belfastguzzi

erm... No One Expected Baldini!

Baldini has been waiting for just the right moment I hope he hasn't misjudged timing is everything

Thanks Pete I just noticed all the wetness yesterday. It's useful to know that there hasn't been a particular problem area emerging. I'm on holiday by the sand and sea at the moment.

Right hand side of engine is all oily, from bottom of barrel down. I haven't been following 8V oil leak occurrences on any of the boards. Has this been much reported and if so, is there a particular reason identified?

I don't really think that you can just add the clip-ons, without changing the tank/bodywork.

Time? How long?

No one was expecting this thread

Yes, another V.11 and Griso owner. I thought the 12008V Griso sufficiently different to the V.11 Scura to justify a finance deal. As I've said before in various posts, I pretty much agree with Baldini about the riding position and on-bike-feel of the two machines. For me, the V.11 with clip ons gives a more sympathetic and enjoyable fast riding position. For me, the suspension is still one of the big differences. On tight, bumpy, bad roads round here, the Ohlins suspension is clearly better than the Grisos. On well surfaced roads, the Griso is probably a better package. A few points to note about the Griso issues... I have fitted a very small screen. Though small, this gives a noticeable improvement when going faster. I've tried various suspension settings. Just recently wound the pre-load off more. It's all improved with less of everything. I still don't love the wide bars, but I'm getting more used to them. The fact is that it's a big bulky, heavy bike: so no point in changing them. I do think that the extra control/leverage/quick correction of the wide bars (and the long bike) saves the day in a few situations, for example when the front wheel slides out on loose gravel in corners. In situations like that, I've felt that with clip-ons I might have been down. Of course the motor is a belter and generally improved with an open pipe. When the stock exhaust is junked, the mid-range isn't so strangled and there isn't the sharp transition through to high revs. Plus it feels so much better after the loss of weight out the back. Jerky, low throttle riding is more of a pain. That was the first thing that I noticed when the open pipe was put on. Slow riding / in town riding was shot to pieces compared to the smoothness of the stock exhaust. It's also too eager to stall. Noise is another factor that has been discussed elsewhere. I certainly prefer the open pipe, but it's worth repeating what I've said before about the stock figure 8 exhaust. Accepting the fact that it is quiet and doesn't allow the raw bark, MG engineers have done a good job with it. The sound is well tuned and nicely balanced. An open pipe gives the grunty shout ok, but the original has a good broad(er) range of notes. Btw Baldini, you rode the bike when it had the OE exhaust on it. Yes there are imperfect things about the bike but I do love riding the 8V G1200. It remains ever engaging, satisfying, rewarding. If I was buying (a MG) and had to choose, for lots of reasons my choice would be a new 8V Griso rather than a V.11 While I don't have to choose – I'm keeping both.

I would especially like to get to Skye again

Monster busy June with non-stop day&night work, then son's wedding yesterday. Boys oh, I am tired. Time for a moto ride. wedding tie

I'd be up for Scotland and if it takes in an island or two, all the better.

Soren, thanks for the update and good luck with the decision making. I don't want to labour the point about the UK meet and won't mention it again, but as I see it, the reason for having regional or national meetings is simply to enable people to get together for a day or two, when for the rest of the year they may never see another Guzzi. A regional or national meet does not exclude anyone, in fact it is so much better when others are able to travel from other countries to participate. While it is great to have, say, a California meet or an Italian meet, only a few people will be able to travel to attend. There is always primary value in arranging the local meetings, such as the UK meet, to make it easy for people within a few hundred miles distance to get together. However, the regional meets can happen anyway and if people want to focus on a more European meeting as a 'Forum' meeting, that's great. It's a really good development. It's brilliant that Jaap has jumped in and given a date already. Exciting. I've only ever flown to Continental Europe before! I've put the September '10 date in my diary now. (I'm sure there will be something more local for folk too, maybe in May in again?)

Jaap you mentioned another good place that you have used before... in Netherlands?

There's something not right, talking about summer 2010 before summer 2009 has properly arrived, however time flies and more to the point, calendars do have to be planned. At the 2008 V11 UK meet there was some enthusiasm for having a Denmark-Soren meeting. Speculation is that it may be Switzerland now, as Soren is moving there, but it could still be Denmark? Let's allow this thread to float around so that proposals can be mentioned from time to time. An idea can be formed of: what, where, when next year. I've said in the 2009 thread: If a Continental trip is on the cards then I'd need to get a probable date, or possible dates, into the calendar soon. I doubt if I could set aside the required time anyway, but if it could be possible, it would be best for me in July or August. It's more logical to talk about a V11 Forum Rally now, rather than a V11 UK meet. If the main Forum meet is on the Continent, a UK meet could happen at a different time anyway, coordinated through the Forum, and I will probably organise another low-key Guzzi get together in Northern Ireland. Plenty of scope in the blue bits here!

It's pushing the boundaries of the UK a bit beyond breaking point, but seriously, if such a trip was to be on the cards then I'd need to get a probable date, or possible dates, into the calendar soon. As far as I'm concerned, I doubt if I could set aside the required time anyway. If it could be possible at all, it would be easier for me in July or August. Is it time to start a new thread for 2010?

I just mean that's the first thing, as in, that's what was first agreed. Anything else, i.e. a UK meet, can be secondary. Iceland can be third priority, as long as MacHaggis organises it and takes me for a preliminary investigation of suitable sites.

Yes indeed. That was the choice at the time. I was seriously considering a Triumph instead of the Griso.

That's what the above posts are about. Soren had said that he would arrange a meeting in Denmark, but he is moving to Switzerland, I think: so will it be in Switzerland? The other question is just about keeping the V11UK meet going. Depending upon interest and demand, there could be a date earmarked for the UK meet even though the main get-together will be somewhere Continental Europe direction. Again, the point is that not everyone who would normally go to the annual UK meet will be able to go to Denmark/Switzerland. Anyway, for planning purposes, Soren just needs to say what he wants to do and where. That's the first thing.

Yes and that can still happen ok. But it could be good to keep the UK meet going too? Not so many UK / Ireland people will be able to get the extra time / money for the bigger trip – and that was a problem mentioned by people at the recent rally. Of course the problem then is finding 2 different times in the calendar for the people who would want and are able to do both. Just a thought. The non-UK meet could be the main 'official' V11 meet for next year and there could be another V11 UK date arranged at a campsite, that won't require much organisation?

I told Baldi that he's elected to organise it. Guzzirider was at a campsite a week or so ago that looks like a possible base. If it's just a campsite, it won't necessarily need much or any organising although I'll be disappointed if there is not a full website to go along with it. What's more, it will probably be a proper V11 rally again cos all these new-fangled bikes will be broken by then (and the Tennis will have disappeared through the evolutionary process of natural selection)

No nothing 'special'. Because of the whole shoddy mess, I thought that I might as well claim for the substandard parts that I was just going to put up with: • the display of course, which fogs up with condensation so that the info along the bottom half of display can't be seen • the silvered plastic-work which is all covered in a rash of rough dimples – headlight bowl and dash display cover.

Thanks for posting that Paul. On a different matter, I ordered some other parts under warranty, two months ago. There is still absolutely no sign of them!

Some old tat Guzzis at Portaferry

Does it run on Horlicks?

That was bold. You'll have to go to bed an hour early tomorrow, to make up for it.