Salton Sea

A few weeks ago I decided to take a ride down to the Salton Sea. I'm not going to go into the history much here, but it's a sea that was created from an engineering mistake that was made in the process of trying to bring into the area more water for irrigation. Once the sea was created, it had no outlet, and the upping of the saline content began. It's currently higher than the saline level of the Pacific Ocean. Resorts and recreation areas popped up soon after the sea was created, but as the salinity increased, also run-off pollution increased from all the agriculture around the area, and the problem of no outlet meant that the sea became increasingly more salty and polluted. Eventually, all these pursuits ran out of business. Today, it's kind of a run-down area of abandoned houses and businesses. People still live there, but in general, there are lots of ghost-town elements. I didn't take many pictures on this ride, but there are a lot of opportunities for taking pictures that will look very cool converted to black and white.

One of the first things I noticed once I got off the main highway was the diversity of motorcycles changed. Around LA, my estimate would be that about half the bikes I see are Harley's, and of the other half, most are Japanese, with the small remainder being split between Triumphs and Ducati's. I've never seen a Moto Guzzi, but they are a pretty rare breed. When I got near the Salton Sea area, I entered Harley-town. I think I saw just a couple of non-Harley bikes other than my own. Almost every bike was a Harley of some type, and most of the riders were wearing matching jackets. I suppose it could have been a massive gathering of some sort, though I didn't see any groups bigger than 2 or 3 bikes riding together. The matching jacket guys didn't seem to notice or acknowledge me at all. The other, non-jacket-matching riders seemed friendly enough. I stopped at a gas station to use the bathroom, and a guy that I'll refer to as "cooler than thou" was leaning on his Harley. I made a quick wave before remembering where I was, and he stared at me for a moment, then looked back down at his smart phone. So be it. I still believe that my waving tells you something about me, just like him ignoring my gesture told me something about him. I'll keep being me, and I guess he'll probably keep being him.

It was about a 3-hour ride. For the most part, I went about 70-75mph, with a few faster runs when traffic was moving. The fast runs reminded me that my threshold of wind happens around 80mph. Above that, it's not a big deal, but it just gets more tiring as you drift to 90 or above. Got my usual 45-50mpg on the trip. Around town, I can get the same, but only if I take it easy. If I start having too much fun, it can drop into the low forties. Overall, I nice trip.

My obligatory black and white pic.

“A Short History of my Moto Guzzi V7 Stone”

I’ll peel this away like an onion, working from the broadest categories to the more specific.

The outermost layer would be the beginning of Moto Guzzi. The story goes that there were two Italian pilots and their mechanic during World War 1 - Carlo Guzzi, Giovanni Ravelli, and Giorgio Parodi. Ironically, Ravelli died just days after the war had ended in an airplane crash, and was commemorated with the eagle that is a part of the Moto Guzzi logo. Guzzi engineered the first bikes, and Parodi, who came from some wealthy families, financed the venture. The first engine design was a horizontal single which was used in various forms and versions for the first 45 years of the company’s history. That brings us up to the 60’s.

In the 60’s, we peel away the next layer. In 1967, a new engine was designed in an attempt to win a competition for who would build police motorcycles for the Italian government. It was a v-twin, designed by Giulio Cesare Carcano, the familiar form that all Moto Guzzi engines currently have. When Moto Guzzi owners refer to the “big block” engine, this was the first model, the origin of that “bloodline” of engines. It was called the V7, though you shouldn’t confuse it with the current model called the V7.

The next layer came in the late 70’s. In 1979, Leo Tonti designed a smaller version of the Moto Guzzi v-twin, the v35, a 350cc engine. This was the beginning of the “small block” engine. Tonti also previously created a new frame, that in various forms, is used on all Moto Guzzi models since the early 70’s. The previous frame was called the “loop frame” - the new one, the “Tonti frame”. The v35 engine was bored out to become the v50 (500cc), the v65 (650cc), and the v75 (750cc).

The final layer was the v7 Classic from 2007. The Classic led to a few later versions (with both modern and “vintage” stylings) which all led to the current V7 II model, which comes in three version - stone, special, sport - and I own a stone.

"Old Man Rules"

I have a few rules I ride by. I don't think any young, fast rider would like them, but they are how I ride.

Rule #1 - don't surprise cars - surprised cars can do surprising things.
Rule #2 - always be seen - actively choose where you are in the lane so that people have a better chance to see you.
Rule #3 - never be in a hurry - this doesn't mean not ever going fast, but is more about the frame of mind that can make you do stupid things for the sake of saving a few minutes.
Rule #4 - ride like cars can't see you - the sad truth is that most of them are looking at their cell phones more than the road or you.
Rule #5 - always wear safety gear - part of this is for safety in a collision, but mostly this is about having a different frame of mind when you ride. Just like you put on a helmet, gloves, jacket, pants, boots, you also put on a frame of mind specific to riding and being fully aware of your surroundings.

As you would imagine, lane-splitting isn't something I do - it violates my rules #1, #2, and #4. And rule #4 makes intersections a bit more exciting when a car turning left in front of you "can't see you".