Subject: Another Guzzi Ride & It's great
Author: Les Lampman
Date: Apr 12, 2004, 7:43 AM
Post ID: 1716530387
| I assume you might have more than 1 motorcycle, everybody should! but wait until you start flip flopping bikes during the season. The guzzi will |
| due to being in to high of a gear too soon, everything eles will just |
| at you becuse you downshifted. Lot of embrassing moments, where your screeming at folk "I can ride! I can ride! been doing it for years!" Anyways glad to hear you like the loop. Kev |
I've always just kept one motorcycle at a time and the Ambassador is the
lone mount in the stable at the moment. That's what worries me the most
about you Guzzisti; all multiple bike owners! :-) It might happen to me
too...
I rode about 130 miles yesterday (weather-wise riding days just don't get
much better), mostly on the local roads winding through the foothills and
valleys in our area. I wore a different (much lighter) pair of boots
yesterday and that helped the shifting considerably since I could rock my
left heel back enough to shift...just. I'm still way too far forward for
comfort but a seat swap will fix that shortly. And, the upside-down shift
pattern is starting to get more natural so that I don't have to think about
every shift. On the open road I go the right direction with the shifter
pretty reliably; the hardest part is remembering which way to go for first
gear after starting the bike and finding neutral after coming to a stop. I
still habitually kick my toe down as soon as I swing a leg over and pull in
the clutch when starting off...habits...geez!
I stopped by a local shop called Scooter Stuff just off Highway 9 a bit
southeast of Bellingham, WA. It's an independent mostly Harley-type shop
but I've stopped there on a Kawasaki Nomad, a Kawasaki Concours, a BMW
R1100GS and a Kawasaki KLR650 prior to yesterday's visit and the owners and
riders hanging around have always been very friendly and welcoming. It was
fun with the Ambo yesterday; several of the Harley riders came over to look
at the bike and made comments like "cool bike", "I love those old Guzzis",
"man that's nice", etc...caught me off guard really.
I got to ride in some of my favorite twisty parts yesterday; the Ambo is
surprisingly nimble and happily laid into one corner after another even if
they came in fairly rapid succession. My only trepidation now is 1) I no
longer feel "bulletproof" so I tend not to push as hard 2) I'm still feeling
out the tires 3) it's an older bike that I have no desire the 'thrash' and
4) the rider is older too.
Les Lampman
Whidbey Island
Washington
'72 Ambassador