My GRiSO Comes Home to Virginia

Yes, at last.

It’s been at Rose Farm Classics in Woodstock, Illinois, since early November. Four months.  All to have Guzzi magician Jim Barron “rollerize” it.

Actually, Jim got that job done, along with some other tasks, in pretty short order.  But, Christmas, winter weather — which even, this morning, 6 March, as I type this, brought a snowy reminder that winter’s not ready to surrender to daffodils — and family commitments kept it in Illinois and me in Virginia.

Then, last week, I saw a window of three days, and leapt through it.  

I asked recently retired veterinarian, friend, Guzzista, and vintage artillerist John Wells to come along on this 1400-mile, 3-day dangerous mission behind enemy lines.  Our indulgent wives were, as I have said to others, almost suspiciously supportive of our absence.  Hmmmmm.  I’ll  think about that tomorrow.  

John, who collects motorcycles (and cannons!), offered to meet me up the road in Bedford, Pa., with a better trailer than I had planned to use, and the last-minute plan quickly went from "what if?" to execution phase.

Somehow, Dr. John convinced wife Mary Lou to drive him an hour south early on Thursday morning, we hooked up his trailer to my little do-anything-asked ’93 pickup (207K miles), and we were off to Woodstock.

Spent that night in Elgin, Illinois, after leaving a big chunk of my retirement savings in toll booths along the way, with Chicago-area’s being the most maddening.  That said, it’s always interesting to me how good-humored tollbooth operators are.  Booze?

On Friday morning, we rolled into Woodstock.  I made John light a candle at the Andie MacDowell shrine downtown — for the inexcusably ignorant, “Groundhog Day” was filmed there — bought some (pink-sprinkled as Jim rather inexplicably prefers) doughnuts, and arrived at Rose Farm Classics.

Jim’s (nice, cute … and certified Guzzi wrench!) daughter Kacy greeted us, checked our passports, and admitted us into His Presence.

HRH Jim gave first-time pilgrim John a grand tour and then … drum roll and sound the herald trumpets! … presented my rollerized GRiSO to me.  Naturally, Jim first let me hear it as he roared by on an access road.  Then — yes, I brought my hemet despite the weather forecast! — I took it around for a few loops.

Yee ha!  What joy.

Pix?  Sure, though mercifully for you, not too many.

But first, go here to see why Jim isn’t only an incomparable Guzzi guru, but also a great gentleman.  I promise you that the short video here is worth your time.

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Now mine, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

As usual, Best seen in “full screen” with captions.

(Blessed) Bill

Random stream of thoughts as I peruse your story and photos:

- Seems you got it back just in time. 60's this coming week

- A fellow smugmug user!

- New tires as well?

- Bummer about the snow

- Love your "no cell phone / smart phone" sticker in the back window of your "do-anything"

What's that strange white stuff?

After reading your story and the long-distance commute to your favorite "wrench", I'll never complain about the 70 mile run to my MG "wrench". Happy all turned out well for you!

BTW...the Buttercups (daffodils to you) have been blooming in my part of Tennessee for about 3 weeks. Ever consider a relo to the South?

NorthernProducer wrote:

After reading  your story and the long-distance commute to your favorite "wrench", I'll never complain about the 70 mile run to my MG "wrench".  Happy all turned out well for you!

BTW...the Buttercups (daffodils to you) have been blooming in my part of Tennessee for about 3 weeks.  Ever consider a relo to the South?

Yep only 30 miles for me. Hopefully my GRiSO will be back home in a couple of weeks sans an adventure such as Bill's.

That red GRiSO does look good with a little white on it!

muzhik wrote:

Random stream of thoughts as I peruse your story and photos:

-

- A fellow smugmug user!  

- New tires as well?

-

- Love your "no cell phone / smart phone" sticker in the back window of your "do-anything"

First, apropos your last, thanks for not pointing out my hypocrisy of my decal given my first pic, taken as it was while driving up I-70 just north of the Penna. state line.  In my (pathetically lame) defense, not a vehicle ahead or behind me on my side anywhere near.

Yes, I have tried several of the pic-hosting sites, and, IMO, it is by far the best.

Mounted those MPR4's just before taking it to RFC.  Can't wait to use 'em.

Now, as we just waved good-bye to a set of kids and grands, I think that I should wander down to the Moto Grappa and take off some of the sweet red thing's road grime.

Bill

Bill Hagan wrote:

thanks for not pointing out my hypocrisy of my decal given my first pic...

your secret is safe with me!

Dilliw wrote:

NorthernProducer wrote:

After reading  your story and the long-distance commute to your favorite "wrench", I'll never complain about the 70 mile run to my MG "wrench".  Happy all turned out well for you!

BTW...the Buttercups (daffodils to you) have been blooming in my part of Tennessee for about 3 weeks.  Ever consider a relo to the South?

Yep only 30 miles for me.  Hopefully my GRiSO will be back home in a couple of weeks sans an adventure such as Bill's.

That red GRiSO does look good with a little white on it!

Are you using the Matthews shop?

Bill,
Great story and great pictures. Thanks for posting. I was snowed on in March on my Honda 450 in 1977 on the PA turnpike. Anything can happen in March "up north" but glad you had it on a trailer. Something wrong about a GRiSO with snow on it.....

And now it needs a good cleaning to get all salt off.

pauldaytona wrote:

And now it needs a good cleaning to get all salt off.

Quite true, Paul.

The return leg of the trip was not the weather as had been forecast, and I knew there would be a price on return.

Snow on a red GRiSO may evoke images of jolly old St. Nick; encrusted white salt, however, is a potential killer.

So ... yesterday, I washed it.  Very carefully.  

I pretty much stopped washing motorcycles with water after discovering that such had caused trip-stopping corrosion in my EV's ignition switch.  Since then, wary and chary of water around my Guzzis, I try -- unless my navigation skills have led to a long stretch of muddy back roads -- to use "products" only.

Anyway, after wiping it dry, I shot every fastener I could find, along with most all "non-red" surfaces with Ballistol [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] my latest protectorant of choice.  I'll finish that process today.  

Regrettably, my beautiful GRiSO will now sit in the Moto Grappa for 10 days while I go to Atlanta for a week-plus.  Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh.

On the more cheery side, we heard our first Northern Spring Peeper chorus last night, and those horny little guys always know that spring is nigh.  



[P.S. Just click the y/t logo at bottom right of video, and it'll work. ]


Bill

bobw wrote:

Dilliw wrote:

NorthernProducer wrote:

After reading  your story and the long-distance commute to your favorite "wrench", I'll never complain about the 70 mile run to my MG "wrench".  Happy all turned out well for you!

BTW...the Buttercups (daffodils to you) have been blooming in my part of Tennessee for about 3 weeks.  Ever consider a relo to the South?

Yep only 30 miles for me.  Hopefully my GRiSO will be back home in a couple of weeks sans an adventure such as Bill's.

That red GRiSO does look good with a little white on it!

Are you using the Matthews shop?

Yep, and I believe I'm their first rollerization customer. If I'm not mistaken they started selling Guzzi in 2012 and the first GRiSO that I remember being there was a Black Devil so they might not have sold many flatties. They got on the phone with the Guzzi tech for 30 minutes before they started so hopefully he steered them right, but I won't know until I see the bill. Honestly, if I come out under the $1k that it would have cost me to buy the kit then all is well and I'm glad for them that they get the labor. I like having a Guzzi dealer nearby.

Dilliw, thanks and looking forward to reading how she is after surgery!

Bill H. The peepers started singing here about a week ago too! The roller coaster temps this year couldn't fool them and Spring is definitely in the air.


Cheers