luhbo

Anyway I still remember my and my friends opinion after first sighting in a brochure: UGLY - because no engine was visible. And because it was a white one. The next (or one before) of our localism's victims was the new Laverda RGS: UGLY - because it had the fuel cap at the side of the fairing, like a silly car. And because it was a black one. All that doesn't matter too much if you know that I rejected an offer to buy a very nice '72 Ducati 750 for cheap money - because it was only the S, not a desmodromic SS. Some bikes are strange, but most times they're just ahead of their time, the same as the viewer often is behind it's time, then. Sorry for not having a list Hubert

And I do not agree and I say: don't invest in a PC (ceterum censeo ..., you know ) I never noticed any difference in fueling requirements unless I run it at WOT and above 6000 min-1. Below that there is no remarkable flow restriction caused by cans or airbox. Normaly the bike runs at revs below 5000 even better with standard equipement. Running better means better air flow and so normally a tendency to leaner mixtures. One question to the one who said you sould avoid bio-gas. Why should alcohol increase the tendency to ping? I always thought it had a much higher octane rating as mineral fuel. Has someone ever checked the position of the phase sensor as a possible cause for pinging? There are a lot of V11 that never ping, some do it only slightly from time to time, and some seem to ping always regardless what qualitiy of fuel they get. To me this looks more as problem of tolerances. If not just tolerances in reception, then tolerances of assemblage --> position of phase sensor. Hubert

, but yes, probably. Skin and flesh off come out the screws and steel they might have implanted him his last accident. Is this a material that gives equal sparks as his chrome exhausts do? Sparkling knees and ellbows ? Hubert

Jaap, you've been to Mandello in 2006. I know it, I met you at the GMG, so you definitely should know it better. Ok, I don't like it either, the color is weird, Giallo Giaponese on a Guzzi is tasteless, correct. What I want to say is: these guys always were the nucleus of the tribe, not we, the collectors. They always understood and so accepted Moto Guzzi as a living thing. Can you imagine how I, a cheesy Kraut, felt near them Hubert

Regardless what colour, it's silly to pimp a Breva and call it Sport. This Piaggio/Aprilia bunch will ruin Moto Guzzi in exactly the same way as Peugeot once has ruined Citroen. Hubert

As the V11actually has 89.500km on the clock I'd definitely buy the new black V7 Classic IF it had 4-valve heads! Put Cliff's MyEcu into it, add a usable exhaust and replace the ugly backlight/indicator unit with something less bulky and you'd have enough bike for the next 10 years. Hubert

Again this old picture Has anybody ever seen a picture of the guy himself after his fly off? In the meantime most of the skin should have been healed I guess. Hubert

In case anybody wants to use a standard charger he should carefully check the output voltage without load. Mine for instance has 17V. Connected to an empty battery the voltage drops to 12V, with the battery being fully loaded it goes up to 17V again - if the battery is too small as the Hawker is for instance. That's what my standard charger does, most others will act similar. So don't use a standard car charger for your Hawker if you intend to leave it overnight. You'll ruin the Hawker. Hubert

Yeah, and funny enough the best parts often change owner at distributions or on highway parking areas. Regarding this and the sometimes dubious assembly quality could make me think it was eventually better to let those halls closed and reopen Guzzi with new and more motivated stuff somewhere else. How about the old plant at Breganze e.g. Hubert

Wasn't someone already anouncing the V7 Sport - Next Generation ? Anyway, some redesigned and slightly improved Lario 4V heads would make a great little bikey - and probably leave not much room left for the Thruxton. Hubert

That's definitely not correct! Batteries of new technology, as we use them here, definitely need a good current to get correctly charged. The difference to the antique lead acid batteries is that there is hardly any movement or substantial exchange in the electrolyte. It's not flowing around the lead boards, it's soaked in whatever material and so it urgently needs some bubbles to get pushed into motion (to get stired up if you like). I'm totaly with Carl here: don't try to load a Hawker using a tender. You'll do your Hawker no favour. If you instead use your cheap car charger at 2 or more amps, you should carefully watch the voltage anyway. Above 15 V (an old battery will reach this very soon at such amps) will be no good either. If you have it loaded over night and in the morning see a voltage of 16V or above, hooked to the charger, go buy a new Hawker. Hubert

... getting most of your ideas then out of this forum I guess! Nevertheless, the black V7 Classic has my attention. Love on first sight? That was my first Guzzi contact in 1981, a black and gold Lemans 1. I even smell it still today. Unfortunately this guy sold it before I had the money ready, so I later had to go for a redone 750S instead, not too bad anyway. Hubert

No, it's from Mandello to the other side. Taken last GMG on Sunday morning, on the Lido where the GMG took place, approx. distance to the factory 800 or 1000 meters. I was standing between the tents of the first row, waiting for the fellows to get ready for leaving (800km). The factory is sitting above, so from the maybe to come appartements in the upper floors you might have the same view - every morning. Invest now Hubert

I don't think that they fiddle with springs and such things in a motorcycle factory nowadays. The seat parts are coming from company A, the complete idle lever comes from company B, the latch comes from C, the frame from D and so on. The worker takes what's delivered to the line and puts it onto the bike, that's all. It should not be possible for a Guzzi worker to mix up only the springs. Maybe there are some bikes out there which have the seat actuator hanging at the left grip and the idle lever under the seat, but not with mixed up springs. Anyway, as long as it works swapping springs is an easy task, that's right. Hubert

I must yet check it, but I think I have read the same (rumours about closure) already in the MOTORRAD, those may have a better reputation.

Yes, else I'd probably have one already. The more as the footpegs definitely are in a too much forward position. It's a pitty.

Mistrals are the cheapest thing anyway. But you have to email him and explicitely ask for the high version without footrests. I once sent him an email asking for them and he (had to) told me to contact his german importer S+D. 490,- Euros (legal) Hubert

Yes, quite a relief, maybe. To my gusto it's too much and too quick a response to make me believe it. One wrote George Cloony lived there. Anybody who was down there only one time knows just too good why! Its such a lovely piece of landscape, not far from Milano, not far from Suisse etc. etc. This ground is so or so much much much too big to be kept only for the assemblage of a handfull of bikes every year. There are laying millions of dollars, even millions of Euros rottening under the mild northern Italian sun. Remember, no more engineering there, no more administration there, only one or two assembly lines ? They don't assemble trucks or GM or VW Rabbits, just a handfull of niche bikes. You know, all my live I've never bought a new Guzzi (neither a new car), neither did I bring it to any shop, never, and I'm not the only Guzzista ruining their sales statistics this way Anyway, that's not my business, and, as someone else has written here already, the big money and the business plans and all this BS had jumped in years ago anyway (it probably had to, to be honest). At least Guzzi now is older already as I will ever become in the future, so heck, what for all this worrying? I'm sure I'd miss something Hubert

I'm quite sure that Mistral pipes are shown here. Try the link on top of this site to get the email address - or go for something hotter like for instance this product: Link to the site: http://www.galassetti.it/foto/guzzi/index.php My favorite since I saw one once on a small Monster in Rome. Hubert

I understood that. Maybe Idle Voltage was missleading. I was talking about the battery's voltage between the open clamps, on the shelf or in the box or where you'll put it to BTW, look at the diagramm David has posted here, and try to keep the Hawker at at least 50% charge. I would not use a trickle charger or, even worse, a device they call "battery jogger". Hubert

They say it will last for 2 or 3 years at least. Just watch the idle voltage (=voltage), as long as it's above 12.3 everything is fine. Nevertheless, the higher the voltage the less sulfate building aka ageing it will have. Hubert

Remove the back cover of the starter. This can be done quite easily. A starter failing means the starter has thrown at least one of its magnetoes, this resulting in lots of little magnetic pieces you should be able to see as soon as you've removed the above mentioned cap. Your battery now is six years old, then the starter probably as well. Quite often these starters die younger, as mentioned above several times by several posters Hubert

Ask an Italian. I think the owner according to this pic is LOCAT s.p.a., not Guzzi. Hubert

Wait 'till you own one for 25 years. The funny thing with this story is that my first Guzzi bought in '82 (well used already then) showed the same failure, unless it was only a faint ticker at nearly closed throttle (just enough to keep the bike rolling). It then made one remarkably louder bang when the left piston broke into two. Since that I had only fun with all (3 only) the following Guzzis. Hubert

It's not only the Visor Down article. In fact they are the last ones who noticed it somehow. This stories went through the press some months ago already, parts of it were anounced already in 2000 or so (selling and re-renting the factory e.g.) Hubert