Guzzirider

N200 live

I went out in Halifax, got pissed, then made my friends listen to Judas Priest at mega volume in my rock room.

I understand it is still likely to be mixed weather in Scotland for our weekend. Probably best to pack as if you were riding in a wet winter, but have the capability lose some layers if it warms up. Guy

I can answer Q1 and Q4.- there should be a small black rubber breather hose attached to one of the nipples- r/h side I think (does it matter?) which I believe lets the tank overflow if you drop the bike. I believe the early V11s had a different petcock so this may be the wrong part for your bike. Guy

The BBC does a 5 day forecast

Yes its the new Ducati Hypermotard.

Onboard Lap Takes a couple of minutes to load, but it is well worth watching Michael Rutter ride at speeds of over 200mph on a public road. Those kerbs, lamp posts and telegraph poles look frighteningly dangerous- a million miles away from the "safe" sanitised world of Moto GP. Hats off to the guys and gals who risk their lives to entertain us.

A wealth of info.......

Had the same bother taking off the tank on Helen's V11 Sport this afternoon- even though the petcock was turned as far as it went clockwise the fuel kept coming out- ended up draining the tank as it was easier. She does now have a nice new Ohlins rear shock fitted though Guy

Try moving the gear lever a little- sometimes the bike thinks its not in neutral even when it is! Guy

Can't wait to get up there and ride those empty roads!

What a totally awful film that was!

I think the Vagueliar intruments are great- insurance against speeding tickets as they overread so much! And if you think you are a few hundreds miles late with your oil change- chances are you are not, because you haven't really done that many miles. No tacho on my Jackal and I have never missed it. Too busy looking where I am going to look down all the time!

I am a big fan of the slower lifestyle in some European countries. A fast lifestyle breeds a market for fast food. We have got it so wrong in the UK and the USA- chasing our tails and working long hours, in a rush all the time- and for what benefit? Obesity and a heart attack? Guy

Very nice Paul but I thought you no longer did carbon tails?

I have a Rossopuro tail tidy. Looks neat and tidy but you need to waterproof and cover up electrics which were previously protected by that horrible big plastic mudguard. I am also going to rubber mount mine as it shakes a lot, especially on tickover. You will also need to fit mini indicators and relay- I used Motrax Dinkywinkaz which are E marked.

I'm taking both my Guzzi and my Ducati (which is much faster) to Mallory in July. I reckon I will be more comfortable on the Guzzi because you can absolutely wring its neck due to its gentle power delivery, whereas on the Duke I have to be much more careful. Also thinking of doing the MV owners club track day at Cadwell Park in August- anyone else fancy it? Guy

In England, its really naff to support Man Utd- they are the biggest club and have a huge following of armchair fans, mainly in the south of England, whereas Manchester is in the north. People actually from Manchester are more likely to support the less fashionable Man City. Clubs like Man Utd and Chelsea are now more like multinational franchises with huge turnovers, their true purpose in life is to sell shirts to fans in the USA or the far east. If you want to get behind an English team it would be great to follow one of the poorer less successful clubs. Guy

Man Utd?

I think the Stelvio has the potential to be an excellent bike. If its a big chunky thing then who cares? All big Guzzis are heavy, and if it has the 4 valve motor the power to weight ratio will be better. Nobody rides these "adventure tourers" off road anyway, except on TV where they always drop 'em. If I wanted to off road I would buy a cheap 125 two stroke, or maybe an XT600 if I needed to ride around the world. The plus points will hopefully be big comfy seat and suspension for crappy British roads, nice tall riding position and torquey motor. Guzzi will never sell more than the trendy GS, but I think they can sell a fair few and I am sure it will be more reliable than the 1200GS which has a poor reputation amongst the BMW folk, some of whom are swapping back to the older heavier 1150GS. Guy

I have had exactly the same issue as Ratch.

Who knows? Maybe it makes no difference what you do! Been riding Guzzis for years and don't worry about it! Apart from my V65 Lario, I have never had an engine break itself in tens of thousands of miles of riding, so have the confidence to ride the bike not stroke it. Guy

When I bought my V11, I did a gentle 100 miles or so, then entered a motorcycle hill climb at Strata Florida in mid Wales, where I obviously revved the tits off it on 2 practice runs, and the final timed run. End result, no damage done but a nice crisp motor. Guy

Great pics BFG- looks like you are having a good time. Are you out there to find out how the Brazilians do it when it comes to carnivals? Guy