A bit of exciting news..

[Huzo]

Hmmm, might come down that way to see you but can't say for sure until nearer the time.

Lovely ride to Mandello from there. Worst bit is London to Dover, then it's beautiful all the way. 👍

That slap in the face moment just after the turn off to the tunnel, where you crest the hill and start the descent into Dover is the best.
The first image of the ferries and the English Channel, a short moment of thanks to the brave men and women in the early 1940’s.

And THAT Norge...

[Anomaly]

I'm with Scout63-- this is a great thread to live through vicariously!

[Glawster]

Hi Peter,
You're welcome over my side of England if you have time.  As you know it's not on your route, but of course you're welcome anyway!  I won't join you to ride to Mandello as I've sold the V85TT.  It's possible I might go, but if I do I'll trailer the Falcone over there and spend a few days plonking around the lake.  Good luck with your trip.
Cheers, Derek

[Huzo]

Hi Peter,
You're welcome over my side of England if you have time.  As you know it's not on your route, but of course you're welcome anyway!  I won't join you to ride to Mandello as I've sold the V85TT.  It's possible I might go, but if I do I'll trailer the Falcone over there and spend a few days plonking around the lake.  Good luck with your trip.
Cheers, Derek

No worries Derek.
I’ll use this


as inspiration.

[Huzo]

I couldn’t imagine living in UK or Europe and NOT going...!
I do admit however, that the difficulty in pulling it all together is a big part of it’s intrinsic appeal.

[lucky phil]

No worries Derek.
I’ll use this


as inspiration.

Did you do a tubeless rim conversion on those wheels Huzo?

Ciao

[Huzo]

Did you do a tubeless rim conversion on those wheels Huzo?

Ciao

Yes Phil.
They have always been tubeless due to the blind nipples from the donor Bellagio.

[Huzo]

The REALLY hard bit when boring your own rims for blind nipples, is the sliding fit that the nipples are in the rim.
The metal is about 4 mm thick there and the nipple has ZERO scope to move so to align with the spoke axis..
You HAVE to bore the hole in line, or you can throw the new rim in the bin.

[lucky phil]

Yes Phil.
They have always been tubeless due to the blind nipples from the donor Bellagio.

Ok thanks. I can visualise the blind nipple scenario but what seals the nipple OD to the inside of the rim? My RE has spoke wheels and tube tyres which makes me a little nervous and many have converted to tubeless with a rim taping system and I'm mulling it over myself.

Ciao

[Huzo]

O rings Phil.

[Huzo]

A little bit of progress since the last post..
I’m doing a lot of time in this..


photo to url

To facilitate this







...(that’s Mt Etna BTW)
Anyway..
I am in constant contact with Marco in Sovico (Italy), you can Google Earth it and see how close to Mandello it is. His Mum and Dad are looking forward to an Australian “biker” staying and were excited to hear that I will meet François in Paris on Sep 2 for the ride across.
He will be on this..


I suggested as a return favour, he could take Marco’s parents on a day lap of Lake Como three up on the outfit...!
He agrees...
I’ll make the payment for the mandatory insurance for the Norge today, I’ve been holding off in case it all falls in a heap, but it’s time to show some commitment !
Now...
All I need is one of these

and wait for August 31....

[Pescatore]

When I grow up I want to travel like you.
What is required to ride a bike with foreign plates in Europe?

[Huzo]

When I grow up I want to travel like you.
What is required to ride a bike with foreign plates in Europe?

Nothing mate.
The shipper I use does all of the paperwork to allow me to ride in Europe for 90 days.
When you leave your garage to take the bike to the depot in Melbourne (in my case), it is in EXACTLY the condition as if you were leaving on the trip from that point.
Nothing on the bike has to change.....Nothing.

[Scout63]

Vicarious excitement for you here in the states Peter.

[Huzo]

Vicarious excitement for you here in the states Peter.

Thank you Scout, you’ve always been a supporter.

[Markcarovilli]

Bravo Peter - it will be a wonderful time….

Mark

[Huzo]

Bravo Peter - it will be a wonderful time….

Mark

As always Mark.

[Huzo]

More beaut stuff..
I got the info that my Norge has left Singapore and is well en route to UK. I do confess to being a bit concerned at how long the battery will have been disconnected (uncharged), before it lands in London.
The boys there say they will hook it onto a charger when they get their paws onto it, so shouldn’t be a drama.
Last week I paid my insurance for September 1 to October 31 which is mandatory for riding in Europe and I’ll go and get my international licence this week.
As a point of interest. This time when the Mandello thing has wound up, I reckon I’ll put Istanbul in the Tom Tom and go there. I’d also like to ride to Anzac Cove, it holds a fair bit of significance to an Aussie.
The Greek islands look nice too….

All getting real.
VERY real……..

[Jorg66]

Cool, but shouldn/t it be August 1 to Sept.31 

[Huzo]

Cool, but shouldn/t it be August 1 to Sept.31 

Jeez I hope not…
I’m getting into Heathrow on the morning of September 1 with a projected arrival in Mandello on or before September 6.
After the week at Mandello, head towards Istanbul and the Greek Islands, with the trip ending on October 28.
Have I made an error somewhere ?

[Jorg66]

Dont mean to stirr anything up  ,you wrote 'paid insurance for Sept.1 to August 31 '.

Just got off the phone with Air Canada ,'Fly your bike' ,well ain't no more and now regular Cargo is around $ 8000 . lol

[Huzo]

Dont mean to stirr anything up  ,you wrote 'paid insurance for Sept.1 to August 31 '.

Just got off the phone with Air Canada ,'Fly your bike' ,well ain't no more and now regular Cargo is around $ 8000 . lol

Thank you for spotting that Jorg.
It’s September 1 to October 31….

[Jorg66]

No worries ! was just wondering .
Cheers

[Huzo]

No worries ! was just wondering .
Cheers

So was I for a minute or two…!

[Huzo]

This is being made for the 100 th.











There’ll be a couple of badges to acknowledge the significance of the occasion.

[bottler]

Huzo,

When I shipped my Stelvio from Queanbeyan to The Philippines it sat on the wharf in Singapore for a couple of months. So a total of about four months from when I dropped it off at the shipper's warehouse until it was delivered to my home in Manila. I was really concerned about the possibility of a flat battery as my parking space was on the third floor. Well after it was unloaded from the truck I hit the starter button and it fired up first time. What a wonderful feeling!

Enjoy your trip.

Cheers

Bottler

[Huzo]

Huzo,

When I shipped my Stelvio from Queanbeyan to The Philippines it sat on the wharf in Singapore for a couple of months. So a total of about four months from when I dropped it off at the shipper's warehouse until it was delivered to my home in Manila. I was really concerned about the possibility of a flat battery as my parking space was on the third floor. Well after it was unloaded from the truck I hit the starter button and it fired up first time. What a wonderful feeling!

Enjoy your trip.

Cheers

Bottler

Crikey…!
I am also a bit concerned at the prospect of a maggotted battery. I have had an assurance from the boys at the storage joint in London, that they will place it on a charger upon arrival. I’ll be informed when it arrives there and I’ll give them a call to check.
Also my old mate Paul Harris lives in Epsom/Surrey and I imagine he’d scuttle up to Feltham to do similar.
In any case, I will have done some research as to where I can get a good battery of correct spec in case it all goes pear shaped.

I bought that battery in Norway upon arrival from Denmark in 2017 on my Nordkapp trip, so it’s getting on a bit anyway.

[dguzzi]

 Bring..back Grappa...oh please real Grappa!