Subject: Re: Another Guzzi Ride & It's great
Author: Darrell J Dick
Date: Apr 12, 2004, 8:55 AM
Post ID: 1716530875
Hi Les,
It's good to read your ride reports. I'm glad you're digging the Ambo.
The more miles you put on, the more natural the shifter will seem. My
collection of bikes have pretty much every conceivable shifter
arrangement. I've been able to adapt. What it means is you have to be
thinking about it all the time. I screw up every once in a while like Kev
says. It mostly happens when I make a quick instinctive stab for the rear
brake on a right hand shift bike.
I'm currently riding a '72 Triumph TR6C (right hand shift, 1 down, 3 up)
and the Convert Guzzimatic. No shifting there, but it does have right
hand linked brakes and floorboards. Actually, the boards feel a little
funky to me. I bet they'll be comfortable on longer trips, though. The
seat height feels high on the 'Vert too. I think that is because it is so
wide and flat (comfy!). It keeps things interesting.
Of course the Ambo handles. It's a Guzzi!
Darrell Dick
Imlay City, MI
On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 07:43:11 -0700 Les Lampman <le-@lampman.us> writes:
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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 =========================================================== $6.95 .com Domain Name Sale! Limited Time! ICANN Accredited GoDaddy! http://click.topica.com/caab7pQb1dfltb1xC1lf/GoDaddy =========================================================== |