Any other bikers on here?

[Don Roberts]

Im on a Moto Guzzi, though from 1985 before they were acquired by Aprilia and then Piaggio.



The rear luggage rack is big enough for my accordion, but I have done that only a couple times.

Hi donn, Ive always thought I wanted a Guzzi, but always owned BMWs instead. Looks like you have the windjammer fairing and Krauser bags. Also what is affectionately known as the skunk seat
You stated that you wanted a smaller bike, if you were closer we might work out a trade for my V Strom.

 

[donn]

To be precise, if I had to replace my California II. You won't get it away from me if it's still running. I've heard good reports of the smaller V-Strom, though, very capable, popular with guys who have Guzzis and other motorcycles too. I really have never ridden anything but Guzzis for more than a few minutes, first an '74 El Dorado back in the day, and this one I've had for a decade or so.

The bags were standard issue - could be Krauser, but my guess would be they're not. They've suffered many abuses and probably should be replaced, but it's expensive and I'd prefer top loaders which is not so common.

That beautiful seat, and the high seating position and floorboards, make it a real comfortable long distance ride for me.

Some day you should ride out to Harpers Moto Guzzi, kind of out in the weeds near KC. I understand that's where mine came from, actually, 28 years ago, and probably sold by the same Harper brothers that run the place today. It's supposed to be an interesting place to visit.

 

[Adam-T]

Love Guzzis - had a Le-mans II (80/81 vintage) at the end of the 80s / early 90s and OK, I seemed to spend as much time fixing the Electrics as riding it but loved the thing to bits, I`d have another Guzzi tomorrow .

 

[jarvo]

I had a Benelli 350-4 at about the same time.....same thing with the electrics ....and the chrome fell off ! Went like a train on rails though....when it went that is :b :hb

 

[donn]

I haven't really had much electrical trouble, but there have been some minor things. RIght now the ignition switch is losing its grip, so once in a while the whole thing goes dark, except the coils which are fortunately on a different circuit through the ignition. It's a fairly lightweight setup though, not for high powered lights and heated jackets and stuff like that.

The original owner bought it to replace his "Convert" - a Guzzi auto transmission, probably late '70s/earliy '80s "roundhead" big block with a two speed torque converter transmission. Burned up in a garage fire. Moto Guzzi actually made a few California II converts, but Harper's couldn't get one, so he settled for manual. The Converts weren't numerically very popular, but reportedly a good running Convert is the most fun ride on the road for those who like that kind of thing.

 

[Adam-T]

I`ve never actually ridden a convert (I was in my late teens / early 20s in the 80s so Automatic = Uncool) - a few had calis and Spadas which were the most popular Guzzis, the Le-Mans had too much competition from Japanese stuff but a couple of us didn`t follow the rest of the sheep . we had two Guzzi dealers at one stage in the area which is a miracle so there were more around here than most places .

 

[bocsa]

Passed me test on a BSA M20, courtesy of Her Majesty (that's Forces, not 'pleasure' :lol: )
Been through a few since then.
Last bike was a GTR 1000, Kawasaki which had to go It got to the stage where I had to join the RAC ... had it ever have fallen over I'd have needed them to pick it up again!!

 

[donn]

Oof, righting the fallen motorcycle ... when it's lying just right I can manage, but as it has mostly happen in a rather confined area by the house where it's near impossible, I've taken to winching it up from a convenient old pear tree overhead.

 

[jarvo]

Oof, righting the fallen motorcycle ... when its lying just right I can manage, but as it has mostly happen in a rather confined area by the house where its near impossible, Ive taken to winching it up from a convenient old pear tree overhead.

Thats the one advantage of having a combination....it does not fall over.......and now I have stripped out and cleaned the carbs it actually runs ....MOT next !

 

[donn]

Whats MOT? If youre off on some global adventure, be sure to post pictures.

This one crosses North America, from southeast (Florida) to northwest (top of Alaska), in considerably under the allotted time for the Ultimate Coast to Coast Challenge. Apparently without major mechanical difficulties, though now on the return route his engine has blown up.
http://uralinguccc.blogspot.com/2013/05/day-one-and-challenge-begins.html[/url]

 

[knobby]

MOT is the annual roadworthyness check cars & bikes must have once they hit 3 years old.

 

[Adam-T]

Yep - it`s called the Inspection sticker in the USA if I remember rightly

 

[jarvo]

MOT is the annual roadworthyness check cars & bikes must have once they hit 3 years old.

And which a Ural should probably fail automatically as they roll off the production line :lol: :hb :lol:

 

[donn]

Actually there is no such thing here, in state of Washington (in the Pacific Northwest, by the way, nothing to do with Washington, DC.) We do require emissions tests every few years, though - but there's an exemption for really old vehicles! As mine have always been, with the exception of the pickup truck I inherited.

Some states do this, though, particularly on the east coast. I see a number of studies have been done on the statistics, but without a clear consensus on whether it actually makes any noticeable difference.

 

[Adam-T]

And which a Ural should probably fail automatically as they roll off the production line :lol: :hb :lol:

I was going to post that but resisted :lol: ...... thesedays MOT stations tend to feel that Pre-Iron curtain bikes (Excepting MZs) aren`t capable of enough speed to do much harm and are likely to be pushed most of the way back from the MOT centre anyway so I guess so long as the brakes kinda work and they steer in the general direction of where they`re pointed they should pass -
6V Lights (if it fails on this) are best upgraded with battery powered pushbike lamps anyway and indicators are useless on Urals / Dneiprs / Cossacks as they go in any direction they choose so best pulled off before the test ..
As for Emissions, I don`t know how they test bikes in general but I`d guess that even an oilburner of a Cossack would produce less emissions per year of ownership than any modern Japanese bike due to being A:- off the road for most of the time and B:- even when working less likely to be ridden due to embarrassment (even more of a case with things like 2 stoke CZs ) ..

PS:- I have to say that if someone gave me a runner of a Cossack 650 solo for nothing, I`d actually enjoy putting around on it - but then I`ve always had a mischeivous nature and loved the ridiculous

 

[jarvo]

Actually they have got 12 volts nowadays since 2000,dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th (sic) Century........but the downside is that since about 2011 the spare wheel no longer fits all three corners ....they have a ........"gulp" disc brake on the front.........probably fire the rider over the bars :roll: :lol:

 

[Adam-T]

Wow, I didn`t even now they made the things in the 2000s let alone put disc brakes on the things (though even mountain bikes can have Hydraulic discs thesedays) ..