enzo temko

Why don't you quit fooling around and get a Guzzi 1200 Sport? Actually, I've seen the Dors and like them a lot.

US/NATO far worse than Nazis. Read on my blog.

Guzzed-out. Here is a video from the bike: https://enzotemko.wordpress.com/

If you'd like to see what the Seattle area looks like in the Summer, I posted a couple photos today of my local trip yesterday.

Where is everybody around here? That is a great bit of editing. It reminds me of how un-funny Saturday Night Live usually is.

I thought this would be a nice way to display adventures. It allows me to post some large photos and throw in maps and stuff. I like it. If you want to follow some of my Guzzi and non-Guzzi adventures, click on this and follow it with the RSS feed. Comments are all welcome. http://enzotemko.wordpress.com/

When the current round of 'stimulus' cash dries up in two years, no one under the age of 60 will be able to get a loan. Guzzi should continue to do well.

I stopped at the bookstore today on my way out of town. I wanted to get an old book called 'The Coral Island.' Didn't have it. So I asked for 'Endless Horizon.' Didn't have it. Settled for Peter Egan's 'Leanings.' Really like it.

Why ride a motorcycle when you can watch Angry Birds on your cell phone?

It was the smooth variety.

Yes, it's the Mongols from S. California. They are basically Mexican/Americans who served in Vietnam. The cops should love all these groups. All they seem to do is beat up each other - and they are all super right-wing pro-military types. They are mostly losers who don't have jobs, so it gives them something to believe in. And it gives the cops and spy nerds something to do - they get to pretend these groups plot against the country or are involved in big time criminality, which they are not. They are small time drunks and hoods. And, it gives the media something to scare the public over. It's win-win for everybody.

Sonny Barger was the head of the Oakland Hell's Angels.

This book was written in 1966. I've never read it until now. I suggested it for my wife for her trip to Texas. Figured it would be interesting as she is a book-a-day speed reader. I ended up reading it myself. Thompson lived with the Angels in '65 and wrote his 'embedded' account. It is interesting to me, not so much because I ride a motorcycle, but the book reminds me of the backdrop I grew up in as a kid. And, I really liked the book for it's review of the American culture of the time. It is a great study of human beans and their common universal douchebaggery. I love Thompson as a writer. It doesn't even matter what he is talking about; he has a way with words. He is also a true loner who sees things as they are. I think he hates all groups. Most books like this would take a strong view of its subject one way or the other. But Thompson does not romanticize the gang; he attempts to describe them as they are. And what they always are is a mix of good and bad (or maybe bad and not so bad). Or, in general, things are not as bad as many say, and maybe worse than the fans think. Yes, the Angels are prone to bad hygiene, poverty, stupidity, drunkenness, dope, violence and lewd behavior. But they are not the organized cross-country mongrel band of Nazi Hun bent on killing and raping square people in the heartland. They are not the source of all the dope crossing the boarder from Mexico. They are not the cause of all riots. The book is interesting to see how the media skews and distorts things. How they created the myth of the Hell's Angels. How the Hell's Angels were transformed from a loose band of drunken drop outs to the rock stars the media formed. Hunter throws in actual newspaper accounts of events he attended - and how miserably wrong the press is about all the fine and important detail. They don't care. It's a good reminder that you can't believe what you read or hear on TV. Seems no one takes this seriously. Most everyone I know - and even college guys - seem to believe what they read. The book is a study not only of the motorcycle gang, but of the cops and squares who fear and hate them with all their cowardice and hypocrisy and their own brand of hateful violence. He discusses the emergence of the new hipster dope generation of Commie douche bags and poets. Strange and fantastic that these two polarized groups of anti-social drop-outs would party together. The hipsters romanticized the Angel's as the new free spirits who were rejected by society to ride their iron horses across the prairie as the nobel Indian. Really, they just get drunk and throw pills in their mouths while pissing on each other. I remember all this stuff growing up. The German helmets, Iron Crosses, Swastikas, sleeveless vests and leather on these guys. The fear this caused in Christian America. I remember the entry of the hipster dope culture. The wide-spread anti-government feeling. The experimental life styles. All this while Vietnam was going on and JFK was having his head blown off by dark insiders. It was a crazy time for people my age. It's all in the book. It is full of little things that send me back: A six pack of beer is $1.25. $400 buys you a bike. A dude making $200 a week had a very sweet job... And then there are the bikes. Mainly stripped down Harley 74s. A Harley in factory trim is a 'garbage truck.' They had to be stripped down, modified and personalized. British bikes are mentioned, but they are frowned on as a ride for the group. The riders are dirty and greasy, but their bikes are spotless. Ducatis appear as a superior machine, but unsuitable for an Angel who had to be on an American machine. The group as a whole are good riders who take frightening risks all the time - wrenching every last bit of speed and performance out of the loud machines. Seems like they crash them all the time with horrible results. A badge of honor with them. You learn a little more about why people join groups and gangs. Why so many groups still want to go to Sturgis and parade around like an outlaw. There is some great slang. You really see how the country has changed. I suppose the Hell's Angels are very different today. I would be curious to know what things have changed. I don't think the cops have changed, though, besides becoming a hundred thousand times more powerful and less willing to even let little indulgences go by without infiltration and confrontation. At least the cops in this time looked the other way when it didn't really matter. It might be a good read for those of you who have never read the book, or maybe haven't looked at it in a long time.

Question: What direction does the flywheel turn on our Guzzi? If you are sitting on the bike (or from a place behind the bike) and could look down in front of you to see the flywheel, what direction is it spinning? I think it goes counter-clockwise from this perspective (which is also clockwise as seen from the front of the bike looking toward the rear). Is this right?

Found the trouble. One of the heavy magnets that surround the spinning armature had fallen off. It jammed up the works. Time for a new starter.

The starter sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Took it off the bike to test it on the floor. It is the starter itself. So, instead of ordering a $350 starter replacement, I thought I would take it all apart and clean it. Then try it again. I may never be able to put it together again, but it's the thought that counts.

I see I am having my recurring starter problem, so I pulled it off today and took it apart. I've never done this, so I have no idea what the brushes are SUPPOSED to look like. Does anyone know of a good pictorial on line? Or where to get a basic replacement kit for the Valeo starter we have on that? I also sort of need direction on what is important to clean off and lube. We had such a nice day for riding today. Too bad I had to do home projects.

I'm going to have the TBs balanced Sat. morning. After that I'll go for a very nice cafe run out in the foothills. Stay tuned my friends...... TWBP (There Will Be Pics©)

You are still comparing me with a mass murderer who has killed 76 innocent children. That is pretty vile and sick. Your hatred knows no bounds. And to think I even gave you a present the first time I saw you out of good will. You are a far-left partisan lunatic who sees red everywhere he goes. I have made my simple statement. You can continue to get the last word - and then the last word - and the last word after that. Why don't you put your energetic mania to work in actually creating something useful for the Guzzi besides that bed pan? Show us something other than vulgarity and school yard prattle. Can you say anything without making fun of homosexuals or thinking everyone but your fellow travelers are Nazis or making reference to midget porn or subjecting the English language to your swearing, meanness and low-brow slang and colloquialism? You keep saying you are going to ignore me. Why don't you do us all a favor and keep your word?

Roper is comparing me to the Norway mass murderer. That tops his usual bile-intoxicated pee brain full of vulgar oaths and threats. But I can't blame him, he truly is sick. That is no joke. I mean, it is no joke. I don't expect him to die anytime soon no matter how much sympathy he tries to collect from the Ill Gloomy, but his brain chemistry is not in a state of balance. But it is the mass angry hysteria and hatred over at Gloomy that I don't really understand. Maybe its alcoholism. Really. They can't seem to get a handle on my schtick. It's like teasing little kids or monkeys at the zoo. It is really easy to tease a monkey. I know alcohol makes many people sort of ugly. I become that way, too. So, I've stopped drinking. I feel much better. Do I have any friends? Why yes, I do. Do I get out of my house? All the time; I'm very active and also go to NYC and Hawaii every year. I have many hobbies. Am I hated over at Moto International? Not at all. I was just over there last week talking with Jason and Mesha. Jason took my Guzz for a ride. I had a pleasant conversation with Dave Richardson who likes my Raptor. I have an appointment there Saturday. Have I ever been in jail or arrested for anything at all? No. Never. Am I anti-Semitic? Two of my best friends I see regularly are Jews, another friend is Cuban - he is there now buying me cigars. Is there a reason that some of the people at Gloomy hate me? Yes, I think they don't know schtick when they see it, and they are heavy drinkers who tend to see the dark side of everything. Have you ever known a real alcoholic who beats his kids or dogs? Similar. They don't all hate me. Those who know me the best don't hate me. Those who understand me such as 'Sasquatch' does not hate me. He sees that I am bitterly attacked over there for simply showing up and saying 'hi.' My most bitter 'enemy' here is supposed to be 'Mario.' We've gone back to being friendly and social. He's the alpha male over there. The others are basically too weak to change or try new behaviors. Unable to do it as Bonzo the Chimp is unable to stop throwing crap at people. Mario is of superior intelligence, so he 'gets it.' Do I sometimes say things to get a response? Yes. This is my weakness. It is like teasing a cat with a string or a chicken by drawing a line in the dirt. They make it all too easy. I know how to make them bark. It is just astonishing that they continue to do it. I think most who seem to hate me are unpopular sorts of guys who try to impress the alpha male over there. I've known guys like this all my life. Always jealous of the 'cool dudes' and 'jocks.' Always trying to gain favor. Always in a crowd. Never really thinking for oneself. Always trying to impress other guys by showing how tough they are - from a safe distance. I've seen them since first grade. They are never really popular with the chicks and hate guys who are. They have the 'ugly man' and small man (Napoleon complex). This is the basis of their 'virtual hate' - quick to start howling en-masse when the happy fireman rides by ringing his bell with one hand and petting his Dalmatian. All I ever do is post pics and reports on the Guzzi and scooter. I have a lot of fun with it. I make fun of the world at large which I find to be totally insane. Do you think American politics/disinformation or what is on the news is sane? There are those who seem to enjoy it and even get a little chuckle. That's all it ever is for me - a little bit of fun. Everything else is totally imagined by people who really don't have a clue about who I am. It is like a child looking at a clown and becoming frightened and running back between his mother's legs. That's all it ever is.

Here is a little more on the Enzo Replica Donkey Kong© air intakes for the V11. Note photo: I'm surprised we haven't given much attention to air intake. The stock air box is just too small. And then, everyone else simply throws on a handy foam filter. Why? Because 'everyone else does'©. It is mass-delusion. It is not 'thinking out of the envelope©.' The filter here has been replaced by a much larger K&N. I'll have to get a newer photo up of that to show you. But, of course, your eyes are drawn to (and mesmerized by) the long velocity stack! Note its strong masculine presence. That is another benefit for some of you fellas. The position of the filter is very positive for much higher air pressure and cooler temperature. The moving air wraps around the bike and leg of the rider and directly onto the air filter. Much better than its usual location directly behind the massive cylinder just a couple inches away. The air here is pressurized and cool. There really haven't been that many nice mods for the V11 besides the Ghezzi and Brian boys. I have Roper's Bed Pan© in the oil sump, but it doesn't really do anything if you are not pulling wheelies. I can't say I recommend it, but it didn't cost anything and it is not hurting anything. A great mod for this bike are the Wiseco high compression pistons, which are also in this Raptor©. I wonder why a smart person hasn't tried to make something for this machine. People sometimes mock my design ideas with the exhaust pipe and headers I designed - or the Donkey Kong© - or the bold modification to the frame. But the proof is in the pudding. This IS the 'fastest Guzzi on the West Coast.' And, without doubt it is also 'The best handling Guzzi on the West Coast©.' I've included some math here to get into a bit more detail for the engineer-type nerd (if you have to ask what these variables represent, you should pass on this part):

Not by a 'Poor little rich kid' window cleaner from Seattle with a handfull of parts from Pep Boyz and 'Wottalotacrap Auto' and a ravishing ignorance of the laws of physics they can't! Pete I think it's "Shuck's" auto up there...not sure if Pep Boys goes that far north. Shuck's was just bought out by O'Reily's which will soon be bought out by Haliburton.

Whatever happened to Texas Redneck??? My bike looks great and runs great. Those who see it 'live' tend to think it is awesome looking. Very American hotrod-ish. It doesn't bother me if some people don't like it or even denigrate it or me. I don't mind at all. It doesn't upset me. I'm happy and content. What is a detractor to me? Besides, others are welcome to their own opinions. Nothing is to everyone's liking. But, yes, ALL bikes can be improved upon from the factory. For one thing, the factory has to meet all sorts of noise and emissions requirements, and a lot of components are junk.

All of my Honda owner's manuals are in perfect English. Yamaha, too.