What did you do with your GRiSO today?

Perfect day, 78F, low humidity, rode Griz about 50 miles up to an independent bike shop in Luther IA, just a wide spot on a 2 lane road. It's called BFE vintage, they mostly work on old bikes, BFE stands for what you think it does. Best of all, they also own the, What Ya Smokin, barbecue joint next door. I had the brisket with a side of cheesy potatoes, good as it looks. Took the long way home. I was pleasantly surprised how well that little dart screen worked.
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I h ad my first long ride on my new GRiSO today.  I had very high expectations, and it exceeded them!  I rode 20 miles of 30-40 mph curves and the handling was impeccable.  It reminded me of my Ducati 996, without the back and wrist cramps.  This is the best all-around motorcycle I have ever ridden!  Wish I would have gotten one years ago.

Scott

Now you need to grease the swingarm bearings and shock linkage, read up on how to tune it, do so and then get it mapped properly.

DO NOT touch the throttlebodies until you have read up on how the W5AM system works on a Guzzi.

Got ‘papped’ on the GRiSO at the weekend. Don’t often see it from this angle, they look good in motion don’t they? Note the white OE oil filter and green aftermarket spacer gasket
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Got her heeled over nicely..

Woohoo!

..or the mysterious case of the vanishing battery charger...


GRiSO has been sitting idle for quite a while, due to the cold wet miserable weather, and the interesting times we live in. Knowing the result of letting my SSB battery volts get too low, I thought it were best to pop the battery charger on.

Back in the days before lithium had been discovered, when plumbum acidic batteries were all I knew, I had one of them Optimate charger gizmos. Life was good adequate. With the discovery of lithium, I plonked some hard-earned down on a regular no-frills charger. During idle times, the new charger did what it said on the box.

Now, most of you would have seen the odd photo of my GRiSO in my garage. You would have noted the peeling ceiling paint, and possibly the hazardous waste dump of my garage, or at least deduced it from plethora of items crowding GRiSO in the aforementioned photograph. So it won't come as a surprise when I couldn't find the charger.



Not surprisingly, this has happened before. In the beforetimes, when I couldn't find it, I went, in a huff, and bought another. This one was a different brand, size & shape. After the battery was sufficiently charged, I put the charger in a safe place. Oh boy. Yep, you guessed it, when I needed it next..it was not to be found. I turned the garage upside down looking for it. I couldn't find it. I did, however, find the original charger I had previously purchased, to replace the Optimate. Oh, the huge manatee.

And, now, at last we come to today. I entered the garage wasteland with the intent of attaching the original charger to GRiSO. Where was it? No way. Couldn't find it. Arse!

Once again, I turn the garage upside down. Couldn't find it. I did, however (you guessed it), find the previously unfound charger that was purchased to replaced the now unfound original charger. Gurgle!


GRiSO battery now charging.


   











Postscript:

I could have just posted "charged the battery on GRiSO", but it's still wet, cold, & miserable weather, and I'm fucking bored.

Mine sits in a 19" rack, in a 4RU case - can't really lose it easily... My garage is relatively tidy ATM, which is a bonus for me.

Just saying Mark.

The old girl and I had a romp on Thursday - to/from work. Battery is well charged.

I was sitting gazing out the window. Mrs Beetle says "you want to go for a ride, don't you?"

Yes.


Tony, I could put it on the middle of the bench, and it would still disappear.

Could be an issue regardless Mark. Go to Jaycar, get said case, migrate contents of charger to insides of said case, harder to lose. But then again, not everyone has a 19" rack to put it in.

You could clutch her down your driveway, but if you miss, a shit of a job to get GRiSO back in the garage.

Then again you could tidy up!

The GRiSO got out for a little throttle twist[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Oz1200Guzzi wrote:

Then again you could tidy up!

Hush yer mouth....

Not today, a few weeks ago though - a buddy and I took a nice a jaunt from Central Connecticut up the East side of Quabbin Reservoir (a gigantic lake in the middle of Massachusetts), over the top, and back down on the backroads.  His V7 threw a clutch linkage nut, so we had to 2-up on ol' Spruce Goose to the local hardware store, where he bought some nuts and locktite, returned to make a field expedient repair, rode back to the hardware store for a crescent wrench (my toolbag didn't have the right size box wrench), whereupon I re-did the repair using the appropriate tool, and got immediately caught in a thunderstorm.  It was glorious, riding through the rain, couldn't see too far ahead but we pressed on, knowing the reward would come on the West side of the Reservoir.  The rain finally ended, and we met up by chance with a local crew of Harley riders out in t-shirts and tank tops at this nice overlook.  Nice ride, over 100 miles and over 5.5 hours with the rain and mechanical  Nearly home, flatted out the rear with 20 miles to go.  Re-aired at a local gas station, limped home, now I'm on the hunt for a OE/Becker/KC34 stand to take off the rear tire.  It was a true adventure: weather, scenery, adversity which was overcome, and camaraderie.
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Can't figure out how to *not* rotate that picture upside down - sorry

Let me help.

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Spruce Goose - looks like you were having fun, don’t let the lift situation stop you - what’s wrong with a trolley jack under the rear suspension linkage for now? ...side stand down of course!

Saw a couple posts a while back showing a black end cap on the stock pipe and I liked the way it looked, so I gave it a try. I Like it. I'm gonna try to highlight the "Moto Guzzi" etching on the pipe in black and see how that looks next.
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^^^^^^^

I like that, too.

Have also seen the Italian tricolore worked in on the screen that didn't look "cheap."

I am unlikely to do that, but did have my end cap off yesterday to clean it.  I it had gotten some road scum in there that I could not get to easily.

Naturally, I used the dishwasher.  Shhhhh, lest find out.  


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Anyway, most folks here would have no trouble reinstalling such a simple item, but the interior washers did not play well and managed to fall off and down into the thin openings of the can!  

What a PITA to extract.  

I eventually used some liquid gasket to hold the little effers in place while putting on the cap.

On the bright side, am getting the GRiSO ready for a two-day, way-off-the-usual route run up to Erie on Thursday.  It's a 4.5-hour trip in a cage, but why would any Guzzista do that?  Yee ha!

1921!

Bill

That's Funny!! Parts in the dishwasher.... Kind of like warming up tires in the oven for mounting... Those washers Were a PITA. Have a Good Trip!

Bill Hagan wrote:

^^^^^^^


I eventually used some liquid gasket to hold the little effers in place while putting on the cap.

Bill, you went mighty close to swearing in this piece of literature! I believe you are being corrupted by us, more base, forum lurkers. Call it the continuing education of Bill Hagan. Love it!

A beautiful Spring day on Father’s Day.
Teenage kids not interested so....

Headed out to Wee Jasper via Uriarra Crossing and Mountain Creek Road.
Then back up the road over the Murrumbidgee River to Yass.
Down to Murrumbateman then into the lovely road to Gundaroo.
On to Sutton and a pie, then back to Mulligans Flat Road (which is sealed right through now) and back to ‘berra.
Parked under a tree and looked up to see a Boobook Owl.
A great Father’s Day - thanks kids .

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One of my favourite loops too. It was a beautiful day.

We went out to Anembo and back to Bredbo, on four wheels rather than two. The Tinderies and Monaro were green and lush. I love spring.

I couldn’t believe how green it was!
Been a long time since I’ve seen it like that.
The farm houses are framed by blooming cherry blossoms and the like.
The ride was good for my mind and the scenery good for my soul.

Enjoy the spring, guys. Summer is winding down here, days are getting shorter, nights are cooling off. Too early for frost on the pumpkin, but you can feel it coming 'round. Pretty soon it will turn wet again, and dark, and our pandemic-style socializing - distanced dining on the patio with a couple of close and trusted friends - will come to an end until a few months into next year. By then we may have new leadership and a viable vaccine. Well, a man can dream, can't he?

Pete, Probable new leadership - doubtful vaccine. SARS/Bird flu (predecessors of COVID - which has yet modified itself again) has been looking for a vaccine for some 20 (?) years without a good candidate even. Just don't be surprised if it doesn't come and the "COVID way of life" is the new norm.

A bigger patio I say - maybe an "enclosed patio"?