Guzzirider

Perhaps he is miffed at having to wear a short skirt and sit on your lap when you give dictation. Oh, and those weekend "business trips" you insist he accompanies you on.

Only a week and a half away until the Scottish Rally- anyone else going from here in addition to Macguzzi and Chris? As usual there will be a large raiding party crossing the border from the Pennines- I can nearly smell the rain already! Guy

Here you go Big J....

Yes the gist of what I said was in there but the words different!

Its good fun Martin- grease those leathers up and give it a go! Thanks for the advice about the header pipe- I have dropped a line to Pete at Reboot to see if he has the pipe for the Nero Corsa he is breaking- if not Teo Lamers have 2 in stock. I will get the existing one welded anyway and keep it as a spare. It was hard work for me yesterday- I had a year of inactivity and I'm not as fit as I normally would be so I relaxed and did not try too hard. I had to end a couple of sessions early because my the fingers in my right hand were seizing up after hard braking, but I still had a great time. I'll use that link Martin so we can all see Keith's antics- its a bit wobbly though cos its on full zoom with no tripod. Guy

It was a pleasure to meet you and see your skillful riding Keith. I have a good camcorder clip of you stuffing it up the inside of someone at School corner then going round a Kawasaki 2 bends later- I'll try and burn it onto a disc for you. What a great day- sunshine, dry and grippy track and sticky tyres! Like Keith said, most of the other riders were on dedicated track bikes with motorhomes, pit crews, in some cases slicks and tyre warmers and there were only 5 riders including us 3 that rode to the track. The standard of the riding was good though, fast but courteous. It was very pleasant riding back along the coast, the sea was blue and the mountains clear but then along the Manchester ring road, my bike started to sound like a Harley and I stopped to find that my right hand exhaust header pipe had cracked nearly all the way around. Hopefully get it fixed before Scottish Rally. Still, what a great day- was good to be on track again. Guy

That's certainly my attitude. If I gave a toss about what others think I would not have a Guzzi either. Guy

At the moment it is- but Ducati have threatened to pull out unless the limit for twins is increased to 1200cc. KTM are also planning to enter WSB on a 1200 twin if the capacity limit is raised. Ducati normally get their way. Guy

I think the point is that this new bike is not necessarily for existing Guzzisti who are happy with comparitively low powered bikes. It will hopefully open up Guzzi to a new market- sports bike riders who may never have previously considered one. Saying that, a few of us existing Guzzi fans may fancy one anyway. If you want a 75bhp Guzzi I am sure you will still be able to buy a Breva. Guy

Just read this weeks MCN in which there is an article entitled "Guzzi's 180mph superbike plan". Fulvio Parisatto who is Moto Guzzi's marketing director has reportedly revealed that Guzzi will shortly be announcing a 1200cc superbike which will be road legal, with a full fairing. Now I have read MCN for enough years to know that you sometimes need to take a pinch of salt, but there seem to be persistent reports of a new sports bike floating about so maybe there is something in this one. Piaggio boss Roberto Colaninno has also said that Guzzi will have a sports bike by the end of the year, and there seems to be a change of attitude away from the "we only want Guzzi to make cruisers and roadsters". If it has a full fairing, does this mean it is more likely to be a watercooled engine? If the 180mph thing is true then I guess it will have to be. This post will probably spark the predictable "75bhp is enough" replies but if they produce a good sports bike it can only be good news for the company- after all the GSXR1000 was the UKs best selling bike over 125cc, so thats where the money is.

I believe that the motor in the XB12R is completely different to a 1200 Sportster engine. It is a stroked XB9R motor to Erik Buells own design. All air cooled twins with open pipes are loud- but its how you ride your bike that creates perceptions. If you ride like a twat in built up areas and rev the bollocks off it at traffic lights, then you will be perceived as a noisy annoying d*ck head. Alternatively, if you ride responsibly in built up areas and keep the revs down, then you will obviously create a much better perception. In these parts, its generally riders of GSXRs and R1s with race pipes who scream the bollocks off their bikes in the suburbs, together with chavs in stupid little Citroens with a silencer the width of the channel tunnel, trying to impress their 14 year old girlfriends. Guy

Weather forecast for Anglesey on Sunday is sunny, dry and reasonably warm. Just a few places left if anyone fancies joining us- celebrate Easter by thrashing the tits off your Guzzi! Guy

Dorothy from the Wizard Of Oz?

The new Ducati GT1000 sport classic comes out this week- it is basically the same as the others but with a more upright riding position and twin shocks. I am seriously hankering for a not-too-badly crash damaged RSVR Mille which I can use as a track day bike- seem to be plenty about for not a lot of money. Guy

Spare a thought for poor Frankie Chili- he broke his pelvis and a few other bones today in testing and is out for the rest of the season. Is this the last we have seen of him on the track or will he be back? Guy

Rick I can't find any ref to the Tenni on the parts diagrams and have had a quick search on Motomecca's and TLM's websites with no luck. May be worth giving Jason at Motostrada a call to see if he can help. http://www.motostrada.co.uk/ Guy

I wear Altberg All Weather Bandogs- best boots I have ever owned and completely waterproof. My only criticism is that they are far too hot on fine summer days. Take count of the advice on their website about sizing- you will probably need to order a (British) half size up from what you normally are. We may ride up to the shop in Richmond on Friday if its open because I want some lighter boots for the summer. Guy

Looks like Rammstein have borrowed that fire farting Harley.

It is Stena that did my booking for £68.50 for that exact crossing. To get the discount you need to go to the MCN website and follow the link through there. Guy Just checked MCN website- the offer has disappeared. You can probably get the same discount if you are a member of MAG or through one of the mainstream magazines like Bike.

http://www3.youtube.com/watch?v=fq1EjBT9kwM I can't help thinking it will all end in tears. Guy

Its a lovely bike- I expect you would have had to be bloody rich to own one in the 1920s. The 4 silencers look wicked. Guy

Its a Montgomery with an Anzani engine.

I think that often the guy riding with you who zooms off into the distance is not necessarily a fast rider- just somebody who is willing to take more risks. I must admit I am slowly turning into a boring old fart and trying to concentrate on staying alive, although am still prone to the odd moments of madness. Guy

There is an in depth feature on Mike / Michelle Duff in last months Classic Bike magazine if anyone is interested. Guy

Woke up at 5.45am at my Mum's house in Hampshire where I have been staying the weekend. On the road for 6.10am- home 250 miles later at 9.30am. Only incident caused by a deer that ran out in front of me in a leafy lane. Bloody cold on the bike but nice to be up and home before the cars hit the road. Guy