fernando

1) i did say that i wanted the road king for south florida where all roads are flat and there are few curves .there are some hills and few curves in north florida ,but thr rd can handles these . 2) the 62 mph top speed is in fact a single cylinder hd made in germany and taken over by hd under the war reparation act. this bike was exported all over .and it was ,for an 11 year old kid a lot of fun ,an incredible fast bike ,and i did take it off the road quite often.i still have the original title and registration.

to those of you who have expressed an opinion on this subject and those that have expressed a negative opinion on hd riders and bikes ,i have some thoughts. i have read some good reviews on the web at cruiser magazine on the new roadliner and ultraliner by yamaha. a hd clone,and maybe even better looking in some respects.even the kawasaki nomad is a better looking machine by all acounts ... for $12 to 15 .ooo they better the hd in almost every detail. in order to get the road king to perform at the same level as the yamaha you have to spend over $27,000 in engine and other mods...... but ,there is something very special about riding a harley and i am not referring to appearances ,i am refering to FEEL that hd has that the japanese cannot or have not been able to emulate. much like driving a 911 vs.a vette. moto guzzi is in this realm....a moto guzzi has a certain feel /atitude that no japanese bike can meet . even thou they ,the japanese ,are superior to the guzzi in almost every aspect they are not in the same class as a guzzi.........again,it is a FEEL/ATITUDE that is hard to copy. many car makers have tried to copy/emulate the ride and feel of the beemer 3 series .but no one has yet met this as of 2005. not that they will not ,but if they do meet it will occur only because bmw is moving slowly away from what they stood for. just drive the latest 3 or 5 or 6 series and compare them to the same car of 4 years ago. not the same and that is a shame . guzzi has managed to retain its appeal. so has harley. this may be what attracts me to harley. and you cannot judge a machine by those who ride it. if they have an atitude ,so be it . the question thus become,does the machine create the atitude or does the atitude reflect on the machine. it is funny to see how bike riders usually dress and act in a similar fashion to those same riders who own the same bikes ,and how we ,all, categorize them in specific groupings of perceived behavior / atitude as related to the bike that they ride. for example ,should i buy the harley ,i know that i will feel out of place dressed in my one piece armored racing leathers and sidi boots riding a road king. but,i will not dress like all hd riders do. i will probably wear a armored fabric two piece all weather riding suit.and a full face helmet. think about this

i really would like to go and may make reservations . but,but ,this time of year ,september ,,it is my experience that the weather is kind of nasty. every time i have been in the are in september the temparature has been in the 4o to 55 f range and it has rained 3 out of 4 days . ff

i rode to a bmw dealer yesterday and spoke to a mechanioc who has been working on my guzzi since new and i asked him about tires, his reply...... the bridgestones , at 3,500 to 4,500 miles and some times sooner ,develop cupping .....period . he told me he has seen them in all of the bikes that he works on that came in with them. as for his preference ,he tells me that the michelin pilots are byfar the ones that most riders are changing to and are sticking with them.. all of the riders that have switched to them are extremely satisfied. no cupping ,even wear and about 7,000 miles out of them. for combined street and trak he recomends the diablos. now ,this is one of the busiest service dept.s min the norht east.

mike , like they say , don't knock it until you try it. rent one for a full day and then post again. i am not trying to tell you that the bike is not what you say it is........... all i am saying is try one for a full day ,and then let's talk. and remember ,i have owned 2 strokers,guzzis,ducs,hondas and bmws' and, in 1954 or so when i was 11 years old my first bike was a single cylinder 2 stroker harley davidson a 1946 or 47 bike. i still remember it even thou it never got over 100 kph or 62 mph. and , i would buy used motor oil at 5 cents a pint to mix it with the gas. actually ,i went from riding horses to this bike ,overnight. (i did not give horse thou )

i will not follow up the other harley thread because this is a new subject. during the past 2 weeks i have visited approximately 5 harley dealers in south florida and connecticut and new york. guess what guys.......... they are discounting. there are a number of 2005 bikes at all dealerships and you can deal. i remember when it was $5,000 over list or go take a walk. the game has changed . a new 2006 road king you can get at msrp.. and if you are good ,you can get free freight and alarm system. not much of a deal , but from where harley was only 15 monhts ago it is a deal. i also saw a 2005 road king custom with special green and other color with motiff factory custom paint that goes for $3500 it has hard packs also painted instead of the leahter ones that come with this bike.an extra also. it had many other chrome extras , and was going for $19,000 from a list i estimate at $25000. not my cup of tea ...i prefer an all black no chrome bike . but if the deal gets sweater say another 2 gs off ,it may be worth it. ride it for 2 years and sell it for the same you paid for it ,assuming that harley gets out of the sales slump that they are now in. and from what i have read ,in order to protect their dealers mark ups they are cutting back production. so , maybe their prices will rise again. regarding the harley riders.....all the ones i have met are gentlemen. but i agree that some are not . i did meet a group of felons at a famous connecticut restaurant where many riders meet on sundays ,( a few years ago ) . they were discussing the jail time served and one of of them had just gotten out . and they did look the part,talked the talk and walked the walk , but deep down , i think that they are pussycats........ anyhow , i rode my guzzi today in 38 to 40 degree f weather and went to see the harley dealer where i saw the rd custom bike described above. the sales staff could not believe i had come by bike in such cold weather ????? now , if the temperature keeps dropping ,maybe i can get that 2 g 's off on this show bike . ff

i do not want my insurance rate to go up so i do not use one. but i have a friend who has a teni and he has the following set up that works incredibly well. a valentine 1 goes inside the top (where maps go ) area of a tank bag thus it is protected from the elements. this is connected direct to battery using the --remote connector ) this connector runs from the battery to a junction box from where 2 wires run one goes to the valentine unit the other goes to the remote which is a very small ,1/2 the size of a cigarrtte lighter ,,,,and this remote is mounted with velcro at the top/underside of the fairing so it is in your line of sight at all times . and you can even hear the detector go off........my friend tells me. anyhow ,all you need is the valentine and the remote. there is a passport that works on batteries ,and a friend of mine had one . but the failure rate was high.and the detector range not as good. the valentine has the advantage of the arrows that tell you where the radar is located. and if the cop is using laser ,and shot it at cars in front of you ,it will alert you . but if he shoots you, he got you. it is instanteneous the laser gun and you do not have time to react specially on a bike.

last month while in florida and riding with some friends ,(i was in my bmw 1982 r100rs ) a harley belonging to one in my group broke down. he telephoned HOG road assistance and in 45 minutes we were all ,his bike on a tow truck ,on the way to harley of palm beach. while there we were told that the bike needed a part not in stock ,a spline that connects the engine to the tranny, and would take 2 days. so, , he rented a road king custom for the 75 mile trip back home .and to return for the pick up of his bike. while in miami he gave me the bike for one day . it was not what i was expecting . the bike is as smooth as silk . good power .and for what it is ,and for florida ,good handling . ( i do not know if i would like it as much in connecticut and vermont with all the curves ,etc....) and, excellent dealer support. i think that you are never more than 100 miles away from a dealer in the east coast . and in south florida ,there are , i think ,over 10 dealers within a 100 mile radius . and if you break down on the road , they will pick you up and give you priority in the service area so that you will continue on your trip. very impressive this harley experience. in the context of florida riding it was just great. in the afternnon i took the fairing off ,20 seconds to do so , and went out to really try it . it was great up to 80 mph and also great holding 80 mph without a fairing on the turnpike . took it to 90 mph and it was the same . but to get it to 100 mph was impossible due to the wind pushing me back . it tried to do so more than 5 times but could not . and it took a while to go from 80 to 90. later on i took the road from mainland to the keys ,and again held 80 mph for a long time and the bike was great.andin the few curves that i took it handled good. not a guzzi ,but good. that nite took a ride and just great around town.made for this type of riding. in the early a.m. i went to south beach in miami beach for breakfast and the bike was again a lot of fun,and very smooth ,more so than a guzzi or even a bmw twin or k bike. great riding around south beach. the drawbacks--------the bike wants you to travel at a 65 to 70 mph pace, anything above this is ok but it just feels good at 65-70. the problem here is the number of drivers that come up fast on you and then pass too close to the bike almost sidesweeping you. it happened more than 7 or more times on the turnpike and on i 95 . whereas in the guzzi or other sports bike i usually ride in front of the car pack and keep them way behind me with 90 to 100 mph being no problem and feeling also very relaxed.not so with the harley. the harley is designed to --smell the roses ---and for this function i just loved this bike and i am thinking of getting one for florida. i will sell my 82 bmw because it is too hot with the faring ( the best fairing ever made ),i have owned it since new in may 1982 , and will miss it. but it is either one bike only or wife headaches . so the beemer may have to go . the guzzii is too good for florida ( roads are too flat ) and my trip there convinced me to bring it back to connecticut where the roads are right for this type of bike.and ,planning a trip tomorrow am ,400 miles with the temperature at about 45 f.with 3 other guys on sports bikes . with the harley i would have to pass on this type of ride . could not keep up.

i had to give up riding at anything under 35 degrees because my alternator will not support my heated clothing. but i do find that i can wear the gerbing electrics and even thou they are not plugged in they keep me warm down to 35 degrees. and, for gloves i discovered last year that i had hidden away in my garage a pair of hippo hands from the 1980's ....and these actually make your hands sweat at 35 degrees f with light summer gloves .they are that good. fernando

well , thank you for the answers. it looks like evryone has a favorite tire depending on how you ride. i have to think about this one as i do not want to get less performance out of my tires if i get the avons but , i also do not want to get new tires every 3 k miles because i do not race, so far , other than the front tire cupping and the 5,or 6,000 mile wear on the bridgstone s,i am ok. so ,unless i read something different i may just have to stay with the bridgestones .

i have had it with the bridgestone tires . my front tire keeps cupping. and the rear does not last very long. now ,a friend who rides a triumph triple sports bike had the same tires on his. he changed to avons av46 and no more cupping .---his bridgestones were also cupping. and he is entering 10,000 miles on his rear tire. has anyone here used this avon tire ???? any comments or suggestions . i understand from my friend who is an aggressive rider that the tire holds as good as the bridgestones ,,but ,,,maybe he is not as agressive ?

vow, thank you dlaing . will keep reading your post and will figure out what to do. thank you for taking the time . fernando

i located this company in the net, EUROMOTOELECTRICS they sell upgraded charging systems for guzzis. but from what i read ,it will only retrofit pre 1999 bikes take a look at it . i think it will not work in newer bikes .but maybe some of you may find this helpful. the name was given to me by a guzzi rider i met today on the road .

well, i went out today for a short ride . was unable to do the full catskills trip due to an appointment in the pm. we left at 6:30 am and got back home at 1 pm and the weather was ok . 41 f in the am and 60 at noon. wore many layers and all ok. the gerbing vest and gloves are great even when not plugged in at 40 f.and 80 mph. i was told by a guzzi owner that i can in fact plug in the vest provided i keep my rpm's at 5,000 . and that guzzi is great. rode with 2 guys on brand new bmw r1200rt's. great bikes . the guzzi is just very special. at the bear mountain overlook i ran into a rider on a guzzi ,i think it was an 850 ??? anyhow he mentioned a web site by the name of euro electric ?? that does updates to our bikes's charging systems. will look into this before i jump inot another bike.

i was getting ready to go riding today ,conn. to vermont and back in 2 days when the weather forecast alerted my brain to something that happened to me last spring ........... i was riding with my electric gloves ,vest ,socks and pants ,when after 1 1/2 hour of riding my speedometer needle started to jump up and down everytime that i applied the brakes or the signal lights....... to make the story short.................i ran out of battery . after posting my situation here i was educated by many of you to the fact that the guzzi has a very poor charging system,and further that a larger size alternator would not fit into the space occupied by my existing alternator. so, i canceled the trip. and tomorrow morning i am going for a short 10 hour ride from conn. to the catskills in new york state and back. the temperature will be 40 f in the am and 60f in the pm which i can handle with my non electric gear. but, i am used to riding my 1982 r100rs with full electrics and never a problem. now, this is a 1982 bike vs. a 2002 guzzi. what is the problem with this picture. i am used to riding in 5 degrees f all day in my r100rs and in the guzzi i cannot even think about it. granted the beemer has a better fairing and offers more protection. still i expected better than this when i got my teni. by the way ,does any of you know how much i can get for my teni with 15,000 miles and an excellent servicing record ?? and were is the best place to sell it ? thank you

i have another question and maybe some of you can answer it. in the al r. post he mentions that the afflicted or affected bikes (your choice of word ) fall in the following serial numbers kt111435- ks112350 now ,my teni is krx2m114672 where do i fall in the range ........am i in range or out of it ? thank you fernando

thank you . i looked it up and on my way to get the updated part or a new bmw or maybe harley. ff

mine has had its share of problems with 15,000 miles computer replaced twice vapor lock stranding me 3 times in one day .in miami, happened 6 times . oil leaks all over tranny leak gold rubbing off in front fork paint bubbling --replaced with new case high,very high oil consumption due to improper alignment of cylinder rings fixed when replaced engine case front tire buckling (or is it bucking ? )all the time going on 3 rd set red danger light coming on when it rains. now what is this about a spring coming loose ????? i am serious ,what is it ? thank you

staedler it all depends on what it is that you are looking for and what it is that you want to do. prague like many other cities is great if you speak the language ,and if you are a music lover . daily concerts 2 and 3 times a day in most churches and anywhere there is a hall regardless of size.great beer and lovely people who knwo how to live life.great women. again ,what are you looking for. and ,in a nutshell.... women and action ...----,younger women -----barcelona ,firenze,prague,budapest moscow , buenos aires , and many others looking for art and expand your background firenze ,roma,london ,paris,venezia,berlin looking for relaxation ,and women of all ages , geneva, annacy (south of geneva )a college town and a small venice and great access for motorcycle roads.,if you are young this is it .women from all over the world in a small city ,very picturesque . london,roma,firenze,napoli,miami,buenos aires, berlin, cheap places and where younger women of limited means go to i.e. students from europe,----greek islands,,,,,ibiza, barcelona,miami now ,,,once you decide what it is that you want to do and how much time you have ,post and let me know and i will advice gladly and many others here will my favorite t.v. show of the 60's (when i was in my teens early 2o's was RUN FOR YOUR LIFE ( i think this was the name or close to it ) WITH BEN GAZARRA.... it was the history of a lawyer who was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given 1 year or 2 to live. he sold his practice and moved to europe and floated from city to city and lived live to the fullest...like tomorrow is his last day ....a great outlook on life and never look back. now,taking this as background ,and you being a motorcycle rider can you imagine yourself riding from city to city in europe and staying where you wanted for as long as you wanted and living like a native anywhere........... absolute peace and quiet and some great women tourist floating in and out of your life.............san juan p.r. , antigua , ibiza ,martinique or guadeloupe, bahamas ,but only nassau and not much peace and quiet. and dominican republic , and if you have money --st.barts, martinique and any of the above but you will float in a different level by staying in different sites. have fun

enzo, i apologize for my late reply to your post on the teni. i think that you posted back in early 2005. i have just read it today and did not see my reply which means i did not read it before.. between the hurricanes and the damage that katrina did to coral gables plus a trip i made to argentina to do logistics for a motorcycle trip there next year,(i will post it here soon ) i have not had much time. also ,the teni , i keep it in connecticut because 2 years or so ago i rode it from conn to florida planning to keep it there and the roads in fla. are too flat for this type of bike.so it is back in conn.it was no fun in florida. have not ridden it much except for a 1600 mile trip from conn. to vt. --new hampshire and maine and back. just had a service done . if you come by new york city or conn. i will gladly let you ride it by the way i see that you are from seattle . my wife and i were there recently. my cousin works in the seattle opera. he used to be the number 2 guy there and now handles all p.r. with the singers. also ,i picked up my nordic tug there--being from seattle you must be familiar with them. and cruised the islands and vancouver a while ago. fernando

i just paid $ 96.00 for an oil change . filter $20.00 and labor 56.00 plus oil. and, $357 .00 for the fork oil change. i know the oil charge is high but nothing i can do about it now. but ,what is the number of hours needed for the fork oil ? at $ 75.00 per hour labor rate i was hit for 4.76 hours to do it. does this time period sound right. i am not complainning .only trying to get my facts correct so the i know where to go next time. fernando

ag what do you mean piaggio is canceling the line ? and ,re. color scheme ,my idea was to order the parts and just put them on my teni and when the time comes to sell the teni i would just hand over the oe parts and the new copa italia parts . but no, i would not repaint the fairing . as far as monetary losses due to non oe colors ,it is really insignificant when you consider that as is the bike is only worth about $7,800 now. and only 400 less if it is not a teni. i am now looking at pictures off what the teni would look like with the copa italia fender tank and tail and how it integrates into the fairing ,etc.... have to look at it some more before i decide. fernando

yesterday i visited a moto guzzi dealer in miami and saw the new ? is it new ? copa italia. i liked the color schem and the way it blends into the bike. i then tought ,why not order the tank,tail and front fender with the copa italia paint job and put it on my teni ? do you think it would look bad / anyhow ,i have the dealer trying to find out if he can get it for me and prices. any feedback on this idea .

al i have just read this thread. are you moving to n.c. ? i ask because i live in conn. and in coral gables fla. and i drive 4 or 5 times per year between those 2 , i hate the new flying buses. anyhow, i do ride or drive by raleigh every now and then and would be good to meet you fernando

thank you john k. your bags look good . big but good. i see that you ised the givi mounting kit. in my case i have the hardware on the bike from the teknos. all i have to do is remove the mounting hardware from the rear of my teknos and mount them on the givis. this is what worries me. and ,i refuse to carry anyone in my bike . but,when i do carry a girl,not my wife ,she refuses to ride a bike , i usually borrow a harley sporster with the engine mounted directly to the frame. the vibration beats any vibrator out there. and they just love it. i have to tie them to me to prevent them from falling off the bike. all in fun guys .