Guzzirider

Did your bike smelll???? It has never happened to me apart from when foot and mouth was at its peak and I had to ride over a slippery wet mat onto the ferry. Guy

I have noticed the extra courtesy that French drivers pay motorcyclists (are you reading this Deben??). I once got stuck on a huge 200 mile traffic jam (it was a French holiday) on the autoroute on the way down to the Pyrenees, and they give you lots of room to filter. I must admit to doing something I would never do in England- after a while I noticed that all the French bikers were tearing down the hard shoulder and I was the only biker cutting down the middle of the lanes. So with the "when in France do as the French do" attitude, I rode for about a hundred miles down the hard shoulder, just keeping an eye in my mirrors for any emergency vehicles that might need the lane. All the car drivers were out of their stationary cars, enjoying the sun, eating picnics and playing cards etc whilst the traffic was at a standstill. Guy

Three Cross used to be both the importer and dealer but that ended a few years back. I bought 3 Guzzis and a Ducati from them when I lived in Hampshire, and they always cut a good deal in terms of price, but their aftersales support was patchy- they were known in the local Guzzi club as "Double Cross!". Motomecca are an independant spares importer and they have an arm that sells bikes too- Moto Corsa which deals in secondhand Guzzis. There have been lots of recommendations in Gambalunga about their good service. Guy P.S. Shipley is a bit weird- its the Shipley beer festival on 24th Feb so I will experience even more weirdness I am sure

I sometimes commute along the M62 to Leeds, and the traffic is normally moving very slowly or at a standstill in the morning for about 17 miles, and I cringe when I see bikes filtering at 60mph- there is so much lane swapping by myopic car drivers they could be splatted in an instant. I tend to filter at slightly more than walking pace and feather the front brake just in case. The weird thing is that some riders just sit at a standstill in the pouring rain with the traffic, when there is plenty of room to filter- they may as well be in a car! Guy

Well done V50- just in time for the spring too!! Guy

The sad truth in Yorkshire is that many of the bike accidents and fatalities are the riders' fault and do not involve cars- typically guys in their late 30s or 40s who are new to biking or "born again". They ride out in packs of mainly Jap sportsbikes early on a Sunday morning, try and keep up with their mates and end up in a dry stone wall by taking a bend too fast- unfortunately that is all too common a scenario. Nearly every Sunday evening in the summer sadly there is at least one fatality reported on the local teletext. I fully agree with Pete's comments- we need to take full responsibility for our safety and assume everyone else out there is a muppet. I also agree with what Nigel says about noise- I do a lot of city riding and if I am on Helen's R6 which is as noisy as a sewing machine, I am not noticed as much when filtering. If I am on my throaty Guzzi or the HD the traffic parts in front of me like magic. Guy

Colwyn Bay have dumped the Guzzi brand- got pissed off with dealing with the factory. Mind you they pissed me off once by telling me they had a V11 speedo cable in stock so I rode up from Mid Wales for 2 hours to find out it was a cable for a Cali EV. Here is the updated list of UK dealers- A and D in Denbigh have taken over the N Wales franchise. http://www.motoguzzi.it/dealers/dealers_gbr_dn.asp I'd recommend Jason at Moto Strada in Shipley. Guy

HC Travel have a good reputation- give them a call- ask for David. They ship bikes to the USA and back for holidays so I guess he can do it the other way round. He is organising our biking holiday in the USA this July. http://www.hctravel.com/ Let us know what dates you will be coming and I will let you know what's on- plenty of Guzzi events in the UK and Europe this summer. Regards Guy

I see that the Rolling Stones were censored at their superbowl performance for using the word cock in their songs- what is rude about male chickens??? Guy

Dirk reminds me of someone else!

Just checked mine- looks ok- I will keep an eye on it though. Guy

Its ok as long as you eat plenty of roughage with it.

Overtake a Harley?? Pah! That's nothing! I thrashed past a Royal Enfield 350, a milk float, a stationary road sign and a guy on a pushbike! And I managed to get through the twisties faster than an oil tanker! And they were trying. I was very pleased with myself!! Now I am going out again hunting for electric wheelchairs. Nobody messes with Guzzi power. Guy

Hi Dave Yes its funny how you can't walk away- I sold my Sport Corsa so I could buy an Aprilia Factory- but I just could not do it so bought a Rosso Corsa instead. H's bike is a 2002 in burgundy like your previous bike, bought from On Yer Bike originally- no problems yet apart from gearbox return spring. Too dark to see shock mountings in garage so will have to wait until tomorrow- how will I sleep tonight???? How are you getting on with your Rosso Corsa? Regards Guy P.S. On the subject of On Yer Bike, they are advertising a red standard Le Mans as being a Rosso Corsa. I wonder if someone will fall for it and pay over the odds?

Guzzi paranoia has set in- I am now going into the garage to check Helen's shock- I think her bike was in the same batch as DVHs 2002 V11. Guy

Just watched the French TV programme Party Cycle on Motors TV where they tested a couple of Sport Classics. They looked great in action on twisty French roads, but both testers complained about the uncomfortable riding position. I hope Ducati sell loads- the company is not doing well and they need some success. Guy

Factory bag- just the right size for me- nice and compact- don't like having too much weight on the tank. Guy

Diablo Corsas- best tyres I have ever used.

I prefer the look of the KTM 950 Adventure- BMW GS's are as common as muck round here. Although give them their due- I have ridden every week this winter (except at Xmas when I was snowed in) and I have seen more GS's out and about in the cold and wet than any other bike. Guy

Get a comfy airbed- about £10 from Argos for inflatable ones. I always take a camping chair too.

I prefer my milk cold!

Barros is now confirmed as being in WSB riding a Honda. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...kes/4679104.stm

Or do what greyhounds do before a race- have a relaxing poo to shed a few pounds. I always bet on the one that produces the biggest pile! Guy

Was Janet Jackson advertising nipples a few years back? What a fuss about nothing! Guy

I think a version of the Centauro had a similar paint scheme.