wsholar

You're thinking of an Amazona (TMA motorcycles), but those all have 1600cc Beetle motors that produce 54 hp. That's right. I give up on this one. Looks like an old inline four Jeep motor to me.

I just discovered this problemw with my '04 Ballabio this weekend. I need a set ASAP, as I'm having the bike serviced, upgraded, gone over before a track day on 4/17. Can you please advise re: availability, payment, and ship date? I don't spend a lot of time on the list, and this is the first time I've seen this thread. I'm in Monrovia, CA (NE Los Angeles). Thanks, Aaron. Wallis

You racing at AHRMA? I think I'm gonna come up for that one. Looking forward to seeing you run.

Hey, Pierre, re: your avatar, you've lost weight, dude! I'm not sure that hairstyle suits you, though. We're doin' Todd's track day on the 17th at Button Willow (Red Shift). Wanna come? I'll be riding with the C Group. Should be, uh, very educational.

Hey Dave, we missed you on Sunday. I know the weather was crappy, but we managed to tip a few back anyway. A few pictures:

No worries, Dave. We'll have plenty of herbal tea on hand too.

No thanks. Instead of blowing a Sunday with a bunch of squids on The Crest, why not come to the Guzzi-Q with the rest of us-- the view of Palos Verdes and Catalina are better than a bunch of R1s and Gixxers at Newcombs, you'll have the personal satisfaction of seeing nothing but Guzzis on the terrace, there will be free beer, Red Bulls, Carne Asada, and cheeseburgers, and remember, SoCal Guzzi people are the best people in the world. PS-- You can even bring your big game rifle and try your luck at baggin' a bear or a cougar-- a real challenge after 10 Red Bulls and 6 beers.

EDIT--> NOTE NEW DATE--> Sunday, 3/19, THIS SUNDAY We were planning this ride for the 3rd Sunday in January, but the conditions kind of sucked, AND it conflicted with the Mods vs. Rockers event in SD, then Robbie hosted a great Guzzi-Q on the ocean in February, so let's give this one a go on the 3rdSunday in March, the 19th: Late, light breakfast at 10am at Euro Cafe, Mills and Baseline in Claremont: Directions to Euro Cafe from 210 Eastbound Ride up Mt. Baldy Rd. to Glendora Ridge Road (GRR) and across to Glendora Mountain Road (GMR), down to East Fork, across to Hwy 39 (San Gabriel Canyon Rd.): Directions across GRR to Hwy 39 Then, around 1pm, up to my place for a "Guzzi-Q," drinks, swimming (if it's warm enough), etc.: Directions from Hwy 39 to my place Hope to see a bunch of folks show up-- we can handle 20 or 30 bikes, so don't be shy, and spread the word. It would be great to see S. of LA and N. of LA folks on this one. Please RSVP here so we'll know what to do about shopping.

I'll take my cues from the pros. When I see the Isle of Man riders buzzing around the circuit with some sort of different helmet, I'll give that one a try.

Yep, they're a gamble, but quite fun if the cam/valves have been done and the price is right. I put about 6K miles on mine, but it was just too small for me. It did haul my 220-lb. butt 110mph on more than one occasion at over 6,000 ft. elevation, in northern NM. Historically speaking, I believe it's the fastest production pushrod 650 ever built. With a top speed of about 125 (with a small rider, tailwind, perfectly tuned, etc.), bone stock, it would break multiple Land Speed Record classes, beginning with the production pushrod 650 class. If you're small and resourceful, it could be a great bike-- it's certainly a great-looking bike, for a pea shooter.

I drive a Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Sedan, not because I have to deal with bad roads or weather but because Symmetric AWD just rules if you wanna rock in the mountains. 250 ft. lbs of torque in a 3K-lb. package is just plain fun. And when you want to be civilized while transporting the kids and in-laws, it's comfortable and quiet. Like a classic Guzzi, plenty of low-end grunt, but gets exciting when you wind it up a bit-- that 14PSI of boost that starts to kick in up toward 4K is not unlike the feel of the V11 up toward 6K.

EDIT: LOOKS LIKE TODD WILL BE OUT OF TOWN, AND THERE IS ANOTHER EVENT THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY IN PALISADES, SO I'M POSTPONING THIS EVENT TO THE 3RD SUNDAY IN MARCH, 3/26. See the new post. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We were planning this ride for the 3rd Sunday in January, but the conditions kind of sucked, AND it conflicted with the Mods vs. Rockers event in SD. So, let's give it another go in February, 3rd Sunday, the 19th. Any SoCal riders game? How does this sound: Breakfast at 9:30am at Euro Cafe, Mills and Baseline in Claremont: Directions to Euro Cafe from 210 Eastbound Ride up Mt. Baldy Rd. to Glendora Ridge Road (GRR) and across to Glendora Mountain Road (GMR), down to East Fork, across to Hwy 39 (San Gabriel Canyon Rd.): Directions across GRR to Hwy 39 Then up to my place for refreshments and relaxation for the remainder of the day, if everybody's enjoying themselves: Directions from Hwy 39 to my place Does that work? Let me know if you're planning to show up at my place afterwards, and I'll make sure we're prepared.

That Guzzi V8 was remarkable for its time, and belongs on any top 10 list in my book, but much more remarkable for its time was the 136mph V8 motorcycle built and ridden by American aviation pioneer Glenn H. Curtiss of Hercules Motorcycles in 1907-- that's right, 1907. Read more about Curtiss here: Click Here Harley was still making singles in 1907. Indian had just introduced its first V-twin in 1906. Indian would later dominate board track racing in the 1910's with this 4-valve/cyl V-twin racer: You're looking at a 90mph+ moped. The first Norton Twin to win the Isle of Man in 1907 averaged 36mph. And the first Guzzi was 14 years away, and the first BMW was 16 years away. The Curtiss V8 and Indian "8-valver" belong ahead of any of the bikes mentioned thus far, IMHO. EDIT: I also want to add a third bike to this list-- the Cyclone OHC bike (Minnesota) of 1914. All three of these bikes belong at the top of any list: 1. 1907 Curtiss V8 Racer (136mph LSR) 2. 1912 Indian V-twin "8-valver" 3. 1914 Cyclone V-twin OHC Multiple cylinders, multiple valves, and overhead cams went on to dominate racing and performance motorcycling throughout the remainder of the century. These technologies were later exploited by the British, German, and Italians of latter years, much to their credit. But the early Americans (engineers of European heritage in most cases) were out of the gate first with the biggest, baddest, and fastest. (cue "America the Beautiful") Helps to put things in perspective, eh?

Any pictures yet? I'm interested.

See later posts on decision to nix the rearsets and have the seat custom rebuilt to move the seating position forward. Sounds like we're on the same page.

Yeah, Al's gotten a lot of things right with his bike, it looks like. I guess since my Corbin was part of my deal, which was a pretty okay deal, I wouldn't feel too bad about paying them at least a coupla hundred bucks to get it right.

If riding is something that you must do to maintain your, uh, "perspective," then yeah, the West Coast is someplace that affords you that luxury. At this point in my life, I couldn't live anyplace else because it's very difficult for me to go more than a coupla weeks without a good run up into the mountains. Just remember all the downsides of living out here, and you won't be so jealous: Cost of living/real estate Traffic/car culture/smog Epidemic narcisism Earthquakes Droughts/wildfires Deluges/mudslides Of course, the list goes on... And thanks for the word on Rossopuro. I'm not sure I want to spend $350+ for a solution that I can't "try before I buy." If I spring for the customized Corbin, it will definitely be right before I lay my money down.

Ya know, I think yet again, you just might be onto something, David. The most cost effective solution might just be to have the Corbin guys fix THIER seat design, which is clearly NOT QUITE right for this bike. Ya think if you and I make an appointment and ride up to Hollister, they'll fix us both up for a reasonable amount of coin? I bet they'll at least spring for lunch in the diner. Think about it. Maybe there are others in CA who want to do the same?

It's funny, but I have this thing about bikes with handlebars, clutches, brakes, throttles, all that stuff. Call me a reactionary, but I just don't like bikes without handlebars of some sort.

I already talked to Todd, and he's not doing rearsets, just foot controls. UNLESS, of course, we get 10-20 folks here who need rearsets, in which case we might be able to make it worth his while. Okay if I slap my Corbin on your bike next time we're out together? Your bars will be different from mine, but I might be able to get a sense of whether your Buells might work for me. Thanks.

I want my feet a bit farther back and up, mainly to fit the position of my Ballabio with the Corbin Gunfighter seat, which sits you farther back than the stock seat. I think I'll like the rearsets with the stock seat too, but the problem's not as noticeable with the stock seat. I'm looking at the Rossopuro rearsets, and my search on this site doesn't turn anything up of any value in the way of feedback. If you've got 'em, how do you like 'em?

I e-mailed him your pricelist, so he knows...

Damn you, you suckered me into this thread (so I'm nosy!). I would agree with you about the unnecessary riding distraction if it weren't for that pesky HUD UNIT! Hmmm...$520? And for another $200 (on sale now), an Air Rider Comm Center, and man, ya got bike data, trip data, music, intercom, phone-- all in your helmet! So, for about $720, I can have enough distractions in my helmet to completely ignore the scenery AND the road! What could be better?!

BTW, I know of a couple of sources for turning it into a Le Mans, if that interests you. If so, IM me.

I honestly don't pay attention to speed when cornering, but I can say this: my V-Strom pegs and even the heat shield on the right-side pipe are pretty seriously ground down, but I have yet to scrape anything on the Ballabio-- and I rode behind Bill Ross, Todd Eagan, and Rich Rodriguez last weekend (although it was a very "relaxed" ride). I think that says more about the V-Strom's high COG than my comfort cornering faster on it, though. You have to push the V-Strom over farther at a given speed to keep from high-siding the thing. Also, Rich spent some time behind me on that ride, and he mentioned that, in general, I ride the Ballabio more "effortlessly" than I do the V-Strom. Again, I attribute that to the lower COG of the Ballabio. Go fort it, Greggio. Gotta make it your own, right? -wallio