Frenchbob

I like the wine colour [which reflects another passion of mine!]. Just as well: I saw no other V11s in decent condition when I was looking for one in my region last year. The tank has been scuffed slightly, probably by the previous owner's tank bag, and I can't get the marks out.

My V11 today, just woken up. Doh! Sorry, no words.......doh!

Mobile phone. I use my V11 toolkit for the S3, too.

Pleased for you, Chris. They're not bad, are they? Let's have a photo, then. I used to be a Ducati person, a long time ago. All women are drawn to shiny, expensive Italian things. Personally, I'm drawn to shiny, expensive, Italian women. Welcome! Bob

Mad Max, here we come. [Nogbad, I was being ironic!]

Me, too. I want one, and I want one now. Too heavy for the dirt, ugly as sin, brutal, wonderful!

I can't see it in your list of bikes. Which one is it?

Don't know, but if it's a Rotax do you think it might fit my Armstrong?

Some people just know too much.

Big, four-stroke twins in trial bike guise! Now you're talking. Makes me want to rush out and start unbolting metal from my '59 T'bird. I have a 4.00X19 knobbly rear, somewhere. Be Steve McQueen for the day! You know, I might give the V11 a run to Germany this summer and see for myself. One blessing France does have for motorcyclists is the absence of controle technique for all two wheelers......so no one worries too much about non-standard exhausts, etc. I understood they were very strict on this in Germany.

Hubert, Er, well, you have to have a friend in the gendarmerie or the national police..........or both! I'm less angry since I came here. Dean, Yes, French News run scare stories like this every so often. It's the stuff of life to bored expats, I think. Ben, It's a very small bike that you have to stand up on, for riding over unlikely obstacles, usually in stadia, these days. Nothing like as useful as a trail bike.

See? You don't even have to ride anymore to be an outlaw.

It's one of the reasons I now live in France

Thanks everyone. I now have some ideas to work on. It still sounds as though Mistrals might be my best option, as I said. But those MG titanium ones do look the part, don't they? I'm also going to have to stop being lazy and learn something about ECUs, I can see. For the moment I have a very dirty Armstrong to clean. Couldn't resist the ride today, but the lanes round about are appalling, or lovely and muddy, depending on what you think your dirt bike is for!

Thanks, guys. Mistrals it is, then. Probably from Motomecca, since I have dealt with them over the years for bits on older Guzzis and I know they'll spend time on the phone and take care with the order to make sure things are right. Interesting, Alex, that the people who make them worked for Lafranconi. I have period Lafranconis on my S3, God knows how old, I have refinished them twice, and they're still sound. My dealer recommended Mistrals, too, but I wanted to hear it from the blokes who know. Cheers, Bob

Can someone please give me the idiot's guide to V11 cans? The one I want is the one for old farts who understand only carburettors and points ignition. I need to know what the best cans are for running on an otherwise standard V11, without having to alter anything else. At the end of last year I modified my standard MG silencers by drilling holes in the end plates as suggested on this forum, somewhere. The bike goes just as well, there is slightly more exhaust noise, but a rather flat note and more surge on/off throttle. I may be able to eradicate the surge by tuning the throttle bodies [which I've done before following excellent advice from another thread on here] but I want more tuneful exhausts! The predominant noise at the moment is still from the gears.

Hi, Parvo. I'm biased but I love my S3, and ride it as much as I ride my V11. It has all the Guzzi twin virtues but its own character. It is a smoother engine than the bigger Tonti twins, in my opinion, and although it couldn't be called fast by modern standards, on real roads I find myself setting the same times as on the V11. It will cruise at high speed very comfortably. Since I bought it in 2000, I have had a new clutch [it finally gave up when I was following a friend on his R1!]........and that's it apart from careful maintenance. The Lafranconi PR exhausts make it sound orgasmic, and I have fitted V7 Sport swan-neck bars and seat for comfort. It's true that the riding position is cramped, but those two modifications make things considerably better without detracting too much from the lines of the original. I don't know about the US market but they're still under-valued in Europe, in my opinion.

No offence meant, Nogbad. I really quite enjoyed it!

Strongly agree with both these remarks. You never know when some idiot in a four-wheeled vehicle is around the corner doing something dangerous: it's happened to me too many times, amd I take all warnings seriously. It's even more important if you enjoy riding quickly and enjoy corners, and I think most of us do. About the Harley rider comments: I always thought they were giving me a friendly wave in their special, Harley way! Seriously, one of the things I like about the French bike scene is that it doesn't matter what you ride; as long as you ride, you're one of the group. One of the best meetings I went to last year was a locally organised [Kustom Klub of Limoges], mainly Harley-oriented do. I turned up on my Norton, was made really welcome and made new friends.

I'll check them out, thanks. You can't wind me up about Brits in Ireland, Ben: I have Irish blood. My forefathers were Orange, but my sympathies are firmly Republican. How's that for mixed up?

Ben, if you like Irish music, go to www.carasmusic.com - the guitarist is one of my best friends and I think they're really good.

I reckon he took one look at the global warming/creationist vs science thread and went back to the party.

Absolutely. Nogbad hit the nail on the head, too. It's not a valid comparison, so why make it? Because they had the bikes and because someone was under-employed is my opinion. Harleys and Guzzis are just different. If you own both then the chances are you do so because they offer such different motorcycling experiences. As a comparison? You might as well road test my V11 alongside my Triton. How much sense would that make?

I saw Steve Vai in Clermont Ferrand, recently, and he's still the best. I don't think he's ever done anything better than "Alien Love Secrets" though. Burt who? If you're into really modern stuff, try O'funk'illo "En la planeta asceituna" or TKY "TKY" But then I'm old, Ben, and I also listen to Roy Orbison a lot, still.

Thanks for the pix, Staedtler and Orangieokie. I'm beginning to understand the attraction of American football. Soccer players aren't half so good-looking. Seriously, I would never knock anything I hadn't tried: my willingness to give anything a go is legendary among my friends. I fear I'm a bit too old to caper about with a pom-pom, although I suppose you can do what you like in your own back-yard!