Teutonic Terror and Italian Stallion Ride Again

This fine Saturday in Florida I took advantage of the nice mid 80 degree day to get out for a motorcycle ride with my friend Andrew. Andrew recently got a new (to him) BMW K1300GT. I call it the Teutonic Terror as it is from Germany and it is FAST. I rode my Moto Guzzi Stelvio, aka the Italian Stallion, which is no slouch either.

We started off by taking the back route to PCS Daytona, a motorcycle shop that is doing some engine work on my 2002 Moto Guzzi LeMans. They are installing new piston rings and valve seals as the left cylinder has lost some compression due to a faulty fuel pump, which caused overly lean running and overheated the cylinder, At least that's the theory.

After that we stopped by the Helmet Shop in Daytona, where I bought a new motorcycle jacket. My old jacket had seen many tens of thousands of miles of use and it was just time for a new one. The new one includes both a removable rain liner and quilted liner for warmth so it will be good for year round use here in Florida.

Next we headed to coastal highway A1A and rode it up to St. Augustine, where we stopped for lunch at A1A Ale Works. Anyone who has been to St. Augustine knows the challenge of finding a parking space. It is usually a nightmare. Not so on the motorcycle! As we entered town Andrew spied a pedestrian walkway/alley with a bunch of mopeds parked in it. So naturally, we pulled in and joined the mopeds! No more than 30 yards or so from A1A Ale Works...awesome!

Speaking of A1A Ale Works, they have awesome beer brewed on site and their food is great too.

After a great lunch we took State Road 11 back down towards DeLand. It is a very lightly trafficked 2 lane highway and you can really open it up on the bikes. Really a load of fun!

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