Hello from NC

[HetGery]

Hello everyone, I'm currently bike-less and hoping to remedy that with a Guzzi. I did most of my riding in the late seventies and eighties, in South Africa, when my sole means of transport was by bike. I started on a 50cc Suzuki on which I did the necessary learning and falling, before buying a Suzuki GS 550 that I used to commute in the local town and then at holidays to the places where I would be working. Those trips were usually between 900 and 1100 kilometers away, so I racked up the miles on that Suzy. It was during my varsity years, while working on the gold mines during my christmas vacation, that I hitched a ride with a buddy who also rode to get my Suzuki, which was in at a shop a few hours away to get the tires replaced. He had an 850 Le Mans MkII that he let me ride part of the way back and which is why I'm on this forum now. I wasn't a fan of the brake setup, but loved how it cornered and rode. After university, I traded in my 550 on a Honda CBX B model - the white model with the fairing - which I still think is the best-sounding motorcyle of all time, bar none, and rode that for several years. Looking for more stability going through corners at the silly speeds I was doing I sold the CBX and bought a Ducati 900 Hailwood Replica, an earlier model with kickstart only. It cornered like it was on rails compared to the CBX, but never raced my pulse in the same way, partly I think because it had fewer ponies than the Honda. In corners, it was sublime. By the time I was approaching 30, I needed a car of my own for home-building projects, so I regretfully sold the Hailwood and bought a Beetle, trailer, and a 360 Montesa enduro that I rode (badly) on the club enduro circuit, scaring myself enough for it to be worthwhile. When I sold the bike and returned to skydiving, that was my riding over, or so I thought. This year, my wife bought me the Basic Rider Safety course and I got my license again - this time in the US - and I'm looking to get back into riding again, hopefully in the new year. I expect it'll be back road riding and breakfast runs mostly, but that's a good place to start.

 

[V700Steve]

Welcome, you'll find answers here. I jumped when I was 16, Dad flew jumpers. Enjoy the forum.

 

[GTM®]

This year, my wife bought me the Basic Rider Safety course and I got my license again - this time in the US - and I'm looking to get back into riding again, hopefully in the new year. I expect it'll be back road riding and breakfast runs mostly, but that's a good place to start.

Welcome to the GT Forum, and thanks for the story. Always fun to hear where Guzzi fans come from.
You'll have no regrets on any current or older air-cooled Guzzi. Are you shopping old or new?

 

[HetGery]

Welcome, you'll find answers here. I jumped when I was 16, Dad flew jumpers. Enjoy the forum.

I started on rounds back when sex was safe and skydiving dangerous. I've been lurking here, I expect I'll have questions soon enough.

 

[HetGery]

Welcome to the GT Forum, and thanks for the story. Always fun to hear where Guzzi fans come from.
You'll have no regrets on any current or older air-cooled Guzzi. Are you shopping old or new?

I'll be looking at used. I'll probably go and test ride a V7 at the dealer in Charlotte once I have a leather jacket, to get a feel for the size of the bike. I really enjoyed riding the 850 MkII back in the day - I still have memories of it - but I'm fairly long legged and I remember needing to rest my knees on the pads on the fairing, so I'm wondering about how the newer models will do for me. I can't justify the cost of a new or lightly used V100 when my other vehicle demanding love is my Xterra that needs an expedition rack for my old rooftop tent, along with getting it ready for camping in the spring. I've been looking at ads for the 1200 Breva and the V11, both of which will take a small fairing to keep the worst of the weather off the body. My Suzuki started out naked and I disliked the exposure - a lot - especially as I was doing 1,100 km trips from Joburg to Grahamstown at the time. I also fully expect to be looking at the info here on the site on what to look out for for on the models for sale that look interesting. If I win the lottery, I'll drop off a bike for you to tweak - I already have ideas

 

[V700Steve]

The 1st 10 man star was a while back, you are showing your age. You can even find Norges reasonable.

 

[HetGery]

That sounds like a subtle dig at Norges...

Odd you should mention the 10-man star. I used to jump a Jerry Bird rig - ParaCommander on the back and a 24ft flat unsteerable on the front. On his rigs, the front-mounted spring-loaded reserve was held closed with velcro and it had a big top flap that in theory, after cutting away, would cover the capewells when you ripped it upwards. I always had to beat off jumpmasters wanting to check the pins on my reserve - it had none, just the velcro. They were much 'slimmer' than the other systems at the time, until piggyback rigs came along for the seven cell squares. Trying to get a four way together out of a Cessna where half of you were on old-style rigs and the other half with piggybacks was super difficult, especially trying to pick up grips standing on the wheel and not pull someone's ripcord by accident. Relative work was so poorly understood that a 10-way was a huge feat. There was no incremental training.

 

[V700Steve]

Dad flew the 1st 10 man outside of FL, I was copilot in the Twin Beach. They were partying on the way up. In seconds they were out and we had to get that bird level again. The ass end goes strait up. I had to quit cause of my 1st motorcycle accident, didn't trust my knees.
Those guys worked at that star a long time. That was in Hinckly, IL.

 

[Bill Hagan]

Howdy.

I was in the 82 Airborne Division (way) back in the day, master parachustist, etc., but never had the testiculosity to try skydiving. A bud here is always getting me to try. Now, my excuse is "too old."

Anyway, I see you are in Garner. I ride several times a year to visit grands in Wendell. Usually on my V85. Probably won't be until March now, but if you haven't jumped on a deal by then -- and even if you have -- you can take whatever Guzzi I'm on for a demo.

Best,

Bill

 

[HetGery]

Howdy.

I was in the 82 Airborne Division (way) back in the day, master parachustist, etc., but never had the testiculosity to try skydiving. A bud here is always getting me to try. Now, my excuse is "too old."

Anyway, I see you are in Garner. I ride several times a year to visit grands in Wendell. Usually on my V85. Probably won't be until March now, but if you haven't jumped on a deal by then -- and even if you have -- you can take whatever Guzzi I'm on for a demo.

Best,

Bill

Thanks, Bill. I appreciate the offer. As a meatbomb at 82nd, you've already demonstrated you have more than enough fortitude. I'd rate low altitude static lining as far riskier than exiting at freefall altitudes, especially with kit. If you do have a change of heart, do an accelerated freefall programme - it's much better than being baggage on the front of a tandem master. Student squares are easy to land, just don't cutaway because it isn't round on opening.

 

[HetGery]

Dad flew the 1st 10 man outside of FL, I was copilot in the Twin Beach. They were partying on the way up. In seconds they were out and we had to get that bird level again. The ass end goes strait up. I had to quit cause of my 1st motorcycle accident, didn't trust my knees.
Those guys worked at that star a long time. That was in Hinckly, IL.

I did a jump at Hinckly in 98 or 99 with a bunch of South Africans who came over for the World Freefall Convention at Quincy and overnighted there. I was one of the last out and found it really difficult finding the DZ - everything was green, including the runway. I eventually found it and crept in over the corn in a downwind landing, but several on that load zapped into the corn

Was the Beech you're talking about the one that crashed into Salt Lake in 2001 killing everyone on board? I did a jump out of that plane in 2000 at that DZ on the way up to Lost Prairie and I remember the jump instructions about keeping the weight forward and limiting numbers at the door.

 

[V700Steve]

Don't know if it was same Beech, Dad quit flying for them cause of lack of maintenance. All static line out of a Cessna. I was ready to advance when i had 1st bike hit. The old Beach sat on that strip long time in disrepair. The guys jumping out of the Beach later on had a skydiving business at Sandwich airport and a DC3(Mr Douglas). They went to jail for flying weed back from Mexico.
I ran the family farm just south of Waterman but never jumped again. In 95 I bought a house in Kingston IL & built a Guzzi shop, then came here in 05