Guzzirider

Apparently Jock Guzzi is willing to pose in his genuine HD leather chaps for any interested forum members who want to get to know him better.

Yes it is still around- they did a nice piece on the MGS01 a few months back. I buy Motorcycle Sport And Leisure now that I am a boring old fart. Guy

Helen and I set off from Moffat on Friday morning with the intention of attending the V11 and Buell owners weekend at Spean Bridge. As we were riding through the centre of Glasgow I lost the gearchange on my Rosso Corsa. When I pulled over to investigate the cause I noticed that the bracket which the gearshift lever is attached to had broken at the end. I could not fix it with cable ties or wire so I had to call the breakdown truck. The guy who came was a biker himself and happily was able to weld on a new end piece so 3 hours later we were able to get going again. Riding up through the Highlands was awesome as ever- if you have never seen the approach to Glencoe while riding a Guzzi you have never lived- just stunning scenery. We arrived at the Spean Bridge hotel at tea time to find out we were the first arrivals. After a long days ride we dumped our gear in the room and headed straight for the bar. Soon afterwards, Martin turned up, accompanied by Mark from Stirling who has recently bought a nice new Ballabio. BFG arrived on his Scura a while later, and eventually Chris and Jane who were on a Breva 1100. Unfortunately no Buell riders turned up, maybe put off by the weather. Over dinner and beer, plans were hatched for the next days ride- Martin was using his time in the Highlands to get some miles in for the Round Britain Rally and was planning to do 700 miles (gulp!). The rest of us planned to ride up to the Applecross peninsular on the North West coast. It was a bit drizzly when we set off on Saturday morning but we still had some fun, enjoying the mountain scenery and twisty roads. After a stop for tea, the weather cleared and as we approached the Pass Of The Cattle, we saw blue sky ahead. The road was now dry and we had a good time riding up the pass- it is hard to describe how beautiful this road is- mountains, sea, views over to Skye and some nice turns and switchbacks. We then had a nice pub lunch next to the sea in the garden of the Applecross Inn. The rest of the UK was getting very wet but it was sunny and dry for us. We left Applecross by the coast road and had a spirited ride back home, BFG leaving us to do a longer loop. Martin turned up later that evening, having accomplished his objectives for the RBR but with a puncture. Helen and I departed at 6.15am and enjoyed totally empty roads through Glencoe all the way to Glasgow. I narrowly missed a deer (having shaved a lamb with my front Pirelli the day before!) and we got piss wet through after Lancaster. All in all a great weekend. Thanks to Chris and Jane for organsing it! (Chris is the man with the seagull on his head!). Nice to meet you all and I hope you all got home safely! Guy

Its just a normal bar near Camping Continental- they give British Guzzi riders funny looks when they order "quattro litri" of beer- don't think they are used to serving such thirsty people. Hutch from Agostinis can often be found drinking in there. Guy

I've recently lent my Harley out to four previous HD virgins, 3 who ride Guzzis and 1 who has an SV650 and they all came back saying how much they enjoyed riding it. They were all surprised by the smoothness of the motor, which vibes less than a Guzzi, and also surprised by the handling. Now I don't expect many members of this forum to rave about HDs- like BMWs they seem to be the marque we love to hate but all I would say is ride a modern sorted one before you slag it- and if you still hate it fair enough. I gotta say that the brakes are still crap in my opinion- I had to bolt on a billet 6 pot caliper for safety reasons! Guy

Cheers for the info Jim- my Dad popped in there the other day to enquire about getting some work done to his (my old) Jackal and they told him that their mechanic used to work for Three Cross and was experienced with Guzzis. I'm set for Erin- ferry booked and should hopefully be there Thursday tea time. Not going home after- going straight to Europe for two weeks including Boxmeer rally. See you in Ireland regards Guy

I believe its basically the same Valeo as Guzzi have been using for years in various models so you would hope they should stock loads. I keep a spare on the garage shelf just in case anyway! Guy

I carry a small aerosol- available from most petrol stations. Had to use one once when I got a rear puncture and it inflated the tyre just enough to make it rideable and get me home- although I did not want to exceed 40mph as it was a bit wobbly. Guy

I got a second hand one from Reboot- was about £130. He normally has them in stock.

Ok I'm feeling decisive so we are definitely going. Slight change of plan- now leaving 5pm tomorrow (Thursday) and overnighting in Moffat. If anyone fancies joining us we will be staying at the Annandale Arms Hotel and hope to arrive about 8pm. Moffat is a nice place and only a few mins from the A74. Guy

The official Moto Guzzi bag is just the right size unless you like loading huge weight on top of your tank. Magnetic bags no good 'cos the tank is plastic.

I fitted Diablo Corsas to H's bike last weekend. She did not fancy scrubbing in the new tyres in the wet so I offered to do it for her and took her V11 out for a long run on Sunday in the rain and fog over the local moors. I got a few funny looks when I stopped for an ice cream at Hollingworth Lake and ate it in the rain, but I am used to getting funny looks. I obviously took it very easy to start with but after about 30 miles began to progressively wind it on and even in slippery conditions, the Corsas were fantastic with loads of feel and grip- I run these on my bike too and am totally smitten with them.

I haven't paid a deposit but still intend to go unless its looking really crap. I've done basically the same trip twice in the past in heavy rain and its not much fun. Where is global warming when you need it?

The guys on the forum have had a bit of a whip round and got you a nice cake for you to eat

Just watched the forecast on the telly- Friday scheduled for heavy rain, strong winds and it will be cold, especially in Scotland and NI. Bugger Don't mind showers or light rain but if it is going to be miserable all weekend we may sulk and stay at home- its a long way to go just to get hypothermia. I hope the weathermen are wrong. Guy

Gelukkige verjaardag! I like those wire wheels too! Guy

Weather forecast for Spean Bridge At the moment it looks like there may be plenty of precipitation on Friday Edit- Forecast getting better now- just light showers on Friday but sunny on Saturday!

I'm just going inside for a while to adjust my dorsal fin

Am I the only one not dropping acid on this forum??

Just dropped the sump on Helen's V11 for the first time and there was a big f*** off piece of curly swarf lying there. As the Wise One above says, this is surely worth doing rather than just using the filter access hole. Guy

Could not resist one last go....

Watching the table sliding at Boxmeer is comedy enough...... Thanks for the tip about Overloon Jaap

I think innovation should be encouraged not dismissed. It was not that long ago that you either bought a Jap bike, a BMW, Guzzi or Harley. even Ducatis were nearly unobtainable for long periods. Now we have KTM, Buell, reborn MV Agusta, MZ and Bimota, Benelli, Husqvarna, Sachs and Victory all available on the High Street. Not all to everybody's taste but at least you have a lot more choice now. The truth is that there are no longer any really "bad" bikes like Heskeths or chocolate camchain VF750s- just different bikes to suit different tastes and I wish Morini all the best, even though its not my particular cup of tea (I like weird flavours). Guy

The truth hurts.... No wonder Indian and Aussie ladies walk funny... An interesting comparison of redneck behaviour.. Who likes a bit of silicon? Who is the nicest? I can't stop it... Last one I promise...

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