Guzzirider

That's a shame BFG! Would have been good to have you along again. If you do decide to come, please set your alarm to go off before the ferry leaves!

Took my V11 out for a ride today over the local moors. Lovely bright sunny day, crisp air, no traffic and dry roads!! First chance I have had to try out the Ducati Monster carbon nose fairing which looks like it was made for the V11. I've nearly finhsed fiddling with her now- just waiting for a Rossopuro numberplate hanger and to fit my K and N pods which recently arrived from Teo Lamers. Now she is naked, I am having more fun with the wind in my face, and today was one of those days when everything seemed just right- handling was spot on, motor crisp and punchy and I had the most fun I have had on a bike for ages! Guy

I am sure you can get it to fit if you want. I preferred the V11 Sport look so converted my Le Mans into a naked using the V11 Sport headlight brackets, and a Bosch headlight from a BMW (same type as V11 but cheaper!). This makes the bike look a bit more compact- the Coppa Italia headlight arrangment makes the bike look a bit too long by sticking out too far in the front, IMHO. I know I will get a little wetter now when it rains, but who cares, the bike feels nicer to ride and looks much better. And in case anyone asks, I am keeping my Le Mans fairing! Regards Guy

I always love it when Ducati kick Honda's arse. All the millions of yen and resources that HRC put in, they should be miles ahead. Can't wait for the real racing to begin. Guy

Thanks Jim! Get yourself to the factory museum one day- not on a Raduno but during a quieter time when you are the only person there, and can look around without crowds of others getting in your way. I have been 3 times now and always notice things I have never seen before. You will be in heaven! Guy

I have a pretty comprehensive library of Guzzi related books. My favourite is Mario Colombo's 8 years of Moto Guzzi. When I was off work recovering from surgery a while back I did a lot of reading and can remember which pictures came from which book- although I still need to read the book again to get the model name / year etc. I would love to have a classic Guzzi racer in the garage- maybe a Dondolino. I know a guy who has one, and his rode it on the parade lap of the TT a few years ago, and was very surprised when he was overtaken by his own flywheel, seconds before he broke down! Guy

Looks similar to a Gilera motor but I am not sure!

Nibbio 500cc Guzzi V Twin Count Giovanni Lurani? Guessing at the year- must be 1935 to 1939?

Moto Guzzi Gallinella 1959 Zigolo 110.

Ozzy Sounds like they are mucking you about. I would be very persistent with the workshop manager and find out EXACTLY what the problem is, EXACTLY the part numbers (they think) you need and the EXACT timescale to fix it and return the bike to you. Alternatively, you could suggest they transport the bike to Moto Strada in Shipley at their cost, and get the mechanic Jason to fix it- at their cost of course. At least you could trust him to do a good job and he will tell you exactly how long it will take to get the necessary parts. 8 weeks sounds like a bloody long time to me. If I was you, I would get on the phone and kick some arse, and do not stop giving them a hard time until you are 110% satisfied. Hope you get it sorted Guy

Nuovo Falcone Militare 1970 to 1976 Used by traffic police (grey-green) Carabinieri (dark blue) army (olive green).

I'm a Hampshireman in exile!

Welcome! A few of us will be gathering in the Highlands in May- will you be able to cross the water that weekend? May weekend Regards Guy

Hi Ozzy! Which dealer have you ordered your parts from? The people involved make one hell of a difference! If you have the part number, you can check to see if either Teo Lamers or Motomecca have it in stock on their websites. Corsa Italiana also keep a large stock. Teos and Corsas are official Guzzi dealers, so if they have the part I can't see why your dealer can't use their item as part of the warranty claim. My experience is that small dedicated Guzzi dealers will sort these things out much better than large multi franchised dealers whose main interested is selling high numbers of cheap bikes. Guy

In fact the battery was fine- I eventually diagnosed the problem to be the starter solenoid. Swapped solenoid for a good one and the bike starts first time again. Initially symptoms were similar to weak battery but I ruled that out when I took a multimeter to it. Myself and several other riders I know have been using these batteries for years with no problems. The Hawker fits indside the compartment exactly like the standard battery, so no problem with size. Just wondering how a battery thread turned into a political debate? Guy

Total respect to these guys and gals. I have had the priviledge of knowing 3 IOM racers- all gods in my eyes

Yes I know that burnouts are silly and immature, waste of rubber blah blah blah, clutch damage blah blah blah but they are also a lot of fun! Jackal burnout Guy

Thanks for posting on this subject which has not been covered too much on this forum. Makes a change to have something new to discuss- most subjects have now been done to death and the repetition gets a bit dreary after a while. Please keep us updated- particularly interested in seeing the results from flowing your heads. Cheers Guy

What next? Signers on porno films?

An Coimisiún Fiosrúcháin um Easláinte Meabhrach Guy P.S. Just started the above! The only Welsh word I know is "Araf" which means speed up I think.

A hundred years ago the locals would have murdered the crew as well as stealing the cargo!!

I pulled one out of the sea but when I saw what it was I threw it back in again.

I take my hat off to all the guys who make fantastic Guzzi specials- especially in Germany where their enthusiasm knows no bounds. If you want to tweak your Guzzi I say go for it- don't let the doubters hold you back. Yes you will be throwing money at it without a massive return, but what the hell, you only live once. If we all made sensible decisions based on fiscal good sense we would all drive a Skoda deisel and would not touch a motorbike with a bargepole! You will never make it as fast as a GSXR1000, but when you pull into the bike park on your loud stylish Guzzi special you know who will have the biggest grin.

Hmm someone with more money than sense. I'm waiting for someone to buy the new full Quat D titanium race system, which is far cheaper than the Guzzi factory pipes. Interested to see how it performs before splashing out- it looks good but that is only half the story of course. Guy

My local dealer ordered 2 after the Milan show and was told by the factory there were none left. Then he got a call saying they had made 2 more- although the frame numbers date from before the show- I think he said they were 86 and 87. He was told the factory will build more- but will wait for at least 10 orders first.