All,
May I wax poetic as an old guy who has been riding motorcycles since 1967? Today I had my best ride in PA. We moved here last December from Sugar Land, TX: Houston suburb, Gulf Coast. I shipped my MV Agusta (Italian terror) and Guzzi V7 to Motoplex West Chester--and decided to trade the MV for a new Aprilia Tuono 660. The bikes were delivered to my house in early January, 2023. And they sat as I waited for spring. Meanwhile my eye cataracts were to the point my right eye was useless, so I did ride the Guzzi a couple times, and had my first cataract operation early April, and second in early May. So, new eyes!
The MV, although I loved it, is unsuitable for these slow, hilly, curved roads with low speed limits. And there is no local dealer support. Such a shame to sell the Dragster RR, but the exotic MV just made no sense here.
Riding here is dramatically different than Gulf Coast, TX or SW CO where I grew up riding (desert-mountain transition). In PA we have dense traffic, a very old and complex road system, curves and hills galore, and navigation, for this old guy: tough. But, the small block Guzzi V7 is perfect for this environment.
I came very close to quitting riding in April-May: discouraged from slow eye healing and required low activity. And my two best riding buddies from TX said: we quit! No more Ducati Diavel, or BMW K-bike, or nine (count them) restored Triumphs, Norton's, BSA's, and random Kawa Z900. Done: sold them all. And my motorcycle old retired guys breakfast group died during covid, and never recovered: best bunch of guys you could ever find.
So, I persisted: short Guzzi rides happened. I figured out the new Aprilia was way tall for me: so I shaved the seat (not enough), then got a lowering suspension kit from AF1 Austin (win). and now I have two complementary bikes. I added a Garmin GPS kit to the Ape and learned to use it on both bikes (essential). And now...here in mid-August, I feel I can ride comfortably, and above all with safety and enjoy the bikes. At my age (69), riding remains a passion, but my physical ability and endurance is down from decades past.
Anyway, thanks for reading. You young guys may face similar challenges to this addiction called motorcycle riding. Oh and I forgot: a brother in law died riding in San Antonio about 4 years ago: a superb rider...died on a crappy Honda mini-bike when the frame broke, and he was not wearing a helmet. So yeah, I know how lethal this activity is. YMMV (your mileage may vary). Keep the rubber side down. I may try and actually meet some of you...we will see.
The new Aprilia Tuono 660 has turned out to be a gem: it gives that power rush, and handling of a sport bike, but not as extreme as the MV.
I think that without the V7 III Moto Guzzi, and its easy to ride character, I would have quit.
May I wax poetic as an old guy who has been riding motorcycles since 1967? Today I had my best ride in PA. We moved here last December from Sugar Land, TX: Houston suburb, Gulf Coast. I shipped my MV Agusta (Italian terror) and Guzzi V7 to Motoplex West Chester--and decided to trade the MV for a new Aprilia Tuono 660. The bikes were delivered to my house in early January, 2023. And they sat as I waited for spring. Meanwhile my eye cataracts were to the point my right eye was useless, so I did ride the Guzzi a couple times, and had my first cataract operation early April, and second in early May. So, new eyes!
The MV, although I loved it, is unsuitable for these slow, hilly, curved roads with low speed limits. And there is no local dealer support. Such a shame to sell the Dragster RR, but the exotic MV just made no sense here.
Riding here is dramatically different than Gulf Coast, TX or SW CO where I grew up riding (desert-mountain transition). In PA we have dense traffic, a very old and complex road system, curves and hills galore, and navigation, for this old guy: tough. But, the small block Guzzi V7 is perfect for this environment.
I came very close to quitting riding in April-May: discouraged from slow eye healing and required low activity. And my two best riding buddies from TX said: we quit! No more Ducati Diavel, or BMW K-bike, or nine (count them) restored Triumphs, Norton's, BSA's, and random Kawa Z900. Done: sold them all. And my motorcycle old retired guys breakfast group died during covid, and never recovered: best bunch of guys you could ever find.
So, I persisted: short Guzzi rides happened. I figured out the new Aprilia was way tall for me: so I shaved the seat (not enough), then got a lowering suspension kit from AF1 Austin (win). and now I have two complementary bikes. I added a Garmin GPS kit to the Ape and learned to use it on both bikes (essential). And now...here in mid-August, I feel I can ride comfortably, and above all with safety and enjoy the bikes. At my age (69), riding remains a passion, but my physical ability and endurance is down from decades past.
Anyway, thanks for reading. You young guys may face similar challenges to this addiction called motorcycle riding. Oh and I forgot: a brother in law died riding in San Antonio about 4 years ago: a superb rider...died on a crappy Honda mini-bike when the frame broke, and he was not wearing a helmet. So yeah, I know how lethal this activity is. YMMV (your mileage may vary). Keep the rubber side down. I may try and actually meet some of you...we will see.
The new Aprilia Tuono 660 has turned out to be a gem: it gives that power rush, and handling of a sport bike, but not as extreme as the MV.
I think that without the V7 III Moto Guzzi, and its easy to ride character, I would have quit.
. Especially evident when getting outta bed in the morning.. grunting and groaning, and hobbling to the bathroom. I think many on this forum are in the “older” demographic
, the touno 660 looks nice and the Moto Guzzi v7 is cool like Elvis!