audiomick

I heard... My brother and father told me they had 50mm of rain in a couple of hours on the morning of christmas day. My youngest brother lives up near Byron Bay, and said they have had a couple of metres of rain in the last couple of weeks.

Just for the record: After this post, there was a bit of discussion about the tolerance for the TPS Voltage. I don't recall seeing a tolerance figure in Volts in the replies. Just recently, I read a figure in a workshop manual. I tried to find it just now, but couldn't. The stated value was 150 mV +/- 15 mV. That puts Meinolf's preferred 157 mV well within the tolerance. Also, I watched Karsten and Beard at the annual rally of the German Forum setting up a V11. Karsten actually aimed for 160 mV, but settled on 157 mV as close enough, because that is where it landed after tightening up the TPS. 160 mV would also have been within the offical tolerance. I don't know why he was aiming for that, but I dare say he had a good reason.

Interested.

I saw a helmet a couple of years before I started riding myself that had nast scratches on the chin piece. That convinced me to only ever wear a full-face helmet. When I had my accident about 5 years ago, my helmet lost about 3 mm of material just below the visor on the right side. If it had been an open-face helmet, I would have lost half my face. Don't like to think what might have happened without the helmet, and the full leathers, which also had some nasty road-rash afterwards.

Do that. I find the riding position on my 2002 Le Mans very comfortable. And the clip-ons look much cooler... EDIT: PS, a black hugger might be better. That red one has something akin to dog's balls.

Enjoy it, Pete. I've got (at least...) another 7 years. Good thing I like my job.

+1 for the pics.

So resale is probably not a crucial point, I expect. I'd go straight for Guzzi, if that's what he wants. But not straight to a V11. As has already been suggested, a small-block V7 would be a good way to ease back into it. Or a Breva 750. I've got one of those. A bit ugly, but cheap. I always advise beginners to not buy the dream bike straight away, but rather to ride something that doesn't mean so much to them for a while first, on the assumption the the first bike is almost certainly going to fall over somewhere along the way. For a bloke getting back into it who is interested in a Guzzi and doesn't need to count the pennies, a 750 small-block would be an easy to handle bike to get back into the routine. If it does happen to fall over, it would not be so tragic as chucking away a nice V11. If it doesn't, it could be re-sold, or retained as a run-around to spare the dream bike from the run to the supermarket. PS: the Breva, and even the V35 Imola, feel just like a big guzzi to ride, just lighter and a bit easier to handle. And less power...

Doors: here in Germany, most doors open inwards. A door that is an official fire exit (in a public building) must, according to law, open outwards. They don't always do that, though. First ride: not going to happen for a while. The bikes are all waiting on a bit of work, and the weather is about to go bad again. It's been unseasonably warm the last week or 10 days, with temperatures around 10°C. And a fair bit of rain. Within the next couple of days it is forecast to go down to 3°C or so, and stay there for a while. With more rain.

Well, here's two that might. https://www.webbikeworld.com/billy-joel-built-bruce-springsteens-moto-guzzi/ PS: the motor in that "Eldorado" looks vaguely famililar... The brakes don't quite look like early '70's either...

@LaGrasta : can you manage a photo of how it looks now? On the strenght of Phil's photos I had assumed that the optimal 90° would not be possible because the Lucky Phil lever is longer.

Yes, they often are. Paul McCartney, for instance, (no, never had anything to do with him...) seems to be very good at that. Dealing with artists as a technician sometimes shows up a different side. Both the "arrogant because a prick" and the "tetchy because uncertain", but also the genuinely nice. Suzi Quatro, for instance, struck me as genuinely nice. Actually not a very flash bass player, but nice.

Over the years I have encountered a number of more or less famous musical artists. The trend is, the better and more experienced they are at what they do, the more likely there are to be relaxed and friendly. The difficult ones are those who are not as good as they would like to be (and know it deep down inside...).

Yes. Although the engine apparently had little in common with the stock engine as fitted in Oldsmobiles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brabham_BT19#Engine_and_transmission

Just as a matter of interest, how many people here know who Jack Brabham (mentioned in the article) was?

Mine live in the courtyard under covers. The V11 is in my garage around the corner at the moment, but that is only because it needed some work that isn't quite finished. I don't like leaving them outside, but I want them available. If I had to go somewhere to get on the bike, I'd probably never ride. If they're here, they get ridden. A house or flat with a closed garage would be nicer, but we don't have that, and aren't likely to get one here in Leipzig. So the bikes live outside.

Very impressive.

A kind of a protest band from Melbourne in the late '80s. I believe one of them was a fellow music student at the uni I was at. Figure it out for yourself. I never did... EDIT: PS: they always wore masks on stage. No-one really knew what they looked like. All part of the gag.

I'm getting nostalgic. Friends of mine from back in the day.

Another one from "my time" in Melbourne. I worked as the house technician in a pub called "the Tote" for about two years in the late 80's. This band was big in Melbourne at the time. Watch the video, and you'll know why. The singer was Chris Wilson, unfortunately passed away in 2019. The blond woman on Guitar is Barb Waters. Brilliant performers. The rest of the band as well.

and this

Nothing to do with the previous posts, but I'm on a roll.

You too.

@docc in that video that Kindoy2 posted, is that a Fender bass or not? It doesn't look like it to me, but I'm not sure. And... I listened to the whole thing again on the headphones. The drum kit also sounds really, really good. The Hammond too, of course, but one doesn't need to mention that, actually. They always sound good.

Two christmas songs: I posted this on the german forum. I reckon it is one of the best christmas songs ever: and somebody else countered with this. I didn't know of it, but I have to admit it is also pretty good.