Guzzirider

I'm pretty much happy with my V11 now- so I'm going to leave her alone (at least for a while). I have always fancied a Tonti Cafe Racer so I've decided to keep my Jackal and turn her into something sporty. The basics are already there. It's got the later version Tonti frame, a really punchy injected 1100 motor, Borrani rims, fully adjustable Nitro shocks and modern Brembos. I've already stripped off most of the cruiser stuff (absolute ton of weight) and have bought some Tarozzi rear sets made for a 1000S. Getting the Tank Shop in Dumfries to make me a 24 litre alloy tank (should have a decent range), alloy side panels, short alloy mudguards and a single seat tail unit. I will get Maxton to rebuild the Marzocchi forks to fast road / race spec and get them finished in black. They did a wonderful job in converting the forks on Helen's V11. The headlight, brackets, instruments and indicators are going and will be replaced- and I have sourced a fantastic looking electronic speedo / tacho in Germany. Wheels will be respoked and rims anodised in black. Plan is to polish most of the painted parts like valve covers and yokes, and use adjustable clip ons for comfort (may be a long reach with that big tank). Will need new brake hoses and shorter control cables. Should be able to finance some of it by selling standard bits on EBAY. Aiming to have her on the road by February- and by then I should have turned my cruiser into a good looking, fine handling but functional modern cafe racer- in the vein of a Ducati Sport Classic. I may be quiet on here for some time! Guy

How to make your Guzzi handle terribly- don't ride it for 6 weeks and instead ride a state of the art lightweight Ducati for several hundered miles. I got on my V11 tonight after a long break while I was fixing it. Took to the local twisty roads in the lovely warm evening sunshine and it felt awful- slow, heavy, old fashioned, crude and ponderous. An old wheezy tractor that runs out of revs in the blink of an eye. 40 miles later- we were in love again- what a fine handling rorty torquey planted bike- just needed to get reaccquainted. I just slowed down my corner entry speeds and kept it smooth rather than push it too hard- funny how you forget how to ride a bike properly sometimes. BT021s pretty good too- not quite as sticky as the Diablo Corsas I used to run, but not bad for a touring tyre. Guy

I'm shedding no tears for Honda, Yamaha and Michelin- for many years they had it their own way- and now they are getting their arses kicked by the underdogs. Great!!

You will be glad you made the effort- the full Termi system on the Sport Corsa sounds awesome.

Nice report and nice pics Martin! Glad to see that the wet weather has not put you guys off! I like Orson's Thruxton! What was the tank range on it? Guy

There is the Bristol Channel- that's quiet moist! Seriously, you are well away from the floods there- in fact its quite hilly in that area. I did my first ever camping trip on a bike to Minehead- on a Honda 400/4 when I was 18. My very attractive girlfriend of the time came with me- but unfortunately her Dad came too in his Ford Capri!! Minehead itself is a typcial slighty tatty seaside town- fish and chips and slot machines- but Exmoor is beautiful- take some time out to explore the countryside. Hope its better than the Aultguish where you are staying!

Means its gone!

Have sent you the form- and phoned my bank just now to transfer 110 euros for myself and Helen- will be in the account in about 4 days. Cheers Guy

A few minutes later, he is joined by his friend for a polite and gentle discussion about spring rates

Helen is now coming too, on her V11. Guy

I really don't know how many miles I've done. I went through 4 speedo cables in the first year- and I did a tour of Wales, lap of Ireland, a 3 week European tour, plus many rides to work, leisure trips and rallies without a working speedo before I got it fixed. The revised speedo arrangement (I retrofitted the old 2 piece cable) has been fine until this year when the speedo jammed in Switzerland, near the start of another 2 week European jaunt. Its currently stuck on 11703- real mileage The bike is in disgrace in several bits in my garage, waiting for a fresh wind of enthusiasm from me. I've just booked time off work to do the Morini Club trackday in September, so I need to get my arse in gear and fix its niggles. Guy

I'm bored with looking at airbrushed anorexic girls- lets have some real ones- I mean more V11 than V35!

I think Honda and Yamaha will now be in full panic mode because most of remaining tracks traditionally favour Ducatis. Casey was totally dominant yesterday, and unless he gets crocked its hard to see anyone, even Rossi catching him. Guy

I'm looking around for a new touring bike (sold the Jackal, and am selling the R6) and decided to take a Griso out the other day at my local dealers to see what it was like. The bike was brand spanking new with only 1 mile on the clock- my dealer would not normally let anyone out on such a new bike, but he knew me so said it was ok. I can't really comment on the motor as I obviously respected its age and was running it in, but found the riding position and ergonomics great for city riding (I was dicing with all the uninsured and unlicensed Bradford drivers!). As soon as I got to a main road, I found my body was very exposed because the seat is pretty much in line with the tank (in comparison with the V11 where you are sitting more in the bike) so decided it was not for me- I found the Breva 1100 much more comfy at cruising speeds, although its not as chunky and sexy looking as the Griso. The riding position on the 1200 Sport was horrible for me and it seems poor value compared the the Breva. The Griso is for sure much better built than the V11 and has an air of quality about it that the V11 can only dream of. But as I'm in no rush I'll probably wait and see if the Stelvio is launched at Milan, and may go for that depending upon price and spec. Guy

Imagine being a 20 year old British lad, at Laguna Seca for the first time in your life to ride in the AMA supersport race, then being approached in the pits to ride a Moto GP Ducati to fill in for the injured Alex Hoffman. Then a few minutes later, you pull on Hoffman's leathers and you are out there with the big boys on a strange difficult track riding with the big boys. Happened to Chaz Davies yesterday- and unsurprisingly he is last on the time sheets but only 0.7 secs behind Du Hamel who obviously knows the track well. What a great opportunity for the lad.

I've worked out this formula to show the factors that affect the cornering of my bike: A= The total mass of curries / fried breakfasts I have eaten in the last 24 hours B= How many hours I have worked in the last 24 hours C= How much sleep I have had in the last 24 hours D= On a scale of 1 to 10, my general mental wellbeing (10 is the highest) E= How many Guzzi riding hours I have put in in the last 24 hours (the more the better) F= My general level of testosterone and bravado on a scale of 1 to 10 G= On a scale of 1 to 10, the quality of road surface and weather H= The quality of gear I am wearing on a scale of 1 to 10 (full race leathers and Arai gets a 10!) I= How many other riders I am riding with- each one equals 1 point (A + B + I) - (C + D + E + F + G + H) = X factor. The lower the score the better my bike handles! Tweaking suspension of course helps, but most of it is in my mind! Guy P.S. Please don't get too pedantic about the above formula- just making a point

Hi Jaap We have a couple of lady friends in the Netherlands who ride bikes (but not Guzzis!). They would love to come along too. Would you mind if they did this? Is there enough space, and would you mind if a couple of young ladies on Suzukis turned up? I don't want to confirm anything to them without your blessing, in case you may wish to keep this a V11 only event. Many thanks Guy

The Sachsenring is a great leveller and often negates the advantage of having the best bike- I see Guintoli is up there near the front (he also goes well when its wet) but Hayden is way back in 17th. My money's on Rossi to win. Guy

Sorry Van I never looked! Is the number important?

Nice clean lines- very sleek- nice one Bob!

Sounds great! Wish I could come!

Would not be surprised- Harley have showed their willingness to go with a watercooled European designed engine with the V Rod so I guess a watercooled sportser (sold alongside the aircooled one) would not be a massive step for them.

Engine related problems seem to be the least reported of any issue on this forum- now and again something rears its head but in general these are tough ol' beasts just like most other big Guzzis. Guy

I guess Buell owners will either be spitting their drinks out in disgust or coming in their shorts when they first set eyes on the bike with the new motor. When Guzzi eventually go modern I would not be surprised if they did something similar and fit a Rotax designed transverse watercooled V Twin- and I guess there will be similar mixed reactions depending upon whether you want modern power or a traditional old lump. Guy

Looks interesting- no Harley motor in this one- its a watercooled Rotax. Hope that single disc is up to the job with all that power! Not much more expensive than the old Firebolt. MCN story here