ferguzzi

I like it , but as someone said ,I don't see a headlight, although I suppose that wouldn't be too difficult to remedy for those who know how. I 've always thought the fairing on the the le mans was bordering on too bulky, and this sorts it.

This is Cara, (Irish for Friend), and I breed the shaggy bastards, our other guy is Kody. They're Alaskan Malamutes, a reasonably common dog in N. America, but rare over here. There's about 10 in Ireland and maybe 150 in the UK. She weighs about 140 pounds,hence the squished look on my face and can out-howl any police car. And frequently does, much to joy of my neighbours!

Think I got overexcited with the icons there. I should find out how they actually work sometime.

I was working the other day with a young lass from Yorkshire, who is best friend's with Neil Hodgson, and family. He of WSB champion, BSB champion, sometime GP rider and now racing in the states. She was on her way to visit with them in the states, it seems he is now in Orlando testing, and has committed to the states for a couple of years, which is sort of a shame, but the money is good. Apparently he came sixth last year, his first one , when of course all the circuits were new to him, so who knows next year? Anyway I asked her to pass on the message that the sad bastards who subscribe to V11.COM said hello!

oh for God sake. Red wine ok? enough with the wine criticisms. Anyway,I have received an e-mail from said man,or possibly one of his buddies. It seems we're not the only people on the planet who ride these odd machines. Speaking of which has anyone ever commented on the fact that the Cuban police ride 750 nevadas? I had a shortish chat with one of their cops last year in Varadero, but I'm sure all you guzzitsi Know about this,( the bike,not the chat) and anyway, this is a V11 website. Lastly, Martin, you might have the best photos of that fire the other day, but I was watching it from about Liverpool all the way to Heathrow on Sunday afternoon and I have never seen anything like it. There was really high pressure on the day(1039 to the technophiles, and no, I'm not translating it into american), with no cloud and no wind. It really was other-worldy, something from a spielberg movie. Incidently, nobody told us what it was. You can imagine what was going through our heads.

There I was, ambling down the main drag in Pasadena, California on Saturday about 1 pm, admiring the Lambos, ferraris etc. when what should appear, but a wine coloured V11. Was it you? Great to see a real bike, as oppose to all those harley fergusons trying to look mean.

That's the.plan. I've been all over that part of the world years ago, but she hasn't, plus it was winter when I was there before, so Flagstaff and monument valley hopefully won't be covered in snow this time. And all this with a stereo, albeit a cassette player!. Haven't Harley heard of CDs? And we might get married again by Elvis. Wonder if I can include the bike somehow....

any more news on dates or places? Is 9-11 june still right? It's going to be a busy few weeks, withe spean bridge and this, and immediately afterwards I'm tring to organize a week on an electra glide in las vegas for theMrs`s birthday.

I'd have paid to see that!

Thanks for that, Jaap, I thought there'd be better informed people then me, who still couldn't agree on the tranverse thing. No, the helmet is definitely a copy of this guy Adamo. At the time, arai also did copies of Phil Read's, and one or two others, but I don't know if any made it across the pond to Europe. I think Adamo was a US rider from the '70's, but that's all I know.

I got away without paying anything,as I'd lived in the uk for a little over a year. Whereabouts are you?

First question, To end an argument with my father in law, do I own a transverse or in-line v twin? it sounds silly, but there's a letter in this months bike mag with the same question, and the answer seems to say the description refers to the piston cases, which is what I always thought, but deeper into the magazine ,it actually contradicts itself. My Dad in law says it refers to the the crank shaft, and therefore longitudinal. Is there even a definitive answer, I mean we all have an opinion! Secondly, some one mentions helmets elsewhere. Mine is an arai I bought in Boston a few years ago, done in the colours of Jerry(Joey?) Adamo. It's red white and green(always get a bike to match your helmet), but I don't know who the man was, I think he was an American, but before my time. Can anyone shed some light?

Just got back from the tax office to finally switch my uk reg to an Irish one, and surprise surprise, they had no info on my type of bike. So the nice man gives me a list of bikes, and says are any of these close enough? The closest thing was rosso Mondello(sic). So my Tenni is now officially a misspelled red thing.

I did 900 miles once, Bristol in the uk to Freiburg in Germany on the Tenni. It took about 18 hours, including 3 sitting on the boat. It was a real testament to the bike how little fatigued I was at the other end, the bike is a great tourer.

I've got the white power rear bit(No. 161), and Marzochi forks, but when I was in Mandello in '02 there was a Tenni in the reception with an ohlins suspension, but I guess it was a one off. I have all the paperwork too, for what it's worth, squished safely in a dictionary or something.

Yeah, I can understand the frustration, I'm not a big fan of the US beers myself. My personal favourites are the really strong ie 9 or 10% belgian beers, but they're not available on draft here, although the bottled stuff is nearly as nice. Oddly enough, I was in Pasadena a few weeks ago drinking a belgian concoction called Goldn Draak, on draught, which was well yummy. But a little strong. as if that's a bad thing. Apparently the biggest Guinness brewery in the world is in Nigeria(?), and I've had it in Lagos, and it's not at all bad, but really strong too, I think about 7%. I'm getting thirsty now...

Um, firstly, quick geography lesson. Ireland isn't part of the British isles. Hence the British and Irish lions. Next, It's true there are no dealers in Ireland, in Dublin there's an ex-guzzi engineer who works out of his garage, and he seems to know his stuff, but any warantee stuff or, to be honest, anything complicated, and I'd make the trip across the water to the UK. It's a good excuse for a spin through Wales, if nothing else. As far as I know there's maybe 3 or 4 V11s in the republic, and the only northern one I've come across is Belfastguzzi's, but there could well be more. I'm pretty sure I've the only one in Dublin, but Older guzzi's do exist, and there rare. Irelands not particularly biker friendly, the weather's shit most of the year, the roads are the worst in Europe(surface-wise), prices are high and insurance is expensive, so any big bikes are relatively scarce. Guiness is good though. To import from anywhere outside the EU you have to pay VAT. 21% this could be on a sliding scale depending on age, I'm not sure. Then you have to pay VRT( vehicle registration tax) when you import from outside the republic.This is what makes Irish bikes, and cars, more expensive then in uk. This is 25%. You get away without paying this if you have owned the vehicle for mor then 6 months before you get here. It's based on the present worth of the bike. you also have to have lived outside the country for 1 year. Unfurtunately, you can't just keep the old reg(uk for example), and not pay VRT, because then you can't insure. It's a bugger.

Just so that you colonials know, I flew the M.D. of Guiness North America to Chicago a few years ago, and he said that every draught pint of the black stuff sold in North America now comes directly from Arthurs Gate, Dublin, so it shouldn't actually taste different. Having said that, I never drink it outside Ireland-I think there are too many other variables, like how clean the pipes are, how it's poured,etc. God, what a boring post.

Nosy bastards aren't you? Well.... I was in a hurry, enroute from Ypres in Belgium to Cherbourg in France to catch the last ferry to England. I'd spent too much time dawdling around the war graves, plus I was a bit under the weather thanks to a friendly barman the night before in Bruges. Lovely beer. Anyway, After about 6 hours on the road, I hit one of those " oh shit, I need fuel now but can't waste time going too far off track to find a station" moments. I eventually took a slip rode off the motorway to see if a small town had a station. At the top of the sliproad was a roundabout, and I couldn't make up my mind to go left around it and just keep going because the town was too small, or right, slightly illegal but there was no traffic, and check out the town. Suffice to say, I never made up up my mind, went straight ahead hit the kerb at about 30 mph, and mounted the roundabout. Nobody saw me do it, so i've been able to forget it ever happened. 'til now. I eventually made the ferry, but the last 2 hours were a bit fraught!

Now boys and girls, tempers are getting frayed, I'm a-frayed, and the situaton just doesn't warrant it. We're all just brothers and sisters in this wonderful fraternity of biking, and it doesn't matter which colour your exclusive V11 is, they're all lovely. Unless it's a TENNI of course, in which case you're the BIG DADDY! By the way,Felix420, love the shot of the CH53G, Do you fly them at all, or were you just in the right place at the right time?

My pawl spring broke in Austria, with about 3000 miles on the clock. The bike was only a month old though. Since then, a front fork leak, which I think happened after hitting a roundabout head on in France(don't ask), And also, what can only be described as hiccupping at high revs, once in a blue moon. Possibly a fuel injection problem? anyway it doesn't do it anymore. The veglia instruments do mist up, but it's a common thing, and harmless. And my trip meter has never worked.

I notice this months poster bike has a green bellypan. Where from? Does everyone else have one? Have I been left out? Where do you get one?

Looking at this months poster bike, the Tenni has a colour coded belly pan. I don't have one. Now is this because Guzzi gave one to him and not me by coincidence or can you get one aftersales. I'd imagine trying to get the exact same colour would be a bit of a nightmare? Did other V11s get bellypans as stock?

Tenni NO. 161 is alive and well, though maybe feeling alittle down 'cause it didn't get used enough this year.(gotta plan next summer better!). Still haven't learned to tinker with the beast yet, I seem to spend all my spare time putting up shelves, cutting grass, cooking dinner, walking dogs, cutting dinner, putting up grass, wallking... no wait a minute. They even get me to work once in a while. Bastards. Other then that, thing are great!