zen_kick

Fortunately in the 7 days I have had the Blobbo I haven't managed to drop it even one time. I did notice both of the turn signal stems on the right hand side are bent and cracked. Not sure if they came that way or what I (or maybe the toddler?) did to them. Thank goodness replacements are relatively cheap. Guess it's a common problem? Forgot to mention. I have been keeping the Blob on the covered porch since we are currently without a garage. I built a plywood ramp to take it up and down the two steps (much to the dogs' dismay). First time I rolled the bike off the porch, I neglected to put up the side stand. As the front tire descended the ramp, the clearance on the side stand shrunk considerably and I put a nasty gouge in the porch decking. Fortunately I didn't drop the bike or bend the sidestand. Glad it was wood and not a concrete porch! My '74 LAPD was the victim of our families' most "Mrs. Bean" moment when my wife forgot to set the parking brake on the SAAB one evening. We were sleeping in bed several hours after she had returned home when I heard a crash out front of the house. I ran outside expecting to thwart some juvenile delinquents to encounter the sight of the SAAB pushed up against my /6 which was parked next to the Guzzi. The car had slowly inched down the driveway in second gear and pushed up against the BMW valve cover until the bike toppled over - smacking the chromed part of the LAPD tank with the napoleon mirror. Bad news was that the previously stock-patina-perfect chrome pad of the Guzzi tank now sported a 2 inch dent and gouge. Good news was the LAPD stayed on it's feet even after taking the hit. Now that's solid machinery!

So I went against the collective wisdom and sprung for the Ballabio. I know the Ohlins are better, I know the titanium is expensive, I know 9k is nothing to a v11, I know going against Greg's advice means I deserve a Honda ;-}. Honestly it came down to aesthetics for me. I dig the Ballabio color scheme, the mods I want to start out with are not overly expensive (motobits, bar-end mirrors and a taller seat) and I love to hear my little boy say "Ballabio?!?!?! That's a funny word!". Since I have been driving circa 1976 motorcycles exclusively for the past decade, any version of the V11 will feel like a rocket to me and I can always toss more money at it down the road when parts wear out. Of course now that my wife has seen and started the V11. I may start working on her to pick up the Cafe Sport to replace her old Honda CB400 - the color scheme would fit her better anyway. Thank you all for the suggestions and advice - even if I ignored most of it. I'll post a picture as soon as we unpack the camera.

If you don't mind me asking what is your rough guess at cost to upgrade a Ballabio with Ohlins, MotoBits and a Rich's seat? (you having done all three I think?) I stopped by MI this morning to look over and sit on the bikes (no time for a ride ;-{ ). Mods definitely make the used Cafe Sport attractive - if only it weren't BROWN and GOLD. All my other bikes are Black, Chrome and Blue and the Ballabio matches my color theme in the garage. I know that "brown is the new black" but still. Ideal would be an 04 upgraded Grey & Blue Ballabio but the pocketbook won't support it. Of course there is another Cafe Sport for sale at MI right now that has been touched by Will Ferrell's a$$. Can't reproduce that very easily. That alone might trump color *and* accessories! So also if you don't mind me asking Greg, what is your rough guess at the cost to have Will Ferrell sit on my motorcycle?

BTW Box score vote tally so far: Ballabio = 1 Cafe Sport = 2 New bike, Ohlins and tit exhaust (I'm going with the cafe sport just so I can say that all the time - funneee) have an advantage over hard stock seat. Split decision on stock vs. motobits pegs. I have to say that test riding a Ballabio a few months ago really pushed me towards finding something lower and farther down - especially with the higher bars.

Now the doctor said if I take these pills regularly it shouldn't be a problem for me and my wife anymore. She hasn't been saying things behind my back has she? ;-} Seriously: Thanks for the detailed advice. I far exceed your 170+ weight limit so the dialability of the Ohlins is pretty attractive. I haven't heard the titanium yet and aesthetics hold alot of sway for me when picking out bikes so maybe it's a case of hearing and doing a comparison ride (my wife's suggestion by the way). Moto International is my shop of choice - they did a ground-up resto of my LAPD when the chrome cyclinder liners shredded and made mincemeat of the crankcase. Having such a good shop relatively close is definitely a bonus and they have always taken good care of me. Warranty I think is pretty safe with them.

New member...first post! I am on the verge of selling my long-cherished SAAB 9000 Aero to finance my first V11 (have a redone '74 LAPD and figure it's time to move to the modern age). For roughly the same money I have the option to pick up either a new 2004 Ballabio stock, a used (~9500mi) 2004 Cafe Sport with motobits controls, titanium exhaust and a rack or (for slightly less) a stock 2004 Cafe Sport that's a bit scratchy and raggedy (only ~4500 miles) with a warranty. For those who have owned/ridden both (or anyone with an opinion really ;-} ) any recommendations or things to look for? Also are Ohlins really *that* much better?