Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: brider on June 14, 2026, 08:44:22 PM
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I took the 'ol Cal 2 Auto for it's yearly test-drive and when I parked it, I saw an image that captured most of the vehicles I own that cause me heartache and joy, sometimes in equal measure (not shown is a '93 Range Rover Classic, probably the best example of one that breaks my heart but I will die owning).
(https://i.ibb.co/X67Wh3Z/20260607-195858-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/X67Wh3Z)
The Cal 2 has been personalized by me since I got it bone stock with 6k miles on it, to the point that I doubt even if working perfectly it could fetch over $1k on the open market. It is shown here WITHOUT the bicycle rack I've had mounted to it for over 20 yrs. I've had the timing cover off for (3) different pump-drive episodes, one of them requiring my wife to pack the 3 toddlers into the van in the middle of the night and pick me up in NYC. That was fun. Currently, it has been parked for the past 3 yrs due to what I THOUGHT was yet another pump-drive episode, but this current ride has convinced me that it is the clutch slipping, NOT the TC. Yes, believe it or not. PM me or respond if you have any questions or arguements on that conclusion.
I learned a BIG lesson with the Norge: When an ins co. offers you a good payout where you could find a replacement bike and STILL have cash in your pocket, TAKE IT. I T-boned a truck a couple of years ago with it, took the $$ from the Ins Co minus the $500 salvage value for it, and kept it with a SALVAGE title thinking "I can fix this thing no problem, heck I only paid $2k for it....". Yes, I fixed all of it, even had a good chunk of $$ left over, but I was left with a bike I couldn't sell except for peanuts because of the title, and because of other bikes & projects, I'd LOVE to be able to test the market with it. Plus all the weird Norge/CARC anomalies I've had to fix (several of those stupid oil-sensor issues, what a frickin' PIA, plus the SI). Working well, for now....
The 2010 L322 was a present to myself a couple of years ago. It was parked with a For Sale sign on it 300 ft from my house, the color/interior I've always liked, which I convinced my wife were SIGNS that it was meant for me. I bought it, very quickly learned that it could not contain coolant for any length of time, and after driving it for a month parked it in the garage over the winter DISPLACING my wife's car outside, while I researched the well-known (except by me) upper cooling-system debacle that this series is known for. MUCH agony and Whatsapp chats with guys in Europe and now after it's back on the road, it still eats coolant, but at a much reduced rate. Grrrr....... And the parking brake doesn't work (requires dropping the exhaust system and entire driveline and rear axle to access module). And the rear sensors don't work. Every day I wait for a new light to flash on the console. What was I thinking!?
Annnnd, the F150. I've always been a Ford man, never, EVER had a lemon, and always used them like a truck should be used. Note the standard cab and 8-ft bed (and it IS 4WD). It's a very rare heavy-duty version with 7-lug wheels, the mark of a heavy-payload and towing package. Has LT-series tires. Had to search far and wide to find it. It also has the 1st gen Ecoboost 3.5 with the SINGLE timing chain instead of the later-designed 2-chain design, one for each bank. Well, after owning it for 40k miles, the CEL came on and long story short, I learned of another well-known flaw, the timing chain stretched and now needs to be replaced. Does NOT look like a pleasant job, my local Ford dealership will not touch it, unsurprisingly says "Geez, it has 160k miles on it, you'd be better off trading up to a new one...". Like 160k miles is high mileage. I feel really screwed by this Ford product, and have no time to take it out of service to do it myself, so I've been driving it for 20k miles like that, can't register it with the CEL light on, consulted the CT DMV top dog and he said there is no wiggle-room in state law, I HAVE to fix it to register it. Dear God give me strength.
In addition to the Range Rover not shown, there are (2) other motorcycles that are both non-op and half-fixed. Oh, and a tractor that I discovered when I shut it down for the season last year needs a whole new ignition system. My wife constantly nags me that I should sell them all and get a Honda Civic and hire a guy to mow the property.
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Love the bikes. Fairing is awesome
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I have to agree with the wife. I have no time for accumulated non or half-functioning.... anything let alone vehicles. Good luck.
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I took the 'ol Cal 2 Auto for it's yearly test-drive and when I parked it, I saw an image that captured most of the vehicles I own that cause me heartache and joy, sometimes in equal measure (not shown is a '93 Range Rover Classic, probably the best example of one that breaks my heart but I will die owning).
(https://i.ibb.co/X67Wh3Z/20260607-195858-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/X67Wh3Z)
The Cal 2 has been personalized by me since I got it bone stock with 6k miles on it, to the point that I doubt even if working perfectly it could fetch over $1k on the open market. It is shown here WITHOUT the bicycle rack I've had mounted to it for over 20 yrs. I've had the timing cover off for (3) different pump-drive episodes, one of them requiring my wife to pack the 3 toddlers into the van in the middle of the night and pick me up in NYC. That was fun. Currently, it has been parked for the past 3 yrs due to what I THOUGHT was yet another pump-drive episode, but this current ride has convinced me that it is the clutch slipping, NOT the TC. Yes, believe it or not. PM me or respond if you have any questions or arguements on that conclusion.
I learned a BIG lesson with the Norge: When an ins co. offers you a good payout where you could find a replacement bike and STILL have cash in your pocket, TAKE IT. I T-boned a truck a couple of years ago with it, took the $$ from the Ins Co minus the $500 salvage value for it, and kept it with a SALVAGE title thinking "I can fix this thing no problem, heck I only paid $2k for it....". Yes, I fixed all of it, even had a good chunk of $$ left over, but I was left with a bike I couldn't sell except for peanuts because of the title, and because of other bikes & projects, I'd LOVE to be able to test the market with it. Plus all the weird Norge/CARC anomalies I've had to fix (several of those stupid oil-sensor issues, what a frickin' PIA, plus the SI). Working well, for now....
The 2010 L322 was a present to myself a couple of years ago. It was parked with a For Sale sign on it 300 ft from my house, the color/interior I've always liked, which I convinced my wife were SIGNS that it was meant for me. I bought it, very quickly learned that it could not contain coolant for any length of time, and after driving it for a month parked it in the garage over the winter DISPLACING my wife's car outside, while I researched the well-known (except by me) upper cooling-system debacle that this series is known for. MUCH agony and Whatsapp chats with guys in Europe and now after it's back on the road, it still eats coolant, but at a much reduced rate. Grrrr....... And the parking brake doesn't work (requires dropping the exhaust system and entire driveline and rear axle to access module). And the rear sensors don't work. Every day I wait for a new light to flash on the console. What was I thinking!?
Annnnd, the F150. I've always been a Ford man, never, EVER had a lemon, and always used them like a truck should be used. Note the standard cab and 8-ft bed (and it IS 4WD). It's a very rare heavy-duty version with 7-lug wheels, the mark of a heavy-payload and towing package. Has LT-series tires. Had to search far and wide to find it. It also has the 1st gen Ecoboost 3.5 with the SINGLE timing chain instead of the later-designed 2-chain design, one for each bank. Well, after owning it for 40k miles, the CEL came on and long story short, I learned of another well-known flaw, the timing chain stretched and now needs to be replaced. Does NOT look like a pleasant job, my local Ford dealership will not touch it, unsurprisingly says "Geez, it has 160k miles on it, you'd be better off trading up to a new one...". Like 160k miles is high mileage. I feel really screwed by this Ford product, and have no time to take it out of service to do it myself, so I've been driving it for 20k miles like that, can't register it with the CEL light on, consulted the CT DMV top dog and he said there is no wiggle-room in state law, I HAVE to fix it to register it. Dear God give me strength.
In addition to the Range Rover not shown, there are (2) other motorcycles that are both non-op and half-fixed. Oh, and a tractor that I discovered when I shut it down for the season last year needs a whole new ignition system. My wife constantly nags me that I should sell them all and get a Honda Civic and hire a guy to mow the property.
Looks like a fun bunch of "projects!"
Donate them all to a charity & enjoy your new found freedom!
Check with any local vocational schools. They just might love to have them for educational purposes. Or in exchange for a donation, they might fix them for you.
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My brother has more motorcycles and cars than he is aware of, the vast majority in various states of disrepair. Personally, I would be stressed by it, because there is no way he will get around to fixing them all. But it seems that just owning stuff gives him satisfaction.
I used to be sensible and owned just one motorcycle at a time. Then it became 2. Now I have 5... but two will go. One of the remaining is to be placed at the cabin on the other side of the country, the other two will remain at home. One too many, but the scrambler will be for riding on gravel, the other for everything else. But I may decide to let one of them go, just to simplify. The good thing is that maintaining them will be familiar, as the two at home have basically the same engine, and the one that will sit at the cabin could be said to have half an engine of the two at home. All made by Yamaha.
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My buddies do it with project cars. 8-9-10-11 cars in the yard. 3-4 run. One is the main. Others will never be done
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I'm 99% certain I have never said this in my 78 years. Listen to your wife!
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My brother has more motorcycles and cars than he is aware of, the vast majority in various states of disrepair. Personally, I would be stressed by it, because there is no way he will get around to fixing them all. But it seems that just owning stuff gives him satisfaction.
I used to be sensible and owned just one motorcycle at a time. Then it became 2. Now I have 5... but two will go. One of the remaining is to be placed at the cabin on the other side of the country, the other two will remain at home. One too many, but the scrambler will be for riding on gravel, the other for everything else. But I may decide to let one of them go, just to simplify. The good thing is that maintaining them will be familiar, as the two at home have basically the same engine, and the one that will sit at the cabin could be said to have half an engine of the two at home. All made by Yamaha.
I admire those who get joy out of owning lots of things.
I wish I could cultivate the same mentality at times, but I have never been able to.
The benefits of simplicity appeal to me more than the benefits of collecting.
After a certain amount of stuff, the burden of maintenance seems to be more trouble than it is worth.
Different strokes for different folks for sure.
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This bloke loves stuff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWhk-fhm_3A
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One friend has a 30,000 square foot building for his bikes. He loves to buy and sell. Says he is going to look at two collections he might buy. One collection has 200 bikes, the other has 400 bikes.
Another local guy once showed me his collection. 90 acres of vehicles. Cars, trucks, bulldozers, excavators, road tractors, farm tractors, engines, frames, transmissions, trailers full of parts, etc.. Probably 150+ vehicles total.
I told him he had at least 500 years worth of projects ahead of him. I imagine when he passes away his heirs will contact the reality show "Pickers."
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Another local guy once showed me his collection. 90 acres of vehicles. Cars, trucks, bulldozers, excavators, road tractors, farm tractors, engines, frames, transmissions, trailers full of parts, etc.. Probably 150+ vehicles total.
90 acres isn’t a collection…it’s a junkyard.
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90 acres isn’t a collection…it’s a junkyard.
Technically, it was two collections. One 40 acres, the other 50 acres.
90 acres would just be ridiculous.
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For the record, I am NOT a fan of collecting motorized vehicles just to "have" them where the reality is they just sit and rot, even with good intentions. I did not intend to accumulate a small collection of vehicles which never ALL work well at the same time, it just happened that way. I'd downsize the bikes but I'm also the type that won't sell an un-running bike (or one for peanuts because it has a SALVAGE title).
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Don't think of it as peanuts. Think of it as "I got full value for the bikes I sold...." Salvaging and selling vehicles for parts is frequently more valuable than selling a non-functioning vehicle or a salvage vehicle.