Subject: RE: How did you come by your Loop and why?
Author: David Washburn
Date: Nov 30, 2003, 9:15 AM
Post ID: 1715363418
When I was in High School (74-78) I used to read all the motorcycle
magazines in the library deciding which one I would buy if (a) I moved
out of my parents house and (b) got a paying job.
I decided on a Moto Guzzi 650 SP based on the aircooled v-twin, shaft
drive and light weight. Ten years later I had my independence and a
decent job and decided to see about my dream bike. I went out to Ghost
Motorcycle in Port Washington to see about a 650 SP they had advertised
for $1,500.
I saw the bike in the metal for the first time and was horrified to
discover that I was far too big to ride it. Bits of me stuck out in
every direction when I sat on it. Even the oily Ghost sales guy
suggested I try something different. What you need is an Eldorado he
said. He showed me pictures of a white police Eldo with all the
trimmings. The bike was touted as on commission from Billy Joel. The
price? Asking 5K. I took the train home.
A year or two later I was out walking in Battery Park City and saw a
bike parked on the street. It was an all-black Eldo civilian, no decals
or striping. The only thing that said Guzzi on it was the valve covers.
I took that walk again and again and even left a note on the seat but
the bike disappeared on day and I never heard from the owner.
Now I really wanted an Eldorado but there were none for sale in my area.
I ended up buying one from Harpers over the phone and picking it up at
the Finger Lakes rally a few weeks later. It was all black with no
decals or striping and chrome battery covers and it was an absolute
mutt. After determining that I was a complete idiot Harpers had sold me
the most clapped out piece of junk on their lot.
How they let me ride that rolling deathtrap away I do not know. They
must have a collective heart of stone. I got approximately 100 miles
before my first breakdown, a clutch cable. I parked the bike in a gas
station off Route 17 in a steadying rain and looked up local motorcycle
dealers. The Honda-saki store asked why I was there when there was a
MOTO-GUZZI dealer outside town.
I met Mr. Al McMichael, my first Guzzi Guru and with his help made it
back to NYC. Ten years and many mechanical crisis later I traded the
Eldo in on a Jackal and began my Eldo/SP project.
It was a love hate relationship with that first bike but what an
education!
David in NYC