends. Try typing your friends address into a paper map and having it guide you to the doorstep. (No, I pull over to do something like that.) When riding a twisty road, I find the moving map to be helpful, in that I am able to see what the road is doing next. When taking an extended trip, I put points of interest in in advance. Some of the things most worth seeing are on the roads less traveled. It is not the be all/end all device, It is simply a tool. I would rather use a socket than a cresent wrench. When used to its potential, it is fantastic. It has taken me on some of the best roads I would have never gone on otherwise. It has led me to ghost towns and obscure art, like Carhenge in Nebraska. It has helped me get through a busy city withoug getting lost, and if I do make a wrong turn, it gets me back on track. My use of it has refined much over the years. I like my Quest much more than the GPS-5 that it replaced, mainly due to features and storage capacity.I have figured out how to install waypoints for a trip and keep them in order so they can be found easily. Knowing elevation is certainly not necessary, but it is a point of interest. For instance, I registered 10,998 feet at the top of Beartooth Highway in Montana. A bit of useless information that makes good conversation later on. Several friends I have ridden with were naysayers. They have since had a change of heart and purchased their own units. When it's late, and you're tired, it helps get you there. When used responsibly, it can be one of the greatest assets to a touring rider. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Having replaced my clip ons with the Mototec bars, I ended up with those two extra holes. I used one of them, using RAM parts, to connect a Touratech locking mount in black anodised. It locates my Quest pretty much centered over the tripple clamp. I have done much traveling with a GPS in the lasy several years. I still keep an atlas on the bike, but the GPS does all the work. I won't leave home without it! Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Just a follow up for those that spoke for some patches. I returned home this evening to a message on the answering machine. The patches are in. I hope to pick them up this coming weekend and probably get them sent off early next week. Just wanted to keep you informed. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Pete is a very bashful person. What he neglected to tell you is that he developed a sloppage sheet to install in the bottom end that cures the described oil situation. Fairly easy to install too. Valve adjustment will take you around 30 minutes tops, start to finish. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

CLOWNS? Why I oughta.......... Hey, I resemble that remark. Gotta go now, I'm due in ring 3 soon. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Several years ago, my buddy added a third motorcycle to his insurance. Upon adding the third bike, he was sent an $18.00 USD refund check. YES, it cost him less per year for three than it did for two. I really don't know, perhaps they figure you are a more responsible owner if you have multiple bikes, not to mention that you can't ride more than one at a time, (unless you let someone else ride it). Zoom Zoom, John Henry

The Mototech bars are real nice. If clamped below the tripple tree, you can come pretty close to the stock position, if that is what you like. If clamped above, well, you get the idea. Well made, look good, clears the fairing. lots of adjustment. With longer cables and brake lines, there is even more adjustment. The way they hinge, it is not necessary to remove the fork tubes from the clamps if you want them below. Zoom Zoom John Henry

Bump Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Ok, so far I believe I have the following: RAZ- 2 Mike Wilson- 2 Rosso Andy- 1 (Andy, you didn't specify. Correct me if you wanted more.) for a total so far of 5. ALL STATESIDE FOLKS: PLEASE CONTACT UNCOMMON DIRECTLY IF YOU WANT. THESE ARE FOR ACROSS THE POND FOLKS. Time is drawing near. Speak now if you want to be included in this. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Glad you got them installed. I know I spent the better part of the afternoon. Lockable, water tight storage is a wonderful thing. I would echo what Mike said about a bag of "stuff", which included any additional hardware, longer bolts, wiring extentions, etc. As I mentioned, I had an alignment problem that took a bit of time to work out too. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Bump. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Ok folks, here is what we have come up with. We will limit the order to 15 or so patches and/or 1 week from today. Saturday, Feb. 24. We are trying to keep the number to a managable cost as to keep our initial out of pocket down. Order taking will stop at aproximately 15 patches or 1 week, whichever comes first. The patches measure 5 1/2 inches, (14cm), by 3 1/2 inches, (9cm). The initial cost is $11.95 USD. FINAL COST WILL BE DETERMINED BY SHIPPING COSTS TO THE END PERSONS. WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR PROFIT, SIMPLY TO COVER COSTS. Please indicate your interest on this post! I will PM you to comfirm that you want a patch (patches). Once we have the orders, I'll have Uncommon get them made and I will send them off. They will then be distributed from there. The final cost will be determined by Raz, since I'll be shipping to him and he will ship to you. I DO NOT want any money up front. I'll cover the initial cost and then be compensated for that plus shipping. Additional shipping from Raz to you will be added to that as the final cost. This seems like the most cost effective way to keep prices as low as possible. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

Lee, it looks like Mike has covered it pretty well. I would add a couple of things. Under the tail piece, where the cross bar mounts up, I needed to remove that piece and knock off the nuts that were spot welded in place. Otherwise, the bar was too low to line up with the side brackets. There are three nuts under there. I only needed to do that to the front two. They came off without much trouble. Also, in order to get the side bracket to line up properly, I needed to elongate the lower front mounting hole on the right side. Without doing that, I was unable to get things to line up properly. Mine may have been bent, but if it was, it was before the paint was applied. After you have everything loosely attached, minus the top rack, that is the time to put the tail piece back in. It is nearly impossible after you tighten things down. I can't remember if I needed to just set the tail piece in place or tighten it up before finishing the install. THE KEY IS THE CROSS PIECE THAT FITS UP UNDER THE FENDER. THE TOP OF THAT SHOULD FIT FLUSH WITH ITS MOUNTING, NOT ON TOP OF THOSE BLIND NUTS. Everything else should line up to that piece. The hole I needed to elongate was done to the bracket itself and was completely hidden under the washer after the installation was finished. At the risk of tooting my own horn, I would say the I know my way around a wrench. This job took much longer that I originally figured. Just take your time, make sure things line up properly. The end result will be worth the effort. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

As you may already know, it would be best to do the dragon during the week. It gets too busy on the weekends. I have always timed it that way and have been happy with the decesion. Thirds on the Virginia Rally. Ron and Alice work hard to make it nice!! I am looking forward to it. Zoom Zoom, John Henry

I contacted Uncommon yesterday, (2/9/07). Shirts are out. No interest there. The choice will be patches or patches. Anyway, RAZ, as I mentioned in my last post, PM me with what you want to do. If you feel you can work out the details on your end, we can get a new post for a head count. Note to folks in USA: 877-475-1394 is Uncommon's toll free number. Probably easiest for those of us here to contact him directly if you want. Zoom Zoom, John Henry