belfastguzzi

Grief! The strange thing is that your's is a 2004 model. It will be interesting to see what the parts measurements are.

For those of you with satellite (sorry Joe, probably UK advanced civilization only ) BBC1 NI is showing a 4 part series of 1970's road-racing film footage. (In contrast to the positive, inventive, celebratory 'ordinary racing fraternity' mood, 1974 was the same time that the troubles-bombings-assasinations-Ulster Worker's Strike were bringing the Province to its knees.) Last week was excellent intro to NI road-racing developmentand the start of the legendary 'Armoy Armada' and 'Dromara Destroyers'. This week – Wednesday 10.45 – will be picking up from that, with Joey coming to the fore. The battles of Mervyn Robinson, Tony Rutter, Joey Dunlop and Ray McCullough come to a head at the 1975 Kirkistown final. Lovey stuff. Channel 943, I believe. Newspaper > "Fast and furious footage of the Armoy Armada and the Dromara Destroyers is the focus of a new BBC series on motorbikes. The Charge of the Bike Brigade will show never before broadcast film of the glory days of Ulster's motorcycling superstars. The series was shot by brothers Colin and Alwyn James and starts tomorrow night. It features coverage of the sport by turning the clock back three decades, with action showing the Armada, led by a young Joey Dunlop, going handlebar to handlebar with the Destroyers, led by Ray McCullough. The poignancy of the racing world will not be lost on the viewers, as the Destroyers are all still alive, whereas none of the legends from the Armada remain. Alwyn James explained that the project was as much of a passion for the film-makers as for biking enthusiasts of the sport: "Colin and I wanted to make a tribute, not just to Joey, but to all those amateur racers who were his friends as well as his rivals, and who raced purely for the thrills." Colin himself describes the Bike Brigade series as a portrait of the love-affair between Northern Ireland and motorbike racing: "Alwyn and I made a number of motorcycle films during the '70s, including The Title Trail and Racing Champions that were shown around local motorcycle clubs. "Charge of the Bike Brigade is the story of the leather-clad heroes, the girls who love them, the mothers who worried for them and the wives who lost them." Tomorrow night's programme features the 1974 season, when the Armoy Aramada was being established, and features the pioneering recording by the James brothers of the first-ever on-the-bike rider's view around a racing circuit. The film-makers were unique in their glimpse into the high-speed history in 1974 and 1975, according to Alwyn: "In those dark days politically, the television companies couldn't seriously cover the big race meetings because their camera crews were out covering hard news." Colin James relates that the brothers' passion for bikes was fuelled at an early age, when their father took them along to races: "Once I had the whiff of Castrol R racing oil, I, like so many others, was hooked for life - this was a sport that had everything - heroes, speed, colour, excitement, smell and noise - life could not get any better." Charge of the Bike Brigade, BBC1 NI, tomorrow at 10.35pm." NB: although I've seen this advertised in a couple of places for tomorrow, Tuesday, it is actually on at 10.45 pm on Wednesday. (It was on Tuesday last week.)

Shades of Deliverance, methinks

PS I read in the annual NewsPaper that a new-fangled moving-picture house will be coming to a big city near here in a year or two. I hope they show Easy Rider as I really want to learn about modern life in the New World.

Joe, why don't you do the sensible thing and fit a better filter in the airbox and remove or mod the lid? (Leaving aside the obvious dangers of bike being sucked upwards.) Then you still get the intake tube length as, er, 'designed', but better breathing and 'noise'.

and whatever you do, don't take the lid off the airbox – the beast'll be sucked up off the ground as soon as you open the throttle. For some reason, Guzzi attached a shaft thing to the right side of the back wheel to provide turning resistance and slow the rig down, a kind of safety feature I supppose. It's best removed in order to unleash the full power of the standard Guzzi front sucking tubes that, correctly, point forward and down, from under the petrol tank. Combined with the rearward (and gently upwards venting) push from the twin thrust tubes, or 'exhausts' as old Brits like to call them, an unfettered Guzzi takes on a new lease of life, a second wind, reminiscent of the draught that gusts over Lake Como. Don't even think of fitting a 'Cobra', unless the prevailing wind where you live is always cross-ways.

Ah ha! Were there a choice of two when you got yours? Obviously you chose the best and left the pup for me to buy, sight unseen.

Hmmm. What happens when you drive over man-hole covers?

Nature fights back, Stormy

JR – when I had the side cover off, a number of times, the oil always looked metallic. There was a metalic paste in bottom of the box. Maybe it's like this only during running-in, or maybe it's always like this? It's not flakes though, just fine 'filings'. On the other issue: Following the practice of others here, I have put a plastic pipe onto the breather and fed it up into the underseat area. If the problem actually is water being splashed into the breather, this extension will stop it.

Yes, still the same today.

I was wondering too.

Ah, so, it wasn't called *pOp!* at all. It was in the Aaaargh....??? thread.

What? Where? Post a proper link you lazy fellow.

Do you mean inside the rim? I think that you posted before that the nut on the stem (out of the rim) had disappeared. The only explanation (if your valve cap was still in place, as mine was) is that the nut split (or someone removed it and put the cap back on) and so the valve dropped inside. If this retaining nut is gone, it doesn't matter what is inside the rim. When mine disappeared, there was some evidence of corrosion left on the stem. If human error was to blame, then I think that the tyre would have deflated same day, not a long time after.

BTW, is your Scura No 498, as per your title? Was your's sold/described as a 2003 model, as per your title? I wonder where you got it? Mine is No 497 and was bought in England, October 2003. When I first enquired at the dealer, by phone, there were 2 Scuras. I suppose that the other one might possibly have been 496 or 498.

A BMW rally?

Not just the haggis: the haggis and JRT, or so it seems. I see you haven't voted for no.5, Martin. Very cunning. Very cunning indeed. Lull him into a false sense of security...and then...

Not if Anto gets it first You walked into that one, JR

Dealer X in Y has big socks. Fact.

no, not so much removing and pulling

Antonio seems to be committed to the trip. And what a trip it's likely to be. He could be committed before it's over.

Back in the old days, when this topic was raging, there were reports of some multiple spring failures. Maybe because there was still a mismatch in sizes of boss and spring coil (can't remember). Mine worked fine with old spring and filed-down boss and then since replacing with a new arm of correct size it has done many more miles than had been covered at the time when spring first broke.

:!: etc Did it come as a 'repair kit' with a new spring? Seems like it didn't, but if it did, what size is the new spring coil? I think you're doing the right thing, reducing the boss size, anyway.