badmotogoozer

Guzztim... THAT is just a beautiful thing! Rj

In my experience I have found good results matching transistor amps with turntables and tube amps with cd's. The crystal clear reproduction produced from a transistor amp works very well with vinyl, and the warm fuzzyness of a tube amp does a fine job of smoothing the harshness that you can get with CD's. Gthyni, you have misread my post, the two AD conversions you cannot get away from are the 1) when it is recorded, and 2) when it is played. You will always have these 2 AD conversions with CD's. I have also had good results with dino oil in modern engines and synthetic in old engines. There are always exceptions, and what sounds good to one ear (music or RPM's) sounds like shite to another... cheers, Rj

Well, if we're gonna talk music, I'd better get on in!! Vinyl will always sound better (ie more like the original artist's performance). Always. Music is analog. Vinyl is analog. There is no analog-digital conversion required. As much as 4% of the analog signal is lost every time an A-D conversion is done. On a CD you have a minimum of 2 A-D conversions. Once when it was recorded, once again when it is decoded and returned to analog which drives the speakers. CD's are handy, trouble free, maintenance free, and can be digitally altered to sound like anything the listener wants to hear, not necessasarily how the music was intended to be heard. A huge improvement over tapes but cannot possibly match the ability of vinyl. Most people who remember vinyl and the "hiss" were using cheapo Sears-o-matic turntables with $5 needles. Of course this sounds like crap - it is crap. But it is not the fault of the vinyl. A close friend has spent over 10 years and $15,000 trying to get his CD system to match the quality of sound he had from his vinyl system. Still isn't there. Oh, yeah, oil. Use whatever the hell you want and change it regularly. Rj

Properly set up for the rider there is nothing wrong with the Sachs/Marz suspension. In fact these are some very high quality parts. First set your sag - easily done in the rear, toss some spacers in the fronts to play with different "spring" combinations. When you find the one that works you will have an idea of what springs you need to order. Once sag is set, play with the damping for a day on your favorite bit of road. 2 clicks at a time to feel the difference. Most riders will never ride to the limits of their suspension, and this setup is very good. Ohlins are better. You will pay big $ for this minor improvement in suspension and ease of use. Spend a bit of time with what you have, once you get it sorted you never have to touch it again. cheers, Rj

Funny, I've always had problems with Chevron gas. No problems so far with the Goose running Mohawk. Long term?? who knows. What problems do you find with the ethanol? Most of the gas companies are putting one form of alcohol or another in their fuel. Hence the problems the vintage guys are having with their old fiberglass tanks melting caused by the alcohol. cheers, Rj

Hey Steve, Mohawk has 94 now too. I figure by the end of summer, they'll all have it. cheers, Rj

Noticed something interesting. With gas prices ridiculously high and my usual 94 octane high test unavailable I filled my tank with 89 octane. Got much improved mileage on that tank with same riding conditions. My fuel light would come on at 170kms fairly consistently but didn't come on until 214kms on that tank. Seems strange to me but who knows? The thing has always been exceptionally piggy with the petrol even before mods so I'm hoping my next tank yields the same result. Hotter burning gas = better mileage?? More research required! If I collect data for mileage vs. octane for, say, 50 tank fills at each octane rating I should have "real" results... More riding required! Rj

Oh, I think we know who will be first... Where did I put those LaFranconis... Rj

This is what got us thinking about sodium next year. The TIME is right! http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/...11.2/index.html good TIMES, good TIMES... Rj

Time does not exist, as we know it, on a Moto Guzzi! Where did the day go?? Clocks do not work in this environment. Much in the same way they do not work on small islands... Rj

Thanks for the concern re my eyes... We all had our "blue blockers" on, at least those who were sober enough to have their eyes open! I did learn a few things in those chem courses oh so long ago! Next year - sodium in the lake! I must confess, we got the magnesium legitimately. A friend of mine reworks helicopter cases that the manufacturer rejected as out of tolerance. Usually he is able to machine them to spec (and they pay him VERY well for this). This was one that was not reworkable, so he ended up having a fifty pound chunk of magnesium under his desk for a number of years... It was only a matter of time before somebody clued in cheers, Rj

Rj

I cropped them down tons too, thought they wouldn't be that big... maybe a kind soul will resize them for me? Rj

This year we have a mag. lawn mover we're gonna start up and see how long it will run while burning... That prev. pic started off as half of a helicopter transmission case. Here's how it started...

speaking of burning, here's a little magnesium fire we had at the lake last summer. flame on! Rj

The burning! Somebody stop the burning! Hey Jaap - we should have a "hall of fame" section for threads such as this... classic! Rj

I second that Rj

Don't forget to throw a pack of 10 fuses in your tail space. Fuses blow for a reason, and if you don't know why it went, you could blow a few more getting home if it becomes a regular problem without warning. Tow bill vs 10cnt fuse. Rj

Just had my first experience using carbon fiber. It is very different than working with fiberglass. It is much stiffer, so you may find that detail is hard to do, especially compound curves. Yes, the splinters are a be-atch! It was also a lot more difficult getting the bubbles out. I had to use my fingers to work them out as a brush was useless. It doesn't want to stay where you put it so unless you have a two piece mold that sandwiches the CF, you will have to baby sit it until the resin starts to stiffen up. These are just what I noticed doing it for the first time (before anyone tells me how wrong I am - I am no where near an expert, just my 2 centos) Rj

OMG! They let you teach people?? aw, shucks TX, didn't realize your skin was so thin... Good luck getting past my home security system.

ssshhhhh japp! Don't say pink fore skin around TX! Rj

I promise to learn to read... but not today... Rj

The rpm at which it all goes to glass is mostly (AIUI) a result of the balance factor used when balancing the engine. At that rpm everything is balanced and smooth. Rj

Antonio! Quit picking on the new guy! won't bring you any shiny new Guzzi bits :!: Sorry, can't answer your question... If you are interested in a seat, check out some of the recent threads on seats. There are some custom guys who do better work than Corbin, and they will customize it to your height and butt. welcome and cheers, Rj ps. Don't mind Antonio, he's just bitter because his goose is in the shop. They better get his bike back to him soon, he's lowered himself to wearing women's shoes and accosting strangers on the internet...

Now that we know the stock head guards do not guard the heads... which ones do? I have seen several replacement guards but it is hard to tell from the pics which ones will be beneficial in a crash (or drop). Many seem to be much more aesthetically pleasing, but which ones work? Any knowledge/experience? Rj