belfastguzzi

real/proper Darkness with wailing and gnashing of teeth

It was only an artists illustration, Guy. They said it might follow the Breva's looks, as in the illustration, but equally it might go in an all-new direction. If the worries in that Other Thread are justified, it will be something like the illustration – even more plasticky than the latest offerings. Here's hoping for an all-new direction in styling.

err.. could I suggest, you know... The Proud Puffin? and might as well keep the question mark in the name too

That's nice stuff: interesting comparisons. The thread was worth keeping going. You've been saving all that up for about 6 months. Does your wife only go out about twice a year?

The more logical anagram: cog = wheel no = no scenti = perfume literally, wheels without perfume so, the cognoscenti are bikers who ride without perfume in other words, Scura riders. Dirty beasts.

You uncovered the location of The Secret Thread! How did you know that!

It's a good job that this light-hearted banter is only about the Guzzi twins. If we were talking about the Kray twins they would certainly back up their claims with even more, er, 'rationale and data'. Except they're dead. – Just like the brutish V.11 then. Where did I park me characterful but brutish Guzzi twin, twin? You parked it in the side of your characterful but brutish Cobra, twin. Oh right, twin, we'll have to take the new nancy-boy bikes then. Bags I the Griso.

Grrr...I see there's a Tenni Registry now. The fiendish devils will stop at nothing to copy the Scura gang. What next? I suppose they'll be painting their bikes black.

hehe... there's life in this thread yet

I've got a few suggestions for you, that you haven't seen before.

Should I have kept the beard?

Why couldn't they make the Griso like that a real proper bike

To get our hair done nice. Want to come?

Can't entirely agree with this. As per the other Breva thread, in photographs, the 'mechanics' of the Griso seem displayed in a slightly contrived, artificial and exaggerated style: like this guy If that is the direction that things are heading, then some people will be looking back with nostalgia. I'm quite sure that the Griso is a better bike than the V.11 in lots of ways, but being better doesn't mean that everything about it is perfect or even desirable. Over-egging the pudding is un-necessary.

Re your avatar – trust a Tenni rider to park across a race track like that! You guys are desperate for attention. Can't figure it out myself. They just don't make threads like they used to, before the war. Luckily, there is one decent thread on this board. There's actually one more, but I'm keeping its location a secret.

yeh I might mean that or maybe my granny made me say it "it's not a real bike if it don't have a chain, anyway!"

30 miles per minute! No wonder he's flying

and you know what TIME it is....

– that's why you didn't want us to ask.

Well, here's one of the threads anyway. fitting cans and another

Not in every way, but in some ways that I think are important. Partly explained here. It's only a personal, particular viewpoint, not scientific and not 'correct'. The Griso looks like it is just a touch too artificially enhanced. The design is notched up a click too far. It's not entirely fair to judge from photos though. It is potentialy longer lasting than the Breva's look/design. I just think that machines get to the point where a combination of becoming too designed, too technically complex, too expensive means that they are comfortably functional, as long as they work; are beautiful, until they swiftly fade from transient fashion; are economical, until they have to be scrapped and more made and purchased; are fit for purpose, until you want them to be a bit more flexible and fulfil a few more purposes than just one. Modern cars blah blah blah... I know what I mean, but it will take all night to explain, so I'll not. It's screwdrivers versus pozidrives. PS the last real/proper means of home music reproduction Linn Sondek LP 12

What about this picture from Stephen Davison's new book. Sums up the special (and mad?) nature of this sport. "Experience the ragged edge of road racing – the most extreme of extreme sports. Man and machine hurtling at 170mph between hedges and stonewalls, balancing speed and risk at every corner. But behind the adrenaline-charged race scene there’s another story: the long hours of the monotonous day job that pays for the racing; the longer nights in small, draughty sheds building the bikes; the banter of the paddock; the struggle to overcome the pain of crash injuries; the abject misery of defeat and the sheer joy of the podium. In Ragged Edge, Stephen Davison, author of bestsellers Joey Dunlop: King of the Roads and Beautiful Danger, tells that story. In over 120 stunning full-colour photographs he gives a thrilling and personal insight into the road racing scene and the lives of the riders. He draws the reader into the world of current and former road racing stars like Joey and Robert Dunlop, David Jefferies and John McGuinness, Martin Finnegan and Ryan Farquhar, as well as lesser-known racers like Kenny McCrea and Dean Cooper. Through Davison’s photographs we share in their moments of bravery, disappointment, pain and triumph, and enjoy a roadside view of the incredible racing action they create in Ireland, the Isle of Man and Macau. These photographs and the stories behind them are a compelling testament to the trust and intimacy that exists between Stephen Davison and the riders. Ragged Edge is the ultimate road-racing book, combining the thrills and spills of racing with intimate portraits of the riders and insights into the dangers they face."

And, it will still be a real Guzzi. 65807[/snapback] It might be more of a real Piaggio? But – there are two different tracks here. One is the 'real Guzzi' notion. The other is about: is the new real Guzzi still a real proper motorbike, in the way that the V.11, despite its shortcomings, is (according to some)? It's like: the C21st Freelander is a real Land Rover, but is it a real proper motor in the way that the real proper pre-electronics Land Rovers were/are? The old Land Rovers have many deficiencies, like the V.11, but in so many ways they are more 'the perfect vehicle' than even a modern top-of the range Range Rover is.