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Took the “grape ape” V11 for its annual MOT roadworthyness test today. A pass so it’s back on the road after the winter hibernation. Oil & filter changed, but it needs a good tune up,

G'day I have an Oxford 30 litre strap on tank bag that I bought a year or so ago now. I too would have liked the Guzzi one but rare as Rocking horse droppings here in Oz so took a punt on the Oxford jobby. Pretty happy with it I must say although have only used it twice but one was a 1500 km 3 x day weekend away and it was great.Carrys enough gear for these sorts of jaunts and it kept my gear dry during some wild weather in the high country! I would put any gear you plan to carry in the side and front pockets in a plastic bag though which is no hassle.Also I put a thin rubbery sheet under the bag to protect my paintwork. It was stable and not much of a drama at gassing up time which was a concern prior to purchase. All in all I'm pretty chuffed with it and can't wait to get out for another long week-end and put it to more use... Cheers Guzzler

You don't need to worry about this as the piston is at TDC when you do the clearances and the valve can only drop a few more mm than opening and it hits the piston. Ciao

Great voice..and not difficult to watch with the sound off either!

easy decision. and, What are these 911 things you speak of? photos please

Aleix Espargaro has no competition; at least based on the warm up lap times. He is the only one capable of going in the 1:38 constantly, while the second best, Fabio Quartararo is in the low 1:39. So we could see the first ever win for both Aleix and Aprilia. Aleix never won a GP in any MotoGP category. Providing he starts well.

@PJPR01 Forgot to tell you; Rennsport changed the boots that isolate the spark plugs from the cylinder heads. This was one of the reason why I had an oil drip. The guy told me that with time, exposed to thermal shocks, they lose their sealing ability. I asked them if it was possible to do it while I wait, and they said no problem. Brought the car, they took it on the elevator, put a chair right by the action, so I could directly look at what was happening. Two guys did it. Took the exhaust off, replaced the boots, and voilà.... I liked they let me witness what they were doing, not trying to tell me for safety or whatsoever. Now you understand why I was willing, and still am, to do 50 miles to Sealy. I felt at a friend's shop. I will see what happens with the Einar's diagnostic on Wednesday.

"BRING OUT YOUR [PARTS BIKES]!" >"I'm not [a parts bike], yet"< > I feel like riding . . .

I was qualified but I feel I am too old to do demanding technical work. I am most likely going to be out of practice. Besides, it is unwise to do any kind of expert work on a complicated piece of equipment without being supervised. Even with step by step instructions a mistake can have catastrophic consequences. I don't doubt my ability, but rather my resilience now that my physical endurance is limited. But mainly, I am not properly equipped to carry out anything heavy. Since last year, I have purchased a few accessories and tools, including a workshop stand, but as long as I don't have a dedicated space in the garage, it is useless.

I went to Einar's on Friday morning (with the Le Mans). It is like day and night with Rennsport Sealy. Not judging by the way. Just saying. Einar's, receptionist, waiting lounge with windows looking out on the immaculate workshop. I got an appointment for Wednesday morning at 09:00 to check the car. The receptionist gave me the tour and a low down on the three technicians that currently work there. Rennsport: no receptionist, no lounge, workshop full of equipment and flat 6 at various states of maintenance. When I went there, they took my car in immediately to have a look underneath, abandoning what they were doing before. Then told me to schedule an appointment after identifying the leaks' root causes.

Thank you both. I see extra deep sockets on the internet, but unable to source locally. So it looks like I will have to buy off the internet and wait for it. Thanks again.

I don't have any experience with their tank bags, (the ones I've seen, seemed smaller,jmo) but I picked up a used tri-bag system by Cortech (Saddle and tail bags) Good quality and works as intended fwiw fyi

Not saying the world is going to remain static with regards to motorcycles but I live with the electric scooter and public electric pushbike bullshit in my city. Electric pushbikes available to the public to rent and transit to wherever they want is a total failure with bikes dumped anywhere and the helmets they come with littering the streets. So many dickheads here it's pointless. Personally I believe the future will be a mix of ICE and EV's. Porsche is already building a synthetic fuel manufacturing facility as we speak. Currently there is a thread on wild Guzzi asking what you'd ride if you couldn't ride a Guzzi and nobody has mentioned wanting an EV, even the EV fanboys that jumped on the woke train 6 months ago. Personally I'm a recalcitrant and will not succeed to the big brother mentality which I already do. Ciao

New life goal. Be the grandpa in this video.

So far as Desmo service as mentioned above, the adjustment interval is 15k miles on the V2 and 18k miles for the 11 Degree engine. If you're a DIY guy, there is a service that leases a Desmo maintenance kit, you can keep the kit for a few weeks, use that tools, purchase the consumables and get video instructions. I'll also share that the Duc branded parts, like timing belts and spark plugs are exorbitant but generic and discount parts are available- so shop around and you may find that a Duc isn't much more difficult than any 4 cyl sportbike to maintain with the same labor hours. I was told the biggest trick is making sure not drop the valve into the engine when making the adjustment. And each valve has two shim, closing & opening. So a Duc twin was the same number of adjustments as 4 cyl conventional bike In my case, Don's shop did the 18k service. Besides being a Guzzi dealer, he used to be the head wrench at the Duc shop here. Next time, I'll work with him for the service and get some hands-on training, just another 14k miles to go. The labor bill was something like $600, which was all the 18k mile maintenance list, including desmo, servicing the forks and additionally replacing the drive chain.

WOW! I had no idea, what a life that must have been, 27 years and 181 days . RIP "Pigpen" Paul B

Very nice ride video from the Oregon Norton Enthusiasts fall ride, with a little bit of Guzzi content.