45 is the new 70 (a Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone's day out)

Today I took the mighty Nuovo Falcone on it's longest jaunt so far. *Here's the tale of the tape:

Total distance: *339 kilometres (210 miles)
Total time: *7.5 hours (including rest/gas stops, and photo stops)
Highest speed (wait for it...) 105kph (65mph)
Moving average: *66.8kph (41.5mph)
Smiles per kilometre: 38

Here's the route: *http://goo.gl/maps/anbhh

The bike hummed along uncomplainingly. *It's happy to sit between 80-90kph (50-55mph) all day, but anything above that starts to feel a bit cruel. *Hills knock the wind out of its sails really fast and changing down (assuming you can find a gear) doesn't make much difference: just more noise with no noticeable increase in speed. *I find it best just to let the revs drop - as if I could do much about it - then let the bike chug up the hill at its chosen speed. *Opening the throttle just adds more noise and no extra go. *Hills are usually mastered in the 65-75kph(40-46mph) range. *Its more like driving an overloaded dump truck than a 'regular' motorbike.

But here's the thing (to use a Brysonism) - it's really fun! *Maintaining speed becomes a challenge, helped by the NF's awesome handling. *Corner coming? No need to slow down. Keep your nerve, keep your throttle hand steady, ignore the squirming from the side treads, lean right in, around you go.

Hill coming? Hammer down (a relative term, of course) then try to carry the speed up the slope, just as if you were driving a big rig. *It won't work, but it's fun trying, as long as you can ignore the jerk in the jacked up pick-up breathing down your neck. *He can bloody-well wait!

This part of Ontario was settled by Scots in the early 19th century - hence:


Control Dam - Calabogie Lake


Lunch - that's Pizza Bread, not chicken fat!


Dam - Madawaska River


Along Black Donald Lake Road


Traffic, Hazard, Delay


Palmerston Lake


Bedford Mills (spot the illegal fisherman


In the past I've tried to argue that there's more to eastern Ontario than Rocks, Trees and Water.....- I lied!

Nick

Sweet bike!

great looking ride.nothing better than a slow putt.i like 40-45 mph myself.what year was that guzzi made?

1974 - in the same year you could have bought a Honda 750-4 or a Kawasaki Z1, Moto Guzzi produced this. Other than the enclosed valves and the unit construction, it's not much different to the original Guzzi of 1921. Like it? You bet!

Nick

Very nice, Nick

nick :

rode from perth through westport and down to kingston on #10 last week on the r100rs two up with the better half. fabulous road. can hardly wait to do it again.

richard