jihem

btw, did your clutch got better ?

Yes, it was very pleasant, altho I had to leave shortly after lunch on saturday. Good to be able to actually share LIVE conversations with ppl and time flies so fast in occasions like that. Paul, too bad for your Daytona, it's a beautiful bike, and i was looking fwd to see it on the tour ! We also took the opportunity of the meeting to organize simultanously the second International Ghezzi-Brian Meeting. It's not often there are TWO GB at the same place, at the same time looking fwd for the next gathering !

...and Casey's clutch was gone. Too bad it happened during the same race

Show them who's the daddy !

it would need to be a temperamental performer, someone you're not even sure will be there, and if there he (or she) might not giving a pristine concert... Hhhmmm... Lou Reed ? Al Jorgensen (Ministry) ? a cured Pete Doherty ?

thanx for sharing the pix: looked like fun (and she loves her bike )

neither am I: too rough for me.

20 all in all, especially made for the UK. It's a Daytona 1000 with the factory "c" kit. Came out in late 94 I think. 2 went to Belgium.

good to see you here: so you managed to put the Ohlins at the front ! (it was originally for my Ghezzi, but it wouldn't fit without major surgery)

i'm not bought on Modest Mouse. It's a decent band but it really feels short of something to be genuinely excited about. The Smiths, on the other hand, had that touch of class, and great lyrics. Morissey was the man, possibly, but Johnny Marr sure was instrumental in his success. Going back to Nick Cave, I always am fascinating by people who can make the leap from indie/cult status to pop/mainstream stardom and chart success AND BACK. His duo with Kylie Minogue was nothing short of totally amazing and brilliant, from the 1st to the the 36th degrees...

It looks like they really enjoyed putting the Guzzi down in this review...

yeah, the Smiths were a great band. Johnny Marr beat me at soccer table once. bastard ! Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are a great band. Shame Blixa Bargeld left the band tho, he did bring a welcome musical anarchy to the band.

it's in MCN this will be shown at the GMG, next week. Apparently, frame has been adapted and there are about 545 new parts in this 1200 engine.

i totally agree. It's boring, yes, but if feels SO GOOD to see Ducati kicking the Japanese factories' butts I really like Vale, and he's an awesome rider, fun to watch and his gags were so cool, but he may have passed his time I'm afraid. A friend/motorbike journalist was telling me how different his riding used to be earlier in his carreer: always latest on the brakes and always first on the gas, and these last two years it just isn't the same anymore.

for those interested in knowing a bit more about Vale, he wrote an (auto) biography two years ago. It's called "What if I had never tried it ? " and it's covers quite a few subjects: Biaggi, Vale's carreer from his early days as kart/minibike rider until 2005 when he switched from the HRC to Yamaha, why he didn't sign for Ducati, why he desesperately had to win the Suzuka 8 hours, his tribe and friends, his quasi mystical approach to motorbikes, his jokes, why he sometimes sleeps with his bikes, in the paddock, his superstitions, his numerous troubles with the local police, in Italy, etc... The man is a rider of exception, but also a very special character, actually he sees himself more as an artist.

very true (for rock bands).

another Keith Code enthusiast ?

What did he think of the MGS 01 ? (i'm sure he liked it, but did he get specific into why and in conparison to his usual machinery ?)

fabulous (the Hypermotard: Ducati sells them faster than they build them...)

brilliant ! I actually nearly came too with the Zeebrugge-Hull ferry but had to cancel the trip :-( the circuit looks even better than i imagined...

That sound like an amazing trip to unusual places (Hungary, Romania aren't common holidays spots for us western europeans, are they ?) !

Michelin used to have a HUGE advantage on the other tyres factories cos they were manufacturing tyres specifically for the race after the riders' input and ship them on saturday night...Something had to be done. I'm with you: I don't think the 31-tyres-designated-on-thursday-rule is the right one , but at least it takes care of that DHL night flight disadvantage for Dunlop and Bridgestone. Maybe "just" forbidding the late shipping would do ?

There are many rumours around...Some say Yamaha will do two teams and one of them will run Bridgestones, with Vale. The other team would be on Michelin with Lorenzo...Rossi has been more than explicit how he feels about Michelin right now. As for his contract; I'm sure there must be some cool clauses there specifying he can do pretty much what he wants in fact. Michelin and Yamaha will have to deliver or he's out (IMHO). I don't know about Colin and as much as i like the guy, many think he hasn't show enough sunday performances to keep his seat. He's been rumoured as Lorenzo's sidekick, as Yamaha official rider in US SBK, or back into WSBK (which I doubt).

2002 Ghezzi-Brian STW 1100 with Folgore's racing Ecu and exhausts. bought it new, in Missiglia. it has now +/- 38.000 kms (23.600 miles) and I have that huge Guzzi trademarked smile everytime I take the bike out it has the baaaad looking wrinkled paint. it blew the DUCATI rectifier and the fuel pomp was also replaced (both under warranty). TLamers replaced a rear wheel bearing at 26.000 kms i had the usual gearbox/transmission leak and unfortunately had to replace the oiled clutch disks because of it...(30.000 kms) i blew two clutch cables. it's the third battery. besides that, this bike is flawless.