big J

Sounds like a great idea to keep you on the road,v rat. I'd imagine that,as noted before,most of the front line sports bikes forks will be too short. Perhaps something from one of the jap retro or sports/tourer lines might have something a bit longer? Go for it I say, best bet is probably just to hit the breakers with a tape rule and find something the right length and round about the same weight/use. If you're working in that kind of environment,it shouldn't be too hard to press out the stock bar from the lower yoke and fit it to your new front end.

EVERY QUARTER? Jeez,I knew you were particular,Martin, but dont you think that's taking things a bit too far??

A fine machine indeed,and a credit to your obviously considerable restoration skills. Well done,I hope you have many happy miles on her.

A fine gentlemans' touring cycle,sir. Would you care to impart a few details?

Hellova deal.Try before you buy,but that's very good value. Moto Guzzi V11, the only bike I've owned that I'll leave at the back door after a run,relax with a beer and gaze at for a while. Mushy shite I know,but I just love it's lines.

Nice one Martin,completely wrong footed me there Always on the lookout for a good looking wee bird,eh?

I was the same as you,really fancied one,but had heard some horror stories. Now I have one,I can appreciate why the guys on the forum told me not to worry about the mechanical side of things. They can break down or have a failure of some kind,but so can any bike.(Ask the owner of the BMW k1200 I was chatting to in the petrol station the other day,4 months old and 12 breakdowns) Basically,if you can feed yourself,you can fix a V11.Even guys with little or no mechanical experience can do it,once the initial fears about it are overcome. This forum is an absolutely brilliant source of advice and help.We may have different viewpoints on everything else,but if you post a question,there's tons of advice. The best bit of all is cracking the throttle,getting that soundtrack and the feeling of satisfaction that is all too lacking in other machines. "It's a what?" "Yeah,but who makes it?" There aren't many about,another bonus in my opinion. Try and get a run on one before you buy,if poss.It'll either suit you or you wont suit it.They're a bit different to jap stuff.Quirky. A bit like the folk on here,so.

If you're on a really tight budget,or stuck,a couple of heavy duty bin liners keeps the damp off pretty good.

Jock,hit the TT. You will never be part of anything like it anywhere else. In all my years on bikes,going to races,rallies,shows,et al, the TT is head and shoulders above anything else. Miles better.

Fu(k off

I used to have an excellent army surplus camoflage jacket and trousers Truly great,warm and dry,wish I still had it,but I put it down in the back garden one day and haven't been able to find it since.

Have you no duct tape,cable ties or jubilee clips? You can fix ANYTHING with them.Might not look pretty,but it'll work. To keep you on the road,how about sandwiching the broken bits with a thin strip of steel above/below the pedal,held together with jubilee clips.To keep it together,cable ties(or if you're feeling flush,locking wire)through the slots,and pull it tight. If you've got no steel handy,buy a couple of 150mm rules and use that.

Bring your midgie cream,the little buggers were biting last year! You can get collabsible one man tents and sleeping bags that'll fit easily into a rucksack. John O'Sullivan has one that's positively palatial-en suite bathroom and everything.

Hagon's can do you a replacement for about £300 I've got a Maxton unit,cost about £520,but it was worth every penny,much better than the stock Sachs for the roads over here.

Jeez,that's a relief. I just knew,as a scientist,you'd never call your lovely daughter after a harbour,for gods sake. As my youngest,Boggy Moorland says,a girls name is important.

Yeah,good call Steve. I'm glad Jaap has the patience to allow us to occasionally demonstrate our stupidity. At least we can still allow each others views and prejudices and be able to accomodate and enlighten each other,without animosity. How positively bohemian,old boy. Christ,what's happened to me? I must be gettin old. Hang on-you can all fu(k off, whilst I've still got some teeth,there's a fight in me yet!

I had a wee spin on one of the new Ducati Sportclassics today. I've been curoius about them since seeing pictures of them and wanted to try one out to see how it compared to the V11.I would not get rid of my Guzzi,but I just wanted to have a bit of perspective about it. First impressions- the Duke doesn't look as good in the flesh as it did in the photos. Somehow the proportions seem wrong,I'm not sure I could exactly put my finger on why,but it doesn't seem to have the elegant lines of the old bevel drive bikes.Maybe I was just expecting something different to what I was seeing, but something seemed to be lacking in the looks dept. Anyhow,got on and fired it up.Very quiet,no Conti's here! Christ,the clip-ons are low! The bars seem to be on a level with your knees with a lot of weight on your wrists. The controls all work ok,but there isn't a lot of torque low down.Through town the riding position was awful,absolutely appalling.I've got sore wrists and back after 25 minutes,the neck's going stiff too.(this may be a reflection of the state of my body after many years of abuse,but it's much more extreme than the V11.) Onto the open road,it's a bit better,but you need to be above around60 or so before the wind pressure lifts you a bit. Handling and roadholding are ok-certainly not a quantum leap forward over the Guz,maybe a bit more composed,but not enough to be significantly quicker. Power wise,it's about the same,though the Guz has a good bit more torque lower down,the Duke needs quite a bit of revving to get a move on,even needing a downshift in places where simply rolling on the gas would normally see me overtake. Brakes were very good,about the same as the V11. All in all,I was a bit disappointed with the Duke.It seems slightly awkward at times,lacking that kind of fluid feel and ease with which the Guz can be belted about. Still,they'll probably sell shedloads of them,but I wonder if the riding position isn't a bit extreme for the kind of cruising/posing market they're intended for. Maybe I should develop a handlebar conversion kit. Anyway, just thought I'd pass on a few impressions. For me,the V11 is a better bike in just about every way, especially styling. I dont know why exactly,but I just dont think the Duke has the classic lines I was expecting,almost as if a non-motorcyclist had seen pictures of an old one and had restyled it. All the above is of course subjective,others may think it's beautiful. One mans meat,etc,blah,blah,blah..................

Hang on,didn't BSA make a Catalina? That'll be it,of course! He's a romantic,old Jason I'll bet,and she'll remind him of all the great times he had on his ole beezer. Phew

????? The aeroplane,surely? Not a harbour,Jason,tell me you didn't name your wee girl after a harbour for gods sake.

Congratulations and well done to the three of you. Have you had a good life? Cos it's over now Just kiddin,they're a full time job,but worth every second.

I think you're right Jim,you need a resistor. I dont know the specs,but I've seen them in the bike shops for hen you fit leds.

Is that Bob MacIntyre on the Gilera with the dustbin fairing? The late Richard Britton with the green helmet. Ryan Farquar on the no1 Kawa Jason Griffiths on no10 Yamaha? Adrian Archibald on no3 Suzuki( or was that Bruce Anstey)

Aaah. As in Keihin?

Keith,I hear your pain. Allow me to alleviate your suffering. I will send you,free of charge, my old 40mm Marzocchis so that you never need change another of those damn seals. No no,please dont thank me. Just stick them old forks of yours in the parcel and send them back to me to stop my front end drooping. I know they're not Zocchi's,but I'll put up with them(sigh)

What's FCR?