General Category > Bike Builds, Rebuilds And Restorations Only
Sport 1100i - The Accidental Restomod
RossB:
While I was waiting for parts to arrive, I attempted to title and register the bike, but encountered an issue with the title. The gentleman in Vermont, no doubt rattled by his impending loss, had incorrectly check a box regarding odometer disclosure and it didn’t align with the Bill of Sale. The woman at the RMV turned me away and it took nearly a month to get a notarized affidavit from the seller.
In the end, however, the bike was registered and insured. I couldn’t bear to wait for the exhaust system to be delivered, so I put it all back together and hit the streets in search of an inspection sticker and the local indy bike shop. Half a dozen guys hanging around the shop that morning, and none of them had ever seen one of these bikes. Even the most hardcore Harley enthusiasts were enamored by the big v-twin sport bike.
RossB:
After all the bureaucracy had been sorted and the paperwork put in order, I was finally able to ride this machine that I’ve fantasized about for half of a lifetime. On that Friday afternoon, in early June, I set out for a hundred miles of twisty two-lane blacktop through the wilds of Western Massachusetts and southern Vermont.
RossB:
Now, you’re all Guzzi fans so I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know…
but if you’ve never been on a v-twin that’s capable of revving to 8,000 RPMs, you haven’t lived. Crisp steering, loads of cornering clearance, and a sound right out of Norse mythology, this thing revs like a tractor, but it pulls from just above idle all the way to the moon. Twin pipes booming, I spent the afternoon channeling my inner Valentino Rossi (I know he never rode Guzzis, but he’s Italian and fast). It was even better than I had always imagined. This might have been the pinnacle of my motorcycling life.
RossB:
Saturday morning shined brightly and I was still riding high. I went out breakfast with the boys and regaled them with stories of high speed sweepers, WFO straights, and the SOUND. I was so happy with myself that I thought I might go home and take a couple photos…you know…for posterity. I’d line up all my bikes and celebrate my tremendous fortune. A snapshot in time that I could look back on in 20 or 30 years as my glory days…
I realize that it’s a little gratuitous to line them all up like that, but my neighbors were all still sleeping and I figured nobody would see what I was up to and, at the time, I had no intention of sharing such a braggadocious photo. It was just for me.
Sye:
What a fantastic end to half a lifetimes desire and so eloquently written. Top job, I'm genuinely pleased for you. 👍
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