Baldini

? IMV Harley dominance in USA is to do with "Biker" & Wannabe "Biker" attitudes to FREEDOM, NATION, HISTORY & MYTH; You just have to read the marketing guff to see which side Harley thinks it's bread's buttered: A recent ad spouting about individuality, shunning the crowd, & freedom was illustrated by a photo of a long procession of Harley cruisers, following each other down the road in identikit Harley branded outfits... I was surprised & impressed on a trip around Western USA how many Harleys were being ridden big distances on real trips, many of them single bikes. It appeared that the majority of bikes were Harleys. Given the nature & scale of the country the Harley makes perfect sense. Any Harley copy is just that, a copy - wether it is dynamically better or not. Who wants a copy? KB

Well I dunno, he's Welsh & proud of it, he can sure sing, & this country loves a good singer so I guess you might say something like that. I'm sure much of his strength as a singer comes from his Welsh background. If you listen to John Cale you might hear sometimes the same history. I'm no singer & I don't know much about it but I recognise many singers of Celtic origin carry similar power in their voices. I guess any singer who is steeped in the music from childhood carries authority in his voice. KB

Hi Jihem, it's not Rubin producing. It's just reminiscent to me of all the late Cash recordings in the way it's stripped right back & raw. Aging singer digging at his roots & his future. For a seventy year old he don't do so bad! KB

If you haven't already heard it, any of you liked the John Cash/Rick Rubin American albums might be interested in this, very spare & solid. Mixed reviews - Cynical market placement or genuine stab at meaningful communication? - I dunno, but - way to go Tom! KB

Motomecca (UK) http://www.motomeccaspares.com Corsa Italiana (UK) http://www.corsaitaliana.com Teo Lamers (NL) http://www.tlm.nl Agostinis (Italy) http://www.guzzitalia.com All above hold good amount of MG stock & do mail order. Be worth asking. Part # is stamped on Scura screen: MG 01 57 72 40, tho I would confirm that against part w/shop if you order.

Slip-ons might be easier. I'm not so sure. Loosening Slip-ons might have devastating consequences. A positive retention, such as laces properly tighened & double knotted by your mum, should obviate the need for precautionary hose clips.

There never was a DLaing.

Never measured it, but it sure feels you lose a lot less time changing up clutchless. Tho for me it's only relevant on a racetrack.

Odd Balls.

Lack of commercial success may (or may not be) co-incidental with the Transverse-V engine but it doesn't follow that it must be because of it. Haphazard R&D, poor quality control, & lack of dealer/customer support are legend, & in my view far more pertinent. It's not a matter of building this bike or that bike, water cooling or not. It's attitude. It's the way Moto Guzzi presents itself to, & is perceived by the market. Unlike say Ducati, there is no coherent, consistent design or marketing policy. I think the transverse V twin is a beautiful thing, I like the way it sits in a bike. Guzzi history is littered with other formats; from singles to the V8, tho the transverse V & the flat single are, to me, the two that say Guzzi more than any other. Triumph has capitalised on it's marque history whilst producing a range of formats - the Daytona 675 & Rocket 3 are wildly different machines but both are clearly Triumph. Until Guzzi gain the same sort of corporate vision, focus & committment that Triumph & Ducati have shown for their brands, it will continue to be a half-arsed outfit teetering on the edge of extinction. KB

If spacer is too short & you torque up axle you will misalign inner race to outer, & bearings can be gone in first few yards. Check it! KB

http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6893

Good story about the instruments. Not better just different? & Yes, everything has it's time. Any book talks to the individual at his time. But I think we only recognise & understand something if it is an explanation for something we already have in our experience. KB

If you want, pm me an address & I can send you my spare spring. You can send me replacement when it comes. If you want it, reply by tomorrow am cos I have no internet for a week thereafter. You read threads re this issue? You'll need smaller post or next spring will also break. Can you turn yours down? KB

Thanks Pete. Think I follow. So you could only tell difference by production date/engine #? Same motor except A5 (2008/9) has slightly fiercer cam & dodgy stock mapping? Be interesting to see a dyno graph for correct set up versions of both. KB

Couldn't all Guzzi production since the 1100Sport be regarded as the former? KB

We have the same expression & maybe you're right - for some. But for others, maybe the best functioning machine is better. Guess it depends on what you want a bike to give you. KB

A machine contains the effort of the people who designed & built it. Their character is present in it's. Different societies have different pr-occupations. If we find Japanese machines "without soul", perhaps it's cos we are not Japanese. KB

I'm guessing it was a Velvet Underground fan said that? I got bored half way thru & put it down. Did the second half of the book contained some extraordinary revelation?I thought I felt & understood what Pirsig was getting at, but found his writing laboured & repetetive. Other books address similar issues in (for me) a more concise & involving manner. Trustee From The Toolroom by Nevil Shute is a favourite of mine. If it is not already in you can you gain it from literature? Does any art just bring into focus something we all already (maybe unwittingly) posess? All I'm saying is there's more than one way to skin a cat. KB

PAH. YOU CAN'T BEAT A GOOD TONTI. Pete, if you could find in yourself the patience to be gentle with an ignorant man, could you explain A5 & A8 motors...your flowing description above confused me: A5 is 2V is 4V, A8 is 8V? 1100 Griso is 4V, 1200 is 8V. When you say you love the new motors, do you mean the 8V's? I'm sure Grisos are wonderful things, but I struggled with high bars, couldn't weight the front & could barely hang on. To me, on all the new bikes, Guzzi licked too much the arse of the modern world - fashion & style lead design rather than function - Too much plastic with no purpose, what are those fiddly little round chromed plastic inserts in the sideplates & why does the frame arch so high over the motor? Still if I had the money, I'd have a Griso with flat bars, after all it's got rear suspension. KB

Or are they perhaps, just better designed machines?

I think Emry explains this .... Seems to me, at that time, parts were probably redesigned & sourced on the hoof with no coherent plan. I guess if it works, fine. As you say, looks like your marks coincide with 1st, tho why this would be when mechanism is fitted with neutral selected Lord only knows I wonder which was the modified/later design; yours appears to be heavier... Function? Just cheaper to machine less teeth? Anyone else got same? What # is your Scura? Re: Grease - you mean external linkage? yeah, clean & grease.

Thanks for that - lovely! Freddie Spencer, one of the greats, 250 & 500 champion in same year - only one to even try that in modern era. One of the first I ever saw really sliding it. Nice to see Mallory ridden as it should be w/o the chicanery - Gerrards goes on forever! PS: there's some other great links on that page too including....just in case you never saw this, possibly the greatest save ever by Randy Mamola...

Hi John, Did you get this sorted? KB

I think so. Guzzi parts diagram doesn't show it. This part can fall out when cover plate is detached, as rollers wouldn't. It's easy to check anyhow, this is a hollow, rolled pin.