Guzzirider

If it feels ok now I would be tempted to leave it well alone.

Well that was ace- I particularly enjoyed the final superbike tussle between Guy Martin and Ian Lougher- touching wheels at 150mph in the wet!! I also like the way they back off to 180mph on the straight because the roads were soaking. These guys are true heroes racing on that road- all those trees and posts to crash into- ouch! It annoys me that complete ponces like David Beckham get paid millions to kick a bag of wind around a field while these guys go largely unrecognised for literally putting life and limb on the line just to entertain and if lucky win a few hundred quid. I raise my glass to them!

Just out of interest, I tried the Shell V Power 100 octane on the German autobahn a few months back and the motor felt good for it. Never seen the 100 octane stuff sold elsewhere aside from Germany. Normally use 98 octane with no pinking issues. Guy

These Rosso Corsas are becoming far too common in Yorkshire!

Maybe its because the tank range of a GT40 is about 60 miles max if you thrash it!

Thanks for the tip BFG! Will be watching UGP tonight!

Yes it is getting a bit bitchy about this record isn't it? Nick knew before he left that Guinness did not sanction any more attempts for safety reasons but I believe the ACU still do. Both parties have now set up motorcycle tour operators on the back of their record breaking reputations so both will want to retain the tag of fastest around the world. Guy

On the subject of Italian bike firms going out of business, I see that British car manufacturer TVR has bought Benelli before it was about to fold, and are keen to start making TVR superbikes.

Update- RAM now make a lead to power the Garmin Quest directly from the bike battery and includes a socket to allow you to connect up your intercom so you can hear strange voices in your head! I have just bought one and will fit it to my bike next week. Guy

I dont think Guzzi will every truly go tits up because of the brand name which will always be attractive to other corporations- more likely it will get sold on again to someone like Ducati or BMW. Guy

He has admitted in the past that he is jealous of bikes because he can't ride them and they are faster than his expensive supercars. He is always out to stir things up and loves it when he causes offence so lets just ignore the gangly badly dressed droopy jowled prat. James May (his broadcasting coleague on BBC Top Gear) rides a V11 Sport and a T3 by the way. Guy

Have a look on his website and you can read some of the story- look how quickly he did Canada!!! www.motochallenge.com Guy

Nick Sanders has just broke the record for circumnavigating the world on a motorcycle (19 days!) and he chose Contis for their longevity. He was on an R1 so they obviously last ok.

I have ridden my V11 flat out next to a V Strom on the NW200 course and the power is similar- maybe a little more bottom end on the Guzzi but a few more top end MPH on the V Strom. The important thing is that they make a lot of torque- mine has peaked at 72 ft lbs on the dyno which is slightly more than a standard Ducati 999 or an Aprilia Mille even though the Guzzi is way down on bhp Yes they do vibrate but it only gets noticeable after a few hours on the motorway. Guy

I have a cigarette lighter power socket which I bought for a few quid from a camping shop which I attach to the battery with crocodile clips. My neighbour also kindly gave me some chargers which are powered by AA batteries which are disposable and give half a charge overnight- have not tested these yet. A good idea if they work. I took them on holiday but I only turn my phone on when I want to talk to somebody so the battery never went flat! Guy

Welcome to the forum Rob!!

Good luck with the new bike- you said you would come back to Guzzis again! Should hopefully be better than your last one and you will love the Ohlins! Guy

My fastest so far is 5.798 seconds.

Have a go at this if you are bored- the lower your time- the more clothes they remove. I have got as far as bras off!! Guy http://www.bennetts.co.uk/play2/index.htm?i=2.

Autoglym metal polish works well- it is a white paste that you apply, let it dry for a moment, then rub it until it shines nicely. Similar to Solvol Autosol. Guy

Hi there! If it is the Le Mans Rosso Corsa it should have Ohlins suspension front and rear, redpainted valve covers, fancy red paint job and chequered decals plus carbon fibre font muguard. Apart from that, its the same as any other Le Mans from the same model year. Here is a phot of mine from last year before I started bolting bits on. At this time it was standard except Mistrals and Technos. It has the more regular dual plate clutch. The mistrals you sold me are doing well ta- I fitted them onto Helen's V11 then myself and Mal chisled out the welds holding the baffles. The tankbag got plenty of use on holiday too. Regards Guy

I sat on one today in the HD dealer in Manchester- fitted me perfectly! Plenty of used ones around in the UK- I will wait until winter so I can pick up a bargain. Keeping my V11 naturally- she wil retain the position of number one wife. Guy

I added a Jackal to my stable a few years back because my old 1100 Sport Corsa was crap for touring and rallies. I have just sold my Jackal because ever since I bought my V11 last year it has fulfilled the role of tourer as well as sporty (ish) bike. I am now edging towards the opposite spectrum and fancy a sports bike so my next addiion will be a Buell XB12R Firebolt as soon as the prices drop over winter. I think 2 bikes is enough for me. Guy

Corsa Italiana's website confirms the price as "about £7500" and says the bikes should be on sale Sept / Oct. If you are in no rush, I am sure that walking into an empty showroom on a wet dark cold December morning may net you a discount even though it is a new model. Guy

Take a peek at: http://www.motorcyclenews.com/nav?page=mot...ry=SPORT_MOTOGP As a test driver for Ferrari, Rossi could learn all the tracks by taking part in the practice sessions as test drivers are allowed to. This could be total rubbish but quite interesting if it turns out to be true. Guy