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I got my J&J vaccine shot as soon as I was eligible for it. Actually I got it as soon as I was even somewhat eligible for it, I signed up for it before I was 100% eligible for it but by the time of the appointment I was eligible. I had no issues with side effects, nor did the wife. We still wear masks when indoors among crowds. We still try to be careful. The big concern is not spreading the virus to others. Too many people think the primary purpose of a mask is to keep the wearer of the mask from getting sick. I disagree. I believe the primary purpose of a mask is to keep people who have the virus from spreading it. I don't wear a mask to keep myself from getting sick, I wear it to keep you from getting sick. The surgeon doesn't wear a mask during surgery to keep himself from getting sick, he wears it to keep the patient from getting sick. It seems we as a planet are incapable of doing what it takes to overcome this. So it seems we will be dealing with it for a long time. People are unwilling to make the required concessions, unwilling to do what is required to do. Everyone wants an easy button for this, and they thought the vaccine would be that easy button. But they did not understand that it doesn't work like that.

I couldnt possibly have said it better myself.

As usual the devil is in the detail as is the corporate mentality and philosophy. I'll keep my powder dry on this new bike until I see the specific finer details of the engine. The latest small blocks use a single piece rod with a slipper bearing and a pressed up crank with the cam drive sprocket integral to the crank. That tells me it's basically a disposable engine. Any significant issues and it's total replacement of major components which might be ok now but in years to come forget it. Distract everyone with the shiny stuff while you are making the stuff you can't see as cheap and cheerful and easy to make and cost effective for the manufacturer as possible. It's a design and corporate philosophy I don't like. Ciao

I've had two doses of AZ, no side effects apart from the penis falling off thing but I managed to stick it back on with gaffer tape and blu-tac. It doesn't get much use nowadays anyway. Annoying side effects of the magnetism, I ended up dangling off the diff housing of a Land Cruiser on a hoist by my head at work and they had to pry me off with a crowbar......

Pressed up cranks are usually because the engine uses rolling element main or big end bearings or both so there's little choice although I think MV's may have used a split roller bearing, can't remember. The one piece slipper bearing crank is a much better design and used on virtually all performance engines these day and for many years. Rigid and along with plain/slipper bearings has no practical rev limitations. The Norton crank is a bad example, ridged as a piece of black pudding. So wobbly in fact you need to use barrel shaped (Superblend) roller bearings on the mains to stop them exploding. The crank flexed so much a standard roller bearing inner and outer ends would collapse under the strain of the angular displacement as the crank flexed and wobbled about. My main point is the continual drift towards the disposable engine. I find it offensive from an engineering and philosophical perspective. Piston engine technology isn't progressing at a break neck speed anymore like electronics and software. Modern engine design is all about the corporate profit. Make it as cheap and profitable as possible and bugger the long term owner. Ciao

I agree Pete and your point is a valid one but I'm a bit of an engineering purist plus it goes deeper as well. The modern engine is a wonderful thing as long as it's a "good one" Will give many trouble free miles without any issues. The modern mass produced philosophy falls apart though over the long term and the short term if you have a serious issue. The long term may not bother you and fair enough but here's an example. My Sunday drive car is a Focus RS 2.3 Turbo 4. The engine is as is common practice these days a friction drive camshaft system, no crank or cam keys on anything as god knows that would cost and extra $10 in machining and 3 keys. The Upshot? well now you when you need to do a simple job like change the front timing cover crank seal here's the process. Release the crank pulley bolt, the cam timing is now gone. Remove the cover and replace the seal. remove all the cam drive and oil pump drive to fit new friction drive washers behind the cam drive sprocket. Remove the HP fuel pump off the exhaust cam, remove the vacuum pump off the inlet cam remove the cam cover and then the drive end and journal off the inlet cam so you can install the cam timing tool. Install the crank TDC stop. Re fit and seal the front timing cover set the cam timing and then torque up the TTY pulley bolt without disturbing the cam timing and re assemble half the freeking engine. This is what you get to save a few pennies on some keyway machining. Now the hard part, how many Ford dealership workshop drones do you think are capable of doing this task without screwing up at least 1 of the processes. Ford had a recall on this engine to replace head gaskets and when I saw what was involved I predicted a world wide total catastrophe for owners. I was proved totally correct, it's been a nightmare for just about every one of the 27,000 owners involved. Not me fortunately. This is the modern corporate engineering philosophy in practice. personally if they offered and old style build engine at a premium cost I'd be the first to opt for that if for no other reason than a dealership mechanic would have less chance of screwing up any significant maintenance when it's required. Ciao

How many people wear out a motorbike nowadays? While I too am not fond of the throw away concept the fact is that as long as the components are essentially recyclable it makes a lot of sense. Having just given my Griso a 140,000 km freshen up I see nothing that can't be repaired. Whether it will be possible due to parts availability in 20 years time is another matter but that won't matter to me......

From my cold, dead hands. They have been saying gasoline would run out since when my father was a teen...in the 1950s. Oh, it will run out, but we have a very long way to go, and the electrical grid can't take 100-300 million cars/bikes charging daily. Most of that power is from dirty coal. You forgot the destruction and costs of rare earth metals. One of the largest mines is in...Afghanistan. Another is in...China. These are unrealized costs. It is not about hate, but choice. It is not an ICE or E-BIKE only thing. But, they do nothing for me. 100% torque at zero RPM is a bit dull. I need noise, vibration, drama, passion. It is like reaching orgasm with no buildup, no foreplay. I prefer to be astride a living, breathing, belching, smoking, vibrating motorcycle. Something with a manual transmission, where I can feel the gears move under my foot when I shift, not some twist-and-go nearly silent, soulless appliance. Full disclosure, I have never rode an electric motorcycle, but I've watched enough YT reviews, and watched enough "Guzzi tunnel run" videos to know which I will select. "Guzzi tunnel run" videos are why I started taking a look at the V11 and will shortly add one to my stable of other fine European machines. Electric bikes? Leave that to the vegans. I will eat steak and ride a Ducati/Guzzi. I wish people with electrics all the best, truly, but no thank you. Electric cars/bikes are coming, no doubt about that, but I will not hasten the death of ICE cars/bikes. I can't freakin' wait to get a V11.

I guess that settles it.

Still toying with the notion of bringing the Aermacchi.

100 ANNI DI STORIA IN MOSTRA A MANDELLO Il Museo Moto Guzzi di Mandello del Lario apre le sue porte sui primi cento anni di storia del marchio dell’Aquila, fondato nel 1921. Un secolo durante il quale ha collezionato testimonianze straordinariamente avvincenti e concrete: luoghi, trofei, fotografie e documenti, ma soprattutto iconiche motociclette. Modelli, vincenti, rivoluzionari, unici, in mostra a pochi metri dalle linee di produzione dalle quali escono ancora le nuove Moto Guzzi. Nonostante le stringenti limitazioni legate alla pandemia da Covid-19, il museo sarà aperto dal 9 al 12 settembre, con ingressi contingentati e accessi solo su prenotazione. Giovedì 9/9 e Venerdì 10/9 negli orari 14.30 - 18:00. Sabato 11/9 e Domenica 12/9 negli orari 9:00 - 18:00. Tutte le informazioni sulle modalità di accesso e prenotazione saranno disponibili tra qualche giorno su motoguzzi.com. 100 YEARS OF HISTORY ON SHOW IN MANDELLO The Moto Guzzi Museum in Mandello del Lario opens its doors to the first hundred years of history of the Eagle brand, founded in 1921. A century during which he has collected extraordinarily compelling and concrete testimonies: places, trophies, photographs and documents, but above all iconic motorcycles. Winning, revolutionary, unique models on display just a few meters from the production lines from which the new Moto Guzzi bikes still come out. Despite the stringent limitations related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the museum will be open from 9 to 12 September, with limited admissions and access by reservation only. Thursday 9/9 and Friday 10/9 from 2.30pm - 6.00pm. Saturday 11/9 and Sunday 12/9 from 9:00 to 18:00. All information on how to access and book will be available in a few days on motoguzzi.com.

...until I realised it was all just a fantastical dream!! Oh well, it was a rather nice breathless moment before continuing to reconcile myself with Mama Guzzi’s liquid blandness...

It is going to be interesting just what % of SpineRaiders bring a SpineFrame. Seems their rarity is on the rise. Even at a SpineRaid ! I can say the inaugural South'n Spine Raid, 2004, was 100% SpineFrames (n = 4), but they were "new" bikes back then. As well as unknown quantities at the time . . .

It is good to know why one is crazy. Worse, lots of people are crazy and no one knows why . . .

Alfa damaged the reputation of the Busso V6 with a bad head gasket, great design, individual aluminum caps on each cylinder liner to seal compression, then cheap material for oil and coolant sealing, better material and it might have been a different story. What they did get right was maintenance, you can pull the cam shaft out without disturbing the timing belt to adjust the intake valves (bucket over shim), exhaust side was short pushrods with a rocker arm with screw and nut adjusters. The car (GTV6) was too expensive to build and the rumor is that lead to the sale to Fiat. Now for Italian vs German engineering, Alfa has 4 seals on the front of the engine, crank, 2x cam, distributor drive, the crank seal is one size, the other three are the same. Wife's 944, 4 seals, crank is one size, the other three are all different by 1mm, either ID or OD, drives me crazy.

There is that guy who had a good idea; he designed TuneEcu to run on Android for about every bike available in the market, including some oldies. TuneEcu works with the same interface used for GuzziDiag; only the V11 is not specifically listed. I am trying to get in touch with the developer to see if he could had it. Then a simple Android tablet would do the trick. I have requested to join the TuneECU group on Facebook, to find out more.

Thank you, Sir! There was some lethal flooding here in middle Tennessee a couple weeks ago. Looks like this tropical system is sliding through uneventfully. Plus, it appears someone we know named "Ida" has invited a big blue "H" to come from Manitoba. There are still some things that can cross the Canadian border without asking permission . . .

Paul, I think; therefore, I am. No way, I'd front those jackals at COTA a freaking dime. If I decide to go, I'll pay when I get there. Don't tell me you gave those guys your money already- other than your Texas tax dollars.

Best to you and your neighbors. It looks like the storm might cause some flooding.

As I anticipate that you will be one of the lucky ones to go there, it would be great if you could take some pics of the gathering. Not necessarily the bikes of the Museum, but the crowd of people who share the interest in Moto Guzzi. This is (at least to me) the real treat. Meeting people and learning how they got there.

Look, Phil, I agree, it offends me as well, but it's the way it is. Us going puce with disgust and rage over it won't change the minds of the scroll beetles at Piaggio. one of the things that shat me off big time with the 8V big block was that they used a pressed in bearing for the front main. If you bugger your front main you're supposed to get a new crankcase! Luckily though the actual case casting retains all the mounting bosses etc. for a replaceable bearing and the depth of the front main and journal/bearing dimensions haven't changed from earlier engines so although it will require a bit of buggering about I'm pretty sure an earlier, replaceable, front main could be fitted. Both case and bearing housing will need machining, (You need to have a gallery in the outer edge of the bearing housing to allow the oil for the under piston sprays to circumvent the bearing housing.) but as long as you get the measurements correct it's entirely doable. It's the reason I still have my original crankcase still. Once I'm retired I'll actually get around to doing it. My bike might even end up with its original engine number back!😆😎

Built cranks were reasonably common. Norton Commando cranks are bolted 3 piece. Honda CB350 & 450 are pressed together roller cranks. Yamaha XS650 is a pressed plain bearing crank. Probably lots more that I haven't seen.

Nope totally different shape. There are some non cross over V11 sport headers on ebay you know. Items 384351533431 and 164043373894 Ciao

Really! That's surprising. How do you sleep at night Pete Ciao

Me too. Who knew I would be still nursing this sorry-ass, maligned 2000 Guzzi Sport after all this time. It's valve train was supposed to burn up at 24,000 miles. What a piss-poor, sorry excuse for a Guzzi. Just please don't tell her. She doesn't know about the histrionics . . . .

You are totally right, Lucky Phil. I know that we aren't alone in wanting our hard-earned money going to purchase product which is built to last. Yet, more and more is produced with a "throwaway" mindset that I find insulting to the intelligence of the end user. I also find it unethical and operating out of bad faith toward the customer. That is why I like the V11 series so much. It is the last real gasp of old school Guzzi, flawed as it may be, but with an eye and thought to long-term serviceability. My 696 is at least 13 Allen bolts and around 5 pieces away before you can remove the battery. One of the few operations on that machine that is unacceptable and an insult. This is where we have been heading for a long time now. They really don't make them like they used to. Some of that is equal parts good and bad. I have high hopes for the new Guzzis, but I'll wait and see.

Too late now for bbolesaz but for anyone else just make your own line when the Guzzi ones fail. Cheaper, and better quality and aesthetics. No it isn't hard to do. Ciao

Interesting. I also saw my old VFR in that photo. It was an awesome bike that I rode 22,000 miles in two years. Just never could connect with it. It didn’t want my wrenches on it, either. (Everything was so hard to get to, it was just not enjoyable to work on.) Vanilla is alright. Right up until the garlic and hot sauce comes along… 🌶

Just a heads up: I'll be keeping a close eye on this thread. Things can escalate quite fast. Expressing your opinion and/or experiences is okay, but no discussion please. This is not the right place for that. FWIW: I've had my two Pfizer shots and apart from a day of muscle ache, no side effects whatsoever.

It's been ages ago since i sold my v11 Sport, but after some HD, a Norge and a Cali i finally got a V11 Lemans 03 and hope to put on a lot of km's .

I worked 35 years as an expatriate, and started my career in Africa. The first requirement I had to undergo, back in 1980, was to get all my shots, and a vaccine booklet which I still have today. Most likely a collector. To enter any African country in the 80's, you needed a proof of Yellow Fever vaccination. Checked by an officer even before getting to passport control. That was 40 years ago. Throughout my professional wanderings, I had to take whatever my company or client we worked for recommended. Imposed (and paid) by my company, I had to have an annual medical checkup during which all my vaccinations were kept current. From 2000 until 2006, I worked in Chad, and the client had a protocol to access the site, current vaccines, and malaria prophylaxis. Supplemented by random drug testings for which you had limited time to submit to. I still managed to get hit by Plasmodium Falciparum despite taking Malarone every day. For about six years, I took it every day. Because you need to continue prophylaxis off site for it to be effective. Either that, or refuse to work for that operator. That was the only choice at the time. When I was in elementary school, we had some expatriate students who had had the poliomyelitis because they had not been vaccinated when kids. I am not giving any advice, you guys know better what to do. But I am still alive, 65, exposed to tropical diseases and exotic hygiene, and the only time I got a flu shot was because it was required to get my permanent residency, along with absolutely every other vaccine shot that have been discovered. I have been vaccinated with the J&J in April this year. If excepted for the tiredness the following day, I am still able to ride my Le Mans for hours without letting off. And I never got the flu, ever...

I don't usually touch this subject in the wild, but I'll stick this out there. I did a lot of homework, read a lot of medical and white papers and here's what I've discovered. Disclaimer; the Medical Industrial Complex does not endorse this statement. Melatonin. early research into why age was such a significant contributor to mortality found that Melatonin uses the same ACE-2 receptors that COVID attaches to. Kids have a ton of natural melatonin, after 40 we make far less, and less as we age. Melatonin blocks COVID from attaching. I take 20mg before bed every night; discussing with a friend who has an unspecified congenital lung condition, she and her pulmonologist discovered that 20mg/day of melatonin is actually a known therapy for her condition. I'll save space and tell you that I and a few friends also discovered a marked improvement in lung capacity and ease of breathing after a month. You will feel like a 15 year old kid who sleeps all day for a while. YMMV. Vitamin D. Get it from the sun if you can. Sweat in the sun and don't wash it off for 3-4 hours. UV rays convert cholesterol in your sweat into Vit-D and you reabsorb that as a lotion; this mechanism is important to know, as the reaction takes place mostly on the surface, not in the skin so if you wash it off you get far less effect. Zinc. Zinc kills apparently nearly all viruses. But to do that it must be inside your cell walls, so you need to have a steady appropriate diet. Hydroxychloroquine has been in the news since day 1, but nobody wanted to say why; HCQ is an anti-parasitic, but in an unrelated mechanism chemically transports zinc to inside the cells. Even better, Ivermectin does the same, costs less, can be found everywhere (without prescription if you use veterinary Ivermectin and can do the math on dosage). I have apple-flavored horse Ivermectin, $6. I'll take it only if I get infected, though it has been around for 70 years and has zero side effects. I use Airborne or Emergen-C daily. Airborne works so provably well that the US Military has a NSN part number for it. I'll not be vaccinated under any circumstance, but that's a different and less friendly thread.