Subject: I've finally joined in!
Author: John Engelhard
Date: Jan 20, 2002, 7:29 PM
Post ID: 1709440152
Hi everyone! I've been reading this chat room for months now but not
figuring out how to join in. I've finally got on board without really
understanding just what it is I've been doing wrong. Let me introduce
myself, I'm John, I live in the Detroit area, and actually sat on my
Guzzi in the showroom before my dad bought it new in 1969. I've grown up
around this bike. (I was 12 when my dad bought it) Done most of my
touring on this bike in the '70's and 80's and commuted with it since. I
took my girlfriend on our first date to the cider mill on this bike,
later we went on trips as husband and wife and took our last tour when
she was pregnent with our first dauther. Now days I ride it to work
daily (weather permitting) and spend evenings and wekends having my wife
and dauthers (2) fight over who's turn it is to go for a ride.
I met Keven Graff and his friend Keven ____? outside of Mt Clemens last
summer. They told me about this sight and I saw Keven write about that
encounter in this chat room. It's funny, I've been working on the
computer since 1988 using various design programs (MicroCadam, Cadam,
ProCadam, AutoCAD) plus Lotus, Excell, Word and PowerPoint but the
protocall of the internet is a whole different thing. None of this
computer stuff really agrees with me, it's either instant axcess or
total shut down. Guzzi's arn't like that, Mine likes cool weather better
than hot. She likes to run fast on the highway, but doesn't much care
for banging through the gears from stoplight to stoplight, but at least
she'll go into "limp mode" when somethings not right. Most anything that
causes problems on my guzzi is easy to figure out, and easy to fix.
Parts haven't been a problem because she so seldom needs any, and when
she does, my dealer in Lansing (160 miles away) can resight the part
number over the phone (without looking it up) and send it to me in two
days. I've experienced much worse repair problems with current model
Japanise bikes under waranty. Following along in this chat room I've
come to realize what a great group of people there is in the Loopframe
relm. All the years I've had my Guzzi (I traded my dad a 1974 Yamaha
XS500 for it in 1976) I've felt alone. If I saw another Guzzi once every
two years, I felt lucky. I figured the marque only appealed to loners.
But from checking out this sight and some of the great sights people
here have showing the work they've done with Loopers, I realize there is
a community of Guzzi people out there. The thing I like most about what
I read in this chat room is that there is no putting on of airs, no
attitude that to own a Guzzi is to be above all others. From what I can
see people like the basic motorcycle for its ride, handling and
character, but if they can cobble in some component from the auto parts
store, junk yard, or a newer Guzzi and it improves their bike, it's
prefectly good. Did you ever see "The Book" from HD, it's bigger than
most phone books and it's full of stupid things like caps for bolts that
mount brackets for covers to hide the starter. After about ten minutes
of looking through that thing, I lost all intrest in that motorcycle
company.
Put another pin on the map. This group's found another Ambasador. I'll
fill you all in on some of the things I've done with my bike over the
years.
John Eneglhard
St. Clair Shores, Michigan
1969 Ambasador V750A