Baldini

If you're going to the trouble of doing it at all, have you considered more elegant ways to brace the frame/sideplates. I think the Guzzi method is pretty slapdash & ugly. Sportis had a brace between spine & top of gearbox. Ratchethack - where did "racing" tyres come into the argument? I'm with you that the narrower tyre/rim handles better than wider - no question. But this also varies tremendously with type of tyre - a sharp profile helps the sluggish turn in you get with fat tyres. Greg - Using a wider tyre may increase ground clearance at lean but I don't beleve that is why Guzzi changed to it. I agree w Ratchet - fashion. There are better ways to engineer increased ground clearance if that was an issue - & I don't think it was for Guzzi or the vast majority of customers. Most modern bikes make a hell of a lot more power than the Guzzi & aside from fashion may have more need of the extra material under hard acceleration. Guzzi just needed it for sales. A concern I had was narrower fitment must stretch further to fit rim width, flattening profile to some degree = it would run off tread edge earlier than a wider tyre of same type. There's also much less availability in narrower widths. KB

I left top of shock mounted to bike, removed bottom mounting bolt. Backed off adjuster & lock rings at top to unload spring. Removed bottom spring seat ring (it is split so it can pass over damper rod). Removed spring from bottom. Reversed for re-assembly. Mine is an 02 Scura, but I don't see why yours should not be the same. KB

welcome home! KB

How's that? F - O - R - D

Guy, I went to Keihan & asked them for a big bore straight thru system to match LM1/11 style. They made that for me. I now have some Lafranconi copies (upswept long reverse cone megas w the fluting on the end) which are straight thru also & made by Keihan. They don't list everything they can do. Think they'll make any they list as straight thru or minimal baffle. I dealt direct with John (sorry I forgot his surname) at the factory. It's some years ago now but it might be worth a ring if you're interested. I like Keihan cos it's so well made. I think the Tonti suits reverse cone of some type, rather than modern cylinderical cans. The Crossbow system was great but noisy, I'll dig out a photo. Cos of the lower frame rails you can run into problems w ground clearance w some silencers around the bit under footrests. It's worth considering when you're deciding. The Sport Demons are a revelation, streets ahead of BT45's - but do wear v quick. Also a right b**** to get front to seat properly. KB

Sounds great Guy, looking forward to seeing it - you can't beat a sporty Tonti ! Raising rear should be a good thing. Try Pirelli Sport Demons if you just want handling/grip & don't care about mileage (really - they wear quick as a supersports radial). I have hopes of doing something along these lines one day, but now work & family takes all my time, money & energy. I started on spoke wheels for the Tonti but got sidetracked. I was going for black rims, but think now I'd stick with plain alu - Black will need care on tyre changes & I wonder if in a few years it could just look like a "fashion" thing? Losing bottom edge on triangle sidepanels emphasises horizontals (LM not V7S). You may have to mess with mounting points - old Tontis had a mess of plates - i got shot of all of it. I also bent top edge over rather than just flat plate (kept face of plate vertical). See pic but I can post better if you want detail. Have you considered Keihan exhausts? I've had several bits off them - quality is great. They do Lafranconi style in S/S. They can modify design to your spec too. I used to run a Crossbow system (you know it? short rev cone PR style) til it rotted. Loved it (tho a bit loud) - often thought to duplicate it in S/S. Moving things about & eliminating things you don't need on a cafe bike can drastically reduce wiring. Eg - put ignition/starter switches by battery, lose indicators. does Cali already have Saprisa (Ducati) alternator s/s rect/reg unit? You're not relocating battery below gbox? Guzzitech do a alu plate to replace battery carrier/frame gbox brace. Re Maxton: Do you need to take bike to them or just give them shox/forks with bike/rider specs? A question for anyone interested (I know GuzziJack is working on something): If you were going to build a FAST, TORQUEY, GOOD HANDLING, SOKE WHEEL, SPORTS TONTI, without worrying about originality etc - How would you go about it. I figure Guy has right idea, & Todd Egan's V11 engined Jackal looks good, how about starting with a 1000s? what are differences between Cali/V11 motors? LM1000 (IV & V) look cheap - what differences on those frames, they had a higher headstock I think? Or should this question have a new thread? How you don't mind me butting in, Guy, just a few options. Good luck w the project. Cheers, KB

Everything Martin wrote goes for me too.... which is a bit worrying..... KB

Well done Gyles - Congratulations. You didn't take the obvious or easy route (if there is one in racing). I'm sure it's been a lot of effort to get out there but when it comes right I bet it feels good! Best of luck for next year. Maybe I'm just a miserable sod but I always figure: expect nowt & you won't be disappointed - once expectations go up enjoyment can suffer. Where's the MGS01 coming from? GOOD LUCK! KB

David, If the dates suit I'd try & make it.... but we are planning a long family holiday next year which'll take out most or all the school summer holidays for me, so it'd probably be unlikely. I've never been over there but one day... This is Van Morrison: Coming down from Downpatrick Stoping off at st. Johns point Out all day birdwatching And the craic was good Stopped off at Strangford Lough Early inthe morning Drove through shigly taking pictures And on to Killyleagh Stopped off for Sunday papers at the Lecale district, just before Coney Island On and on, over the hill to Ardglass In the jamjar, autumn sunshine, magnificent And all shining through Stop off at Ardglass for a couple of jars of Mussels and some potted herrings in case We get famished before dinner On and on, over the hill and the craic is good Heading towards Coney Island I look at the side of your face as the sunlight comes Streaming in through the window in the autumn sunshine And all the time going to Coney Island I'm thinking Wouldn't it be great if it was like this all the time. Indeed. KB

I don't care re topics in this section, you don't have to read them. It's when something say in tech forum gets infected & hi-jacked by personal bickering that I can't be doing with. You're interested in the original discussion & you have to plough thru acres of crap to pick out the bits still on topic. I can't be arsed with that so I don't bother - puts me off the forum. So let this section be for that stuff & leave it out of the rest. KB

ECU that came w/my Ti kit had California label & a blob of yellow paint. I asked around & concensus was Guzzi programme whatever comes to hand when other correctly labelled ones run out etc. When I fitted mine it didn't run good straight off. As others found, swapping between kit ECU & stock ECU gave different characteristics but neither right. Stock ran smoother but perhaps a bit breathless, kit ran lumpy & obviously (to me) richer. Dyno sorted it. KB

Guy, I will get along if it works with work/family. I would camp I guess. Keith

Seems to me Jaap only closes things when he figures they have descended, or are about to descend into mindless bickering, namecalling & bitching. Jaap! KB

similar story here. LM11 / T3 which I still use (in fact it's the only one going now cos Scura is in bits), rebuilt over & over. Don't know anything much about servicing FI on Scura...I get the impression it's not so difficult just never looked into it...it tends to stay good once set (unlike carbs on LM11 which need doing every couple of weeks or so...). Baldrick @ Corsa Italiana set up fueling & did a good job...then when I fitted Ti/ECU kit I had it set up by Mike at MotoCorsa (same premises as Motomecca) & dynoed. Runs great. But (unlike others above) originally with kit ECU was v lumpy, dyno set up made big improvement. I'm not convinced all kit ECU's are same. Where are you? KB

Sorry to hear that, Slug. Good that you got up from it. good luck. KB

Oh, it's here again...I replied in other thread...at length... Failing any obvious defects: Suspension. Tyres. Riding style. Steering damper. KB Whaahaayyy! - I learned to cut & paste... : just to clarify terms... I've only ever had a tank-slapper once (& not on a Guzzi). It was so sudden & fierce I could barely keep my hands on the bars let alone vary my grip or control the throttle with any subtlety. A sudden, severe, very fierce, fast oscillation of the bars, bouncing between the steering locks. That's what you experienced? Rather than... Scura shakes it's head sometimes over crests or off bumps, but settles down quickly. I also find Tontis do this. Or.... The worst I had on the Scura was a severe weave when I could barely keep it on the carriageway. Very fast in a long turn, hit some dips & it was away. Like yours, it was uphill. It wandered slowly & repeatedly left to right across the road for what seemed forever but was probably between 50-100 yards, scared me sh**less! ...But this was not what you experienced? Did you hit bumps? Scura is a big, heavy bike w/rearward wt bias, crude rear suspension design using a v short s/a, & flexible frame. It will misbehave, if pushed hard. It is not a real sports bike. You have to ride within it's limitations. Smoothness is everything & any clumsy or sudden heavy inputs will unsettle it, inc hard changes, varying throttle in turns. However it is also fairly forgiving & if you can avoid hitting anything during the trauma it seems to settle.... It can be improved over stock. My Scura came very badly set up for me. Stock springs are v soft & will not work for anyone over about 170lbs. Have you sorted the suspension out for your weight & riding style (set sag)? If not I would look there first for the culprit. Pushed hard as it came to me, the Scura was a pig. It can be much improved but only by getting basics right: no amount of fiddling with damping will sort a basic set-up/spring problem. I raised forks about half inch in clamps. Helped wt distribution & steering. But only after riding w/forks in stock position for fair long time. I don't believe that would cause or solve your problem. I use only a little steering damper & vary it depending how I'm riding. The Ohlins damper is very subtle in it's adjustments & very effective. I don't see why you should need it fully wound on unless you are masking a different problem. I believe a lot of steering damping can actually cause steering/handling problems. You're on BT020's? Not original ones? I found those tyres very unsatisfactory for quick riding. The front particularly, wears badly cupped & starts to feel very unstable in turns esp if theres any uneveness. Get rid if you're gonna ride like that, replace w/better tyres - you'll find a load of threads here on tyres. What pressures do you run? Scura can be ridden reasonably fast on sorted suspension & good tyres, but has to be ridden the way it demands, not the way you might ride a 900SS. Good luck. KB

I've only ever had a tank-slapper once. It was so sudden, so quick, so fierce I could barely keep my hands on the bars let alone vary my grip or control the throttle with any subtlety. A sudden, very fierce, fast oscillation of the bars, lock to lock. That's what you experienced? ? I've found the Scura shakes it's head under certain conditions usually involving uneven surfaces, or crests, but settles down. I also find Tontis do this. The worst experience I had on the Scura was a severe weave when I could barely keep it on the carriageway. I was travelling very fast in a long turn, hit some dips & it was away. Like you it was uphill. It wandered slowly & repeatedly left to right across the road for what seemed forever but was probably between 50-100 yards. But this was not what you experienced? Was road surface bumpy? Scura is a big, heavy bike w/rearward wt bias, crude rear suspension design using a v short s/a, & flexible frame. It will misbehave, if pushed hard. It is not a real sports bike. You have to ride within it's limitations. Smoothness is everything & any clumsy or sudden heavy inputs will unsettle it, inc hard changes, varying throttle. However it is also fairly forgiving & if you can avoid hitting anything during the trauma it seems to settle.... It can be improved over stock. My Scura came very badly set up for me. Stock springs are v soft & will not work for anyone over about 170lbs. Have you sorted the suspension out for your weight & riding style (set sag)? If not I would look there first for the culprit. Pushed hard as it came to me, the Scura was a pig. It can be much improved but only by getting basics right: no amount of fiddling with damping will sort a basic set-up/spring problem. I raised forks about half inch in clamps. Helped wt distribution & steering. But only after riding w/forks in stock position for fair long time. I don't believe that would cause or solve your problem. I use only a little steering damper & vary it depending how I'm riding. The Ohlins damper is very subtle in it's adjustments & very effective. I don't see why you should need it fully wound on unless you are masking a different problem. I believe a lot of steering damping can actually cause steering/handling problems. You're on BT020's? Not original ones? I found those tyres very unsatisfactory for quick riding. The front particularly, wears badly cupped & starts to feel very unstable in turns esp if theres any uneveness. Get rid if you're gonna ride like that, replace w/better tyres - you'll find a load of threads here on tyres. What pressures do you run? Scura can be ridden reasonably fast on sorted suspension & good tyres, but has to be ridden the way it demands, not the way you might ride a 900SS. Good luck. KB

The older spines had a plate bracing frame at top of gbox I think - not sure when that was dropped? Were original (Dr John prototype) side plates stronger than later? did that racebike have any other bracing? Paul, the impressive work you did on your bike addresses some of the issues I'm on about. You extended the s/a I think? You have a gbox brace as I mention above also I think. KB

re the alternator - Breva has same, but much lower frame rails The 8v heads surely wouldn't mean the rails had to be quite so high either? esp if as Paul says 8v will fit in Breva.... I'm no engineer but looks to me the V11 has too little lateral bracing along the length of the spine & from spine to s/a mounts (with half-baked bracing around sideplates on later V11's someone must have spotted the problem - but that doesn't address the front end). Spine originally had a brace above tranny. Did it also have larger diam cross tube at back or any other bracing? How does 1100 Sport handle relative to v11 ? - I never rode one. I nearly went for a Daytona RS recently but that's stuck w/same crude rear s/a/suspension design - & I feel a Tonti, while still crude, has more structural integrity. So any spine frame is out w/ new motors. I'd like a new sports 8v in a modified (bit more legroom please) Tonti style frame but with a good rear suspension design. Something like the recent retro Dukes but designed functional not fashionable - no Tonka Toy styling. Delivered by Monday. Thank you. KB

So = 2 ranges, one (4v?) cheaper, more conservative, lower end equipment, the other (8v?) higher end, more £££$$$, better equipment? Is there any technical reason why the frame side rails on the Griso run so high (anything to do w 8v design?) - or just styling? Would've thought shorter (lower), straighter route s/a to headstock would have been better (looks & performance) - style over function? - Something I think Guzzi have fallen into. How many bent/longer-than-necessary-to-work-well tubes on a Tonti frame?- & there ain't many frames more beautiful than a Tonti...IMO. If it works good it looks good. KB

Breva & Griso appear to have completely different frames, & fork sets. Why? Surely it would've been cheaper to have developed one frame & just varied the styling? Was the Griso frame always designed for 8v motor? Why wasn't 1200 Sport based on Griso which has much more sports/solid looking fork set up? Which frame is the better? Which handles better? Griso is longer? Different geometry? "Monza" appears to be based on Breva again. Is Breva lower market end, Griso upper end - quality/components appear better on Griso - 2 future ranges based on 4v & 8v? Just wondering. KB

AH! There you are. Had the bike been standing for a time when you noticed the leaking seals? KB

Spot on Although the correct answer to my question was: That moment before you land on yer arse. KB

Van Morrison ...or....Iggy Pop...