Guzzirider

Unfortunately the Dakar is a bit like the TT- riders and drivers will always die each year because its bloody dangerous but brave men like Andy Caldecott will still enter just for the challenge. Guy

I have just tried it the once on a long Autobahn joureny down the A61 to the Black Forest. Bike did not pink at all and I it could have been my imagination but the motor seemed to enjoy that extra octane. Guy

I wish my Guzzi was as cost effective to tune as the Twincam motor in my HD. I have spent about £1000 on my V11 and although it is crisp and runs well, it only probably makes about 4bhp more than stock. If I spent less than £1000 on a 1550 kit plus cams for the HD I would get about 110 rwbhp and as you say over 100ft lbs of torque. I guess the Guzzi motor is closer to its limits than the HD motor- I know someone who got a genuine 100rwbhp out of his 1100 sport and he paid about £4000 to Raceco for the priviledge! Guy

I have sent BFG an email to make sure he is ok- not sure if his shared cabin with Antonio has email access but I am sure they are getting along just fine. Guy

I went to see Motorhead in Manchester on their 30th anniversary tour in November and they were brilliant- trouble is that they have been around so long even playing for 2 hours they can't fit in all the favourites. They were supported by a Swedish band called In Flames that were pretty good also and did non-stop formation headbanging for an hour! Guy

No offense taken mate! I get a bit of ribbing from my Guzzi riding mates from the local club for owning a HD as well as a Guzzi and quite enjoy the banter. Guy

Mistral make pretty cost effective cans- H has them on her V11. Hers are E marked (bought s/h from DVH from this forum) but the welds holding in the baffles break with a bit of filing and tapping then they are identical to the naughty race pipes but still have an e mark. We have not made any adjustments to the bike since I fitted the pipes and it runs fine and sounds bassy without being too offensive. Here is their website http://www.mistralspecialparts.it/motoguzzi.html You can buy them from Agostinis, Corsa Italiana or Motomecca. I bought the pipes for my Rosso Corsa from Agostinis because it was the best deal at the time, even taking into account the cost for UPS delivery but its worth shopping around. Guy

Brian May of Queen has an original George Formby ukulele and learned to play that before he got a proper guitar. George must be raking in the cash ever since he started selling George Formby Grills. Guy

The Germans have the right idea- they sell 100 octane from the pump (Shell V Power). Guy

Not sure- those carrotts he grows can be lethal in the wrong hands- or maybe his timepiece had a delayed Millenium Bug and he still thinks its New Year's Eve! Guy

Not sure what the situation is in the USA but many Tonti bikes in the UK are not standard at all. Many have had sensible mods made to them and also have motors, bodywork, wheels or whatever from another Tonti so in some cases it does not matter exactly what model it is. I used to love my old 1000S and also lust after a Le Mans 3. As Greg says LM1s are expensive and I hate that fugly instrument panel on a LM2. Helen used to have a LMV which although it does not have the classic looks, it is a very practical and useable bike. Very cheap over here too. Guy

I'll email him if he has not replied by tomorrow- hopefully he has not had an accident in his Scura shed. Guy

Glad to hear you and your house are ok Alex. I must visit Athens one day- my Great Grandfather is buried near the Corinth Canal and I would like to visit his grave- he died fighting the Turks in the First World War. When my Grandfather (his son) was captured by the Germans in Crete during WW2, his captors kindly let him visit his Dad's grave on his long march to Poland -some humanity in amongst all the death and destruction. Maybe in 2007- too many rallies this year! Guy

If you go to a Guzzi rally in the UK many of the riders (especially Cali riders) will be wearing leather vests! Not all HD riders follow the HOG herd- I know I don't- it maybe different in the USA. I am also a member of an HD forum and some of the guys were very complimentary and interested in Moto Guzzis- no slagging off or rude comments at all so I guess not everybody has a closed mind. I am of the opinion that if you are a biker it does not matter what you ride- at least you are on two wheels hopefully having fun. Guy

Must not underestimate the SV650s- once they are lightened and tuned they will be competitive. There is a very competitive Minitwins series where the SV650 is the most common and fastest bike. If Trojan Horse are backing a Buell that will be competitive too if it has all their trick bits. Here is to the Daytona Guy

I notice BFG has not been with us since New years Eve- are you ok? Was it one hell of a New years party? Guy

Alex I have heard you have had a bit of an earthquake- are you ok? Was it started by your Termignonis???? Guy

My soon-to-be brother in law sometimes drinks in Enya's pub in Donegal. Guy

Yes they must have every single Rotary racer in the museum- think it was about a dozen machines including the prototype. They were so fast about 190mph and used to whizz past RC30s, OW01s and all the other trick Jap bikes on the straights. They had the TT winning Rotary too which I think Steve Hislop (RIP) won on. I hope the weather improves for you Martin- it snowed all day but did not settle in the Midlands but as soon as I got on the moors 10 miles from home it had settled and was thick fog- glad I took the car! Guy

I have followed race similar series in the past and I remember a BMW 650 single beating the whole field of fast Dukes, Buells and Guzzis at Thruxton because it was wet and the rider had big balls. Paul Lewis on the Raceco Daytona came second. I can see a Guzzi being competitive in this series if it has the right rider. Guy

Queens Of The Stone Age Electric 6 System Of A Down Dropkick Murphys Transplants

Yesterday I drove down to the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham with a couple of mates (Mal from this forum and Magnus). You may know that the museum burnt down and most of the bikes were ruined just over a year ago and this was my first visit to the museum since the fire (last went in 1993). It was well worth the trip- they have still got 250 bikes to restore since the fire but there is still a lot to see especially the classic racers. Its a real eye opener to see the innovations and technology around in the early 1900s before there was a "blueprint" for a motorcycle. For any UK members of this forum or visitors from overseas take the time to pay a visit- its our motorcycling heritage and the museum needs our support. Here are a few pics. Guy

Yeah its a stupid match- I have ridden a Breva 1100 and although its not my cup of tea its a good bike and handles well. There are always a lot of ads from HD dealers in MCN classifieds but not many from Guzzi- that may explain the comments. Guy

Italians are used to retreating!

Charlie Boorman has crashed out with a broken hand. He is staying on with the rally to finish his film and supoort his team mates. Guy