Guzzirider

It looks ok and I am sure will be fun, but I prefer the GB kits for sports bikes, like Jaap's Monza, and the older Supertwins.

I was at a very wet and muddy rally last weekend and there were several GS riders kitted out with all the Touratech gear, including a MCN journalist, who did not want to get their bikes muddy and take them onto the field Yes, my Quota got very muddy

BT023s are much better than the older Bridgestones- good combination of grip and longevity. Its pretty hard to buy a crap tyre these days they all seem pretty good.

Shit!! Sorry to hear that Jaap! Can you still take the Ghezzi Brian on track to have some fun in the meantime? Guy

Think Pete at Reboot has broken a couple of V11s too. http://www.rebootguzzispares.com/

The PC111 is not a replacement to an ECU it is an add on to allow some fuelling adjustment. Call Gutsibits they have recently broken a V11. http://www.gutsibits.co.uk/pr/Home/index.php

Recently Helen's V11 Sport starting running badly during the brief spell of hot weather, stalling in traffic and coughing and spluttering at low revs. I took it for a ride myself and it was definitely poorly. I had never changed the fuel filter in nearly 30000 miles so started by replacing that, cleaned and reoiled the K & N filter, put in new plugs, a new petrol tap (the old one was seized open)and still the bike ran badly. Noticed the inlet rubbers were starting to split and thought they may be leaking air, so bought a new pair, and Mal came over to give me a hand fitting these. He suggested checking valve clearances too, before adjusting TPS and balancing the throttle bodies. Before he was able to set the TPS and balance TBs, the bike refused to start, and a quick check of the battery revealed it was low on charge. Once it was fully charged, the bike still would not start, until I swapped starter motors with my Quota then she fired up, enabling Mal to kindly set TPS and balance the TBs (thanks Mal!). With the bike running, I did a voltage test on the battery and she was not charging so suspected a possible problem with the alternator. The next day, with a fresh mind and a cup of tea, I fitted a recon starter motor, then sat down and read the charging system schematic that a forum member had kindly written, and first off decided to check the 30 amp fuse, and hey presto, it had blown. Replaced the fuse and the charging system started working again. So in summary, I reckon the bad running was mainly down to the low charge on the battery caused by the blown fuse, and all the other work we had done, although not wasted, was not the cure of the problem. Lesson learnt- check the obvious stuff first! Going to fit a stronger earth to the reg / rect now as discussed in an other thread just in case this was the cause of the blown fuse. You live and learn Guy

Festival 1000 Bikes at Mallory and watch Sammy Miller thrash the tits off the Guzzi V8?

Facebook pics I think these pics taken by Peter Horvath are from the same race meeting / track day. From the sound of it Guareschi was in a different league when it came to abilities of the other riders. Guy

We had an ace time Orson! Jaap, Paul and Soren joined us from across the water, and we even stayed dry even though it was a bit chilly. Cheers Guy

That's interesting. I really like my wife's '04 Breva (except it looks too modern). They are very predictable rides, though not very exciting. They do not have as much 'soul' as the big twins. I like them for their utilitarian nature and hope the new models are even better. I appreciate they have plenty of fans and everyone has different tastes, but I found the motor to be seriously lacking in poke on the open road and think they are way overpriced for what they really are. For the huge price tag of £7949 I would expect twin front disc brakes as well as more grunt. There are loads of low mileage used modern V7s for sale at the moment- I am guessing that punters buy them because they look pretty, believe the dealers claim that they make 50ish bhp, then end up selling them a few months later. I think part of the problem is that Guzzi make them out to be something they are not- the press release for the V7 Racer said they were for gentlemen who enjoy track days, and I'm guessing the Guareschi win, impressive though it is, will be used to support this sort of talk. Maybe Guzzi should change tack and say they are bikes for riders who want a reasonable turn of speed but are not bothered about going too quick. My first ever Guzzi was a V65 Lario which I bought in 1988 and that was a much better bike to ride, although probably less reliable. If I was in the market for a 750 I would buy a Aprilia Shiver GT- now that has a very zesty little motor in comparison. Just my opinion

Well done great to see an underdog win. Still dislike those new V7s- they leave me cold, and I have no interest in them whatsoever.

I use an Arai Quantum F for track days but prefer open face or flip up on the road. I love my Bell RT open face which is a quality piece of kit and I use for town riding. Have a Caberg Duke for touring.

Some riders cut away some of the sidestand rubber to give a few more mm clearance.

I'm not selling these but noticed them for sale when I was visiting Gutsibits the other day- there are often "wanted" ads for these so thought I'd post a link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Moto-Guzzi-V11-Hepco-Becker-luggage-rack-pannier-rails-/180878573869?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item2a1d34012d

You will be lucky if you see a cafe sport for sale- not many around at all. If its the Ohlins you crave then the Scura / Scura R / Coppa Italia / Nero Corsa / Rosso Corsa all have Ohlins suspension- Scuras probably turn up more often than the rest.

We have had the wettest April for years in the UK- thankfully the sun came out today.

Think the forecast is generally dry, sunny spells but with a cold easterly wind and odd shower. Better than torrential rain like we have been having! Hope everyone has a safe journey and see you there. Guy

The good news is that the concerted efforts by MAG and other riders rights groups across Europe has resulted in many delays to the proposed anti-tampering legislation that has been tabled for some time. Several MEPS are now behind us and even the Roads Minister Mike Penning MP has joined MAG- something which would have been unthinkable a few years ago. We now have a chance to kill off this legislation completely and there will be a co-ordinated Europe wide day of action on Sunday 24th June. This time in the UK there is likely to be one massed ride out in every Euro constituency i.e. 12 ride outs in total. I will be in the Netherlands so will be joining up with our Dutch friends. The final vote on these proposals is scheduled to be held a week and a half later so a massive show of strength across Europe could be the last nail in the coffin for these proposals. If you are in the UK and care about the future of motorcycling and having the freedom to modify your machines then please join MAG- just takes five minutes to join online: http://www.mag-uk.org/en/joinmag/a6318 You will be making a difference! Cheers Guy

I know plenty of girls who ride V11s, including my wife so it is obviously a complete girl's bike. A real hairy chested raw steak eating bear wrestling brute of a man would ride a Daytona RS of course, before going home to press some flowers.

I use Motul Gearoil- comes out like brand new after 6000 miles. Many Guzzi dealers use the same stuff.

Funnily enough my fuel pump relay misbehaved while I was in Ireland- maybe the bumpy roads take their toll.

Pure speculation on my part, but if there was 2.5 litres of oil in the sump, this is a litre down on what it should be, and combined with the sloshing from acceleration this could have caused oil starvation maybe? Just thinking aloud. Guy

Great idea if Harry is feeling brave enough! May be other costs like new oil uprated pump, and top end refresh to factor in but would make a wicked bike.

That Sport Corsa engine at Reboot would be very smooth with those Carillo rods.