Guzzirider

Well I may have to beat back the queue of ladies wanted to "go" on my bike-and I am not sure if Helen will be happy at all the girls dropping their kecks in front of me!

Not going to do it- don't think my Mum will approve as she will probabaly be the only pillion I take out!

Stop planting thoughts in my head!

My MG branded tank protector has starting loosing its clear cover and is falling apart after 12000 miles. Guy

I took one look at what was in the bin and I was getting poured on with rain so I gave up! I am amore of a Timmy Taylors Landlord drinker- not sure what affect that will have on EFI though. Guy

Ha Ha! another secret Fatboy lover Mine is being assembled tomorrow. I hope I won't get in the way of too many hyperfast Guzzis when it arrives. Guy

Ummmm lemme check the wheelie bin- back in a mo. Its right at the bottom- will ask Mal tomorrow- I borrowed it off him after he used the first half of the botle. Guy

Talking of birthdays, its Helen's birthday tomorrow so I bought her a new starter motor for her V11- am I the last romantic on this planet or what? Guy

I have recently done it with no problems. Guy

Voxan are looking to appoint a new UK importer soon. Not many exciting launches at Paris so far-execpet the Aprilia 450s- they look cool but rather pricey, Guy

That was lucky- an 883 is a firebreathing monster- there would have been wheelies and wheelspins everywhere. It makes at least 30rwbhp! Guy

Just checked out the owners manual on the Guzzitech website- no info on air filter but it says service manual coming soon. Guy

Just do it- sod what anypne else thinks- its for you! Guy

I think we should expect more from Guzzi- I know they are a small volume manufacturer but it is not rocket science to set up a decent Quality Control system. Yes MGs and Triumphs made bad quality cars- hence both companies have gone out of existence and no longer make cars. It sounds like the factory are doing something about it- I understand the test Griso has done 250,000 miles on the test bench. I am quite happy to fix my bikes when they are out of warranty- in fact I negotiated £500 off the price of Helen's second hand V11 on the basis I would service it myself (did not trust Triumph dealer) and since then it has not gone anywhere near a dealer. This forum is brilliant for sharing ideas and information- it has helped me out many a time- I woukld have never have known to make sure the gear spring ratchet arm for Helen's V11 should have a smaller boss if I had not read BFG's posts for example. It would be nice to have less problems to discuss but they have stopped making V11s so we are where we are. Guy

You have Mods and Rockers in the USA? Thought it was just a British thing! My Dad was a rocker. Guy

BFG If you are a fan of Bob, you may know that the BBC are showing several Dylan related programmes over the next few days: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/bobdylan/

Is that before he joined the cast of Magic Roundabout? Guy

I have to agree with Windchill- although like Most Guzzi owners I don't mind getting my hands oily, the factory should make them right in the first place. Most problems can be, and are sorted by the owners but that is because on the whole the dealer network is not up to scratch. Got to say that my local dealer Moto Strada have been excellent and have sorted all my warranty claims- new tacho, speedo cable, warped brake disk, gearshift spring and several relays but I think this is the exception to the rule. When you buy a new bike it should be perfect- most other manufacturers can manage that. Saying that I love my V11 despite all the usual issues that have occured and its the only bike I have wanted to keep forever. Hopefully things will be better with the Breva 1100 and Griso and Guzzi can begin to build their reputation positively. Guy

With 4 races left, Loris is now only 17 points behind Max who is in second place in the championship- I reckon Loris will catch him! Ducati won a double today at Donnington Park in the British Superbike Championship with Gregorio Lavilla taking both wins. He is now odds on to win the title at the final round at Brands Hatch. If so it will be Ducati's only championship win this year. Honda have invested millions is trying to win BSB but it looks as though they will fail. Rumour is that Lavilla will be a WSB rider for Ducati Corse next year- Tardozzi and all the factory top brass were there watching him today. Guy

My next door neighbour's son Tom trying out my bike for size- he would not get off and at 18 months old has learned how to twist the throttle!

I had to have my quote at Carol Nash referred to an underwriter becuase they had no record of that model. They phoned me back a few hours later to say they now knew what a Rosso Corsa was and grouped it same as a 1200 Bandit in group 13. It was hard work for a while but I got there in the end. Guy

My Rosso Corsa is also described as a Tenni. I think all V11 Le Mans are listed as Tennis by the DVLA. Guy

Shame you missed it Martin- it would have been good to meet up. Just got back from Santa Pod. It was blooming freezing this morning at 7am as Mal and myself left Huddersfield to meet "Monkey Boy" Magnus (LM V) at Woolley Edge services on the M1. The Motorway was nice and quiet at that time of the morning and conveniently my GPS led us straight to the strip at Santa Pod which is not signposted anywhere and is in the middle of nowhere. It began to warm up as we arrived and signed on- ideal conditions with not a cloud in the sky. Magnus decided after seeing some runs that he just wanted to spectate. Everyone else seemed to have nitrous oxide fed Hayabusas or turbocharged ZX12Rs with wheelie bars- Mal and myself looked a little out of place on our Guzzis with our luggage racks and pannier frames. Our only concession to speed was to fold our mirrors back. First run: I got a great launch but lost some time when I hit the rev limiter in second. I posted 12.8 and Mal posted 13.2 on his first ever run up the strip. Second run: I fluffed the start and Mal got off the line quicker but I managed to reel him in and overtake before the line. My time 12.6, Mal again 13.2. Third run: I slipped the clutch a little too much but again managed a 12.6 with Mal improving to a healthy 12.8. We decided to call it day after that- our clutches were beginning to smell a bit (as were our crotches). There was one other Guzzi there- a guy on a Cali EV with screen etc- obviously a game fellow. There was half a dozen Harley V Rods- most tweaked, some standard- all were very impressive posting times in the 9s or 10s. A top day out for not much money (£25 for unlimited runs)- much harder than you think because to get a great time you need to combine a quick reaction time, get a good launch then have a smooth run up the strip- and to get all three on the same run is hard. Bike magazine managed a best time on a V11 of 13.1 seconds but I have seen an American mag post a time in the low 12s and I reckon if we stripped off the luggage stuff and got a perfect run a low 12 would be achievable. In the event, I was pleased to beat my previous Guzzi best of 12.9. Magnus took some pics- will post them as soon as they arrive. Guy

Good Luck Tx- and to anyone else who is in the line of this storm. Fingers crossed for ya! Guy

Looks good- the French are really good at making this sort of special. Price is a bit steep though compared to the original. Guy