Guzzirider

After being in the USA for nearly 3 weeks and riding 3000 miles I finally saw my first Guzzi today in Malibu. It was a V11 Sport which I think was custom painted a dark grey metallic and had a red tank cushion and valve covers- I maybe mistaken because it all happened so fast. I was on a blue and silver Road King and exchanged waves- anybody from this forum? Prior to this all I had seen was other Harleys, 2 Dukes in Yosemite and the odd BMW and sports bike. Guy

I will be there Jim- have got my tickets. Is the hill climb open to all comers? I assume its for bikes. If so, do you fancy a crack? I will if I can get a day licence.

I bumped into some of Michael Jordan's race team yesterday near Big Sur- every other bike was headed North and I was unfortunately heading away from the circuit back here to LA- I would love to stay and watch the race but have to fly home Sunday. Guy

Just been reading the handbook which came with my Ducati for instructions as to how to adjust the chain. It is my first bike with a single sided swinging arm so I thought I should check. The answer? If your chain is slack, take it to your nearest Ducati dealer for them to adjust it!! Will I heck! Have worked out how to do it- just need a tool from Ducati which costs £15. Guy

Congratulations on your new bike and welcome to the forum! Guy

If the players looked like that, I would get my physio badge asap! Guy

Reminds me of the 1970s punk film Jubilee- you need to have seen it to know what I am talking about! Guy

Yes I am on the look out for both oil and radiator covers Richard- there is a guy down the road that makes them for bikes so I will pop in and see if he has got them in the required sizes. The Guzzi needs some TLC so I am sure she won't mind me spending time with the new woman but I will get withdrawl symptoms after a while and want to ride the V11 again I am sure. Guy

With your Battle Of The Twins racing experince Jim I am sure you could make the most of the power and the chassis. Guy

It does look good but I have already paid for the Termis! Thanks for the comments guys- I have already got it wet and dirty this evening so I don't have to worry about keeping it clean now!

Just done 60 odd miles- obviously taking it fairly easy as I am running the motor in and scrubbing in the tyres. But WOW!! Such sweet steering and awesome brakes! Real eyeball poppers those Brembos- could not believe how quick you can stop with them. For normal braking you just need to brush the lever with 2 fingers- you don't even have to pull. Rear brake is useless- the lever hangs so low below your foot its just silly. The bike likes to lean- I have not even been trying and I have only got a tiny bit of chicken strips left on the rear. I am staying to 6k revs which is still plenty quick enough to break the law- I think it redlines just over 10k so god knows how fast it will go when I am able to thrash it. Need to sit down and have a cup of tea now. Guy

She has arrived- beautiful in red. All I need to do now is get rid of those standard pipes and the ugly cat. Maybe a few weeks before the Termis arrive. Just about to take here for her first ride and set up the front and rear preload. Guy

If you want a more local option Tony Archer in Huddersfield will rebuild your seat to a more comfy specification. His telephone number is 01484 536832.. I have not used him personally but he has an excellent reputation. Guy

I prefer shaft drive but chains these days are nowhere as bad as they used to be. The chain on my old 900SS only needed adjusting every few months even with constant use and I do Helen's R6 about once a year, although admittedly it does not get that much use. The main ball ache is the mess from all the lube flung off onto your wheel and chain guard. Guy

A possible easy fix to reduce pinking (aka pinging) is switching to a different type of spark plug. Iridium IX plugs have a smaller centre electrode and do not get as hot as a regular spark plug and are therefore less likely to encourage pinging. They are more expensive than regular spark plugs but do make a difference, albeit not removing pinking completely. No substitute though for altering your ignition curve which is what I have had done by HTM. Guy

In the same vein, Kevin Schwantz only won 1 championship and everyone remembers him as a great hero because of his "win or bin" attitude. Randy Mamola never won a championship but he still gets big cheers just because of his bravado. Guy

I believe Maxton make a decent shock which they will build to your specification. Maxton

England much better in the second half and we deserved our win, but we will have to improve a lot if we are to beat either Holland or Portugal in the quarter final. Guy

Half time England 0 Ecuador 0. England just sloppy at the back and no threat in attack. As usual they are not playing to their potential and are painful to watch. Erikson is trying a brand new formation at the knock out stages of the World Cup- what planet is he on? Guy

Bike blows hot and cold- it can very good or very bad. they have seemed to have got a bit more Guzzi friendly ever since the Breva 1100 and Griso were launched. I stick to Viz and Razzle. Guy

Yeah I find F1 very processional. I think WSB has been better entertainment than Moto GP this year. I enjoyed today's race but in comparison to the recent WSB fairing bashing then it was a bit tame until the end. Guy

Bit of a boring race until the last two laps!!

After my experience with MCN changing all the words of my interview with them I will never believe a word of anything they print! Guy

Not sure if those tops would go round my leg let alone my torso!! Yes I am excited actually- its been 6 years since I sold my last Duke and I am looking forward to having some horsepower to play with. I have owned four cyclinder bikes with similar power outputs but never a twin with such a strong motor and chassis so I am sure its going to be a lot of fun. It is going to get used though- I have already ordered a Ventura sport luggage rack which will probably get the Ducatisti who only ride their babies on sunny Sundays spitting into their capuccinos! I will ride it down to the V Twin rally in August- are you going? I will try and get as much running in as possible done in the evnings next week before I go on holiday so I hope the weather impoves a bit. Can't imagine running in to be too much of a bind as it makes 80bhp at 5k revs. My Guzzi now needs some TLC after a lot of recent use, especially cosmetically with paint now flaking off the altenator and valve covers. I have done about 6000 miles in the last 2 months, including a track day and I think she needs some cosseting and a rest. I will shortly need my 3rd rear tyre since January! It was looking a bit like Martin's bike so I thought I better clean it yesterday. When it last broke down in Germany I swore that evening over a few beers that I would never use it for touring again as something always breaks. I said I would strip off all the road gear, tune the bollocks out of it and make it a track day bike but I have mellowed since then and we are in love again. Assen is on telly in a mo so I better put the kettle on. Regards Guy P.S. How is your gearbox, David?

Talking of Americans, KR is on a roll too- maybe a podium for him. Loris looked in really bad shape in yesterdays qualifying, holding his chest and taking really deep intakes of breath. Rossi looked in really beaten up too.. I'll be rooting for James Ellison who won't have a hope in hell of winning but is slowly improving and getteing much closer to his team mate Checa with each round. Guy