We made the decision to see San Francisco for all of the myriad reasons that go into destination journies. Time was limited to 7 days and 4 of them were to be spent in SF and 3500 Kms had to be split into three days either side.
We left BC at 1.00pm on 17th Aug in 30C temps and rode into Seattle right into higher temps and in the centre of a multi vehicle accident. It took me 5 mins to realise that this was no good for a mid 50's wheezing, overweight air cooled lump and that it would also hurt the Guzzi, so we tested the patience of Seattle traffic to lane splitting. We made Grants Pass by 10.00pm and San Francisco by 3.00 pm the next day. On the trip back there were more clement temps and we took 101 to Crescent City and stayed in Eugene OR and back home to Mission BC by Tuesday 24th August.
Bike details........Blew the main beam bulb as we pulled in back home. Also noticed a creak in the left bar as I parked the bike and found the lower retaining bolt almost out and the clamp bolt loose. The bike used no engine oil and all other fluids remained the same. I had put a new Metzeler tyre on the back as a safeguard and the centre is barely flat and it gave good grip even up in the hills visiting Alice's restaurant. That was it no drama, nothing and it ran like a beautifully in all temps.
Bags......Used the Hepco Becker 40 litre bags and they came back bulging as San Francisco is a mecca for used, cheap designer dresses and shoes. I ignored the weight guidelines and crammed the bags closed and ignored the advised speed restrictions and there was nary a wobble (apart from hitting bumps leaned over, but everything self righted). The suspension was good given all things, with preload, rebound at the back at maximum and max pre load at the front.
Accessories....used a Scala intercom for the first time and loved it as we could talk to prevent Clo from dozing and she could listen to music at times. The stock screen kept most of the bugs off and my neck wasn't sore, so it did its job.
Best moment......flying down at 160 Km/hr and realising too late that the dark car on the slip road was CHP, keeping the gas on and watching as he didn't look up from his phone/book/coffe/crotch/ticket pad. I have always put on aftermarket exhausts, but there some serious advantages to stock pipes, especially on a non performance oriented bike such as the Breva.
Total mileage was 3575 Kms and the bike ran like a top.
Loved the trip, loved the city and all the people we met, mostly loved the journey and the closeness it brought to two people.
Sorry about the minimalist approach and the lack of pictures
We left BC at 1.00pm on 17th Aug in 30C temps and rode into Seattle right into higher temps and in the centre of a multi vehicle accident. It took me 5 mins to realise that this was no good for a mid 50's wheezing, overweight air cooled lump and that it would also hurt the Guzzi, so we tested the patience of Seattle traffic to lane splitting. We made Grants Pass by 10.00pm and San Francisco by 3.00 pm the next day. On the trip back there were more clement temps and we took 101 to Crescent City and stayed in Eugene OR and back home to Mission BC by Tuesday 24th August.
Bike details........Blew the main beam bulb as we pulled in back home. Also noticed a creak in the left bar as I parked the bike and found the lower retaining bolt almost out and the clamp bolt loose. The bike used no engine oil and all other fluids remained the same. I had put a new Metzeler tyre on the back as a safeguard and the centre is barely flat and it gave good grip even up in the hills visiting Alice's restaurant. That was it no drama, nothing and it ran like a beautifully in all temps.
Bags......Used the Hepco Becker 40 litre bags and they came back bulging as San Francisco is a mecca for used, cheap designer dresses and shoes. I ignored the weight guidelines and crammed the bags closed and ignored the advised speed restrictions and there was nary a wobble (apart from hitting bumps leaned over, but everything self righted). The suspension was good given all things, with preload, rebound at the back at maximum and max pre load at the front.
Accessories....used a Scala intercom for the first time and loved it as we could talk to prevent Clo from dozing and she could listen to music at times. The stock screen kept most of the bugs off and my neck wasn't sore, so it did its job.
Best moment......flying down at 160 Km/hr and realising too late that the dark car on the slip road was CHP, keeping the gas on and watching as he didn't look up from his phone/book/coffe/crotch/ticket pad. I have always put on aftermarket exhausts, but there some serious advantages to stock pipes, especially on a non performance oriented bike such as the Breva.
Total mileage was 3575 Kms and the bike ran like a top.
Loved the trip, loved the city and all the people we met, mostly loved the journey and the closeness it brought to two people.
Sorry about the minimalist approach and the lack of pictures