Norton Commando Transformer by Steve Twist
via MCN.
2009 Moto Guzzi Stelvio 1200 4V TT and V7 Cafe Classic
I finally got to hear a Moto Guzzi rev. It was by far the best engine sound I’ve heard. I’ve always liked Guzzis, because of the unique engine layout, racing heritage (external flywheel, horizontal cylinder? hell yeah!) and the fact that they are rare. I’ve seen only two of them in Iowa City and both of them were the Quota 1100 ES, and luckily, the owner of one of those motorcycles was my instructor at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s beginner riding course at Kirkwood Community College.
Yesterday, I had a long chat with my instructor about Moto Guzzis in general and he mentioned that they are super reliable machines. He also told me that there is a showroom in Riverside, Iowa. Here, in Iowa?!? who would’ve guessed? This got me even more excited (not that I have the money to buy one right now, but some day I will. By the way, did I mention that I am currently accepting donations for a motorcycle? 
). I might just drop by and ogle at the models being displayed.
The new Stelvio looks amazing, and I am a big fan of the TT. Dual tone paint job, knobbies, saddlebags…. oh yeah! I’d conquer continents on this machine!
And not to forget the V7 Cafe Classic for in town cruising…
Mister Freedom Fall ‘09 Preview @ A Time To Get
Frankly, I am disappointed with the new collection. I expected something different, and I guess this collection is not my cup of tea. I will have to wait and see what Christophe has in store for the next season…
Preview here.
Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan
Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan from Horween Leather on Vimeo.
Thanks to Mister Crew for the link.
Trip to Maquoketa Caves State Park
I had never spelunked before, and it sounded like a really nice thing to do for the weekend… So, when my friend called me early afternoon last Saturday and encouraged me to tag along, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. The Maquoketa Caves State Park is located near Maquoketa, Iowa and is a prehistoric site. More info about the state park here.
Although the trip was badly planned and we left a lot later than we should have, we did have fun. We were a group of 8 people and thought that it was a good idea to start spelunking 8 people at a time. Not smart. We were slow and ended up spelunking just two caves, the Wye cave and an unmapped one. I am definitely going back for more…
I was well equipped for the trip, with the amazing Coleman LED headlamp. This lamp had three settings - high, low and night vision. I almost always had to switch the lamp to the low setting because the high setting was blinding everyone else. It was tough as nails too. I bumped my head against the roof of a cave and the lamp detached from the head band and fell into a water puddle on the cave floor. It turned itself off in the process and I thought it was broken for sure, but to my surprise it mounted back on perfectly and a twist of the setting dial later, there was light! When everyone else’s flashlights kept failing because of the water in the cave, this one kept going and I am really glad I purchased it. Buy it here.
Being a LED lamp, the batteries on this one are going to last for a while. And having field tested it for reliability and comfort, I am going to make sure I pack this lamp for any subsequent spelunking or camping trips.
And this is what spelunking does to your clothes…
TCX Pro 2 Motocross boots
I had to sell my beloved Tricker’s Stow tan suede boots to buy these.
These are pretty comfortable to wear and I love the buckles on the boots. The buckles can be adjusted to fit all kinds of calf or instep sizes. They also have a torsion control system which prevents awkward foot twisting in case of a crash. I feel the best part about these boots is the inner bootie system. The booties have gel inserts near the ankle for a comfortable fit, and the insoles inside the booties can also be changed. Also, the booties themselves are replaceable.
A better review of these boots can be found here.
