Guzzirider

Very nice Trevor!

Hi Jaap. Yes front mudguard is now fitted- and Bruce is making me some nice fittings for the V7 Sport type triangular side panels. Headlamp brackets have been modified since the pic below was taken- the lamp should hopefully blend in better now, and be much closer to the forks. I will also adjust the bars- they are set very high at the moment to help me move the bike about. Will of course post some pictures of the finished bike. Cheers Guy

Well the Jackal cafe racer has been "nearly ready" for a long time now! I started this thread over two years ago but am more or less there now. Bike is at Bruce Rawsthorne's down near Silverstone having a few finishing jobs done including the fabrication of some rear sets. Bruce has also straightened the rear frame rails which has improved the lines and everything now blends in better. When I get her back I will just need to wire in the Motogadget instruments and the Rizoma indicators, get a fresh MOT then she will be ready to ride just in time for winter I'm still going to be able to use the Jackal's luggage rack (am taking an angle grinder to it to make it smaller then will powder coat black) so hopefully with the 26 litre tank and reasonably comfy (for a cafe racer) riding position, she will be able to tour as well as scratch. On the subject of scratching, I fancy taking her for a shakedown track day at Cadwell in the Spring- anyone else fancy joining me?

Ahh my blurry eyed vision missed the mirrors and indicators- it my age you know. still find the tank all wrong but I guess beauty is in the eye of the beerholder! Cafe racer should be ready in about 10 days or so- the bike is down near Silverstone with Bruce Rawsthorne having some custom rear sets and a few brackets fabricated etc. I'll post some updated pics in the cafe racer thread! Regards Guy

Excellent BFG! The thought of riding a 220bhp Superbike on the Dundrod circuit in the dry let alone wet is very scary!

Welcome!! Nice bike!

I can empathise Martin- V11s can be a right pain the arse, and if you use them a lot there always seems to be some sort of niggle that needs fixing. Helen and I rode down to France to visit my Dad recently and her V11 kept refusing to start, and you just don't need the hassle while you are touring. I was able to get it going each time but it was a lot of bother- eventually traced the fault with the help of a friend to a knackered regulator/rectifier which had fried the battery. My V11 is off the road with a leaking timing case gasket, and a leaking rear drive seal plus a knackered speedo- some jobs for the winter! But when they are working, you have to go someway to beat the V11 as a package of fun and practicality. Hang in there matey

I agree with Jaap- lines are all wrong especially the tank. I notice these photoshopped bikes never have mirrors, number plates and indicators which change the look of a bike big time. I think there is a small market for factory cafe racers (Triumph Thruxton, Ducati 1000S) but I can't see Piaggio doing it with a Guzzi, not a big one anyway. I think the 4 valve motor would look more menacing if it was black all over.

Those are all the polite terms! The English language is a little more colourful in this neck of the woods!

I was about 160lbs in those days a wee slip of a lad. Quite simply Ratch both bikes were a couple of weeks old I had just borrowed them because the wiring loom had burnt out on my sport Corsa. I wasn't the only person to notice the high speed instability. As I said previously I know they can be tweaked but out of the crate they were unstable at high speed on a smooth straight motorway. Not a criticism just a fact Guy

I rode two different early versions of the V11 Sport shortly after it was launched in 1999, and yes both wobbled like bastards at speed. In comparison my 1100 Sport Corsa which I owned at the time was straight as an arrow. I know the early V11 Sports can be tweaked to make 'em rock solid, but both the stockers I rode were awful over the ton. Guy

Is it 2010 yet?

Guilty as charged, Sir.

Great pics Dimitris!

Saw this on the factory website as an official accessory in green and suede:

But the Danes get paid more so it is all relative!

I think as time goes on we may see quite a few leaving the Guzzi fold- some fans of the marque who want to try something new and just can't find anything that appeals to them in the range of new models. There will also be many who will be quite happy sticking to the Guzzis they have owned for years. What I can't see happening at the moment is lots of fresh blood joining, with sales of new bikes struggling. Good luck with the new bike Jens- maybe you will miss your Guzzis and buy another one day. Guy

I am not going this year we are off to the Wozwolf bash near Peterborough

Alas, Charles is no more, but let me introduce Tiddles, who is my Dad's new cock. A brave young cock indeed, who was raised from a chick (my Dad originally thought Tiddles was a lady chicken when he was a younger). Tiddles likes to mate about 20 times a day, and always has a purposeful strut. Last week, Tiddles fought off a Black Kite who wanted to eat one of his babies- he deserves some sort of Brave Cock Award or something.

Dessert riding? On a blacmange??

Well I for one would be up for a bash there- we did not stay in the pub for more than 5 mins because it was so hot inside, full of tennis fans watching a match, and the ale was off. Sure it would be better in May or September- maybe a bit blowy outside if the weather got bad.

Just got back from an awesome week in the Highlands- weather was superb- we were riding on empty roads in the mountains in 25 degrees c! Some nice potential places for a forum meet, including this one in Sligachan, Skye:

We can't commit to any dates for a while, but are up for both meets subject to time off work etc!

Hmmm looking at you riding on the track Keith your bike seems to handle pretty well!

Yes its a nice little place- Paul the owner rides a Guzzi, is a good guy and will get you drunk. Not too far from Eiffel mountains or Ardennes for ride outs. Only an hour and a bit from the ferry at Rotterdam, close to Belgium / Germany / France. HTM Guzzi just a few miles across the border in Aachen if you wish to tune your bike up. Choice of camping or B & B. Last time I was there I made the mistake of ordering some beers in Dutch so Paul made me work behind the bar! Dutch MAG have made a small video which is on You Tube