Speedfrog

There is this notion floating around of the motorcycle as a single entity. Comparing production bikes to full custom build seems a bit unfair when considering the amount of resources and budget of a manufacturer and those of (often) a single individual. On the balance, the manufacturer’s engineering & design teams have to adhere to a strict specification bill where the individual builder is freed of all constraints, allowing a full expression of his/her creativity. Another aspect is motorcycle racing, where a production bike is being transformed by an individual or a small team into a racing machine, engineering becomes primordial in achieving the best performance possible and aesthetics are only a result of functionality. Another form of creativity. If you think of the motorcycle as a blend of this trio of design/engineering/fabrication, it’s fair to say that different people value different ratios of these elements for what represents their ideal motorcycle.

I tend to go for a good deal price wise (guzzi content) on a proven tire. I don’t ride enough to try different brand/type within a short period to really compare and the new ones always feel better than the worn ones they replace. Bridgestones at the moment.

Ok, I may have been a bit *off the mark* when singling out Pete for his delivery. It seemed a little harsh when I first read it, late at night and perhaps lacking clarity. There is a lot of wisdom in that post. The thing is, when I’m looking at a nice bike - read unique, different & appealing to my sense of taste - an object of desire - it is for entertainment purposes only and the dreamer in me doesn’t want to be reminded of all the mechanical shortcomings, engineering oversight or design impracticality that comes with it. A left brain / right brain kind of thing. I’d like to think that if I were to build it myself - or buy it if I could - I’d have a more pragmatic approach in considering all aspects, but I don’t have the skills nor the tools-time-space-money-knowledge or fortitude to undertake a *build* like that, so yeah, I respect anyone that tries, even if the result is far from perfect...

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/pml/mcy/d/port-moody-moto-guzzi-v11/7648410706.html

People just wanna have some fun Pete! You've made your point very clear and I think most everyone here will agree with your assertion of all things mechanical related to the Guzzi engine. You've been around these a long time and a lot of folks heed your advice like the gospel, me included, but I bet that three quarter of the motorcyclist population at large doesn't have a clue nor do they give a hoot about what's going on in their engine. As Guzzi legacy riders, your audience, we are an aging bunch and as such we tend to care for and try to understand our machine, but we are not all mechanics, we started as riders, young and careless - Insouciant - with a sparkle in the eye and unattainable dreams... With time, that insouciance has all but eroded and been traded for bad knees and insomnia but the sight of a beautiful bike can bring the sparkle back and the dream is still alive. Surely Pete, you were young and careless once... You like to present yourself as an old drunken bastard and you have a way with words that is rather unique and entertaining but frankly those angry people-bashing rants of yours are tiresome. Of course, like everyone else, you are entitled to your opinion and free to express it in any way you'd like, I just find it sad that in the context of a community such as this, where I'd like to think we're all getting along, you couldn't be a bit more tolerant and light hearted. IMHO... Not cool!

Right on point @footgoose ^^^^^^ The critic is easy, I think anyone's efforts to modify, embellish or otherwise improve a vehicle to satisfy their own vision and desire is highly commendable and should be respected, be it a motorcycle, a car, a bicycle or an airplane... As beautiful and satisfying as production designs can be, there is always room for improvement and personalization, one just has to look at how extensive the farkle market is. The result might not be to everyone's taste but, as I said before, if we all had the same taste, life would be rather dull. And isn't that the essence of customization in the first place -"a modification made to something to suit a particular individual". Of course there are times where some efforts might seem misguided >>>

That one gets my vote... Does that make me a wanker?

I'll leave that here...

From the reply box > other media > insert image from url > paste your link > click insert into post. Edit: The problem doing it that way is the video is displayed in a continuous loop with no sound and no controls.. I guess Smugmug doesn’t allow videos to be embedded like a dedicated video app would - ie Youtube, etc... It also crashes my old iPad periodically

Attachment being limited to 1.5 MB per post, you cannot insert a video directly to your post which would most likely exceed that size. And other than a very short, low res clip, any significant video file is gonna be larger than 1.5 MB. You need your video to be hosted by a third party app - I.E. YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, etc.. - unless you have your own server of course - and post the link to its URL. Great looking bike btw..

Vive la Révolution, Vive la République et Vive la France! 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷

Thank you for that explanation @MartyNZ I became aware of this when I first started to install LED emergency exit sign in commercial spaces. They come with interchangeable lenses in a 2 color option, red and green to satisfy specific code requirements by local jurisdictions. They are built with a double set of LEDs, you guessed it, one red and one green, controlled by a micro switch to allow matching the LED color to the chosen lens and optimize the light output through that colored lens.

Search the web for "Motorcycle Half Cover" - lots to choose from. Like this one: https://www.nelsonrigg.com/motorcycle-covers/half-cover-detail

Seems to me that in light of the subject here(hear), you should be mostly happy to hear...

A seemingly unmolested 2000 silver V11 Sport. https://albany.craigslist.org/mcy/d/sharon-springs-moto-guzzi-v11-sport/7638934484.html

I’m not into cruisers at all but this clean - and good looking I might add - low mileage 2003 California EV may be of interest to some of you. https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/d/orinda-2003-moto-guzzi-ca-ev/7632317721.html

First hits on a simple interweb search - $150 USD in stock & free shipping but still 10 days to delivery.. https://www.amazon.com/ODYSSEY-PC545-Odyssey-Powersports-Battery/dp/B0002ILK7M/ref=asc_df_B0002ILK7M/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312158603728&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2058616583377164700&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032001&hvtargid=pla-424860345118&psc=1 Or this, $150 + shipping - ships on Monday. https://www.jegs.com/i/Odyssey Batteries/501/PC545/10002/-1?year=2001&make=HARLEY DAVIDSON POWERSPORTS&model=FXDWG2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqNqkBhDlARIsAFaxvwwpaCq_FirbrBAA9PNWRgFBZJf5HbzkQFxmaVUKFDSbEYpqjmceTnkaAvdTEALw_wcB# I don’t know about shipping to Canuckistan though. FWIW...

I saw these Cats live in my hometown not long after they’d busted onto the scene... Fun times!

And then there is this - a nice 2007 Griso 1100 with 21k miles for only $3,900... I know, it's not a V11 Sport... but what a deal! https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/mcy/d/santa-clara-moto-guzzi-griso-1100/7631092859.html

2000 V11S Greenie, 32k miles, $4,300 posted in SF Bay Area. https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/mcy/d/redwood-city-moto-guzzi-v11-sport/7631462253.html

I wonder how long it would’ve taken him to remember that…

Could that have been the omen that led you to your infatuation with fast motorcycle…?

If the airbox connecting sleeves are deteriorated to the point of letting unfiltered dirty air being sucked into the TB’s, I believe it would be pretty critical to have them replaced.