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80XC100 asked me how I feel the MT01 compares to my Guzzi’s It’s very difficult to pigeon-hole the MT01; it’s no sports bike, it’s not a cruiser (but it’s got a cruiser engine), it’s not a tourer. Perhaps that’s why when it was in production from 2005 ~ 2011 it was a sales flop. They’re as rare as hens teeth here in the UK as well, but now rapidly achieving cult status. I think they look incredible - Mad Max meets Godzilla, they have massive road presence, and wherever you park it, it always draws a crowd usually with “what the hellisthat” questioning. Some folk confuse them with a Yamaha Bulldog 1100. Firstly I have to say I’ve never ridden any Buell, in the UK they are also as rare as hens teeth, so I can’t use that as a benchmark. The MT01 is a torque monster, 2000 rpm = 60 mph. It’s only a 5 speed box, but unless you doing 80 mph+ you rarely need 5th. Overtaking anything up to close to the ton is easy, open the throttle and the wall of torque pushes you forward like a warp drive. At 4500 rpm it’s all over! But it’s a very tall heavy bike, something like 260 kgs wet (574 lbs), and it feels like it carries it’s weight high. You have to work hard in the twisties, at the time of its production, some road testers praised its handling, but you can’t forget it’s bulk, it turns in slowly despite not having a massively long wheelbase (1525 mm; V11 black frame 1490 mm; Griso 1554 mm 61”). I think the suspension is a little under damped for it’s weight. After an hour or so in the saddle, you need to take a break from the vibration. On the plus side the finish is incredible, polished pushrod tubes, the extruded aluminium frame looks like a work of art, mine is 16 years old and still looks terrific Today I took the MT out on the same route I did on my Griso 8v last Sunday, and my Greenie 2 weeks ago In terms of ride satisfaction my scoring is (1)Griso 8V (2) V11 (3) MT01 I will write a more comprehensive comparison when I have more time. My conclusion is the MT01 is too much of a niche bike - great to have in your stable if you can indulge yourself with several bikes, but too compromised to be a great all round riders tool. The Griso 8V is a great all round riders tool, and the V11 is a worthy runner up, just edged into second place by the fabulous 8V Guzzi big block. I have to say that if I could only have one bike I’m my garage it would be a hard choice between an Öhlins equipped V11, or a Griso 8V, but it wouldn’t be the MT01

I thought I'd bring everyone up to date on my latest acquisition and modest project. I bought the Interceptor for one purpose really, a hassle free pillion bike. Cheap and cheerful modest power, just something for the wife and I to do cafe jaunts on and ride to our favourite restaurants for lunch or dinner in the summer. I took one for a test ride and was underwhelmed by the power but quite happy with everything else esp the value. Here they are just under $10,000 ( I think in the states they are around $5500 or so) on the road and comprehensive insurance is cheap as well. The things that have been compromised to keep the costs down are things that are easily and cheaply replaceable, so plastic indicators and tail light assy, mirrors, levers etc. I replaced those with aluminium LED units and also did a few zero/low cost workshop stuff to enhance the looks and mitigate the cost cutting. Remember the frame was designed by Harris Performance in England where RE's brand new R&D facility is and their chief tester and developer is Paul Young a very handy ex British Superbike racer so it's got quite good bones. So I removed the std foot lever toe pieces and replaced them with Woodcraft folding units and added lightening slots to the levers. The rear tail light housing and front fork brace was finished in a utilitarian grey paint which was removed back to the alloy and given a satin finish and a coat of clear. The handlebar cross brace which serves zero purpose was ditched and the mufflers replaced which saved around 20lbs and made the 270 deg engine sound like a Ducati. The rear plastic guard extension was shortened as well and a 16 tooth countershaft sprocket to gear it up a bit. It's a nice thing to ride and re acquaints you with how much power you really need or in fact don't need in the real world. The engine is silky smooth with it's 270 deg crank and balance shaft. Valve adjustment is screw and locknut. The efi system is faultless in operation and it even uses the exact same mini relays a V11 does. The brakes are surprisingly adequate and ABS assisted and replacement parts are laughably cheap. I replaced the std seat with a RE accessory unit which is a little taller to give my wife less knee bend. Total cost shipped to my door, around $150usd and 7 days from India! It's quite amusing though in that I'm used to riding bikes that require concentration on the speedo on the road and you often find yourself thinking "That's a bit over where I want to be". Not the RE, it's the opposite. A glance at the speedo is mostly rewarded with a "Oh I can open the taps a little here, lol" It's relaxing and just what I need for a pillion bike. I dont want to be reining in a bike with the wife on the pillion seat. It will perform ok and give adequate overtaking performance but it needs to be ridden harder than you're used to after riding much more powerful machines. Reminds you a lot about how much power you actually use 98% of the time. If you want more, S&S make a drop in 850 kit for them. The forks could use some enhancement but the rear shocks are adequate. The only future mods may be a set of Stainless Steel brushed finish big bore header pipes and forks internals. So with parts for the V11 getting harder to source and for those wanting to keep the Guzzi mileage down and ride an economical to own, cheap to buy twin that's relaxing to ride , I rate the Interceptor. Stock Now Details. Aftermarket mirrors, levers, Yamaha R1 quick action throttle and grips, reworked brake and shift levers, SS reverse cone mufflers, seat, new aluminium indicators and tail light and housing re work. Ciao

A Saturday morning low of 59ºF is going to make the Cherohala right brisk. Big block Goozies looooooove this!!!!!!!

Quick update ... life is a circle ... the PJPR01 gentleman is a very good friend and former co-worker, Guzzi lover and motorsports fanatic ... we just reconnected yesterday because of this forum ... so I'm feeling thankful and confident I meant to own a Guzzi Centauro

You fine fellows will be dearly missed.

Last week, same location, same ride, my Griso parked behind the Beamer R1150, my fluorescent backpack resting on the then cold exhaust

I'm going to have to order a Bosch off the interweb, might get a blue Bosch coil at the same time just to have, but... SUCCESS!!!! Chased my tail for a $10 part that I can't test... I just bought what they had on hand, made in Taiwan, maybe better than Mexico or China, not sure, but after putting the right end on it, she fired up and ran great. Let her run on the lift for a while, sounded good, I think the idle has picked up a little, after about 10 minutes of that, out on the road. Last time it was the second climb up the hill where she started to miss, this time she did fine, even rode down to a buddy's house and then back, maybe 5 miles, but that is 4 more than last time. I will keep a spare condenser with the bike going forward and a small slotted screwdriver and an 8mm wrench, which may be in the tool bag. Now, about 2 more hours for the Boston Butt and all will be right with the world, at least for me!!! Thanks for the help!

I used a rotary tool to enlarge the lower kickstand mounting hole, this took a few goes to get to a point where the m6 bolt didn't squeak going in (I hate that noise). I also got a spare sump plate from Steve (on here somewhere!), I realised mine was warped, as holding the spare on a pane of glass there was no wobble, whereas mine could be rocked slightly from corner to corner. Those 2 things together have stopped my leak, so I am happy. Now to go out for a ride!

I know y'all are always on your best behavior. Something special this year, we are the guests of the new innkeepers, Bryan and Catherine. Not sure who the "other group" is at the lodge, but they probably aren't bringing any viable parts bikes we could use.

Hi all. Needing to raise some funds so my cafe sport is up for sale. Original condition not messed with has 5.6k miles and needs nothing. New brakes battery and conti road attacks. Lovely bike in every way. Original handbooks and history etc. Runs and rides without fault j bike is in Northumberland England and is ready for anything

Not to change the subject, just looking at weather forecast , it's looking great: Sunny, with a high near 82. Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 59. Friday Sunny, with a high near 84. Friday Night Clear, with a low around 59. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 86. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 88.

I'm much more a jazz fan than I used to be. I'll say 'classic' jazz fan, if that's a thing. Awhile back I watched a series titled Bosch, about a modern day LA detective. They developed the characters quite well for a US made series. Detective Bosch was a jazz fan and a vinyl fan. I loved the show but the soundtrack also got my attention, as well as the many jazz references throughout. He named his dog Coltrane. Web searches of the soundtrack brought up a plethora of sweet players, many unknown to me, and rekindled my interest in both this era/style of jazz, and of vinyl. It has become my go to list for "new" artists. I picked up several records of this guy first, just to get things (re)started. Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

If you like Jazz, big band or Trumpet music..or music in general ..or if you think your getting older like me and want some motivation..this is an excellent biographical film about an amazing guy on PBS which I watched last night..I had no idea as to his level of commitment to his art, or the lifelong background and the depth of experience with other artists. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/stream-never-too-late-doc-severinsen-story-documentary/17495/

In his excellent reference, Moto Guzzi - The Complete History from 1921, Mario Colombo writes: "The V7 was replaced in 1969 with the V7 Special which had an uprated 757 cc engine and various other mechanical (gearbox) and and design improvements (wider tank, complete instrument pack, white paintwork with red stripes). Special models were prepared for the American Market with names like Ambassador, Eldorado, and California."

Just talked with Brian to confirm that the "change of command" kept our request for our "usual cabin" and that we did have garage space reserved. Yup. Now, back down to the Moto Grappa to muse on an electrical gremlin with Norge. Probably not a warstopper for riding it to SSR, but Lucas learned everything he knew about automotive electricity from me. Bill

If I recall what she wrote, a lot of the mods were done "on the fly" as they went on during the trip. And she broke the front wheel axle and a "bush" mechanic replaced it with something roughly similar. Still she finished the trip with it. This Guzzi should have been kept in a Museum somewhere. I am going to try to find the book on eBay. I lost mine but the story is worth sharing here.

Just want to say that I have PM'ed with a couple of you (Chuck, LuckyPhil, Denis, others) and I'd like to specially thank Weegie who's literally an encyclopedia on anything related to the Centauro (and other Guzzi's). I got quickly hooked up with both Will and Joe Caruso and am in love with my Centy. Thank you all ... I'm illiterate in motorcycle mechanics (despite owning 7 now and several other the years), but I have chose the Centy to change that Hope to contribute some to this forum ... thank you all

Have to agree with Pete Roper about the 8V’s. Elsewhere on another forum I’ve just written a comparison between my Greenie, Griso 8V and Yamaha MT01. I love V11’s - I’ve currently got five of them, everything from a Greenie to a Rosso Corsa, but IMHO the Griso 8V raises the bar. When the 4V motor has run out of puff and fells revved out, the 8V just keeps on pulling & pulling; the Griso’s frame also feels rock solid, and when riding hard on a twisting B road the red frame starts to feel “edgy”, the Griso feels more planted. I can’t disagree that aesthetically there still isn’t much to challenge the cohesion of the V11s looks, but I’d encourage anyone to try a properly mapped 8V, as an old school air cooled V twin it’s about as good as it gets

BTW , this kid owned two other H-Ds too . Did I mention he installed , maybe 18 tires in the first 24 months of ownership ? The front tire was barely used . He rode it like it was stolen !

His opening riff and the tone and feel that follows it always knocks me out! When ever I feel like crap, that riff and what follows pulls me up.

Ooooh…..one of my favorite tenor players. Check out the recordings he made with amazing organist Shirley Scott. Then check out the recordings that Shirley Scott made with Stanley Turrentine!

If there's a selection of condensers available to you, you may want to go with a name brand or made in a country with a reputation for better quality control, higher price? etc. I've read that some of the new off shore replacements are poor, and a 50/50 coin toss if they'll work. fwiw good luck

I found my old coil and measured it, only 1.5 ohm between positive and negative, so no good, found a new coil for an agricultural project that measured correct, so I installed it. I also put the spring and button from the old cap in the new cap and that got resistance down to 10 ohms and much more consistent. Put it all back together, fired right up like it always does and she ran great for about 10 minutes... Then back to pop and stumble, so I checked plug wires while hot, they dropped a touch to 4.2k ohms, still not bad, checked the coil to points, 0 resistance, no issue there, coil to distributor cap, about the same, so no issue there. Only thing I can think of now is the condenser/capacitor for the points, I may run to the parts store and pick one up for a 76 VW Bug and put the right connector on it and see if that helps, I am to the point of throwing parts at it...

I can see where Kaw got the paint scheme for the 78 1000.

As for the root cause of the incident, something similar happened to me; it is a strong reminder that we should always use the "step back 5 x 5" principle. Not to patronize or anything, but the step back 5 x 5 is something they teach us in the oilfield. Before you do anything, take 5 steps back, and think about what could happen with what you are planning to do for 5'; then do it after you have mentally confirm that you are doing it the right way. As for the side stand, my tip is to never assume you have a safety switch on any of them. You know when we learn to drive cars in Europe, we only had mechanical gear boxes. And one of the first step is to check that your gear shifter is in neutral before you start the engine. During the driving test, forgetting this step means elimination and back to learning. When I arrived in Houston, I had never driven an automatic. The first car I purchased was a Honda S2000, and to start the engine, neutral or not, I had to depress the clutch. It is the same with my Porsche 911. To start the engine, I need to clutch in. I do clutch in, but not before I have checked that I am in neutral. Since the "clutch in" serves no real purpose in my mind, releasing after the start would still put the car in motion if I was not in neutral. Soooo... what's the point of clutching in before starting the engine?

Now I am really confused... The coil is 2.8 to 3 ohm across the + and - terminals, about 8.5k from either + or - to the cable out to the distributor. The resistance of each plug wire with cap is about 4.5k ohms, and they have 5k ohms printed on the caps. To me that is all close enough to what it should be that I think it is OK, although once in use and hot those may change and cause my issue. Now where I am struggling, on the distributor cap, both wires out to spark plugs are no resistance from out to in on the cap itself, but from the coil (center hole) to the spring loaded button I am getting resistance from 30 ohms to 50+ ohms, and it bounces around, even if I try to hold it in the same position. If I pull the spring and button and out and just check just the cap, there is no resistance, so all the resistance is in the spring and button. So I took my old cap and looked at it, old and dirty, but no resistance to the plug wires, but 1.2k ohms in the center hole to the spring and button. I pull the spring and button out and it is the same, so it seems resistance is in the cap itself, and it is very consistent when pushing the button in on the spring, or it is too low to be picked up based on the resistance in the cap. I will keep playing with it, I might swap spring and buttons and see what that does.

Parallel twins always had a lot of appeal. Look at what Kawasaki did with its "w" series.... The interceptor is more authentic though.

The coil is from MG Cycles, I am betting a 3 ohm, going to check it. I will pull the plug wires and caps and check them first, I am going to smoke a 8 lbs butt today, so I will have some time to work. The jumpy tach makes me think coil, also, when something runs well for about 10 minutes then starts to get flaky I normally think electrical, it heats up and fails. Several local parts places have coils that will work, so if I need to, I will go get one, might order a Bosch Blue for the future, or just not leave the d@mn key on so long while chasing gremlins...

Yes, it's like a Japanese Buell, but, you know, without a garbage asthmatic Hardly-Abelson engine. 😂 Confession: I really wanted an XB12R around 2 years ago. The YammerHammer is still better. It has to be.

Hi p6x I had the same error trying to open GuzziDiag on my Mac after downloading. Try unzipping the file with The unarchiver instead of Archive Utility. Then open the unzipped app with right click/Open It worked for me on Catalina.

Man, I'd love an MT-01 in my stable.😍

What are you running for coils? Iirc the Dyna 5 ohms (black) can stand a little ignition on time without discharging the power, but that it doesn't take long for the 3 ohms coils (green?) to overheat and go udders up. fwiw good luck

That MT-01 really looks the business next to a V11. Great contrast and great taste.

Sometimes, if you call, you can find out when they are going to do a run of black powdercoat items. They might let you sneak you bar ends in for a fair deal. I did that once with a Kawasaki stator cover and they did it for $20, tagging it onto a run of black items.

Guzzimax, not many other bikes intrigue me, but I like the look of that MT01, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on it compared to your guzzis. They're as rare as hen's teeth in Canada, they may not have sold a lot of them, but they've definitely got a cult status thing going now. Glad to hear you describe it as heavy to push around compared to the V11, helps quell the jonesing a bit, lol.

Walt did not mention this to me and I don't see any changes on their website. One of the SpineRaiders had to work through some reservation changes and told me. I hope I have not mis-spoken. I know we all wish Walt and Anna the very best!

I dunno, man. These modern fuels don't seem to mark plugs like the good ol' days. Mighty easy to pull those plug caps and check the resistance. My buddy found his at three in the morning with his carbs apart on the bench *(unnecessariy). . .

@p6x, Check your dipstick to see if its O-ring has gone missing.

*Disclaimer: The "South'n SpineRaid" only borrows the term, tongue-in-cheek. True rally raids are serious, gruesome, impressive affairs. About the most serious event at a South'n SpineRaid is figuring out how to get the stack of pizzas delivered. Mademoiselle Dautheville:

Don't know about others but my wife and I are.

Are people showing up on Thursday? I will be on LC on Thursday, so I can run over in the afternoon.

This is my 97 RS which Pete has mentioned, it currently has the Euro fairing/headlight and a full Staintune exhaust system. I changed the belts a couple of years ago but it still has the original oil pump which will have to be addressed at some point in time though it has low miles. I know others have taken the gear route but I was just going to get the V11 series oil pump and a set of chains whenever I get around to doing this work. In terms of selling the bike, I'm a bit on the fence as I really like riding the bike though it kills my neck after about 150-200 miles. These bikes are more comfortable for someone who has some long arms and that is not me. And to be honest I have no idea what one is currently worth. This bike was originally owned by a collector who put no miles on the bike and it sat in a basement in Wisconsin until about 2003 when my friend David bought the bike. He only put maybe 3,000 miles on the bike and then I have put another 2,500 miles on the bike. It is fun to ride, and the engine is like no other Guzzi.

Yeah but... no, you’re not wrong Weegie, I too absolutely love the Guareschi Varano - it clearly shows a high water mark of what can be, should’ve been achieved for a factory LeMans sport bike. Trouble is, with the Griso model - whilst it initially caught my imagination on it’s launch - on reflection there truly was only one pic colour/angle which did that! On that one image alone I was first attracted - & then later on I had the opportunity for a 8v test ride... I actually really tried hard to convince myself it was more fun to ride than my V11 Scura R. I really did! But... it just wasn’t. Emotionally benign, lacking the raw engagement of the V11 for me by comparison. Just felt... somewhat fat & stubby really! Bars out like a Quota - too wide. Carc lays like some bulky sun-greyed Great Dane turd, a bit plasticky - more a quirky mashup of odd elements - rather than the aesthetic Marabese presentation of cohesive, balanced design clearly apparent in the V11. (only imo of course) Yes, that’s true. But time struggles to dim any of its freshness ie., G&B fairing is as equally modern as any Panagale! Still would interesting to see a face-off. Of course, I’d be happy with either kit! From factory? I be like Ahab...

The rock of the stones happy

Just passing this along for anyone else who may be looking to replace or repair their Bitubo steering damper. This is the emailed response I received from Elisa at Bitubo Italy. I specified in my email that I was looking to replace or rebuild the factory installed Bitubo steering damper on a 1996 Moto Guzzi Sport 1100. "From: "Commerciale Italia Bitubo" <commerciale.italia@bitubo.com> Subject: R: Bitubo Steering damper Good Morning, Thank you for your email Be kindly informed that in order to overhaul your steering damper you can contact one of our Technical Center: you can find the list in our website www.bitubo.com at the section Dealer and Technical Area These are the codes for the overhauling kit: Item code Description prezzo escl. Iva price excl. VAT GR0025 KIT REVISIONE SSW MOD. SD-SH (CORPO ACCIAIO) / OVERHAULING KIT SSW MOD. SD-SH (STEEL BODY) € 23,00 GR0028 KIT REVISIONE SSW MOD. SF (CORPO CARBONIO) / OVERHAULING KIT SSW MOD. SF (CARBON BODY) € 24,50 GR0062 KIT REVISIONE SSW CORPO ALLUMINIO / OVERHAULING KIT SSW ALUMINIUM BODY € 24,50 GR0102 KIT REVISIONE GB0038SSW00 / OVERHAULING KIT GB0038SSW00 € 24,50 Best regards Elisa E-mail:commerciale.italia@bitubo.com Web: www.bitubo.com Uff: +390499903475 Fax:+390499903447"

"I love the smell of [race fuel] in the morning. Smells like . . . Victory."