Hello from Wisconsin

Meet Pearl,
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

White 09 8V. I have owned her for two years. Bought new as a gift to myself for my 40th birthday. First Guzzi was an 01 Greenie. Good introduction to the Guzzi world. My father is a Guzzi Guy. Hangs out on Wild Guzzi as Chuck in Indiana.(yes Pete, I admit he is my father) I also feel the same as Pete in his introduction. The GRiSO is perfect for me. Many more will come and go, but Pearl will always make home with me.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Mods for the winter include heated grips and factory large windscreen. Lots of awesome info here on this forum!!

Cheers,
Brad

Very nice, welcome to the Ghetto. Got a link to those mirrors? Never seen those before.

Welcome!

Welcome to the ghetto!

Howdy Brad and Pearl and welcome. I grew up in a little Kenosha County town called Paddock Lake. Cheese heads unite!

What kind of Rizomas do you have on the rear of the bike? Signals will be my next cosmetic change. Those black ones you have on the front are the same ones I put on my BMW a while back. Good to see what they look like on the GRiSO.

Mirrors are Rizoma Tomok knockoffs from E-bay. 55 dollars delivered from China. They work well, especially for the price. Front and rear signals are Rizoma Graffio. Expensive but bright. Used one resistor a side for indicators. No problems or idiot lights since install. We run our German wirehair at Paddock Lake occasionally, small Ghetto!

Welcome mate. Must admit it looks nice in white. How the hell do you keep those headers so shiny? Mine are already chipped and spotted to buggery.

Greetings comobrad

comobrad wrote:

We run our German wirehair at Paddock Lake occasionally, small Ghetto!

Next time head a little further south to Waukegan, IL and have a Quonset pizza for me. Oh man just thinking about that pizza...

Your father is a fine man Brad. Had a great run up to the rally in (?) Oregon a few years ago in his company.

He was on Darth Quota which had a front wheel that looked like a huge potato crisp it was so bent! I was on Pinko. I'll drag a couple of pics up when I get reliable wi-fi.

Pete

There ha go Brad. Her old man wondering how the hell he ended up stuck in Yosemite with some Aussie nutter on a GRiSO!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I ended up doing about 10,000 miles on Pinko from memory.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


There's an amusing story that goes with that bike if anyone's interested.

Pete

Tell us a story, Uncle Pete!

BTW, that bike is still sitting in Greg's garage down the street. I borrowed it for a day ride a couple of years ago while mine was apart waiting for new steering head bearings to arrive, but I think I was that last person to start Pinko up. Shame she isn't being ridden.

Welcome!

Welcome Brad,

Fine looking whitey....or Pearly you got there! Have a blast on her.

ok - 2 votes now for the story Pete

Street wrote:

Tell us a story, Uncle Pete!

BTW, that bike is still sitting in Greg's garage down the street. I borrowed it for a day ride a couple of years ago while mine was apart waiting for new steering head bearings to arrive, but I think I was that last person to start Pinko up. Shame she isn't being ridden.

I picked up Pinko in 2009 I think. It's an early A5 model like mine here. What happened was that by that time I think I'd sold the Scura RC to Brad's dad and wasn't really planning on getting another bike straight away. BUT, one day on Wildguzzi someone posted up a link to an advert for this GRiSO somewhere like Tennessee, it was stupid low mileage, something like 250 miles, and was priced at $8,500! That was a stupid price as a new one then was $14,000 or some such. I posted up something like, "Well one of you silly sods jump on this 'Cos if you don't in 24 hours I'll buy it!"

That started the usual Wildguzzi Suspender-snapping. Why would you want something that didn't run on coal? Could you put a sidecar on it? Why wasn't it an Eldorado? The usual stuff. Anyway, nobody jumped so I did.

I think I got it shipped to MPH and they dod then tappet swap then I had it shipped to Jon's place in LA. I flew over and met it at Jon's. In fact I still must of had the Scura RC then because Chuck turned up on Darth Quota. Dave Gale turned up on his 1200 Sport and we spent a few days hooning about in the Santa Monicas before Chuck and I headed off towards points North. That's right. We went via Techahapi because Kent was going to buy the Scura but that fell through because his credit union didn't like the fact the bike was owned by a foreigner??? Anyway, we rode North through Yosemite and up into Oregon stopping here and there before arriving at the rally.

After that I headed off to Seattle with the Wahington Push and left Pinko with Greg with instructions that anybody could ride it as long as they were sensible.

Anyway a bloke from Oz went over and asked if he could use it, I said sure. Unfortunately one evening he and a few others went down to Ballard for a Pizza. Pinko was parked at the end of a row of bikes. From about two blocks away some young turk decided to 'Launch' on his ZX12. Not a wise thing to do in a congested street in Yuppietown Seattle. When you launch on a ZX 12 you tend to stay launched, which was unfortunate as one block away an unlicensed, uninsured dipshit in an unregistered pick-em-up truck pulled out in front of him. He glanced off the bonnet of the truck collecting an instant and cool $280,000 medical bill, (He too was uninsured!) and the ZX12 cartwheeled up the street spraying cool and and other vital fluids in all directions until it slammed into Pinko!

GRiSO did his job a s a body guard that day. If he hadn't been there chances area he nods sitting outside the Pizza joint would of worn the ZX. That would of been a whole shitload worse!

Anyway, I got an email from Greg telling me what had happened. He was obviously upset and worried. Good thing was that I was comprehensively insured. I told him not to worry, as long as nobody else was hurt and the police knew about it so a report could be lodged with the insurance company all would be fine.

The insurance agent was great to deal with. A big difference to the shitbags I have to deal with here. No quibbling. The bike was a financial/cosmetic write off and the great thing was it was insured for full market value! I think I was given $12,500 or so but paid the salvage value of $1,500 and bought it back. Greg was going to buy it from me for the salvage value but then his health went to shitso I haven't bothered about it. As it is I still ended up a couple of grand in front! That gave me my air fare AND enough money to buy my Mana GT which is still languishing with Jon in LA and I have to get out of his shed but I keep getting tied up with other things and forgetting! ARRRGH

As it is if Greg isn't using it I still have an open offer to him that I'll have it back and pay him for whatever he had to do to get it a salvage title. I was very fond of Pinko and would love to have it back again. I'd love to do another really long tour on Pinko.

The long and the short of it though is that sometimes the golden eagle shits and you're sitting underneath! What could of been a disaster turned out not to be. How good is that?

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I'll drag a few more pics out, once again when I get decent Wi-Fi

Well that went well with the chicken soup and oreos.  

Anyhow, glad to hear Pinko saved the day in a way and is still rideable despite the damage that resulted. Hope you get a chance to take that long trip on her. Sounds to me like it is waiting patiently for perhaps just that.  

Thanks for posting...enjoyed that.

Pete,

That's the way I remember it too, and at the time, Greg was really happy to take possession of Pinko. Since Steak and I, and now others have become such GRiSO fanatics, I think he wanted to join the party, but in the end he realized he wasn't that enamored of the beautiful beast. You know, he loves his FrankenEldo more than anything in the world and he never felt like the GRiSO was really calling to him.

That Ozzie, Bruce, who was in temporary possession of Pinko when the pizza hit the fan, so to speak, but who can't be blamed in any way for the incident, (I know you didn't imply that, but I'm hyper-sensitive about my words being mis-interpreted - been having an email war with my son lately...) was staying with Greg and Jen for awhile while Greg finished up one of the silliest motorcycle projects I've ever laid eyes on, a purple and silver metal-flake Convert custom, kind of a Prince/Purple Rain sort of theme bike that Bruce was going to send home to OZ, ostensibly for his wife, but I think he was the one who who really wanted it. Damn, I wish I could find some pictures of that little cutie (the purple bike that is, not Bruce's wife - I never met her). Not at all my style, sort of gaudy and whorish really, (again, to be clear, I'm referring to the bike) but cute, in a slutty sort of way. And I should further clarify, for the sake of Greg Field's excellent reputation, that he didn't design this ridiculous ride, Bruce bought it on Ebay from the widow of the designer in Oregon, who croaked before he could finish it. Through various channels, Bruce found Greg and at some point Pedro (Pete Aiken) borrowed a trailer and drove to Portland to pick it up. Any idea of what ever became of Bruce or "Purple Rain"?

BTW, you might want to reach out to Greg. I assumed he had consummated a deal with you, but that's none of my business - I do know that he's a bit strapped lately and his health issues are ongoing which is why I've hired him to do some rewiring and tuning of my '74 Eldo. He's got a heart of gold and a wealth of knowledge (and sometimes some funny politics), but we love the guy and want to see him flourish.

FUCKIN' A! I found the pictures!  

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

That's Bruce on Purple Rain and Jimmy on the left who helped Greg with getting the bike sorted out and ready to ship to OZ. And my GRiSO Rosso on the right.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] Note the elastic strap holding the saddle bag lid in place on Purple Rain. Bruce and I went on a test ride up Snoqualmie Pass shortly after I shot this picture. When we arrived at the summit the lid was missing. We never did find it. We retraced half the trip, but the bike was leaking oil and running like shit so we gave up. He figured he'd eventually find another one on Ebay and have it painted to match its gaudy sister.


Pete

Pete, I dropped off the Gloomy board because it just got too 2'nd Ammendmenty and the conspiracy theories were doing my head in. I know Greg well enough to know he has a heart of gold, really. Mention Pinko to him when you see him. If he wants to get it out of his garage tell him to drop me an email motomoda (Dot) roper at gmail (Dot) com. I know about his health issues and that is one of the reasons I didn't hassle him. I also like the man a lot although I do find his politics a bit odd from an Aistralian perspective but if I worried about that I'd find everybody odd!

I'm not in a particularly grand position financially right now meself. Oldest boy has broken up with his wife and is falling to pieces. Worked about him as his mental health has never been robust. I fear he's going to give everything to his ex and unfortunately that includes thirty grand we put into his house purchase. That's a fair bit of coin for us to have to replace in our retirement plans! If push comes to shove though and I get a chance to get Pinko back I'll work something out......

Mugging old ladies for their pensions! There's a plan!

Pete

PR,

Personally I never participated in the other forums (foruh?), but I heard plenty about the nonsense that goes on there and feel pretty damn smug for having the sense to stay away. The Ghetto is different, lots of goofballs, but everyone seems to feel the same way about Grisos and about keeping the air clear. I'm all for that.

I feel your pain son-wise, mine's mental too, brilliant at making poor decisions, but deaf to my advice - has sucked us dry and still feels we owe him something. I've finally convinced Esther the best way to help him is to stop helping him. Eventually, when he has to figure this shit out for himself he'll realize he doesn't really need us and that's the day I'll know I did the right thing.

Greg and Jen are visiting family in Milwaukee this week, but I'm picking him up from the airport in a few days and we're going to button up the Eldo and take mine and his for a spin. I'll mention it (Pinko) to him then and have him get in touch with you. Feel free to keep me in the loop if you want - don't want to meddle or step on any toes, but I do see Greg regularly (we live a block apart) and he's not that good at communicating...

PR

Sorry Brad! Complete thread drift into irrelevant stuff.

Welcome!

Pete

Yeah, I realized that too, sorry. The only vague connection any of this has to Wisconsin is that Greg is currently visiting family in Milwaukee...

Welcome Brad.

Street

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention about why Pinko was so cheap.

It was originally sold from this Chev dealership that had Piagio products to sell scooters. This was pre WFC and everybody was buying toys like there was no tomorrow! Anyway the owner's son fell in love with it and bought it. Problem was he had never ridden anything bigger or more sophisticated than a Vespa. Needless to say he found the GRiSO a bit of a handful and ended up trading it back in on another scooter.

That would of been fine apart from the fact it turned out thT the bloke who owned the dealership had been borrowing money from family and friends to 'Grow' his business but it turned out he was a swindler and had also been rorting the tax office! Silly boy. Anyway he ended up having his business put into receivership and he had to go to the big house for a while to have his neck licked by ugly men with swastika tattoos!

His businesses were broken up and the GRiSO got given to another Chev dealer as a sort of 'Job Lot' that they got as some sort of debt settlement. Needless to say they neither knew what the fuck it was, want it was worth and they definitely didn't want it! So it was put up on Fleabay at a bargain basement price.

I got my Mana GT at a similarly stupid price and mileage but a Mana is even weirder and harder to shift than a GRiSO and it's essentially valueless so I'm keeping it. It's weird, they're a great bike.......

Pete

It's a wonder Pinko wasn't traumatized and broken from that awful childhood experience, you know, like an abused puppy you'd adopt from the shelter? Glad she went to a good home - maybe there'll come a time when you'll get her back. At the moment she's being pretty well ignored in a dark corner of Greg's garage.

Welcome Brad, got to love another white GRiSO!

Cheers from Tassie

No worries on stories - ever been to a Guzzi Rally? The "Mighty Scura" lives in Redondo Beach at my brothers. Dad rides the mountains while my step mother visits with the grand kids. I think he has it figured out. He speaks very highly of you Pete, and i know he really enjoyed the time on the road with you. Maybe sometime again.