bad-good luck: new wheels needed

[simonome]

Hallo everybody, last week I've had a mix of bad and good luck.
After getting my V75 back from the garage, where it underwent a good servicing, I have ridden on a business trip to Turin, about 150km from Milano.

I've had a late departure to come back home, so by midway I was riding on the highway in darkness.

There the bad luck struck: I've found a stone or a wooden brick on my way. I've seen it just when it has come into the bean of my light, with no hope to steer away, so I've hit it at around 120 km/h.

The bike has jumped, and I have jumped along with it.

Here the good luck: while the front and rear wheel have totally bent, the tyres didn't blow, so I could mantain my stability, slow and stop on a safe spot, and get a tow back.

Here a picture of the front wheel on my proud Guzzi. The rear wheel is broken also, but not quite as much.

I'm hitting ebay to find a new set of wheels

[JJ]

You are very lucky @ 120km...a new set of wheels is easily replaced...your life is not...

[Moto]

I'd say more good luck than bad!

I'm amazed your front tire didn't deflate. That speaks a lot in favor of whatever that rim profile is.

I have found that if you don't anything foolish, and stay loose, the bike will stay upright almost no matter what. Still, you did some good riding.

You shouldn't overdrive your headlight, but you already know that.

Thanks for the interesting report.

Moto

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Looks like Teo Lamers has the rear, but not the front:

http://www.tlm.nl/webshop/en/catalogsearch/result/?cat=0&q=20630620

The part no. (14610370) for the front is the same as the 1000S front wheel. Could be a tough one to find.

[RANDM]

Gobsmacked!

[jas67]

Looks like Teo Lamers has the rear, but not the front:

http://www.tlm.nl/webshop/en/catalogsearch/result/?cat=0&q=20630620

The part no. (14610370) for the front is the same as the 1000S front wheel. Could be a tough one to find.

Huh?   That can't be, the 1000S has wire wheels.

That said, would wheels of other small block models work (like V50)?

[fotoguzzi]

Huh?   That can't be, the 1000S has wire wheels.

according to Greg Fields book Moto Guzzi Big Twins you could get cast wheels on the 1000S as an option.

[fotoguzzi]

those straight spoke wheels look just like what came on the Lemans 1000, T5 and SP3..

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

those straight spoke wheels look just like what came on the Lemans 1000, T5 and SP3..

Not the T5 the US got (ours had 16" wheels) and obviously not early Le Mans 1000 with 16" front either, but otherwise yes, could be the same with different part nos. due to color.

Reboot might have something that would work. http://www.rebootguzzispares.com/spares.htm

[LowRyter]

thanks goodness you're OK.

there's plenty of wheels, only one of you.   

[Tom]

Huh?   That can't be, the 1000S has wire wheels.

That said, would wheels of other small block models work (like V50)?

My '91 1000S came stock with mag wheels.  I like the look of wires but that's what's on the bike.  Guido must have gotten tired of figuring the inventory of parts out.

[Tom]

I have an extra set of V50 rims but the cost of shipping to Italy would be crazy.  Glad to hear Simonome that you're okay. 

[oldbike54]

                                                   Wholey Schmidt 

 Dusty

[simonome]

Thank you everybody. Rims should be quite easy to find on Ebay.

Ok, I was riding too fast, but I was in heavy traffic, so I couldn't switch on heavy beam, and basically I was relying on the vehicles before me to clear the path...this wasn't the case unfortunately.

[rodekyll]

That happened to me once in the PA mountain country when I hit some angle iron during a rainstorm, but I wasn't so lucky -- both my tires went flat.  Your story is a testament to both good riding skills and good wheels!

In my case a couple of locals came by with a truck.  One said he thought he had a pair of rims in the barn that might fit.  I thought not, but they offered to pitch the bike into the truck and get me out of the rain, so I played along.  They were a sketchy pair, about what you'd expect to volunteer to scoop you and your bike up in the middle of nowhere during a thunderstorm in the blue rock district of Northern PA.  They didn't invite me inside the cab, so for half an hour I rode in the back in the rain with the bike and cases of glass containers.  I was thinking this was about where the whiskey rebellion happened, and I suspected they were running a still.  I couldn't see where we were going and a lot of the roads were dirt.  I was beginning to rethink my decision.

Back at the ranch, they hoisted the bike with an overhead hoist that had recently been used to hang game.  Odd, since nothing was in season and the barn didn't indicate that they ran livestock.  Then they took off in the truck while the bike swung from the cable, hollering that they were going to the barn for the wheels.  I thought this WAS the barn.  I was getting hungry when about 4 hours later, they were back.  The rain had stopped.  I had entertained myself counting blood spoors in the barn dirt and listening for screams from the house.  All I heard were chickens, but I was still reluctant to leave the barn.  I expected chainsaws and banjos, but they pulled out a set of actual guzzi rims with fairly fresh tread.  When I amazingly concluded that they were a fit, He looked me in the eye and defiantly said "I've been hanging on to these for a long time.  That'll be $30.  EACH!" 

[Chuck in Indiana]

Quite a tale, RK.. 

[azguzzirep]

Both good stories with incredible endings!

Tom

[Tom]

Sounds like another episode of Harold & Kumar go to White Castle.    I wonder what happen to the rest of the bike???

[Moto]

Thank you everybody. Rims should be quite easy to find on Ebay.

Ok, I was riding too fast, but I was in heavy traffic, so I couldn't switch on heavy beam, and basically I was relying on the vehicles before me to clear the path...this wasn't the case unfortunately.

One thing I sometimes do is follow in the left wheel track of the vehicle ahead, figuring that it will swerve to avoid running over things with its wheel, but may just pass over things it can straddle in the middle of the lane. I guess that's what happened to you.

Still a great story and outcome!

Moto

[Chuck in Indiana]

^^^^ yes, a great outcome. I'm really surprised at the amount of damage to that wheel..and.. it not going flat. That must have been some chuck of wood or rock. I was roaring around in the Santa Monica mountains on Darth Quota one time, came around a blind corner, and hit a rock the size of a loaf of bread. (!) We went flying and only through great skill and determination blind a$$ luck didn't go down. Bent the wheel a little, but nothing like that. 

[rodekyll]

If you can recover from abruptly and unexpectedly getting launched into the air, coming down off-center and still continue to keep the bike up on squared tires it's more than blind luck -- and those look lumpy.   

[Don G]

How did your under wear fare? DonG

[simonome]

That of following on the left tyre track is a good one. Pity the car in front of me was quite too far to follow, but quite too close to be on high beam.

On the same stretch of highway I have once seen a ladder lying on the road...it was half bent for being driven over by many cars (one of those was the one preceeding me). That would've been challenging to override...

Anyway.

One of the rims has been delivered to the garage already, and the second is following soon. Hope to be on the road again soon.

[rocker59]

I hate when that happens.  I've bent two fronts on my Sport 1100 over the years, due to road hazards.  A piece of lumber and a rock.

[Tom]

Simonome.....Good luck on the progress to get back on the road.

[Clancy]

Is it safe to assume that the forks are ok after a knock like that?

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Amazing the damage an oversize pebble can do.

[Tom]

Especially if you lose control of your bike.