waspp

Well I just came home from a test ride on a platinum silver BMW R1200s, and I must say it was a hoot to ride! I know its not a Guzzi but IMHO its the best looking BM in a long time. The one I rode had the ohlins suspension option and pilot powers tires instead of the metzlers. Overall the bike surprised me with a lot of power, the downlow torque that big twin riders love. I would say from 3500-5000 rpm there is very quik throttle response and gobs of torque. The riding position suited me well, actaually felt more comfortable than my Rosso with a little less reach, something I hope to correct with Jean-Marc's bars.Handling was another matter as the bike felt heavy in front going into the corners, it may be an adjustment issue but my Rosso is much more stable and felt more balanced in the turns. I believe the 4 valve dual spark head is what gives it that extra snot. Not that I'm going to buy one, but I think its great twin sports bike, I would like to ride a breva 1100 but that doesn't seem to be an adequate replacement for the V11. I'd be interested in other opinoins on the breva and Guzzis lack of sports bikes. waspp

Hey John nice ride you got there! There are a few events of interest coming up in your area, do a search for mass moto guzzi club they have a weekend planned in Aug which I hope to get to this year. Also I guess their is a Guzzi or italian bike meet in Monson Mass in sept, never been but hope to go. also if interested Max bmw in Brunswick NY (just east of Troy) is having a open house cookout this saturday 11-2 usually some guzzis check it out. There are a few guys from the northeast on the board here we should all try for a group ride sometime, I get over into Mass quite a lot, I like to give the Goose a good run on rt 2 over the petersburg pass, nice riding out that way. I installed the MRA taller screen on my Rosso as well as the rubber hose trick to the pegs, its surprising how well that works! I am waiting on a set of adjustable bars made a guy on this board (Zebulon) they look like a great product and another group order will probably be coming up do a search to check them out. waspp

Time to add on to that cycle shed! waspp

Just remember these little encounters with our machines will allow us to ride with greater confidence next time....not that it won't happen again but that we can find the problem and fix it! waspp

Is it at all possible that the bering shells are improperly manufactured and begin their life with excessive clearances? I have found with other european engine componets a wide variety of manufacturing tolerances. Specifically when ordering a bearing set for a european tractor I was sent a gaggle of bearing halves and the instructions told me to sort through the various sizes till I got the clearance I desired and throw the rest out! Has this problem been seen in any other Guzzi models? waspp

I have the pilots on the Rosso and agree they are a great tire! I run 34 front and 36 rear and that seems to work well. I have also heard the conti road attacks are an excellent tire, but IMHO these Pilots would be hard to beat. waspp

Welcome and great choice for a bike! As jrt says not mad, just crazy which is of course is normal and smart in the Guzzi world. They are great machines and lotta fun to ride...you'll see! waspp

Whoa Eric your starting at the top of the two wheeled food chain. Great choice and be safe out there, welcome to the offbeat and wacky world of Guzzists, waspp

Now ding a ling there you go again! You poor liberals have to get over it. Your irrational hate will be your undoing. Club gitmo is not a bad place at all..sun, sand and fine culturally sensitive meals, and they can't murder anyone while their there. waspp

But did you have to be concerned with bridge weight limits and such? waspp

That pancake looks like its getting ready to say something...maybe its important. waspp

Yes, yes you are correct! It is your right, to enjoy some of the worst music ever made. Don't the Swedes also have those names that are your fathers name plus son? You know like Nogbadson, thats kinda simple and cool. waspp

Oh my freakin goodness! ABBA? please tell me your kidding? Give me a stick so I can poke some badgers, their screeching would be more pleasant! waspp

While the Vikings did give us the mighty Thor and his hammer, I feel compelled to defend my Japanese friends. True they produce mass quantities of industrialized machines but they are a hard working and resourceful people, I ve had several Japanese students live with us over the winter holidays, being exposed to their culture and diet I found it very interesting and informative. Japanese food when prepared by a native is also excellent, I'm not much for the little baby squids but most of their food I enjoyed very much. Anyway welcome to the forum Christel, and try riding an SV 1000 some time, its certainly no Guzzi but you will be impressed. waspp

I rather like it! True a little BMWish but as others have said also very Guzzi. I think its a good idea to enter an already successful market and be able to compete, BMW seems to sell a bunch these type of machines and yes Guzzi can cut into that customer profile. waspp

Yes what Baldini said. I often find myself going back to my Tonti like an old friend, the lower cg and riding position feels better in the corners. My T3 isn't stock, fittied with konis in the rear and it is very stable in the turns. I think they both handle well, but my chiken strips are much narrower on the tonti. I think you really should have one of each to compare and ride for yourself. waspp

Yes here is the link. He also has a chrome version without wheels. it works the same way but you can't roll the bike around once up on the stand. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Stand-Ducat...643932003QQrdZ1 waspp

I just recieved a bike stand I purchased off of ebay and found that the claims of this little stand were all true. I had been watching several of these units sold from Cosmo motors and wondered if they would work well on my 03 Rosso Corsa, so I finally bought one for a price I felt was reasonable. The stand itself is adjustable side to side and can accomodate several swing arm widths, it worked equally well on the SV and is easily set up with just a couple of pinch bolts. I was suprised how easy it was to lift the bike off the floor and how solid everything was when fully up on the stand. It lifts the rear wheel fully off the floor and lets you access the axle quite nicely. All in all it seems like a quality stand for around $50 shipped to my door. waspp

Sorry about your crash citi, at the very least you should get your bike repaired and end up with the Benz! I stopped riding for a while when my kids were young then my boys and I got into off road riding and now my oldest and I ride street together, its been great fun. I also can sympathize with your aches and pains ...been there done that! Get well soon. waspp

Just to let everyone know Motointernational came through on the tekno bags! Evidently they are getting very hard to find and tracking down a set proved to be a challange, but successful. Not cheap but I appreciate the effort they put into finding a set for me. waspp

True, the Sportster (especially the 883) is well known as a girls bike, but I have noticed a fair amount of ladies riding V Rods. waspp

I believe this is the ist generation "ugly stick" model of the morbid deli machine. Although it is different looking I must say I wouldn't mind haviing one in the garage, it must sound great. waspp

V rod is the perfect ladies bike! A friend of mine bought a new Harley only to trade it in a few weeks later on bigger, fatter more chomed out version because everyone teased him about buying a girls bike. Most female riders here ride Harleys, low cg I guess and maybe that bad girl image. waspp

My rosso corsa had a carbon fibre belly pan (or chin spoiler if thats the same thing?) on it when I bought it used, I don't know if its a Guzzi part or aftermarket. I removed it to change the oil so I will take a closer look and post some pics if I can. waspp