Baldini

Are they scrubbed in right across the tread? Are they Diablos or Diablo Stradas? KB

I reallythink the Pirellis are a good tyre on the road, much better than oem Bridgestones - how did you get on with them? Least it came back - which I found was one of the best features of the Diablo. Maybe with a few more miles you'll get to like them better? What did you have on before? They do steer quicker than 020's. I put some Michelins on now & good grief they're grippy but they won't likely do half Diablo mileage... KB

Was it just the one slide put you off? KB

no.... i put the sidestand back on... KB

Dunno either! Got everything out of way so (with sidestand removed) pegs are first to ground & that comes a long way past scrubbing edge of tyre (Scura has longer shock & is much higher at back than others). Diablo was struggling with grip before touching pegs esp when hot. Power 2CT's have loads more grip & will drag peg but it feels a hell of a long way over for this bike....& again way past scrubbing edge of tread. I'm sure it's just theoretical worry but I just don't know how far it'll stick past that point, have no gauge. Another theory I have is cos 180 is wider it moves hard bits further from road at lean...tho 170 is larger diameter so dunno .... 170 more "planted" ? maybe it's just the feel of tyres with closer matched widths balancing bike better? I agree 170 feels better all round, & will probably try one again in stickier rubber. KB

170 & 180 are both spec'd fitment for 5.5" rim. Tho 170 steers better, I went back to 180 because I figured, being stretched to a flatter profile, 170 would run off tread earlier at furthest angles of lean. I have never heard a definitive answer on this. Steering with a 180 Diablo/Mich is much better than with 180 020 anyhow cos of diff profiles. KB

Dunno re Pilot "Sport"? I have Pilot Power 2CT's. They have huge amount of grip, handle great & wear v quick. All Michelins I've had (bike & car) have been grippy tyres. My guess is the Michelins you're lookin at (which I don't know) will grip & handle better than 020's but I'd be amazed if you got anything like 9k miles outa them. They will also likely (if they are designated a "sport" tyre) have a sharper profile than 020's which will speed up steering & isn't to everbody's taste. Have you considered Pirelli Diablos which suit V11 very well? Others like Metzelers. Try a search - should dig up stuff on this. KB

Dunno re the slide - were you possibly onto a bit of shoulder than wasn't yet scrubbed in? oil or other on tyre or road? Either could cause what you describe. I found Diablos an excellent road tyre; grippy, with no great requirement for warming up & best of all very predictable at the limit. They had much more grip, far better wear pattern & handled far better than oem 020's. Only problem I had was if really pushed they overheated at the edges & would slide, but even then the slide was slow & easy to catch. On track they limited how hard you could push, slid a fair bit, but again, always predictable & easy to catch. I've not used Diablo stradas. Diablo Corsa will give you more grip & more wear. The Michelins I have now - Power 2CT's - have a crazy amount of grip (great on track but, in some ways for me, more than is safe on the road in that you can run so much harder), but wear v quickly. Diablos are good tyres. KB

I weigh about 210lb w/gear. Changed stock 85 spring for a 100. Made huge improvement. Could pos go one up again. Been unable to get anywhere w/info on differences between 02/later shocks. Ohlins shop said factory spec cards, showed "very little", & like Belfast says that may be the case. I feel my (02 Scura) Ohlins shock has too much high speed compression damping (it's harsh over sudden bumps) & this has been a comment from others too. One of the US mags had a Scura shock revalved by a minimal amount said it helped. I'll try dig out the info. KB

Yup! V11 is over 250kg wet, the larger part carried at the back + flexible frame & s/a = very willowy over bumps if pushed. But...V11's can be ridden fast on bumpy roads. Ashley Law managed to get a pretty much bog stock Tenni to the finish at IOM TT, at a respectable pace & grounding out the sump in the process. V11's feel is a lot to do with confidence - feels like it's going to do something bad but even pushed hard it mostly settles down & is a pleasant bike to ride. I soften (Ohlins) suspension for bumps & let it get on with it - & it does move about quite a bit. Scura also has Ohlins steering damper & decent tyres. Sticky sports tyres really help confidence & handling... but probably magnify frame deficencies. In very fast sweepers input thru the bars wil unerve unloaded front & it's hard to keep your wt over front cos of tank design - but a loose grip on the bars helps it stay settled. Re stressed engines: Tonti's do use motor to stiffen frame - look how it's put together! KB

Tyres have a different profiles - sharper sports profile will go over/turn quicker (front feels more twitchy). You mean 1k not 10? What pressures? which tyres now? before? KB

Use the tyre that suits what you want of the bike. We all have different demands. We all have different ideas of what is fast & slow & where the limits are. If you don't find the limits of a tyre & you like them, then they're OK for you! If you find they don't offer enough grip, handling or consistency then try one of the many stickier sports tyres available. In sports riding I found the 020's cupped bad at front, steered slowly & offered inconsistent grip - esp rear would let go suddenly & unexpectedly at limit. I felt front would lock too easy on brakes too. I used Diablos which are better for me in all aspects (especially predictability towards their limit) except they wear slightly quicker. The Power 2CT's have far more grip & quicker handling (still stable at speed) but wear much faster. Haven't tried other tyres. If what you got works for you then that's fine - only....if you don't try anything different maybe you don't know what you're missing! KB

KB

the fairing worked great, it was a lovely bike. That the I is the sought-after model has nothing to do with practical riding considerations. It's often said the III is the best of the bunch.... KB

Perhaps Pete is just looking for a "giant leap forward mechanically" in Guzzi terms: refinement & improvement of the product with all the bits designed/redesigned to work together, & tested to eliminate glitches. Something like the Griso! The V11's 6 speed box was much shorter than the old 5 speed. The space could (& IMV was probably meant to) have been used with a redesigned frame to give a longer s/a & more subtle control of rear suspension (rising rate or not). That they didn't do this is, I think, to do with cost/effort rather than design. V11 is a pleasant bike to ride but really is a bit of a last minute, needs/must triumph of styling over functional design. The jungle of tubes bracing the s/a plates on the 02 on bikes just proves the point to me. It seems the bits were designed in different rooms at different times & as the company's fortunes fluctuated so did the intentions for the bike, until eventually they had to have something to market. The fact it works so well is testament to the basic strengths of the Mandello factory despite the political/economic contortions it has gone thru. KB

I am very happy with the Michelin Power 2CT's. The dealer also provided me with a pair of high quality Michelin stickers & I feel it would be churlish to change now. I think they will wear out very quickly however, & unfortunately I may have to return to more s/t tyre to ensure I can complete any journeys I may undertake. KB

Speaking from experience of which other Guzzis? I never rode anything earlier than the Tontis - but (especially for their time) they have an integrated, solid quality the V11 lacks. I suspect the new box/rear drive when coupled with a more wholesome motor will also be a cut above the V11. I love my Scura but I still say the V11 is a bit alf-arsed in it's design. To me someone thought thru the Tontis & meant it...with the V11 it was like "what can we cobble together with these bits we got that'll look nice but not cost us too much". The fact they completely redesigned the 6 speed box for the new bikes, to me speaks volumes. KB

First set sag to between 25-33% from full extended w/ you on bike. Playing with damping settings only masks problem - get the preload/sag sorted first then set damping - it's worth doing it properly if you want the best out of the bike. How doesn't it feel good? You sure the problem is at the front? What tyres/pressures you got? KB

oh...it was nuthin... ...gee, really... ??? oh...welll...!!! nah...really... mmmm.... rumbled! ah well it was nice while it lasted.... KB

Did you already set sag for your weight? KB

They'll blow oil if revved hard for a distance. I once stopped in a cloud of steam after a long haul trying to hang on to a zx9 up the mountain on IOM, oil all over bike & me, & looked down expecting to see a rod sticking thru the cases - nothing - just let it sit for a while & plodded off on our way good as new. That's what turned me to the bottle.... Is it a LM111 frame? Has it got the sump extension plate? God bless Mr Roper KB

I thought the LeMans fairing on the Tenni worked great on the short ride I did - really effective but not too big. It'd be a big improvement over the Scura flyscreen for any distance or weather. Flyscreen works well for the size it is. I had a std LM11 years back, that fairing worked great too! Ballacraine - be interested to see how you get it work on a V11 - square light n'all....? KB

Couple years ago I did Ty Croes on the old Tonti - open day Japs & Dukes - think what did it for them was the skinny tyres...they can't believe anything 25yrs old with little skinny rubber should even get around never mind pass them! Always fancied trying a 850 commando engine in a featherbed...that'd rattle them...But I think it's just ignorance really. Lot of these folk are very low miles riders, believe everything they see in the press. If they aren't going fast enough they get some "better" gear. Oftimes they'd be faster on something slower! Guzzis are easy to ride (esp after 20yrs on em) & very stable. Sure they're slow to turn but I've never seen that as a problem, in fact it helps you feel more secure! It's not how far you can lean over every corner, speed comes with putting the lines together thru the lap. Another thing may be an issue is cos you can't overtake anything on the straights, & on a tight track midcorner is just too close, everything has to be done on the brakes, often into the slower corners & cos you haven't really got great acceleration sometimes that means a block pass (you take the line they wanted to take) to get a bit of daylight - otherwise they just pass you back on the next straight bit & you're stuck behind them again - some may not be happy with that? I know I don't much like riding with supermotos cos of the totally different ways they use the track - it interupts the flow of it all. Guzzirider says that was the first session: so everyone was taking it fairly easy. You don't want to T bone someone, or ram em up the arse & that corner is hellish fast entry, tightens sharply in the last part - if you really commit to it in traffic, there's not a lot of space to enact plan B as you come up on someone dawdling towards the last apex....first aim is not to fall off! Also: overtaking always puts you off line (entry into that corner should be much wider) & it's just a question of getting past, not how fast you are. After seeing the stuff in the paddock when we rode in I was surprised in the first session that it was so easy to keep up. KB

Yeh, I noticed it too. Cadwell is a lovely track. Not sure how much fun the MV owners might be tho? KB

Thanks Guzzirider for my 15 seconds of fame! Any chance of getting a CD so's I can bore my grandchildren? - PC won't save it. Had a great day out. Guzzi is underated, & much better than the press it gets. Scura held it's own amongst mostly dedicated track bikes - Japs & Dukes - fine in the corners & under brakes (better than it has a right to be given the weight involved) - only place it really lost out was the straight .....but it's a very short straight at Ty Croes... Ran faultless all day. Gearbox worked better than on the road - not one bad change (I've noticed this before - more focus by me or is box designed to be used this way? Anyone else?) Michelin Power 2CT's steer great, stick like glue. Dunno about attitudes Pete, no-one said anything much, but folk seemed friendly enough. 749 rider muttered something about "wild" riding, I think cos I tried him round the outside at the hairpin, a young lad off a 400 said he was impressed by the Guzzi. They were pretty much all regular trackday riders I think & like Guzzirider says, seen plenty fast & slow. Yeh! MOTO *kin GUZZI! 80HP,250kg! - & least you've always got an excuse ! KB