Guzzirider

Found a new fuel to help Nogbad with his yet to be purchased diesel bike- this article from last weeks MCN: A German inventor has found a way to make cheap diesel fuel- out of dead cats! Dr Christian Koch, 55, heats up old tyres, weeds and cat carcasses then fliters out the hydrocarbons from the mixture. These are then turned into diesel using a catalytic converter. Koch says a fully-grown cat can produce 2.5 litres of fuel and that he's covered 105,000 miles on his diesel fuel. There we go old boy- a great way of fuelling your bike wothout raping the planet of its resources- stray cats are two a penny so we are doing the RSPCA a favour too. Guy

I have 2 spare right hand silencers- if you get stuck give me a bell and I will lend you a bracket to keep you on the road if the dealer does not deliver. Guy

Thank you Martin- it seems like my old baby is still alive. I was technically the second owner as it was a demo so its been sold on once after I had it. Last transferred on 10th June- my birthday- spooky. I hope he / she is enjoying her! cheers Guy

Some Duke owners moan about rain getting through the open clutch vents and rusting the springs. Saying that with the odd exception you don't see many Dukes over here ridden in the wet. If the Duke is in a dry climate the vented cover should be ok. Guy

Yes it is a brainwashing anthem designed by Honda in the late 70s that made everyone go out and buy a CB900F or CBX1000. Luckily Joe Dolce's Shaddap You Face came along in 1981 to encourage to us to buy Italian iron instead of a chocolate cammed VF750. 'Allo, I'm-a Giuseppe, I got-a something special-a for you, ready Uno, duo, tre, quatro When I was a boy, just about the eighth-a grade Mama used to say don't stay out-a late With the bad-a boys, always shoot-a pool Giuseppe going to flunk-a school Boy, it make-a me sick, all the t'ing I gotta do I can't-a get-a no kicks, always got to follow rules Boy, it make-a me sick, just to make-a lousy bucks Got to feel-a like a fool and-a mama used to say all-a time What's-a matter you Hey! Gotta no respect What-a you t'ink you do? Why you look-a so sad It's-a not so bad, it's-a nice-a place Ah, shaddap-a you face

This the the Vapors as I remember them! I'm turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so I'm turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so

If I want to watch scatt and piss I just wait for Paula Radcliffe's next marathon on the BBC. BFG can watch it on his wireless.

Ummmm...they are not very popular around here- Harold Wilson came from these parts. The right wingers tend to go for the BNP instead. A raffle for Monster Raving Loony would go down well though. Guy

You seem very well informed on these matters!!!

I agree that motorcyles are a very small problem when it comes to noise and emissions- one Jumbo Jet probably out pollutes all the bikes ridden in one day in the UK. Trouble is we are on the EEC radar for many things- they have it in for bikes- you may have read about the new licensing proposals and the theory that all bikes should be banned by 2015 being considered. With regards to emissions, they have already clamped down on cars- try getting a car through an MOT if the CAT is not working. Ok some of these anti-bike proposals may not happen but I urge all UK riders to join MAG- they may have an outdated image of crusty beardy bikers but they are an extremely effective lobbying group who link up well with other similar groups in Europe to fight anti bike legislation and have helped fight off many a black cloud on the horizon (remember leg protectors?). If we sit back and think it wont happen to us then it will happen. Guy

Is someone out of camera shot about to wee on her?

Yes my local Jap and Aprilia dealer is complaining that he can't sell many sports bikes and everybody wants either dual sport or roadsters at the moment. If it was the right bike and had the right image, then I am sure it would do well. I think lighter weight, lower seat and a rorty aircooled motor- that will be a Tonti then with a faster engine, and maybe stickier tyres, modern forks and brakes. Keep it as a twin shocker with some decent damping. An updated LM1 like you say. I miss my old 1000S- G953 SGH where art thou? Guy

Harley have had a big bollocking from the guys who enforce standards in the USA (you will know what they are called). They have clicked onto the fact that hardly any new HD leaves the showroom in standard condition- most have a stage one tune for obvious reasons, including louder pipes. HD are under threat of a big fine and are therefore encouraging dealers to let them out of the showroom as standard and pretending there is no EFI remap for stage one tuned 2006 bikes. I was talking to a dealer in Manchester UK who says they are not fitting race kits to the new model Buells because they are afraid of a similar backlash from the Eurocrats. I can guess its only a matter of time before we are all clamped down on and made to follow the letter of the law when it comes to noise and emissions. Guy

Doesn't happen here its too cold! Probably blew the wax out of some peoples eardrums though! Guy

I bet it was loud running on the downpipe only. I must confess that when I was 21 I took my black silencers off my V65 Lario to respray them with the idea that I would fix 'em back on early in the morning before I went to work. Anyway I overslept so rode the bike 8 miles and back to the army base where I worked with just downpipes- sounded like Armageddon was here- had no problems filtering through the traffic that day- the lanes split like the Red Sea in Moses' time. I used to be a naughty boy. Guy

Yep my steering head bearings were loose when I got back from a lap of Ireland- worse place was the south west- lovely scenery but bumpy as fook. Guy

Guzzi was the first manufacturer to do the retro thing- remember the black and orange 1000S which had Le Mans V engine and 40mm carbs? Trouble is nobody bought one (apart from me) so they stopped making them. I would love them to do a similar thing again but it would need to be fast and good handling to sell well. Guy

I won't be panicking about using a K and N- I know several other riders who use them and have never heard of a single problem with the flat filters that replace OEM. In fact I am not going to worry about anything on my V11- I am just going to ride and enjoy it and ignore all the doom and gloom threads. If something goes wrong I will fix it. Guy

It's nice of Guzzi to give us at least 3 years after a launch before you can buy a new model- gives us plenty of time to save our pennies so we don't have to borrow any money to buy one when they finally arrive. Well done Guzzi! Guy

Very nice- a real classic look. Nicer looking than the fully faired Australia. Thanks for the pics. Guy

Lets see some pics of your Magni!

Just had a look at the workshop manual which mentions an adjuster screw but unhelpfully does not mention its location or how it functions maybe you can work it out from this diagram I have attached. From reading Dlaing's post it sounds as if he has done it externally and hopefully can elaborate. As it tales about 20 mins to whip the cover off I would be tempted to do it that way so you can see what you are doing. Guy

Yes I just picked it up from their news item- definitely worth a call before trekking that way. With the Breva 1100 all the UK Guzzi dealers flew to Italy and each rode back a demo bike. Don't think this has happened with the Greasedpig- maybe they only built one so far! Guy

Pete From memory you need to whip off the starter motor and also the remote compression adjuster. Guy

Or maybe preparing to get shafted on their warranty claims