Guzzirider

I have a Roof Boxer- well 2 in fact, an original plastic one which is about 7 years old, and a newer fibreglass one. They are basically open faced lids, with a plastic chin bar which can be lifted up all the way back over the helmet, allowing you to ride at motorway speeds with the bar raised, which I understand most flip ups don't allow. Very light, nice in hot weather but I'd prefer to be wearing my Arai if I crashed. When I am touring abroad with friends, I always get jealous comments from the guys that are sweating like pigs inside their full face helmets, while I am crusing along with my ugly grinning face in the breeze. I love Roofs but they are not for everyone- they are like your Guzzi- a little flawed but fun anyway. They are not for Simon Sensible types who like to worry- mind you they should be driving a Volvo not riding a bike. Guy

Great pics as ever Orson- and it is great to see your well travelled bike being used for its intended purpose rather than being cosseted all year! Mogens- if you are in the Alps / Dolomites first 2 weeks of June we may bump into each other- Kilsjon will also be around somewhere! Guy

You can contact Moto Strada- last time I was in there they had some on the shelf. The proprietor is called Jason and I am sure he will be happy to help you. Guy

I've gone for option 2- Guzzis always look better when they are a little tatty. Guy

I used to be a map reading luddite but have discovered that GPS = more time riding and less time stuck on the roadside reading maps and asking one toothed banjo playing strangers wearing denim dungarees which way to go! I use a RAM mount too, mounted in a similar position but on the left clip on. Guy

Hi Graham Helen in a rush left the paperwork and manual at Maxton and they are posting it to me. I'm pretty sure they said they would be adding compression adjusters and there look to be 2 different adjusters on each fork- I'll let you know when the manual arrives. In any case, they seem pretty well set up from the crate and seem fine under braking so I can't imagine I would be tweaking it much anyway. Cheers Guy

I'm going for just the Friday night- then riding back up to watch Gyles race his Daytona at Cadwell. Should be a very beery affair- thanks for organising Jim! Guy

Congratulations- and that is what I like- a man with his own mind!! Enjoy your new baby. Guy

Spot on Big J- I would not purport to know what i am talking about when it comes to improving forks- spring rate / air gap? I'd rather trust somebody who is the acknowledged expert on this subject. I know you fitted a Maxton rear shock- did you get your forks done too? Cheers Guy

Another option if you wanted to build a nice Tonti framed cafe racer would be to buy a Le Mans IV or V, which are much cheaper than other LM variants- starting point for a decent one in the UK is about £1800 ($3600). You would already have the frame, suspension, 950 motor, 40mm dellortos and big valves- a good starting point. Get some wire wheels, old style tank, seat unit and side panels and you would be able to build a 1000S style bike for a fraction of the cost. You could even sell all the standard plasticky stuff on EBAY to keep the cost down. Guy

On the Sunday we will be leaving at 6am so will be worrying more about deer!

Helen has been complaining about the forks on her V11 Sport since she got the bike and I promised I would get them sorted for her. Rather than spend a considerable amount upgrading to another type of fork like an Ohlins, I decided to get the existing Marzocchis rebuilt and upgraded by Maxton. Maxton have an excellent reputation for improving and building suspension units and Richard the proprietor told me he could improve them by throwing away the internals, and fitting his own cartridges and springs. He would also fit rebound and compression adjusters for both fork legs. I drove to their workshop just over a month ago with the forks, and Richard carefully inspected them while I was there, to check they were straight and look for other defects. He was familiar with these type of forks, having rebuilt the forks for the TT Tenni a few years back. I obviously wanted them set up for road use, and after giving Richard all the information he needed about Helen and her riding style, I left them in his capable hands. He said they would be ready in about 3 weeks or so, this being his busiest time of the year. There were a couple of weeks late due to a delay in Richard getting the correct type of springs from his supplier, but Helen picked them up on Tuesday, and I refitted them to the bike last night. All I can say is WOW!!! What a difference!!! The quality of ride is much improved, and they feel just right out of the box, feeling great over the bumps and giving a much more sophisticated ride. I know you can upgrade these forks yourself, but if you are the type of guy who would like an expert to improve your forks for you then I can recommend Maxton for sure. Price for the conversion was £376- much cheaper than a fork swap. Next step is to fit the Ohlins rear that I have bought, and then to set the bike up for Helen- I think the end result should be a very comfortable fine handling machine. Guy

Classic shite

Anybody who has ridden an Ohlins shod bike will tell you the ride is better than the stocker. Saying that, the 43mm Marzocchis are pretty good out of the box in comparison with the earlier 40mm forks, so the Ballabio will be a nice bike. But if you prefer quality over "newness" then buy the Cafe sport. Guy

I think the swingarm is longer on the late Tontis like my Jackal. Guy

I bought a pair of pattern levers from Agostinis a few years back- a fraction of the cost of the factory items. I take them in my panniers on long trips, in case I ever drop the bike and brake a lever. Only difference is that the adjuster is silver not gold, but you could swap them if this bothers you. Guy

Maybe once a year, on the Forum's birthday we could have a pussy thread lasting one day only..

Its a dangerous bit of road with people in slow cars doing mad overtakes of lines of traffic- I'll be happy to keep the speed down! Guy

I have never figured out why real life lesbians never look like the ones I see on DVDs

You can now buy a Moto Guzzi branded Momo- my local dealer sells 'em.

This place is just down the road from me and it is where I bought my Roof. If any of you guys across the pond need a Momo he can ship you a DOT approved version. Helmets Guy

They look well made, and very individual, and seem to be popular with the coffee bar cruiser set. There are loads of low mileage Grisos for sale which makes me think that people aren't keeping them very long for whatever reason. Good news for buyers! Guy

Nice one!

I am an active member of the Motorcycle Action Group and have been following this story quite closely. Basically, the speed restriction proposal is one of several recommendations from the Transport Select Committee to try and reduce motorcycle casualties which have been in increasing in volume year by year, partly due to the increasing popularity of motorcycling. In terms of casualties per kilometer ridden, the trend has actually been decreasing. At the moment, the Minister For Transport is against the idea of fitting speed limiters to either cars or motorcycles and this proposal is merely a recommendation by the transport select committe so it is not yet close to becoming implemented. Excesssive speed is said to be the major cause of only 4% of accidents so limiting speed will not make a major reduction in motorcycle casualties. Even though speed limiters are at present just a suggestion, if you ride a bike in the UK please do not be dismissive of this threat. Organisations like MAG are representing YOU and trying to look after YOUR rights. They have employed a full time campaigns officer David Short who is an ex Chief Superintendent from North Yorkshire Police, and he carries a lot of credibility in the corridors of power in Westminster. Out of interest David is an Italian bike fan and has owned a Guzzi in the past. MAG would be even stronger if they had more members- membership is increasing as more riders look to protect their love of motorcycling and if you want to enjoy your current levels of freedom then please join up. Money well spent at £20 per annum and you can join online. Are you going to bend over, drop your trousers and take it up the arse or are you going to do something positive to help prevent stupid proposals like this getting off the ground? Guy

These are the parts you would need if you wanted to convert to a front x over: 01 12 26 90 X over 01 12 09 90 RH header 01 12 09 91 LH header 91 11 32 30 x 2 gaskets You will also need 2 new exhaust gaskets. That is something I have never tested myself while playing on the dyno but my general point is the same as yours Ratch- its a lotta hassle and money to retrofit the front crossover and the Stucchi may be a better option, even if it is only for aesthetics. One thing I have tested is that the Stucchi makes absolutely zilch difference on the dyno compared to the standard crossover on a post 2003 V11 that also has the front crossover, although I do understand that guys with pre 2003 bikes have seen gains from the Stucchi. Regards Guy