Test driven development is mystical to anyone that hasn’t done it from the ground-up. It’s almost like riding a bike; you really don’t know how easy it is and how much fun you can have with it until you get up and going. When the training wheels are off, it then becomes a brand new world full of possibilities.

I have been writing unit tests for years. Having come to the Java game later than most of my colleagues, I really like to make sure that everything I commit to my various development communities are well-tested and as clean as I can make them. Unit testing has allowed me to verify this in two different ways. First, it guarantees that what I’ve writting works, and more importantly, it makes me keep my code simple. Frankly, if I start writing a test and it becomes a dependency-driven, closely-coupled to the implementation monster, I can pretty much guarantee that the code is going to be the same. I’ll try to refactor this and use my tests in this manner as a guage for it’s quality.

So exactly HOW would I begin development by writing a test BEFORE I write any actual code, and WHY would I even want to?

We’ll address the “why” aspect first. “Old School” developers that I learned most of my skills from would create “fake” layers that the code that they were writing would have to talk to. A “fake layer” is defined as some type of data or code that simulates the functionality of an “expected” production-level deployment.

These “fake layers” would be similar to tests, but these guys wouldn’t write tests because they never did in the past (and some still don’t!). Testing just gives you a better framework for creating fake layers that you can create your code around.

HOW do you start with a test?

It’s actually quite simple. Let’s say you will be writing an application that talks to a database that has been created (you could even start without the database and just an ER diagram, but let’s keep it kinda simple). Looking at your requirements, you are probably going to implement CRUD operations against it. You start thinking about what the interface for the Data Access Object is going to look like. Hmmmm — Let’s see — CREATE, READ, UPDATE, DELETE. So your simple Interface has four methods.

Now start with a test. Create a class called MyDAOTest. MyDAOTest will test the Implementation Class for the interface’s methods. When we create a method in the test that tests well, we then create the interface method, then the move the test method, with proper modifications, into the a new MyDAOImpl class. It makes you create very smart tests that ensure you are “CRUD-ing” the data you expect. Coding in this way also creates the implementation to your interface at the simultaneously with the test. Finally, it makes you think about the interface and the implementation, and affects your overall design in a very positive light.

Now let’s take it further. You’ve created all the methods in your Impl class and your Interface methods can be extracted and the actual interface is now written and, for the time being, complete. Now let’s write a test that calls the Interface and implements a new Implementation Class through it. You can now see how clean your Interface is — how easy are your methods to use, how are things being cleaned up, and finally, how are exceptions being caught? Are you satisfied with the results so far? If so, proceed to the next layer!

The next layer may possibly involve a creating a Session Facade to allow for user interaction with the database (simple implementation, obviously). You can then create an Object model that translates the Database relationships into some type of presentation-level object gouping, and write tests to reflect this. It becomes very obvious what objects you need when you start writing a test that outputs the data that you want in a conditioned manner. Your first cut at it may look like horrible code! It may be some type of monolithic monster, but then you can see how things need to be split up. You keep splitting things up and writing tests around it, and sooner rather than later, you are suprisingly code-complete!

Do what works for you.

Even after all this I’m sure that some peoople are completely poo-pooing what I’m saying. That’s fine if it works for you. I’ve found that even if I begin by writing code to tests and continue writing tests and interfaces and all kinds of extra, “non-production” code, my productivity jumps dramatically as the project continues because I write less and less code as the project nears completion.

It’s about making everything solid. Using TDD, you’ll be writing one line of code to your previous ten, and when your “business guy” walks in and asks for a change, you’ll be going home at 5 instead of having your car languish in the parking lot after midnight. You’ll also have more confidence in the code that is checked in, and when things go wrong and the inevitable finger-pointing starts, you won’t be a pointee!

Petrana’s Meatless Pinto Beans

(The Copper Hills variant is this recipe plus the stuff at the bottom!)

Petrana was my Dad’s mother.  She came to the U.S. in 1901 — through Ellis Island. When she and her husband, Elia, landed, they were met by a man that spoke Montenegrin and he gave them tickets to go to Montana where a job was waiting for them.  For the entire time on the train, they only ate ham and eggs, because that was the only thing that Elia could speak in English.

Elia worked in the mines around Helena for a few years until 1908, when he heard about a large masonry dam being built in Arizona.  Elia was a trained stone mason, and he moved to Miami, Arizona to work on Roosevelt Dam.  When the dam was finished, he settled in Miami and began working at the Miamii Copper Company as a Blacksmith.  He built up enough money to purchase a boarding house where Petrana fed her family of four children plus boarders, and Elia worked in the mines and distilled Loza Rokeya, which is basically grappa, a family recipe that is still made on our family farm back in Spuz, Montenegro, to this day.

Mines didn’t pay that well, and having to pinch pennies and feed children and boarders, Petrana melded a bean recipe from the old country and implemented it with the local beans that were available — Pinto.  Good old cowboy/Mexican Pinto beans.  In what is an early form of Native American/Mediterranean fusion cuisine, here is Petrana’s “meatless” bean reciipe, which now nearly 100 years old:

Cover the beans with water overnight and soak them.  Don’t skip this step.

• 1 pound of Pinto Beans
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup of Olive Oil
• 3 Cups of water
• 1 large white onion, chopped into slivers
• 5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 5 tomatoes, chopped (this is a “home-style dish”, so only peel and seed if you want).
• 1 big bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano

This is similar to a lot of bean recipes, but this is the way it was written down for us so it’s near and dear to my heart.   Melt and brown the butter in pot, adding the onions and let them simmer until about halfway to clear. Add the Olive Oil and peppers and let them cook down. Add the garlic, then the tomatoes as they all become cooked (tomatoes cook pretty fast so you need to add them last.  Finally add the salt, pepper, cumin and oregano.  Everything should be getting nice an cooked in the bottom of the pot — don’t let anything burn, drop the fire to warm, toss in the beans and then the three cups of water.

Bring everything to a boil, then drop it down so it is just under — cook until the beans are done.  This should take the better part of 3-4 hours.  If you want, put it in a Crock Pot and let it cook for 8-10 hours.  This is an all-day deal.  They won’t go bad, or get over-cooked as long as you keep them covered with water.

Copper Hills Style

• Throw in a big friggin’  ham hock in there.  Not meatless, but really brings in some great flavor.  Remove after cooking.
• Add 1 tsp of Tarragon
• That’s it.

Additions or Alternatives –

• Throw in some julienned green chiles.  My faves are Big Jim’s from New Mexico.  Go on, be brave and enjoy.
• Add more herbs like thyme, tarragon, chervil or whatever you like.  Don’t get too crazy or you lose the bean taste in the mix.
• Beer is a good substitute for water

The Fall 2009 Slimy Crud Run.

This is just a beautiful motor

It was 46 degrees when I fired up my V7 Classic to ride up to Slimy Crud with a new friend of mine from the Chicago Vintage Motorcyclist Group.  Mark met me at the Starbucks on Logan Square, mounted on his BMW tourer.  Mark’s a fire fighter and owns a few properties in Wisconsin, so I was more than happy to ride with him up there.  I had my long underwear on, a pair of Olympia Thinsulate Gloves, Jeans, Turtleneck and fleecy vest under my “First” leather jacket.  The weatherman predicted warm afternoon.  I’m going to find that guy…

The morning ride up was cold, but we stopped at Mark’s Mom’s place in Crystal Lake for a sec, and I was warmed up enough to make it to the next stop inside the Wisconsin border for some Biscuits and Gravy and lots of coffee.

MV Agusta F4

45 more minutes and we were in Louden, the first stop on Slimy Crud.  I watched as someone adjusted the chain on his MV Agusta F4 with the help of three of his friends.  Beautiful bike, but that right there just made me rethink one.  Mark owned one for a bit, and his stories about their “comfort” finished me off on it.  Pass.

There were only a smattering of bikes left, we had arrived late and everyone was already headed to Spring Green. It was not getting warmer. In fact, the temp indicator on my V7’s Tach showed 49 degrees. I wasn’t shivering, but I was pretty damned cold-”ish”. Mark led as we took off directly north. Mark doesn’t miss many track days and is a very good rider, an excellent travelling companion and was a perfect guide. We travelled up though Sauk City and rode into the Slimy Crud from the North. I hadn’t been that way before and it was a little disorienting. My light had started to flicker on my tank, and I knew that I needed to fill up fairly soon. I figured I’d fill up as soon as we left, since it wasn’t far to the next town. We saw some fun stuff at run:

Trasher BMW

carpeted tank just in case you're stunting in "butt-less" chaps...

Nice Guzzi 850 with Sidecar Rig

850 Commando

And then we left. I mentioned that we were low on fuel, and that I needed to hit a station soon. Mark asked if I had enough to make it to town, and drawing upon my experience from last time, I figured I did so I nodded yes. Mark led off. We didn’t seem to be going the way that I thought, and after about 10 minutes I noticed that there was some hesitation. I was leading, so I started to make small “esses” on my ride to get the last of the gas sloshing around. The bike picked up again so I just prayed, stressing and thinking that we were just over the next hill from town.

And then the bike ran out of gas. Mark pulled up next to me. “I’m done — out of gas”. Mark looked at me slightly annoyed and said “I thought you said you had enough”. I pointed that my tank showed only 17 miles since the light came on (as soon as the light comes on the Guzzi shows miles you’ve gone since it happened). Mark shrugged, then said he saw a farm house back about 1/2 mile. He just sped off. I felt like a heel for running out of gas. Never done it before, now I know what the limit on the Guzzi is once the light comes on “for good”. It flickers for about 50 miles, but when it’s solid, you better be ready to gas up.

Mark showed up about 20 minutes later with a gallon can of gas. I filled up the tank and handed him a twenty for the person that gave it to us. “Nah,” he said, “She would only take two dollars”. I apologized again, but he waved me off and went to drop off the can. I hardly think that the friendliness and willingness to help strangers is at it’s best outside of the people I’ve met in the Midwest. Had I done this on the roads of So Cal, I would have had to call AAA. In a remote area I think I would have been screwed. There’s not a lot of people that open their doors to leather-clad motorcyclists looking for gas. And Mark was a saint for doing it without complaint. I would have done the same thing, but it’s always so very nice to know that people will treat you like you would treat them. He declined my offer to fill his tank at our next stop.

We stopped at the restaurant at the corner of County Road “Z” and “ZZ”. The kitchen was down so we just grabbed a short beer and got back on the bikes. It was about 4:30 at that point and starting to get chilly. Soon after we met up with some other ChiVinners and rode with them back to the Illinois Border, stopping for Gas. At that point Mark peeled off to ride back to his Mom’s house for a visit, and I decided to finish my ride with the others, all on bigger bikes except one friend on a sweet 750 BMW. These guys ride hard and wait up at the stop signs for you to close in. Of course the V7 and /6 Beemer brought up the rear and we didn’t get much of a break. Temperatures plummeted. I began to shiver, not quite uncontrollably, but I really couldn’t get my teeth to stop chattering at this point. My compatriot on the /6 had “Hippo Hands” — Oh, the envy I wished I could feel…

We finally hit the expressway and stopped at the Elgin Oasis for Starbucks and a warm up. I was a Dansickle at this point, shivering had pretty much stopped but there wasn’t a part of me that wasn’t cold to the touch. I know I’m forty minutes from home at this point. I get a huge hot coffee and drink it. I’m not wet, thank God, just cold. I go the bathroom and hit the hand dryers, warming my face and hands, making sure that my gloves are warm. We mounted up for the final assault on Chicago. It was dark by now.

I peeled off on the 294 South, the 70mph wind blasting my face. I wasn’t shivering anymore, but I was cold and aware that I needed to by hyper-alert on a Sunday night with hypothermia setting in. OnceI exited on North Avenue near Elmhurst I looked down and notice that the temp had climbed to about 55 degrees. I knew that I wasn’t going to freeze to death on the last 5 miles of my ride in stop and go traffic. I was tired from the 520 miles I had ridden in 13 hours, and was looking forward to a hot shower and some thick blankets.

I recently upgraded my Dell Precision M90 Laptop to Ubuntu Karmic Koala. I’m running it standalone, no Windows anywhere. When I upgraded using “apt-get upgrade” my touchpad didn’t work. Nothing. The touchpad was completely disabled. I assume that this is a problem on M70’s, ect.

Found a fix after searching for two days — in case you’re having the same problem, here it is.

Open a terminal (if you don’t have a mouse hooked up, use Alt+F2). then “su” and give the root password (I tried doing this with sudo and still didn’t have enough permission. I “think” you need to be root). At the prompt, type:

echo options psmouse proto=exps > /etc/modprobe.d/psmouse.modprobe

At the next prompt, type”

reboot

Your touchpad will come back up after rebooting.

Update 11/12/09

I did an apt-get upgrade just after the release was announced.  It killed my NVidia driver and would boot up “once in awhile” in recovery mode.  I finally got frustrated and downloaded and burnt a DVD on my Mac, wiped the disk on my Dell and reinstalled the thing.  It’s working fine now — there was no bugginess in the touchpad, etc…

Ubuntu changed a lot of stuff in this release.  I find it almost similar to Mac’s move from OS9 to OSX, except that Mac “warned us” that this was a big move.  Ubuntu rushed this release to coincide with Windows 7 and frankly they really dropped the ball on the message, the QA and the overall polish of the product.  Thank God I never trusted it enough to leave anything important on the Dell.  I’ve got Macs for that all over the house that are as stable as the Pyramids.  Snow Leopard was a “bug fix” release.  They’ve come a long way from the pre-”Jaguar” days.  Ubuntu should take note.

Funny thing is, I actually like using the Ubuntu more than the Mac, but then again, I like writing Python code in front of the TV with a cocktail…

I purchased my V7Classic from Rose Farm Classics on August 8 of this year.  About 8th I passed through my first 2500 miles as the weather in Chicago begins to close out the 2009 Riding Season.  I think I could have cranked another 1000 miles out of the bike this year, but family and work prevented my riding on the Labor Day weekend and all day last week.  We can probably blame precipitation for a few more lost days.  That’s the way it is, balancing good riding days with happily accepted family responsibilities and work.

It's colder than it looks. Motionless at 44°.

So far the V7 Classic hasn’t used one stinkin’ drop of oil.  Nada, nothing. I made a journey to Rose Farm Classics two weeks ago to get an ECU update for the V7C, and we found a loose screw holding the fuel vapor cannister line clamp in place.  it had stripped, but I’ll just put a bigger screw in it.  That loose screw represents all of the problems I have seen with 2500 miles of hard riding.  The log so far:

• I’ve done two 500+ mile days on it.
• One 800+ mile weekend.
• Coldest temp during a ride so far – 44°
• Hottest temp during a ride so far – 95°
• Best gas mileage – 48mpg
• Worst mileage – 37mpg
• Longest stretch at 80mph (5000 rpm) – 70 min.

I remain convinced that the Moto Guzzi V7 Classic is the very best mid-sized standard bike that money can buy.  It’s solid, maintenance-free and it gets looks and compliments that I’ve never had on any other bike I’ve owned.  I’ve even had attendants at toll booths give me a free ride because they simply dug my bike and wanted to compliment me on it (I’m NOT KIDDING!

This bike seems to have no real flaws for a “mid sized” standard.  It handles like a scooter in the city, and out in the twisties of Wisconsin it settles wonderfully on the bends at speed.  It’s better than my Ducati when it comes to turns with too much dirt on them — I don’t have myself quite as puckered up — That may be because I’m not going as fast?  Frankly, I don’t look at the speedo when I’m twistin’ the afternoon away — there’s too much to do.  My “meter” is the smile under my helmet, and the V7C puts it past “eleven” even in the city.  I find that I’ve been able to plot a course to work with some nice bends in the road, and if the traffic is clear, they can be a lot of fun (Pulaski between Armitage and Fullerton is a fave).  Working late, I can take the freeways home, the V7C just keeps up wonderfully.  the lights and stance of the bike make me feel visible and safe.  I’m likin’ the white bike in the city.

Going out to Rose Farm a few weeks back I started to feel the cold for the first time.  The ECU update that Moto Guzzi has released is supposed to take care of an intermittent “engine light” problem that occurs with some bikes.  The voltage threshold was originally set too low in a sensor (I don’t remember which one), and the ECU update addresses this.  I’ll also tell you that the update seems to have a different fuel mapping as I noticed a very different feeling of the bike, especially through the lower/mid ranges.  It had the same linearity of my old 1200 Sport but there’s absolutely no backfire when I dump the throttle.   I’m very wary of the “it feels better” statement when modifications are done to a bike, car or anything.  Sometimes it’s hard to separate the “want” for something different with the actuality of true difference.  I’ve tried to remain indifferent to the ECU update, but I do believe that Guzzi snuck a new mapping in, even though they aren’t advertising it. The V7C’s cold starts are remarkably better, but you still need to use the throttle/choke lever.  Don’t know for sure, but “I’m just sayin…”

I write this, ensconced in my Oak Park bungalow as a crisp, clear 44° day floats past my windows.  It’s rained here most of the week.  I need to get on my bike, but my daughter’s room needs more paint, my daughter needs some attention and my wife wants me to make dinner.  Hmm.  maybe I can squeeze in a few miles around the neighborhood this afternoon…

3:31– packing up, getting ready to leave soon. Too many delays trying to get out of town. I haven’t chosen a route yet. Guess I’ll just wing it, take 94 to the 31, head north and see if I meet up with some other folks.

4:19. On the road. Goodbye pic

6:30- Sawyer, Michigan, for water at a T/A truckstop

8:30-Holland. Got gas-42mpg. Pretty steady 80 mph cruise. Saw a little faster. Decided to take the “easy” way up through Grand Rapids. Checked the mileage to Interlochen, looks like I was about 100 off of my estimate for distance. Don’t know if I’ll make the rally tonight, the Sun’s down.

9:50-Checked into the Holiday Inn in Big Rapids. Temperature had dropped into the 50’s. Saw a couple of ex-deer on the roadside as well. Time change makes it actually an hour later. Beer and burger. I’ll hit the sack and get an early start for tomorrow morning.

Saturday

6:30am Saturday- out of the shower. Got my long underwear. Glad I thought to pack it.

Hepco Becker side bag removes perfectly so I can pack in my room. Easy on-easy off an 40L of room. I wonder if that makes my butt look big?

7:10am- Time to go. Air is brisk and sin isn’t quite up. The V7 Classic fires on the third try with the idle control on high. It warms up as I put the bags on and strap on my helmet and gloves. I’m off.

7:46am- Cadillac Michigan. Riding up the 131, the temperature keeps dropping and finally settles at 46F. The bike wants to GO! I look down and see 85 mph sustained for fifteen minutes. I slow down, but the bike says no. I finally settle for 80 @ 5000rpm. Guzzi like…

The sun starts to rise in the distance, looking like a far-off atomic bomb test. Far off, because it’s not really heating things up. My god the scenery is beautiful up here with the morning mists. I take comfort that if I were to fall off the bike right now I wouldn’t feel an thing. Fuel light comes on outside of Cadillac. Coffee first, then gas.

9:00am- Arrival! Nice crowd,nice campground. So far my favorite bike is a sweet T-3 Police. Two more small-blocks are here, a Breva750 and a V65 SP owned by a husband-wife team for Grand Rapids. Looks to be a lot of fun. The V7C is getting a lot of looks. Tour starts after 10.

Lining up for the morning tour.

(The rest of this blog isn’t technically “live”, since the bandwidth up in Michigan was so bad I couldn’t upload.  I’m home now and updating from my notes.)

10:10am- Tour starts.  First two people take off.  The guy in front of me with a nice LM3 waves me by as he puts on his helmet.  I proceed off the line and around the grounds, headed out to the street, where nobody’s there!  Turns out that there’s a side exit.  I circle back to the site, and everyone is already gone.  Pulling up to the pavilion, I tell them I’m already lost.  Once the laughing stopped they pointed me in the right direction, and I make 4 redline shifts before I can finally see them off in the distance.  I pull up at the rear, following a nice bunch and enjoying the view of 17 other Guzzis traveling through some of the prettiest country I’ve seen in the Midwest.

Small Blocks parked at the overlook

We pull up to a beautiful overlook, get a shot of each bike on a ride-by at a nice corner, and have a wonderful lunch at “The Fishery”.  I’m riding with a great group on with just about every era of Moto Guzzi represented from the Loopframes forward.  The tour, while not setting any speed records or presenting much challenge, had great topographical changes, nice twisty roads and extremely well-behaved riders.  No incidents and all smiles.  I would recommend to other rally leaders to have multiple tours with groups no larger than this and “seeded” with the same riders.  It was a fun and mellow.

Stopping for Lunch

2:00pm- Arrive back.  Lot of questions about the V7 Classic.  Checked into Interlochen Motel, where another fellow rider staying there said that after 22 months in Viet Nam, he didn’t do tents anymore. Said goodbye to the Breva 750 and had a beer with the Lario owner.  Bought some 50/50 tickets and enjoyed conversation with lots of wonderful Guzzisti, one of them insisting that I take a map of Michigan so I don’t get as lost as I was on the way up.

3:30- Someone changes a V11 wheel bearing on a the back of a trailer.

5ish- Dinner.  Talk about bikes.  I meet someone that came in for the dinner from close by.  We talk about how LA drivers are so much better than Chicago drivers, and how much fun it is to ride out in Western Mountains.  This rally is nearly as fun as the Arizona (Prescott) rally, which sets the bar that others can only to try to hurdle.  We have 78 attendees.

6:30- Awards. I win nothing because I’m neither too old, too young or from Oklahoma (1500 miles!).  There’s going to be a Saturday night church service, so I decide to go into town and catch the Ohio State/USC game.  Jesus and I have an understanding already.

10:00 – Ohio lost.  Everything is right with the world.  I lost my Moto Guzzi door-prize hat at the Hoffbrau.  Nuts.

Sunday

9:00am – I roll out of my motel room.  Am I the only person to find it funny when I discover a Quota parked out front of the motel instead of camping?  Time to check out.  Evil kitty at front desk with muffins and coffee.  I ride back to camp to say goodbye and route myself down Highway 31 for the 330 mile ride home.  Before I leave I thank the intrepid volunteers and pick up Mick Walker’s Gilera book for later.  I’m definitely coming back here next year for the scenery, bikes and wonderful people.

I take highway 31 for the most part.  Easy cruise, going through the small towns along Lake Michigan, heading south. The weather is absolutely wonderful.  I record 50 mpg on my V7 Classic, stopping for gas twice.  I finally got on the freeway just south of Holland.  I stopped at a Walgreen’s to get new earplugs.  Freeway Cruise at 75+ for 90 miles until just outside of Gary.  My butt’s just a little sore — I’ve got 750 miles under my belt for the weekend and 60 miles to go.  I rehydrate and hit the road.  That last 60 miles is wall-to-wall traffic and takes 1.5 hours. Sheila waves from the window as I smile at her from under my helmet.  Daughter runs up to the bike as I pull up.  I missed her.

If you’re looking for Danko’s Salad Dressing, it’s here.

When I was a young man, I worked at my Father’s Restaurant on the line at nights.  One of the most often-ordered dishes on the menu was the “Danko Special”.  It was a dish that my dad developed — we ate it out our house for as long as I can remember — it consisted of a dish that had some Yugoslavian accents, some 1950’s-60’s-style dining accents, and just a little bit “magic dust “sprinkled on it by our Cordon Bleu-trained chef, Michel Gehin.

The Copper Hills Restaurant Burned down in 2001, and the Danko Special hasn’t been served in any commercial form since 1991. I want to release this recipe to those that remember ordering it, others that wonder just what the heck all the fuss about the Copper Hills might have been about, and finally as a recipe that you’d enjoy. This recipe is for all of you that have ordered it in a some “past life”. This special time for me seems so long ago; I never thought that there would be a Globe Miami without a Copper Hills. You know who you are, and you’re all part of my extended family. Remember what it was called (Danko is pronounced “Don’-Ko”).

First, you’ll need a Top Sirloin Steak.  New York is pretty good, Filet is OK.  I like the Top Sirloin for the marble and flavor — I think that the filet doesn’t have enough fat for my purposes, and the New York has the fat in the “wrong place”.  Your mileage will vary — this is just the way that it was done. Then you’ll need the vegetables for the dish:

• 1 medium Bell Pepper
• 1 medium Onion
• 1 medium Tomato
• 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms (Crimini – Italian Brown)
• 1-2 cloves of fresh minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

You’ll need 1 tbsp of butter and olive oil, plus cooking sherry (there’s a substitute for this, but will get into alternatives in a moment).

To cook it “Danko’s way”:

preparation:

• Peel tomato by dipping in boiling water until the skin can be picked off.
• Slice the Bell Pepper in half across their “waist”, then remove the seeds and rinds.
• Slice the onion in half across the “waist”.
• Slice the mushrooms in “pie slice” wedges, about 6 per medium mushroom.

Cooking:

• Fry the steak in butter and olive oil until it’s done to your taste.
• WHILE the steak is cooking, take a saute pan with olive oil and put the bell peppers and onions in.  You’ll want to brown each side.  When one side is done, add the mushrooms and garlic.  You may need to add more oil if the mushrooms begin to suck it up.  Once the mushrooms are in, add your tomato.  You’ll want to gently roll the tomato around until it is browned all over as much as possible.  All the vegetables should finish at the same time.  Once the vegetables are near finished, add the cooking wine and flame.  The steak should be done now.  Plate the steak on a heated dinner plate.  Add the vegetables over the top of the steak, then pour the wine/oil drippings all round.  Douse the top with chopped parsley and serve.

Alternative methods

I won’t lie that I like to cook and I prefer to “modernize” the Danko special a bit.  Here are my suggested variations.  Mix and match as you see fit:

• Get your veggies at a farmer’s market.
• Use Dry Vermouth instead of Cooking Sherry  (Marsala ain’t bad, either).
• Julienne the onions and peppers — it’s more fun when you add yellow and red, and even more fun if you throw in a “Big Jim” Chile.  When you serve the vegetable mix, plate it first and use it as a “bed” for the steak.  The tomato and the mushrooms go in last still, along with the juice.
• You can broil the tomato with a light dust of Parmesan, Asiago or any sharp Italian cheese.
• The original recipe calling for Crimini mushrooms is great.  Whip on a forest mushroom mix, Chanterelles,etc.
• Try it with lumpy mashed potatoes with horseradish, polenta or even hash browns!

Bon Apetit.  Have fun.

This is the second review of my ongoing ownership of a 2009 Moto Guzzi V7 Classic. For the first part of the review, click here.

My second week of ownership of my V7 started with a rain day on a Saturday.  It rained so hard that I decided that I wasn’t going to ride until Sunday, where I would make a nice loop going to the Full Moon Cafe on Highway 41, then riding up to the Sly Fox Inn in Wheaton, Wisconsin before taking a bunch of back roads to my home in Oak Park.

It’s a nice loop to make.   The route involved a ride up the 294 towards Milwaukee and then dropping off at Deerfield road for the rest of the ride North on Highway 41.  After hanging out with the other 50-60 riders that show up there on Sundays, I planned a trip up to the Sly Fox where Vintage riders meet for Brunch and tire kicking.  Then the ride home involves skirting the lakes along the Wisconsin/Illinois border and then dropping down into Arlington for a jaunt down the 355/290 and home.  I think it’s about 200 miles or so.

I’ve ridden the bike just close to 800 miles now.   It’s had the 600 mile service done at Rose Farm Classics, which is a godsend to have as a dealer, resource and friend.  I dropped the bike off and he gave me a loaner 1200 Sport overnight while he did the necessary work.

Arriving the next day I found the bags installed, Guzzitech sump in place and the bike ready to go.  Of course everything was fine, and of course it took me forever to get out of there because Jim’s a great conversationalist, has interesting people show up, and now he had a beautiful white Cal Vintage in his showroom that a customer was to take delivery of next week.  We spent at least an hour discussing the merits of the Vin and the V7C with each other.

800 Miles and it’s all Smiles

After 800 miles, I can tell you that the V7 has no shortcomings for me.  It holds its own on the freeways with ease.  It handles the hideous street conditions in Chicago like a Hummer.  It gets awesome mileage.  It’s completely and totally comfortable, easy to ride for a beginner and for more advanced riders it rewards with a lightness, agility and very healthy torque curve. It makes you look cool without being threatening or looking like you’re compensating for something.  It says “I have everything I need”, not “I can have anything I want”.

The Moto Guzzi V7 Classic has absolutely the best gearbox that I’ve ever felt on a Moto Guzzi.  It shifts like a Japanese bike – snick snick.  Braking is predictable, and the Metzler tires are a great match for the chassis.  My only complaint is the instrumentation is rather busy and hard to read when you’re speeding down the road.  I don’t like to take my eyes off the road for any period of time, especially in traffic, and it’s taken some time to get used to just glancing at where the needles are pointing and registering it in your head.  I do like the ambient air temperature guage — nice touch.

The riding position is super for me.  I didn’t know what I’d think about such an upright position.  I mean, I expect it on my Eldorado, but on a modern bike positions are usually a lot more dramatic, either in the relationship of seat to gas tank, riding lean, peg location, whatever.  The standard seat is absolutely perfect for the city, and out on the highway, the wind blast is minimal (I wear a full face helmet).

It’s raining today and I have the bike is at rest till the weather clears.  I’m surprised at the size of the V7 with respect to the Eldorado.  It’s at least the same size, maybe just a little larger in some regard, although it is most definitely narrower.  I think you sit at about the same height, but you definitely notice the lightness of the V7 Classic and it’s handling is much, much more modern in its implementation.

The retro look is a wonderful compliment to the Eldorado as well, don't you think?

And so it was, upon the demise of my 1200 Sport and State Farm Insurance completely taking care of me, I took a hard look at what and how I would be riding over the next couple of years.  The 1200 was a great bike and I fully expected to replace it.  I purchased it because I wanted it for the long distance tours I had planned to get to this year and the next few.

I realized that my new job and just-outside-the-city lifestyle really meant that for the next couple of years, 99+ percent of my riding would be within a 150mi radius, with many, many days of riding through the streets of Chicago at 30-ish miles per hour.  This is not the venue, mission or best possible circumstances with which to operate a 1200 Sport.  This mustang needs road.  I need a bike that is a better choice for these distances, light on its feet and able to make me grin while I tackle the third-world roads of Chicago and surrounding cities.

You already figured that I’m getting a Guzzi?  Well I looked hard at the Ducati 1000GT, the Triumph Bonneville and even considered a maxi-scoot.  I hit the forums and asked more and more about the V7C.  The more I heard from the people that actually owned it, the more I started warming up to the idea.  Finally, I read a Wall Street Journal Comparison of the Bonneville, Sportster and V7 Classic.

Me and my new V7 Classic 8.11.09

So I now own one purchased from Rose Farm Classics.  Buying two bikes in three months, I’ve become their best customer!  I think without the accidents I’d still rock them.  Jim’s a super guy that is all straight talk and thinks pretty much the same way I do, except he knows more about bikes than I ever will.

If you don’t know too much about the V7 Classic, you haven’t been following Guzzi that much.  If that’s the case, I’m glad you’re reading this.  The V7 is Guzzi’s best-selling bike at the moment.  It’s a city-dweller.  400lbs, 48 hp and a beautiful retro look with just pristine fit and finish.  It has a low 31″ seat, and is a standard motorcycle, looking like a throwback from the 70’s, but with fuel injection, modern brakes and tires, and a full warranty.

2009 Moto Guzzi V7 Classic with pre-production tank badge.

Here’s the simple facts:

• Fuel Tank:  4.5 Gal, .7Gal res (figure 50+mpg on a very bad day)
• Motor:  90° air/oil cooled transvers v-twin with 2 valves per cylinder.
• Weight: 401lbs (about 100 lbs more than the typical MSF training bike!)
• Horsepower: 48
• Seat Height: 31.7 in.
• Price: $8490

I’ve already written that I thought it was a great bike for women, but why should they get all the fun?  Frankly, I practically need a muscle-relaxer to get the smile off my face after riding this bike.  I haven’t had this much plain, honest fun on a bike since I was a kid.  Even before I depart on my commute to work, I feel like an 11-year old kid getting on his bike knowing that he was going to ride it to his friend’s house and have the best summer day of his life.  Mounting up for a trip from Chicago to Milwaukee and back or from Oak Park to Lake Geneva and back, forgettaboutit!  In the week that I’ve owned this bike, I’ve already DONE all of this!  500 miles in a week, and tomorrow I’ll rack up another 200.  I don’t want to get off the bike, park it, leave it while I sleep.

It goes through corners in a way that is much better than you’d expect from a rudimentary-suspended bike.  The frame, geometry and suspension work together in harmony, allowing the torquey 750cc V-Twin to just pull you around effortlessly.  You feel like the first day you got on a bike and knew that you had enough experience to have fun and not get hurt.  Riding it around the city, you just want to move this bike with your body around turns and corners.  It does what you want, when you want it.

A lot of reviewers have poo-pooed the single-disc front brake.  Riding in the City, I’ve had the chance to use them hard a few times.  They pull the bike down just fine, in a linear manner, within extremely acceptable distances.  An extra disk would be there for looks only.  I wouldn’t call that overkill, but the braking matches the character of the bike, and it’s mission:

Have fun and ride.

Streets are one thing, and the Moto Guzzi V7 Classic is a great city bike.  What about out of town?  I’ve had the chance to do the country lane roads, the Interstates and also secondary highways.  Trucks don’t blow me around at all.  No wind blast to speak of, I’m abandoning the idea of getting a windscreen (I ride with a full-face helmet).  I can easily attain highway speeeds and if I wanted to, cruise at a level that would get me more than a speeding ticket.

I’ve already ridden it in the rain, on crappy roads, ruts, grooves, construction zones and some dirt.  No problem.  This bike is well-behaved, competent and comfortable.  On city-highway cycles, I’m getting almost exactly 50mpg during break-in.

I’m going to add two accessories.  Guzzi-Tech’s Small-Block Sump Spacer, which adds an extra Litre-plus of lubricant in the engine.  I like this for cooler running and to make sure that there’s plenty of oil in the sump.  $300 bucks shipped is a bargain, and the part is super-well made.  I’m also adding a set of Hepco-Becker 30L Junior bags on the mounts that are made for the V7 Classic.

Guzzi has been building the small-blocks for decades, and the formula has become more and more refined.  As I pull the V7 into my back yard in the evenings, I look at all the pretty chrome, the slightly blued exhaust pipes and the pearlescent white paint.

I’d grin, but I’m already grinning, and I’ve got no extra grin left.  Great bike.  It fits me well and makes me damned happy.

My Moto Guzzi V7 Classic, finally got off it long enough for a picture.

Second week!

July 19, 2009

It was a typical Wednesday as I left work just after 6 at WMS. My Birthday was coming up and I was wondering what Sheila had arranged for it, as we make a big deal out of birthdays in our house.  I was traveling one of my usual routes home.  I have about 6 routes that I take on a random basis.  I think  it’s safer to ride this way because you don’t get complacent at intersections and other traffic hazards.

I was about a mile away from my office in heavy traffic; I had just turned southbound on Kedzie, just above the Belmont intersection.  Traffic in the northbound lane was bumper-to-bumper.  A silver car was peeking its nose out, trying to turn out from School Street and into my lane. I chopped the throttle and covered my brake.  Just like that it darted out in front of me.  I hit the brakes but it was too late.  There was no place to go, so I added more rear brake and went sideways, laying the bike down and separating from it cleanly.I was wondering if the guy was even going to stop.  He did.  For a minute I was amazed that he was going to be a good samaritan.  It ended when he began yelling just as was getting up off the ground and assessing the damage.  ”How fast were  you going?”  ”YOU WERE SPEEDING”!  Do you have insurance?

Huh?

I’m doing a “Street Luge” on my spine protector head first down the street and he wants to know what?  Somebody else finally called the cops. He was on the phone to his wife at the time.  An ambulance pulled up with a tow truck 10 minutes after this, along with a Sargeant that said he’d call for a car to take the report. I was treated for a skinned knee and the Ambulance drivers thanked me for wearing my gear and motored off.  The other driver asked me if I was OK or had any broken bones at this point — about 20 minutes after it happened.  I was still a little adrenaline-overloaded by the accident, but somehow I managed to keep my cool.  He then introduced the argument that I had rear-ended him. I explained to him that “the bike” had rear-ended him after he had pulled out in front of me and I had fallen off.  If I had rear ended him, there would have been much more damage from where my body and flown into his car.

The police finally pulled up.  I had been talking to the towing company about getting my bike to Rose Farm Classics in Woodstock as soon as possible for repairs.  The other driver ran up to the Police car and started yelling that I had rear ended him. At this point the adrenaline is wearing off and I’m getting PISSED.  I “calmly” interceded that the bike had indeed hit his rear end after he had pulled left in front of me from school street, where we were located.  After answering “yes” to the officer when she asked if this was true, he blurted out that I was speeding and must have ran the stop sign that was about 200 feet above the intersection.

The officer asked if he had seen that. She said “if you saw that, why did you pull in front of him?”.  He said “I didn’t see that”.   I said, “I’m not surprised, because I actually did stop there.  I had to, because I was turning left from that intersection at the three-way stop, and nobody would let me in”.  The police officer then separated us and took our statements. The other officer, driving the vehicle, wanted to cite the driver.  The officer taking the report didn’t.  She said “we weren’t here, we didn’t see it.  The driver said he was rear-ended after he pulled out, and the rider said he was cut off”. The policeman driving the car was a rider, but his partner wasn’t budging.  Nobody was cited.

The towing company at this point was waiting for my wife, who they had called.  My cell phone was dead.  The scene was pretty much cleaned up, my bike was sitting upright on it’s kickstand, the center stand was bent from the slide.  Damage wasn’t “too” bad.  all the bodywork on the left side was scraped up and the mirrors were broken off.  Other than that, it was ok.  I figured it had some bux in front of it, but I’d be back on it in a few weeks.  Sheila arrived.  I filled out the paperwork for the Chicago Towing Association with my State Farm info, and they said they’d get it to Woodstock tomorrow, as it was just after 7 at this point.

The whole incident lasted less than an hour.  I had no damage to my clothing or gear other than a few scrapes across the back of my jacket.  My helmet had never hit the ground.  My double-kneed Dickies that I usually wear in the city had about 2 broken threads in the knee that I found after washing them.  Total damage to me was two silver-dollar-sized “rug burns” where my jeans, knees and the street met.  My Dainese hard spine protector completely insulated my back from the pavement. My Held GP1 gloves were completely unmarked, still the finest damned gloves I’ve ever had. I immediately went home and wrote down the entire incident as I remembered it fresh, and sent it to my insurance agent  This was important. It saved my butt.

I was headed southbound on Kedzie after turning left from Roscoe at a 3-way stop about 200 yards to the North.  Traffic was heavy in both lanes, but bumper-to-bumper on the northbound side of Kedzie.  The vehicle that I was involved with had sqeezed between the cars in the northbound lane and was attempting to make a left hand turn headed south in my direction.  I saw him between lanes, ready to pull out, but couldn’t see his face so I didn’t know if he could see me.  As I got closer, he accelerated hard to pull in the southbound lane.  I tried to anticipate and brake hard, but I had nowhere to go.  I laid the bike down — it slid about 20-30 feet and hit his rear bumper — I slid on my back to a stop about 10 feet away, still in the southbound lane.  My left leg is a little sore and I have a lightly skinned knee.  I declined any ambulance transport as my gear protected me fully.

He immediately stopped, accused me of speeding and asked me if I had insurance.  He did NOT call the police — a bystander did but got the fire department.  Ambulance arrived, dressed my knee and took off.  Police arrived approximately 30 minutes later, although a two to others including a sergeant stopped briefly to call for a patrol car to file a report.  No citations were issued because, according to the officer, “they weren’t there at the time”.

I am sure that the driver of the vehicle will claim that I was speeding and I most certainly was not.  Traffic was heavy and I ride this route every day.  Evidence of my speed and light fall can be had by examining my gear.  There was no damage to my leather gloves, boots or even my helmet.  My jeans were not even ripped where my knee was scuffed. Only light scuffing to my leather jacket where I slid on my back protector.  Bike damage consists of significant scuffing to the left side, broken mirrors, bent center stand and possibly some other damage that wasn’t readily visible to me.

Bottom line — the car made a left turn in front of me and cut me off.

Bike was towed to Rose Farm Classics, the Moto Guzzi  in Woodstock, Il (1250 N Rose Farm Road, Woodstock, IL 60098 — 818-337-6686 — owner is Jim Barron).

(I also put all claim number information, and information about the other driver, but I deleted this to protect this jackass’ privacy.)

Didn’t know about Chicago Towing Companies, but NOW I do!

Here’s a tip if you are living in Chicago and you ride a Motorcycle. Have this printed into labels and sewn into your motorcycle gear:

Billy & The Boy Motorcycle Towing in Tinley Park, IL 60477 – (773) 239-5971

I didn’t know about these guys before, but I wish I did.  You see, the bike didn’t show up at Rose Farm the next day.  I called the number on the receipt and got an answering machine.  I called Jim at Rose Farm and he told me that he didn’t like the sound of this.  Other people I talked to just shook their heads and silently prayed for me.  Someone sent me “Lincoln Park Pirates” by Steve Goodman:

The streetlamps are on in Chicago tonight
And lovers a’gazin’ at stars
The stores are all closin’, and Daley is dozin’
And the fat man is counting the cars
And there’s more cars than places to put ‘em, he said
But I’ve got room for them all
So ’round ‘em up boys, ’cause I want some more toys
In the lot by the grocery store …

I realize that I AM SCREWED.  I call the insurance company to warn them.  I apologize for not knowing about towing companies in Chicago.  LA and Phoenix just don’t do this stuff so I was unprepared.  My State Farm agent, Luis Garcia and his people were just awesome, said that they knew what to do and not worry about it.  I have to call out my Insurance Company as being totally stand-up with this whole incident.  They were awesome, helpful, empathetic and in the end, fast about getting money back to me.  Good people and I am glad they cover me.

Day Two. I’ve called about 30 times, finally found their lot where my bike IS NOT located, with nobody attending.  I call Jim.  Jim calls a fellow Guzzisti in the Police Department.  I get a call 15 minutes later and the bike is on it’s way to Woodstock at about 3pm in light rain.  Jim said he’d wait and call me when the bike gets here.

Jim calls back and says “things are not good”.  He took pictures.  It seems that the driver and his rider, let’s call them “Darrell and Darrel”, had let the bike fall over in the flat bed on the way out there.  Obviously didn’t know how to secure a bike on a flat bed.  To keep it from “moving around”, they had taken the main cable on the flat bed, wove it through the front wheel and over the frame while it was laying down, and, wait for it…

Used the winch to tighten it down. This trashed the front wheel, bent a rotor and bent the frame.

Towing bill to the insurance company was $825 for 43 miles.  I called State Farm immediately.  Jim had been smart enough to take pictures of the bike while it was still on the truck and cinched down.  The idiot that pulled out in front of my took pictures of the bike with his cell phone, so everyone had before and after shots.  State Farm is going after both.  Total damage to the bike:  more than $14K.  Total loss.

What a waste.  It was such a wonderful, wonderful bike that had really grown on me.  1200 miles and two months.  Real craftsmanship and quality, just discarded after an accident.  I know it’s insured and  will be replaced, but it just bothers me that you “lose the souls” of people that put their energies into building a particular bike, their hands having touched it, wrenches, concentration, etc.  All gone.

State Farm cut me a check for my 2 month old bike with 1200 miles on it.  Even paid the tax, title etc.  I showed them the receipt, they took a mileage deduction, and we settled.  I took the two weeks over the above events to re-evaluate how I rode and how I was going to ride for the next few years.  I expected to make a few long trips and the 1200 was going to be the locomotive that hauled me down the interstate to those destinations.  It was naive of me to think this was going to happen — My job is going to keep me pretty close, and there are plenty of rides within 500 miles in this topographically challenged region.  99% of my riding is going to be in Chicago or within 100 miles…

I just don’t need a 1200 cc bike for this.  I’m not getting into third gear unless I get on the freeways that are jammed during my commute times.  The 1200 is unfortunately too much bike for the city commute.  I decide to get something smaller, lighter, nimbler, but still get a Guzzi.

2009 Moto Guzzi V7 Classic

I take delivery of my new V7 Classic at Rose Farm this morning.  Going to RockerBox this afternoon.