When Tassles meet Italy

[scumdog]

O.K., so here's the bully on riding Dangerous's Guzzi Nero Corsa, first sprots-bike I've ever ridden.
Start of in the cage at Rashikas, follow her on her Buell to Dangerous Dungeons and climb into riding gear complete with mandatory tassled jacket (Gotta look cool when out and about in the big city ya know).
Had a full face helmet so that anybody recognising the bike would not know it wasn't Dangerous with the tassles.

Climbed onto the Guzzi, it was all nice and shiney,lit 'er up and blow me if the danged thing doesn't wobble sideways when ya tweak the throttle.

Headed off through Christchurch, most unnerving for a country boy with no experience of traffic lights, multi lanes and 'roundamabout', had to lift the mirrors as this boy is a bit longer than the ginga.

1st problem: the bloody pegs are so far back that for the first two-three gear changes my left foot was in mid air and I was just hooking upwards on the shifter, (which was a bloody small object too) eventually got both feet onto the pegs.

2nd problem: Nobody had explained about the indimacator switch thingy and how it worked (not like an H-D one thats for sure!) so after heading down the main road at Belfast indicating I was turning left-right-left-right I evetually figured ya just pushed the switch IN to cancel! phew!

3rd problem: after about 15 minutes or more of stop-go and slow riding my wrists were killing me, not use to this 'lean forwards hunched over the bars' riding position with all my weight on the bars

Fast forward to the start of the road to Akaroa (not sure exactly where) and things were better, less weight on wrists, less times of putting feet down then trying to find pegs again, bike just flowed, kept waiting for some scraping noises due to lean angle but no, just the song of the engine purring away.
This thing had some good grunt but needed to be kept above 3,500rpm to be really on song.
Suspension was good, buckets of travel but quite firm, brakes were TOPS, made for lots of confidence on late braking entering corners.

Noticed the tassles did not flow and flap as they should, I guess the fairing/screen were doing their job, even when playing catch-up with Rashika who MUST have been speeding.

Anyway, enough for now, Pt2 later - the bit from Little River to the Hilltop and Akkers.

[frogfeaturesFZR]

Good post..looking forward to part 2

[Flyingpony]

to Dangerous Dungeons

*cough* Canterbury's unoffical offical KB HQ *cough*

2nd problem: Nobody had explained about the indimacator switch thingy and how it worked (not like an H-D one thats for sure!) so after heading down the main road at Belfast indicating I was turning left-right-left-right I evetually figured ya just pushed the switch IN to cancel! phew!

bike just flowed, kept waiting for some scraping noises due to lean angle but no, just the song of the engine purring away.

Sounds like you had a blast. Are you going to buy on of these machines, since after all, they are related to the H-D?

Suspension was good, buckets of travel but quite firm, brakes were TOPS, made for lots of confidence on late braking entering corners.

Definitely

Noticed the tassles did not flow and flap as they should

Well the good thing about that is, you now don't have to comb and untaggle them when you've finished riding

[SDU]

Sounds like you had a blast. Are you going to buy on of these machines, since after all, they are related to the H-D?

Don't know what planet you're from but last time I looked Moto Guzzi was Italian not American & unrelated.

[Ixion]

Well, they are both air cooled V twins.

[SDU]

Had a full face helmet so that anybody recognising the bike would not know it wasn't Dangerous with the tassles.

Good work. Wonder if D will update his wardrobe now.

Climbed onto the Guzzi, it was all nice and shiney,lit 'er up and blow me if the danged thing doesn't wobble sideways when ya tweak the throttle.

Lucky you didn't roll off with the amount off polish on it.

You gotta love the Guzzi's sweet song.
Where's part 2.

[Rashika]

1st problem: the bloody pegs are so far back that for the first two-three gear changes my left foot was in mid air and I was just hooking upwards on the shifter, (which was a bloody small object too) eventually got both feet onto the pegs.

ya shoulda seen him when he first got on...it was..."oh where the hell are the footpegs? What?? way back there...what are they doing there??"

2nd problem: Nobody had explained about the indimacator switch thingy and how it worked (not like an H-D one thats for sure!) so after heading down the main road at Belfast indicating I was turning left-right-left-right I evetually figured ya just pushed the switch IN to cancel! phew!

Like a xmas tree, flashing from side to side...thought It was some kind of secret police warning or something

Noticed the tassles did not flow and flap as they should, I guess the fairing/screen were doing their job, even when playing catch-up with Rashika who MUST have been speeding.

They looked like they were flapping out enough from behind
...and noooooo Mr Orificer....I was not speeding....much....maybe only the teeeeensiest wee bit, not even a $30 ticket, I didn't want to lose you in the wilds of Banks Peninsula

[scumdog]

Part2
Well, just got in from fitting the refurbished seat-belt to the T-Bird ($35 to fit new buckle, $25 to post it from Texas, wtf?).

Anyhoo, Rashika and I stopped outside Little River cafe to discuss the ride so far and to compare hand warmth (the Guzzi fairing seems to keep more air off the bars than the Buells) and discuss stopping at the HillTop, Rashika cautioned me the bends were a tad tighter from here on and she was not wrong, 2nd gear stuff for a lot of them and even more leaning over, waaay over. (got gravel rash on the end of some of my tassles, did I say I had tassles?).
This part was a blast, hard work stretched my abilities a bit but left me with a grin as wide as the visor on my helmet.
Lefts and rights constantly, all uphill and the Guzzi was built for it, just kept Rashika in sight and kept it 'on song', the odd obstacle was thrown in for good measure - dried clay from cleaned-up landslides, mud dragged out onto the roadway by a cockies tractor and some keen dude on a ride-on flinging lawn clippings about but got past them no sweat.

Stopped at the HillTop to take in the view, scoff down a pie'n'Coke, talk about life'n'shit then helmets on and off down-hill to Akkers, still good tight bends, some a bit damp from being in the shade so I was not quite so quick (plus down-hill bends on a strange road make me cautious), the Guzzi brakes came into their own here - no fade and very predictable.

Down on the flat and as I was getting to grips with the Gizzi it was crank on the lean-angles and throttle as we swept around the bends and bays and a few k's later there we were, Akkers!
We parked up on the foreshore and soaked in the warmth of the sun and looked at the only other bike there (A 'suki mud-slinger of some sort) and Rashika took some more photos - one or two of me on the Guzzi resplendant in my tassles - did I mention I had tassles???

After sitting and discussing more about bikes'n'life'n'shit for about 40 minutes we donned our helmets and climbed onto our respective steeds for the return trip, not so quick this time until we got to Little River as the sun was at the wrong angle, bend after bend, particularly right-hand ones I would get to the apex and then lose the road due to sun-strike and the rest of the bend being in the shade, always worried theres a vehicle stopped in that dark bit or the road turns in even tighter.

But we got to Little River O.K. and pulled over, this time I got the Buell and Rashika jumped onto the Guzzi, the arrangement was to switch back on meeting the main road (wherever THAT was).

First notable difference was: no need to pull in clutch to start bike!!!

Part 3 to come....

[Flyingpony]

Don't know what planet you're from but last time I looked Moto Guzzi was Italian not American & unrelated.

Hmm, Was thinking about Buell. Sorry D.

[k14]

Dangerous's Guzzi Nero Corsa, first sprots-bike I've ever ridden.

other comments abridged....

[Rashika]

other comments abridged....

ok K14, we have to give him training wheels before he can fly you know...its a big step from an HD like scummys to maybe an R1 so little baby steps first ok?
First Iti, then a sporty HD then maybe trust him with a Japa one day....




kidding SD! I think you looked quite cool on the Guzzi and then thought you had dropped 30 years when you were on the Buell... it made you look younger and very sporty

[scumdog]

other comments abridged....

You mean it WASN'T sprots-bike??
I've been gypped!!

And thanks for the comments Rashika, getting out there, not likely to be recognised, not feeling judged upon and having a bike that doesn't scrape on a tight corner made me FEEL 30 years younger, I had to restrain myself. (too many witnesses - YOU!!!)

And your comments will not influence my Part 3 of this when I comment on the Buell ride.

[Rashika]

You mean it WASN'T sprots-bike??
I've been gypped!!

yes Scummy it was a sports bike... dont listen to that young whippersnapper....of the eyetie sort of sports bike you know

[Waylander]

Posts to subscribe and awaits part three.

When do we get to see the pics?

[T.W.R]

ok K14, we have to give him training wheels before he can fly you know...its a big step from an HD like scummys to maybe an R1 so little baby steps first ok?

so the guzzi is a baby's sprotbike then mmm?, D is goin to love that

good wee summary of events scumdog it's an easy wee jaunt over the hill to akkers