belfastguzzi

From memory, it's just a round ring and yours probably has a section broken off: not an R clip or anything else. I could be wrong. Also from memory, the pin can be tight and hard to get out. Blotchiness looks ok. The ring may be a problem though. On the pedal issue – some use a simple elastic band to pull the lever back up.

"No. I apologise for DeBen Guzzi!"

BTW, the Queen and them'ns aren't from Ulster. She's from.....

and it's also a different country to Ireland and to lalaland, which is usually called California

Of course ALL the Presidents ARE Irish. Bill Clinton came here to examine his roots. Carter. Bush probably claims it too But I was thinking more of Davy Crockett and the like. The Original Pioneers basically (and of course big-time in the Appalachians and Ozarks. However, I don't know what happened bout Cal i forn i ay. I'm sure it's not our fault. Let's just say it was the Dutch, and leave it at that) Oh, here's some blurb, picked at random:– "Northern Ireland has a unique relationship with the United States as being the cradle of the Scotch Irish, the pioneers and frontiersmen of early American life. The part played by these settlers. descendants of low land Scots who had settled in the north of Ireland two hundred years earlier (hence the name Scotch Irish. has tended to be overshadowed by the tremendous 19th century emigration from other parts of Ireland to the United States. Yet the earlier Scotch Irish movement, small though it was by comparison and different in character, made an impact that was without parallel in early American history. From the Scotch Irish (or Ulster Scots as they are called in the British Isles) have been drawn more than a quarter of all the Presidents of the United States including the only three first generation Americans to achieve this office as well as State Governors, generals, writers, administrators, churchmen and teachers. Several signatories of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were Scotch Irishmen from Ulster. In the early seventeenth century Ulster was settled by people from Britain In what is usually referred to as "the Plantation of Ulster." These people came mainly from the Scottish Lowlands By the end of the century there were over 100,000 Scots and 25,000 English in the Province. From these people emerged a new strain of Ulstermen the "Ulster Scots" or the "Scotch Irish" During the years 1717 to 1770 over 250,00 Ulstermen left home with their families to settle in America. There was a constant flow of people crossing the Atlantic from Ulster a flow which at frequent intervals became a torrent. These people did not emigrate solely of their own free will but rather for social and economic reasons. In the year 1718 five ships sailed from Ulster to America and one group of emigrants founded and settled the township of New Londonderry in New Hampshire. Their educational standards were very high for people of their station in the early 18th century. They were mostly small farmers and labourers who had been living in a comparatively remote province of the United Kingdom. Ulstermen moved to the New World in such numbers that they became the most important element in the colonial population of America after the English. By the time the United States became independent one American in five was of Scotch Irish, i.e., Ulster stock. Ideally suited for the new life by reason of their experience as pioneers in Ulster, their qualities of character and their Ulster Scottish background, they made a unique contribution to the land of their adoption. They became the frontiersmen of colonial America, clearing the forests to make their farms and, as one would expect, they had the defects as well as the qualities of pioneers. President Theodore Roosevelt described them us "a grim, stern people, strong and powerful for good and evil, swayed by gusts of stormy passion, the love of freedom rooted in their very hearts' core..." They suffered terrible injuries at the hands of the red men, and on their foes they waged terrible warfare in return. They were also upright, resolute, fearless, and loyal to their friends, devoted to their country. In spite of their many failings, they were of all men the best fitted to conquer the wilderness and hold it against all comers." They took with them into the wilderness their love of religion and learning, building churches and schools as they established each new settlement or fort. The primitive centres of further learning such as the Log College of Neshaminy in Pennsylvania which they early established achieved a notable reputation as "mothers" of new colleges, their graduates taking the lead in founding new institutions and providing the first presidents who gave them their character. Indeed it was in the field of education that the Scotch Irish made one of their most important contributions to American life. THE SCOTCH IRISH AND THE WHITE HOUSE Estimates of the number of Presidents of the United States of Scotch Irish origins vary, depending on the degree of relationship on which the claim is based. For the purposes of their search for ancestral homesteads the Ulster Scot Historical Foundation accepted only those of direct Scotch Irish descent. Even limited in this way the number amounts to eleven; a notable proportion when related to the very small group from which they sprang. They are Andrew Jackson, James Knox Polk, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses Simpson Grant, Chester Alan Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson. This list becomes all the more impressive when it is realized that three of the ten, Presidents Jackson, Buchanan and Arthur, were first generation Americans, i.e., Presidents whose fathers were born in Ulster. The United States Constitution lays it down that the President must be American born. In the long history of the United States these are the only three first generation Americans to achieve this high office. Andrew Jackson has left it on record that he only just made it since he was born soon after the ship in which his parents sailed from Ulster reached harbour in America. Three other Presidents, John Adams, James Monroe, and John Quincy Adams are reputed to have family links with Ulster. A further two presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower claimed to have "Scotch Irish" blood in their veins. THE SCOTCH IRISH AND THE REVOLUTION The Scotch Irish were the servants and soldiers of the Revolution. President McKinley wrote of them that "they were the first to proclaim for freedom in these United States." President Theodore Roosevelt described them as "the men who before any other declared for American independence."

Not as American as Irish-American (or Ulster-Scots American).

So sorry to read about your disaster. This is indeed very sad and we understand that you feel devastated about the damage to your bike. The most difficult part to repair will probably be the cracked engine casing. Is it the front part: the timing cover? This is a very bad design, it is so weak for such an important structural connection. Oil will quickly leak from that crack. It can be blocked to some extent but you'll not stop it completely. The same thing happened to me and others. You might be able to get the case welded but that is not straightforward, with oil contamination and heat warping. I tried to order a new part and was told by the dealer that they are not available and won't be available from Italy any more. That might not be true. If your forks and frame are ok... you could get the bike on the road again fairly soon, even if it doesn't look good and leaks oil. I rode mine with the leaking, cracked case. It's not good, but it's ok – until you can sort out a proper fix or a new part.

I was going to suggest The Diker Bikers or similar, but didn't. However I see you were thinking along the same lines. Dikes'R'Us

Double-Dutch

Thanks Dan M, GS and all for useful advice. I replaced the regulator at the time but it didn't make any difference. I've mostly kept the vehicle off the road since then, especially as I have a bike back on the road. But I'll need it in a couple of weeks, so I got a new alternator and fitted it this morning. That's done the trick. Charging light is now behaving as it should and there's just over 14V charging the battery above idle. That's one or two more things learned about the electrical system. Good stuff.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, this time. Although the camera never lies, as macguzzi points out, it may be a spelling mistake and the sign should read Laddies, not Ladies. However I have a niggling doubt that the Tennisitis concerned didn't actually realise that.

The 1100 Griso may have more of the feel that you are looking for than the 8V 1200, plus you will find one for a lot less money. The V.11 is more 'basic' than the newer bikes. To a large degree, that is a good thing. I wouldn't describe either the V.11 or the Griso as 'lazy' v-twins. They're fairly heavy, they're long and they're stable, so maybe that puts them towards the lazy end. They have manageable power and quite adequate power and if you wind them up – they go fast. If it's a different sort of lazy lope-along v-twin thing, have you considered the older California or the newer, expensive, California Vintage? They're probably happier to rumble along at lower revs. The new Bellagio seems good. There's also the Breva and the V.11 Tenni model . They should all be generally reliable and they are easy to work on. The newer ones are getting complicated with added electronics.

Technical Topics is the proper place for questions like this.

It's unlikely that it needs rebuilt. Was the clutch working before you started this? Is there still fluid in the reservoir ok? Is the lever adjusted properly and pumping the reservoir ok?

Any of the Guzzis will be good for those cool sweeping B roads. Go modern and get a Griso. It has benefited from investment and improvement and is better put-together overall. As a design it has its quirks, but you can see that – and decide if you like it. Mind you, it's not really a bike for the quieter days. It likes revs.

But it's Did you shave your beard off for Ken Bridge?

What's peculiar about that?

It would have to be grossly illegal if the pump advertised a grade, at a price, but actually delivered a different grade!????

That's a picture alright, Ratchet. So – what do you wear when you're on a motorbike?

The main reason to carry a spare spring is incase a repaired/replaced one breaks again. It's not instead of doing the check and fix. Thankfully the fix seems to have mostly worked, but some say that there have been further breaks once they've done the replacement. As a spare spring takes insignificant space and there aren't any peculiar tools needed, it only makes sense to stash a spring – and forget about it. And: it's easier to forget about it if you've checked - fixed - satisfied yourself that all is now well. But: there'll always be some sort of niggling worry if you don't check and don't know what's in the gearbox, especially if the bike was assembled in that 'difficult' period. On the other hand, if you don't check/fix (but carry a spring in 'be prepared' mode) it's not the end of the world and maybe that frisson, when the spring-danger pops into mind when hurtling down the road, adds just the sort of life-on-the-edge experience that's essential to the motorcyclist. So you get the desired risk, but there's a safety-net under the saddle and then the superlative satisfaction of a roadside fix well done. Maybe not so silly?

There definitely are old threads describing this dreadful business. Unfortunately I can't remember the various solutions, but they have included rawlbolts and home-made expanding what-nots. I know that I have a screwdriver with a tip that I bent to angle that would give a better approach and purchase on the inner edge of the bearing. Definitely do the two sides, not just one.

So, now, the true picture has been revealed. Isn't this what the Scura Hut said for so long? Case proven.

Proof! Of... EVERYTHING! Post that in the Tenni Forum at once. Nevermind. I'll do it myself.

So, you told him about the S&M element! I thought that was meant to be Bertie and Soren's little secret? Edit – oh, more posts: I see that some others have already thought the same.