Guzzirider

Le con était très chanceux pour maintenir ses couilles......... After Helen had screamed blue murder at him for 10 minutes, I almost felt sorry for him until he offered to only pay £10 towards my broken footpeg. I had to point out that he hit me from behind in front of 8 witnesses and I would be pursuing an insurance claim unless he coughed up, which he did reluctantly! Guy

Did you smash the blue lights on the roof, Martin? Guy

I believe it was crashed and that is why the forks were upgraded to Ohlins. Nice bike- if it had a rear Ohlins as well it would nearly be as special as a Rosso Corsa Guy

My 2 recent crash experiences: Glen Shee, Scotland Shit, @#!#$#, sky, tarmac, sky, tarmac, oww, @#!#$#, whack, shit.......fucking hell I'm alive and my legs are still attached Hull docks, England Shit why am I on the floor? And why is Helen beating up that man in the blue Rover? I'm afraid there was absolutely no thought on my part on how to crash- I must learn to improve my crashing technique Guy

Yes I've tested it in the rain now and my shock was identically dirty as the other 2 V11s I was riding with over the last few weeks. So in summary, it looks much better but probably does not make much difference either way in terms of protection compared to standard. Ewan- not sure about the edge guard affecting it- maybe my photos will tell you the answer- if not I can take some more. Guy

A group of us (including 3 V11s) spent the first 17 days in June riding around Europe, finding mountain passes, nice campsites, drinking beer and generally having fun. I won't bore you with a long winded report but basically we started in Belgium, rode through France, then the Black Forest in Germany, through Switzerland, Austria to the Dolomites in northern Italy, then down to Mandello where I celebrated my 40th birthday then back up through Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium and home. Helen's V11 was faultless but Mal's developed a clutch slip (due to suspected oil contamination). I was hit from behind by a car while queuing for the ferry in Hull and suffered a snapped footpeg (crash mushrooms and panniers saved any other damage- those Rossopuro things work even though they are ugly!!). In France, my speedo stopped working. I thought it was a cable but it turned out that the whole speedo is jammed. Near the top of the Stelvio Pass, I was unable to change up above second gear. This problem then cleared itself on the descent but returned in Zurich and in Germany. In the Vosges mountains in France, my bike became unstable at slow speeds which I think may be a knackered front wheel bearing. Finally, while I was limping to the ferry in Belgium my headlight, horn and rev counter stopped working which turned out to be a loose relay. But SHE GOT ME HOME!!! Only bike to break down was Magnus's BMW GS which had a bearing fail in the rear drive in a tunnel near Mandello, stranding him and Karen for hours. He rented a Guzzi from Agostini's for a couple of days whilst it got fixed. Pics can be found at Holiday pics. Guy

Apparently you can get a bracket from an R1 to fit. Guy

Brace yourself Europe!!!

Nice bike Ratch! I fell in love with the XT when I hired one for a month in Australia a few years back. I rode it from Darwin through the centre down to Melbourne. It was light enough to be manageable on the dirt tracks, but big enough to cope with the roads. Like you say, tough as old boots and it never let me down, although I had to keep an eye on oil consumption in the heat. I promised myself I would buy one when i got home but alas it has not happened so far! Here's a few grainy pics (sorry pre digital age!): Guy

I feel a little guilty here because BFG had stopped to assist me when I went sliding down the road and obviously got off his bike in a hurry, then the strong wind blew it over a few moments later. Top bodging there Belfast!! Guy

I chatted to my local dealer a couple of months ago who was present when this prototype was unvieled. He said the bike was real, and was being tested with the 4 valve lump (which apparently really exists and runs) but it was a long way from actually being available in a showroom. Also said the 4V Griso is a long way off. Guy

Georgie Wellfield. Does not sound very porn star to me! While we are on this subject I am reading Ron Jeremy's autobiography- bit trashy as expected but quite entertaining! Guy

I see! That explains your fondness for sheds.

I see McGuinness has posted 128.49mph in practice today- will we see the first 130mph lap if its dry on raceday? Mental stuff. Dont think it will be streamed on the internet by the BBC (unless somebody know different ) but last year there was a daily highlights programme on Men and Motors TV for those of us in Europe. Guy

This link takes you to a filthy adult site where you can find the most perverted discussions in the world about massive hooters and huge Italian vibrators honestly this shit should be illegal its so dirty all major credit cards and Paypal taken

Do you have to buy tickets to this show? Is it just stand up, or maybe some mixed cabaret including some exotic dancers?

Just an update if anyone is thing of buying the same Buell mirrors as me. I am off for a 2 week tour of Europe on Friday so loaded her up today because I will be busy at work later in the week. Found I could not see owt in the Buell mirrors once I threw my panniers and tent on, so have ditched them in favour of the big mirrors from my Ducati Monster. They give a great view even with all the wide luggage, but they did not fit straight away as Ducati uses a left hand thread for the right mirror. I had to bodge it by taking off the mirror fitting from the brake lever assembly on the Monster, and fitting it on the V11, and it matched up perfectly to the V11 brake lever. So in short, don't buy those Buell mirrors if you are going camping! Guy

Dragstrip King Of The Heavy Horses MC Well I have been in a few drag bars in my time..

Another type of 3 wheeler...

It was just 22 men kicking a bag of wind around a piece of turf- nothing special! Guy

The PB magazine test bike broke a valve in their endurance test- Triumph blamed the dealer who had just serviced it, but there seems some doubt about that. Ben The Blueant is about £125 per unit- you need one each obviously if you are doing bike to bike comms. May be cheaper in the States. Guy

At least the poo was fresh!!

Just fitted 2 pairs of the new BT021s on our V11s in preparation for our Europe raid starting next Friday. I wanted some sports touring tyres for the long mileage we will be doing. Will let you know how we get on.

Ask me in 2 weeks after I have been all around Europe with it!