Today Friend Larry and I took a short ride (47 miles) over to Ft Collins. Larry had been disappointed at the Progressive IMSA show that Moto Guzzi wasn't represented, but one of my MSTA friends that we ran into told us that there was a Guzzi dealer in Ft Collins. So, today the temp was in the mid-upper 40s and the wind wasn't blowing, so we decided to go take a look. Sure enough, they had a quite a few Guzzis (Geese?). The V85TT Adventure that Larry was interested in was really set up nice. Driving lights, big windshield, Guzzi tank bag and panniers, motor guards and skid plate. It's got a cruise control and three rider modes, and, of course, a shaft drive. The only thing Larry didn't like about it was the tires -- they've got tubes.
And then, we saw 2019 Africa Twin that was really tricked out. It had been lowered, had all the crash bars and motor guards, metal panniers and top box, high-powered GPS and phone mounts, a steering damper. Larry could flat-foot it. But it didn't have a cruise control, it did have a chain drive. And it did have the DCT transmission. Now Larry's mad at Ace's Motorcycle Dealers, because now he doesn't know what to do.
Then we looked at a 500cc Piaggio NT3 (I think that's what it's called). It's a twist and go scooter with two front wheels. It was very nice looking, no where near as ugly as the Niken that Yamaha makes. There's a button on the right handlebar that locks the lean mechanism as you slow down, so you don't have to put your feet on the ground like you do with the Niken.
Then I saw this '71 Moto Guzzi that they had. I don't know what model. Back in 2000, I had been to the COG National Rolling Rally in Brian Head, UT, and Mountain Home, AR, and was on my way home to Ft Morgan when I stopped to visit my aunt and uncle in Winfield, KS. An old man walked behind me as I was getting gas on my way out of Winfield on my way to Medicine Lodge, KS. He walked kinda' like Arty Johnson and said, "Colorado! I rode my motorcycle all over Colorado!" I figured that had probably been in the 40s or 50s and said, "Really! When?" He answered, "Last year." I was amazed and asked him what he had ridden. He told me it was a Moto Guzzi Convert (IIRC, a 700cc, 3-speed automatic transmission bike). I told him I loved Moto Guzzis and he told me he was restoring one and if I wanted to see it, I could folllow him to his store in downtown Winfield. So I did. For the life of me, I can't remember what he was restoring, but I saw the frame, the instrument panel and a few ogher pieces. The motor was out being powder-coated.
I saw him a couple of years later when I went back to visit my aunt and uncle. He met me at his son's house. His son had just gotten a brand-new Triumph Bonneville. They had a shed full of old Bonnevilles and Nortons in various stages of disrepair, pluis a bunch of the Italian-built 350cc Harley Davidsons. They had a Flathead that was almost completely restored and then he took me out to his house and showed me the bike he had been restoring in 2000 and the Convert he had ridden all over Colorado. The next day, Joanne and I were driving around Wichita while her sisters were at work and I was looking for the house another aunt and uncle had built in 1950. We stumbled across a vintage motorcycle dealer. I went in and was looking around and there was a bike just like the one my old friend in Winfield had restored. The owner finally spoke to me an asked what I wanted. I told him "nothing. I'm just looking around." Then I told him I had seen a bike just like the Guzzi I was looking at the day before. He said, "Oh, that was Mace Austin's piece of excrement." As far as I could tell, there wasn't much difference between the two bikes. But this guy told me that Mace had hand-painted his instruments instead of using authentic decals, and several other variations from the "real deal." I don't know what this bike is, other than that it's a '71.
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At any rate, Larry and I had a good day!
And then, we saw 2019 Africa Twin that was really tricked out. It had been lowered, had all the crash bars and motor guards, metal panniers and top box, high-powered GPS and phone mounts, a steering damper. Larry could flat-foot it. But it didn't have a cruise control, it did have a chain drive. And it did have the DCT transmission. Now Larry's mad at Ace's Motorcycle Dealers, because now he doesn't know what to do.
Then we looked at a 500cc Piaggio NT3 (I think that's what it's called). It's a twist and go scooter with two front wheels. It was very nice looking, no where near as ugly as the Niken that Yamaha makes. There's a button on the right handlebar that locks the lean mechanism as you slow down, so you don't have to put your feet on the ground like you do with the Niken.
Then I saw this '71 Moto Guzzi that they had. I don't know what model. Back in 2000, I had been to the COG National Rolling Rally in Brian Head, UT, and Mountain Home, AR, and was on my way home to Ft Morgan when I stopped to visit my aunt and uncle in Winfield, KS. An old man walked behind me as I was getting gas on my way out of Winfield on my way to Medicine Lodge, KS. He walked kinda' like Arty Johnson and said, "Colorado! I rode my motorcycle all over Colorado!" I figured that had probably been in the 40s or 50s and said, "Really! When?" He answered, "Last year." I was amazed and asked him what he had ridden. He told me it was a Moto Guzzi Convert (IIRC, a 700cc, 3-speed automatic transmission bike). I told him I loved Moto Guzzis and he told me he was restoring one and if I wanted to see it, I could folllow him to his store in downtown Winfield. So I did. For the life of me, I can't remember what he was restoring, but I saw the frame, the instrument panel and a few ogher pieces. The motor was out being powder-coated.
I saw him a couple of years later when I went back to visit my aunt and uncle. He met me at his son's house. His son had just gotten a brand-new Triumph Bonneville. They had a shed full of old Bonnevilles and Nortons in various stages of disrepair, pluis a bunch of the Italian-built 350cc Harley Davidsons. They had a Flathead that was almost completely restored and then he took me out to his house and showed me the bike he had been restoring in 2000 and the Convert he had ridden all over Colorado. The next day, Joanne and I were driving around Wichita while her sisters were at work and I was looking for the house another aunt and uncle had built in 1950. We stumbled across a vintage motorcycle dealer. I went in and was looking around and there was a bike just like the one my old friend in Winfield had restored. The owner finally spoke to me an asked what I wanted. I told him "nothing. I'm just looking around." Then I told him I had seen a bike just like the Guzzi I was looking at the day before. He said, "Oh, that was Mace Austin's piece of excrement." As far as I could tell, there wasn't much difference between the two bikes. But this guy told me that Mace had hand-painted his instruments instead of using authentic decals, and several other variations from the "real deal." I don't know what this bike is, other than that it's a '71.
This
At any rate, Larry and I had a good day!
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