Grant

We used to get warned by the shop we got tires from they had a coating on them. It's more than just the sprues. For the first couple hundred miles we "scrubbed tires in". Take it easy for the first couple hundred, then the bike gets back to normal. My favorite loop always has gravel on it. People just wander off the road onto the gravel which throws it on the pavement which is like riding on marbles which make what kind of tires you're riding on largely irrelevant. I still want good tires on my bike.

Not many PC800 riders around. It is a very different bikenality (not personality) than the V11. That's for sure.

I had to look that one up ;-). There was this one time at Americade I went into the demo lot for Harley. With a muffler on it it was a quiet bike. As I was rolling through I could hear on the the people I passed say "It's one of them f***ing electric ones."

Bikes I've owned so far: '66 Suzuki 250 Hustler 2 stroke '71 Ducati 450 Desmo single - Dunstall exhaust '74 Honda 550 4 cylinder with Kerker exhaust, TT100's '77 Yamaha 750 triple '84 Kawi 1100 '89 Honda Pacific Coast '98 Triumph Trophy 900 2005 Yami FZ1 2009 Yami FZ6 2003 Guzzi V11 Sport. There is a very big difference between bikes for sure. Favorite would be the Honda Pacific Coast. 47 h.p., 630 lbs. It never needed any work and had things like self cancelling turn signals, hydraulically adjusted valves, and a big trunk to carry things. If the Guzzi is even close to as enjoyable I'll like it a lot. Grant

Back in the day I had a '71 Duke 450 Desmo single (297 lbs. dry weight - glitter silver). My buddy had a '72 Duke Sport. On the 750 the suspension was overly hard for the bumps to the point that a fiberglass fender split in half after hitting a pot hole. The Conti exhausts could have a rake handle shoved down them and hit nothing. The 900ss's(Desmo) that were glitter silver around that era were pieces of art to look at (from a distance). The sound was deep BOOMPH, BOOMPH,BOOMPH. Where I worked in the '80's there was a 900 I listened to most mornings. I have to say it was impressive. The main guy to get Duke parts from was in Grimsby, Ontario but he also had MV Augusta which was his personal favorite. Keith Hart used to talk about doing the ton by the end of the short street he lived on with his MV. I don't ignore Dukes. I don't want to own and support one though. Grant.

The exhaust sounds good. The dry clutch sound not so much. The transmission is a beauty so far. How solid the bike is on the road is impressive too. Even without the Ohlins. The Ohlins equipped bikes must be a fun ride. We had a bunch of snow and freezing rain where I live over the last week. I'm really looking forward to spring !!!

I bought the bike that started this thread. It was REALLY heavy to move around when I got it but adding a little air to the 6 psi tires fixed that up. Oil change got done right away. A new battery was installed with purchase. There are oil drips (not up to leaks yet) from the bottom pan and the front pan (I'm not sure what's behind it yet) gaskets. I started with cleaning the old oil off just to see what was there. I added a Puig universal wind screen for good wind protection. I'm part way through painting covers red to match the tank. New paint is red with silver sparkle underneath. By the time it's done I expect it will look great (to me any ways). There is no stuttering or anything suggesting air getting into the fuel delivery system. Noises are typical for a tractor ;-). The speedo works well. I haven't owned a bike with a Veglia since the '71 Ducati Desmo 450 single I had. The glitter silver was tempting for the Guzzi paint. I thought glitter purple would be too much. In the end I stayed with the deep red. I rode a Yami 600 last year which redlines at 14k. It was always spinning at high revs. The Goose doesn't need to rev at all but likes 5 grand better than 4. 90 miles an hour isn't work for this bike. Suspension is stiff but the bike settles down right away after bumps and feels glued to the road. Tires are from '21 but only have a couple hundred miles on them. They aren't sliding at the speeds I ride at. Plans this year include finishing paint more, checking valves, and changing most oils. A gasket or 2 might get replaced as well. Within 10 minutes I get to some of the nicest riding roads in my area. There is a 60 mile loop that has almost no straight road in it. Bush all around. Gravel on the road at times because of people that go off the pavement so isn't for knee draggers but always entertaining. A ride earlier in the year had deer making me slow down in 2 places. Keep the rubber side down. Grant.