Guzzirider

Cheers- I can make it mid May- Scottish Rally is the first weekend then Welsh camping weekend last weekend. Guy

If you dont mind a black engine RS motorcycles in Halifax have a cosmetically damaged V11 Le Mans Tenni advertised at £2995. http://www.rsmotorcycles.co.uk/other.html

I am up for any Northern / Midlands / Scottish / Welsh track days this year provided they don't clash with my holiday or rallies. My favourite circuit is Angelsey- very Guzzi friendly as it only has a short straight. I love Cadwell and Knockhill too. Don't fancy Donnington (noise restrictions) or Brands (too far for me) but anywhere else I'm game for. Did you have a specific date in mind, Nogbad? Guy

Track days are really beneficial to road riders- its not just about going fast its more about improving your riding abilities- for example you brake a hell of a lot harder on the track in general than you do on the road and learning this skill can help you if you need to slam on the anchors quickly on the road. And lets be honest about this - its a hell of a lot of fun thrashing your Guzzi around a nice circuit like Cadwell Park. Guy

Boxmeer is the big Guzzi rally held near Nijmegen in the Netherlands- very friendly and well organised. I have only been the once last year but it made me want to return. Guy

Road riding is improved for sure if you do a couple of track days. There would be a similar response in the UK if a member posted details of a track day- few Guzzi riders are that enthusiastic about them- normal reason is the worry of crashing. There is a hardcore however of regular Guzzi track day guys who know how to have a good time, and in some cases are very fast. Helen did a couple of track days with me a few years ago and she became much better at cornering afterwards and I can say the same for myself. I'd love to come if I lived in California but it looks as though I will end up in Croft in the freezing rain as usual! Guy

100 Bhp sounds great- please print your dyno graph so we can all have a look!

Here's a few words an Englishman would never say: 1 / Thanks America for joining us so soon in our fight against the Nazis. 2/ Thanks for the Waltons and Barny The Dinsoaur- my favourites! 3/ Yes I'd like to have syrup on my breakfast- I want to grow my arse! 4/ I love armpit hair on German ladies 5/ No we will not fight in Iraq with you- we are with the French and Germans! All tongue in cheek of course! Guy

Go for a 451 mile ride?

TOP 30 THINGS THAT YOU WILL NEVER HEAR A REDNECK SAY: 30. Oh I just couldn't, she's only thirteen. 29. I'll take Shakespeare for 1000, Alex. 28. Duct tape won't fix that. 27. Come to think of it, I'll have a Heineken. 26. We don't keep firearms in this house. 25. You can't feed that to the dog. 24. No kids in the back of the pickup, it's just not safe. 23. Wrestling is fake. 22. We're vegetarians. 21. Do you think my gut is too big? 20. I'll have grapefruit and grapes instead of biscuits and gravy. 19. Honey, we don't need another dog. 18. Who gives a damn who won the Civil War? 17. Give me the SMALL bag of pork rinds. 16. Too many deer heads detract from the décor. 15. I just couldn't find a thing at Wal-Mart today. 14. Trim the fat off that steak. 13. Cappuccino tastes better than espresso. 12. The tires on that truck are too big. 11. I've got it all on the C: drive. 10. Unsweetened tea tastes better. 9. My fiance, Bobbie Jo, is registered at Tiffany's. 8. I've got two cases of Zima for the Super Bowl. 7. Checkmate. 6. She's too young to be wearing a bikini. 5. I need to check my e-mail. 4. I don't have a favorite college team. 3. You All. 2. Those shorts ought to be a little longer, Betty Mae. 1. Nope, no more for me. I'm driving.

Jupiters Travels by Ted Simon Moto Guzzi Big Twins by Greg Field (I also enjoyed his book about HD Softails but I better keep quiet about that!) Motorcycle Journeys In The Alps And Corsica by John Hermann The Motorcycle Adventure Handbook by Chris Scott A few to keep you going! Guy

I will also add that the build quality is variable on the Stucchi- luckily mine fitted fine straight away but I know others who have had to make modifications to get theirs to fit. Stucchi works well though when its on. Guy

I can empathise- I was under the knife in July for some abdominal surgery and it helped screw up my Summer riding season. The doc told me it would be 3 months before I could rode again- I was riding around the block on my Jackal 2 weeks later which was stupid cos it hurt like hell afterwards but I just could not resist. Good luck with everything- I am sure it will go well. Guy

Just out of interest, Mal and I are taking our V11s to Hobbsport Racing in the New Year and will carry out some comparison tests- Mal will be running his bike on the dyno with a lidless airbox, then fitting his K and N pods to see what the difference is. I will be there just to drink Mark's coffee and put mine on the dyno for another comparison and because I like the noise. Embarrasingly I think my mildly tuned Harley now makes more HP and torque than my V11 but of couse the Guzzi will leave it for dead in the bends! Will post the results on here and hopefully answer that age old question- what is better pods or airbox? Guy

Alex You will find that your Sport Corsa is very similar- with a full Termignoni system and an uprated EFI chip my old one only made 80bhp too. There is not much difference except the gearbox between the V11 motor and the 1100 Sport motor. Guy

I'll do that Paul. Guy

Yes the Fatboy wheels are a delicate touch by the designer.

Looks like you will washing up the dishes and making the coffee.

Take away his gun and send him back to Brixton Oooooops political correctness out of the window! I apologise in advance to all those who I have mortally offended!

How did you manage to shrink the standard silencer so much with your photoshop programme? Its half the size of the original! Guy

I know its difficult comparing like for like dyno charts especially when they are run from different dynos in different conditions but the torque figure seems low to me. Most V11 charts I have seen show mid 60s ft lbs- I have a similar set up to Brian except I have no airbox lid at all and a Stucchi crossover and my dyno run showed a peak of 72 ft lbs of torque. Is there something wrong there? Guy

The funny thing about Guzzis is that they have not marched forward in terms of progress much in the last 30 years or so. In real terms, a mark 1 Le Mans 850 is not all that much slower than a V11- in fact its lower, lighter and simpler. Both have a top speed about 130mph. I ride regularly with guys on Tonti framed older Guzzis and they are not really left behind by a fatter, heavier, higher though more powerful V11. Saying that, a modern Guzzi does have better brakes and wider tyre sizes to fit modern tyres but you can tweak older Guzzis to have better brakes, suspension and tyres anyway. Whichever bike you choose, if its a Guzzi it should be a lot of fun to ride and pretty practical. If you go for a more modern Guzzi like a V11 there are always forums like this one to help you if you have any niggles. Good luck with your choice. Guy

I went out Xmas shopping on my bike today- and it was bloody cold- about 2 degrees C. Still, I could park where I liked in the centre of town for free and did not have to queue for car parks like all the cars. I just about managed to fit all the pressies in my panniers. Roads completely dry for once. Guy

I think the rest goes like "with fold back teeth, a flat head to rest your pint on and turns into a 6 pack of beer and a roast beef sandwhich at midnight."

I would recommend that when he is carrying either cups of coffee, pints of beer or sandwiches on his flat head that he hooks a bungee around each ear and secures the load for health and safety reasons. It also may be worth sticking a hedgehog on top when he goes out and about so as not to scare small children by convincing them he has a round head with spiky hair. Guy