{} Just posted this picture in another thread so I might as well put it here too. Rickman Metisse MkIII with a Triumph TR6C engine. Build thread HERE if interested
Ahem, another one of my projects: I rode it as a street tracker for a few years then decided change the color, style, and to put knobbies on it: Build thread HERE
I bought this 1997 1100 Sport from her current Canadian owner about four month ago. I finally had all my ducks, or in this bikes case, all of my Gooses perfectly lined up for bringing this Italian beauty back into the US. She is all loaded up at her previous Canadian owners home, and all that stood between her old and new stable were a short 860 miles drive south, and the US Border customs agents...... {} I hired a Border Crossing Customs agent a couple of weeks ago to take care of all the paperwork needed for importing this bike back to were she started. So was this a smooth reentry into the US, nope, I got pulled out and had to wait for an hour in a small holding tank....., while Customs agents checked to make sure that everything was compliant for US requirements with this bike. Things like EPA & DOT requirements, shipping manifest, Certificate of Origen, NAFTA papers, and and and..... This was the longest hour that I had ever spend waiting for anything in my life! {} But, I finally was cleared for importing this bike back into the US, so I continued with my trip down south. I took this picture below at the NC I-85 South Welcome Center around 1am this morning. I left my hotel in Toronto yesterday morning around 8am, and it was about a two hour drive to make it to the Canadian owners home. We loaded the bike up, and I started my drive south around 11am. I finally made it home to Raleigh, NC around 3am this morning. {} Waiting four month to take this bike home while needing to deal with Customs issues, my expired German passport, and having driven over 1900 miles in three days was well worth the inconveniences! This is one sweet riding and looking bike! {}
^ There's gotta be a medal, no, a trophy, that Moto Guzzi hands out to dedicated owners (obsessive?) owners like you. It's a beauty! Side note: I see that the front tie-down strap goes to the bottom of the fork leg, not to clip-ons or triple clamp. Isn't some compression needed up front to stabilize the bike? Is it all done in the back? It's been a while since I've transported a bike, so ...
I never liked compressing the front springs when tying a bike down. I think that the bike stand, which is mounted on top of the 2"x8" frame locks or cradles the bikes front wheel in place, and thereby holding the bike (as designed) standing straight up. I also build the wooden T shape in a way that the wooden frame itself can't move, since my trucks wheel wells keep the frame from sliding out. I then just strap the bike down with four straps, with the two in the rear get hooked into the trucks bed, and the two in the front are hooked into the wooden frame. You obviously need to use good straps, but the bikes I'm hauling in the bed of my truck do not move at all when strapped in place. Let's hope that it will stay that way! :) {} {} {}
Sorry for another post about this bike which I just added to the stable today, but I'm still pretty stoked about actually having this bike now! But this will be the last post here about tis bike for a while........ This bike for being 23 years old is about as nice as a bike gets. But, there is a reason why this bike looks as nice as it does. The original owner / collector (money was of no concern) had this bike completely disassembled as soon as he bought her new in 1997. He didn't quite like the factory paint job, so he had a custom LA shop repaint this bike in Moto Guzzi yellow. He also had the engine taken apart and had it blue printed, the cam balanced, and a Power Commander was incorporated. He then had a custom instrument cluster made, a custom carbon air box, he ordered a special carbon Staintune full exhaust system, had an alternator, timing chain cover, and a special fuel pump cooling housing installed. In addition, new handlebar grips were installed, the seats were custom made with yellow stitching which matches the bikes paint. He also had after market foot pegs, a shifter, and a brake pedal installed. A special plastic headlight guard was made and installed for this bike, a stainless steel brake fluid reservoir and tip over crash bars were installed, and the electrical wiring was insulated in a special cooling wrap. He also upgraded the brake rotors and pads, and had a rear inner carbon fender installed. And to finish her off, different turn signals and a more user friendly side stand were also installed. And I'm sure that I haven't seen everything that was done to this bike yet. So from what I have found out so far, the original owner did this work / upgrades to all of his bikes. The way I see it, good for me.... So for whatever reason, the original owner sold his entire collection to a broker back in 2011. I actually contacted him via FB a couple of month ago. The Broker, who bought the motorcycle collection, rode this Sport 1100 for a little while, but then sold her to a Canadian collector in 2012 with 3982 miles on this bike. The Canadian collector spend another $2k on some engine tuning, electrical upgrades, new tires, and miscellaneous parts. The Canadian owner passed away almost three years ago, so his wife started with selling off the bikes about a year ago. A friend of mine contacted me about this bike, since he knew that it was not just another 1100 Sport for sale. The rest is history, I talked to the Canadian family about me wanting to buy this bike, and the family was glad that I ended up with this ride. The Canadian owner rode this bike very little, with the odometer now reading just over 6k miles. From what I was told, the Canadian owner was also very particular about his collection, and it shows. I also received the original 1100 Sport operating and servicing manual, three factory keys, and the original tool kit is also with this bike. This bike has been sitting now for several years, so I gave her a good cleaning and detailing today. I'm going to give her a full service next week. On the cosmetic side, there are only three things that I'm going to address: - There is a small 1/4" scratch in the paint on the left mirror. - Both mirrors are sagging, meaning they don't stay put on where you need them, which is an issue with most of the mirrors on my other 1100 Sports. I will either replace them with new "Old Stock", but then I would need to paint them again, or I will mechanically lock them in place, or I may just remove them completely and install a handlebar side mirror. - The Stainless Steel headers need some serious buffing So all in all, you can see and understand why this bike is in reality a much better bike today, then she was the day when she left the Italian factory. Another fun fact, my black 1997 1100 Sport, which has only 1389 original miles on her, was build and hand assembled next to this yellow Canadian bike. The Canadian bikes SN ends in 997, and my black bike ends in 999. The carbon air box is believed to be a "One-Off" specially made part, and the alternator cover is a nice touch too. I think that the rubber knobs on the cylinder crash bars are a little much.... I may change those to standard guards. This picture also shows the tarnished Stainless Steel exhaust headers. {} The instrument cluster is also believed to be a special made item for this bike. The brake fluid reservoir is also a nice touch. {} Carbon timing chain cover and fuel pump temperature dissipator (which is not really functional, but it looks cool). {} A custom made carbon wrap Staintune exhaust with crossover and a carbon inner rear fender {} Aftermarket foot pegs and shifter / brake {} The seat covering looks nice, but I will need some time to get used to it. It's almost a velvet fabric, versus the standard leather seat covering. Nobody would know this, unless you are someone who owns a 1100 Sport, but the oval style turn signals compliment this bike much better than the standard rectangular turn signals. {}
