Lucky Phil

True. The serious people plumb in the machine and have filters and other things to mitigate the water chemical purity if for no other reason than to help with reduced scaling in the machine. I was actually wondering if using store bought demineralised water might be advantageous. Phil

Until you step down the power ladder you don't realise just how unimportant big power really is. I've said for the last 30 years (after I spent 2 days blasting around the streets of Rome Italy on a hired scooter having and absolute ball) that more than 100hp on a road bike is a total waste and in all probability a handicap to most and a burden to some. The Honda CBR600 was just a perfect road sports bike. Plenty fast enough, reliable, light, but a bit characterless and bland I'll admit. I remember the 80's and 90's when manufacturers were driven by the American obsession with 1/4 mile times and I was riding an 85hp Bevel drive Ducati. The 1/4 mile times and HP figures interested me not a jot and thankfully the 1/4 mile time focus has shifted as has ignoring making a bike light weight. The scooter memories and education fades over the years but the Enfield 650 has brought the "HP perspective" back again. Phil

This is my new grinder a Gaggia MDF 55. It's a decent grinder apparently for the lower middle price point. I was going to keep using my older machines but I never use my FF points and there was an offer on it so I bought it on FF points otherwise I probably would have researched the crap out of it and ended up spending double. I mean I did research it of course and it came up as lets say "pretty decent" even after the testing guy got the results from the particle analyser he has and the real coffee nutters buy and use for getting the grinds right. When it gets to the particle analyser stage I'm out. I love a good shot of coffee but I already have a few obsessions and I don't need anymore. Same as home roasting, interesting but too far down the rabbit hole for me. Neither of these things come on line until Christmas day as they are our presents to each other. I know he's a bit annoying to listen to but who isn't on YouTube and the info is decent.

All very true esp the bit about the grinder. When I told the espresso sales guy for the ECM what machine and grinder I currently use (I have two 20 year old semi commercial doser units) he to his credit advised I'd be better off with regards to better coffee by upgrading the grinders first then spend the cash on the ECM machine later on. In many ways the grinder is more important than the machine for making a great shot. So in addition to the machine I bought a new grinder. Anyone that wants a working grinder for free you have a choice of two, a Rancilio Rocky or a Bregant junior. Both are quite weighty so overseas postage wouldn't be worth the money. The Amish only manage to survive because they pretty much isolate themselves from the rest of society and making a coffee on a modern machine is still a ritual believe me. Nobody loves old stuff more than me, hell I even keep my old espresso machines as ornaments but there no way on earth the old machines can make a perfect, reliably consistent shot of coffee for 1 or 20 people like a modern machine and grinder. I have family members that would rather drink instant coffee than a espresso machine made coffee even if it's for free or I'm paying. Thats how mad some people are these days. Phil

Well those that own them, a model T that is. I worked with a guy who's father had a pristinely restored one and I aske him about it's worth. He said about $6000aud at the time and I was shocked. I asked why so little and he replied that they are so impossible to use on modern roads that people aren't interested in them even as a sunny day drive proposition. Backed up by a few other I know in the veteran motoring world. Phil

Don't worry sounds like what Queenslanders think a Latte is. When in Hervey Bay I always ask for a look at what they are going to serve me my latte in after stupidly ordering one early on in my visits there and being presented with a massive Irish coffee glass complete with handle of a milky coffee like concoction for something like $6 and at other places a "MUG" of a similar disaster. Of course the Latte is a pre 10am beverage and I wouldn't be seen dead drinking one after that or a Cappuccino for that matter. Happily on my recent trip to Brisbane city they have now grasped what a reasonable coffee should be but outside the state capital it's still a risky order. I once politely asked a Queensland Cafe proprietor when ordering my breakfast Latte why they didn't serve them in the traditional glass and the answer was "we don't like glasses here" meaning in that Cafe. What the customers would like? No interest in that. Good old Queensland where they come out with your breakfast food order on a plate under a stack of other plated orders one on top of the other. Classy they are not. Phil

A model T ford is simple as well but you wouldn't want to drive one now in the modern world. Phil

.0073152mm Mick you sound engineer you Phil

A few points. People are getting way to obsessed with the definition of a "cold" engine and running clearances too loose causes valve train damage eventually as the lifters no longer correctly utilise the opening ramps on the cams. Considering steel has an expansion profile of .0000072" per degree F of temp shift then a 40 degree difference in a "cold" engine will be .000288 or less than 3 tenths of a thou. Of course considering the aluminium pushrods at around twice the expansion rate of steel it would be around .0005" or 1/2 thou. If you can comfortably hold your hand on the cylinder head then the temp is around 40C ish and fine to do the clearances. Phil

I hate to tell you all this but there's a reason Modern espresso machines and modern coffee grinders exist and it's not purely for extracting money from your bank account. I also have one of these at home that I retired 20 years ago. It makes nice coffee but doesn't provide hot water for long blacks and isn't really much good to make coffee for more than 2 people as it has no delivery temp control. More than 2 cups and the water is too hot for a nice coffee. Beautiful but not practical for consistency or more than 2 cups. https://dipacci.com.au/products/la-pavoni-professional-prg-copper-gold-le?variant=44020080705795&country=AU&currency=AUD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiArva5BhBiEiwA-oTnXc4KzrW4t1LFyzBm5TMsOAUVoXiMgsHndDTfNpCSboq8UP6NovIrSxoCd5cQAvD_BwE

Still boxed up until Christmas day. It's my wife and I's Christmas present to each other. Phil

I made up a new kitchen shelf today. It's an engineers shelf due to the fact that I dont like wood and as a mate once said to me wood would be just perfect if it was made out of aluminium. I need to free up some bench space for the arrival of a new Espresso machine and grinder. Italian heart made in Germany. ECM Synchronika11. The Electra Nivola has done its time and deserves its retirement after 22 years as a faithful servant. Phil

Interesting place but I think it's sad we feel the need to have a bunch of disclaimers in a thread like this these days. Phil

Here's an old question before troubleshooting begins. "What was the very last thing done to the bike before the issue occurred"? How many times have we learned 4 pages in "oh year I washed it before the issue" or Had the tank off before the issue" or find out it has a Power commander fitted etc etc. BTW it's an 1100 Sporti Phil

Melbourne drivers are the worst I've experienced any in the WORLD. I'd never seen a roll over on a public road until I moved to Melbourne 21 years ago and I saw 3 in the first 5 years I was here. One I witnessed first hand and stopped to assist. All on freeways. Hopeless drivers here. Phil

You know it's actually an offence to hit a vehicle in a public carpark and just drive away. My neighbours wife grazed a car in the Coles carpark as she was turning out. It was such a minor touch she didn't even notice it (she's in her late 70's) next thing Police on the door step as it had been witnessed and a charge of leaving the scene of an accident. No visible damage to her car either. Long story short, lawyer involved and court to fight the charge and ultimately lose. $3500 dollar exercise and still guilty. Phil

Thats the Black Spur Mick not far from my place. You know the stretch of road that the Police were caught in Camo gear in the bushes on the roadside with radar guns. I know that road well. Amazing how quick you can ride a motorcycle on any given stretch of public roads when there's zero chance of being charged of any traffic offences because you're a member of state law enforcement. I regularly came across cop convoys on Macquarie pass doing their rider training riding around bolt upright like rigid backed clowns. Good for a laugh at the time. I also did my first European motorcycle tour in 84 with a Queensland motorcycle cop. Never seen one in my life do anything particularly awe inspiring on a motorcycle to be honest. Cue of course posting of one of those old lame 50's police motorcycle trick riding videos on Harleys. Come on somebody here will be itching to post one. Phil

Depends on their riding style

The issue with vacuum bleeders is they can suck air around the bleeder screw threads and into the clear bleeder tube and give erroneous indications of air in the system. You dont get this issue with pressure bleeders. To combat this during bleeding just wipe a fillet of grease around the bleed nipple threads between the visible threads and the calliper housing where the bleed nipple drilling is to seal it from sucking air. Wipe it off when you're finished the bleed. The other air point on the V11 is the master cylinder connection which traps air due to the bar angle. Remove the master and tip it up and jiggle the lever and watch the air bubbles come into the reservoir. I've thought quite a lot about why clamping the brake on overnight improves the lever hardness and my theory is the constant pressure in the brake system dissolves any air bubbles back into suspension in the brake fluid where they have no or next to no compressibility issues. In other words dissolved air or small amounts of air effectively in suspension in the fluid has no compressibility effect where actual formed bubbles do. Anyone have thoughts or scientific info to back this up or shoot the theory down? I don't see why the brake secured on overnight technique wouldn't be worth trying on the clutch as well although you won't generate the same line pressure so it may not be as effective. I don't really get the whole remote bleeder thing for the clutch. It just adds weight and complexity. Sure it's a bit of a fiddly job to bleed but you only need to do it every couple of years or so. Not worth the added weight and failure points for mine.

I'm reminded of the riding style of the late great Paul Smart. This is Smart from the 70's knee out trying to get the rangy wheelbases Ducati to turn without riding off the edge of the tyres of the day. Well before Kenny Roberts was getting his knee down Smart was using the same technique albeit less extreme. Ahead of his time style wise paul Smart. Same technique applies today in the twisty stuff on the road but far less extreme. https://www.classicmotorcycle.co.uk/paul-smart-1943-2021-2/

I'm guessing over time the female receivers in the fuse block can lose their tension then the contact with the blade is poor and any variation in the thickness of the fuse blades will have an affect on whether or not the fuses make contact. I'm also going to assume the fuse blade contacts have a dimensional tolerance per the standards and the El cheapo fuses probably don't hold well to those tolerances as is the way often with El cheapo stuff.

Further to this docc I happened across this Aussie guys youtube channel a few years ago and was revisiting it because he's a Guzzi owner and has some interesting Guzzi tech stuff as well as some unusual bikes he rides and maintains and his wife also rides a Guzzi or did until recently. Anyway he's around our age lives in Melbourne, rides and maintains a few Guzzis and does pretty down to earth basic reviews. This one is 5 years old and has a few detail spec errors but is worth a viewing if you are interested in RE 650's and engine performance from an old guys perspective who also happens to ride and own a Guzzi and Benelli 1130 TNT and a rather nice Gilera Saturno. Phil

Yea I remember 1987 right at the beginning of radial road tyres and when the cutting edge sports bike of the day a GSXR750 had a 140 rear tyre which was considered wide. Motorcycles change and so do riding styles. Only old duffers ride like that these days on modern bikes.