Well Red

The best laid plans of mice and men have taken a hit all around the world and mine too, to an insignificant ‘first world problem’ degree. A jolly adventure to Ireland this spring was never going to happen once the loo rolls and disinfectant started flying off the shelves. Work too has made a land grab for my life and greedily consumed most of my waking hours since my return from the states well over a year ago.

It’s not all bad, temptation lent on the doorbell and a friend of a friend hooked me up with the seller of a 1998 Guzzi Daytona RS with 9 thousand kilometres on the clock and a seriously inappropriate exhaust system. She was pretty and mean and meant something to me, I’d sold a similar bike, the 1100 Sport, back when I was married and the prospect of righting that appealed.

Unlike the earlier bike she is a glorious ‘Rosso Corsa’ red and like her predecessor had a wide derrière that may have been all the rage in the 90’s but detracted from the monumental, industrial scale, engine and gearbox. I trawled the internet and found Ghezzi Brian, the designers of the most beautiful Guzzi ever, the MGS-01, and ordered their seat conversion just as Italy went into lockdown.

6 months later he pandemic pandemonium had eased enough for them to deliver her cosmetic care package. There were issues, there always are, but nothing that learning to braze (badly) and a grinder couldn’t fix with the help and support of Bruno at Ghezzi Brian.

There’s still plenty to fettle, including replacing the oil cooler with one that sits much higher and getting to grips with the fuel injection but that’s all for another day…