Badclassicist

A tad optimistic, I agree, but there is the problem that one just doesn't see many of them about.

Ahh, a true Guzzi Guy. The true Guzzista braids them from his own chest hair.

Only if you live close by!! Boom boom.

Oddly enough, I've seen several on Ebay (UK) of late after hardly ever seeing them there before - and not much interest shown in them, presumably because the opening bids were set too high. There are also several on MCN right now.

Does anyone have a view on Bikers World in Coleshill, on the outskirts of Birmingham?

two hours isn't nearly enough. Seriously though, the V11 Sport is one of the most comfortable bikes I've ever ridden. It's just so nicely proportioned. (a fellow UK rider, if you ever want to compare notes.)

completely inappropriate in almost every way; hence, very funny

Well, that makes it official: Guzzis are butch bikes. As opposed to femme ones.

I've just seen Halfords Satin Silver described as a 'good' match on another board: http://www.therevcounter.com/uk-motorbike-forum/27788-moto-guzzi-v11-sport.html

Excellent to know! I've been using Hammerite smooth red, which isn't bad, but this is clearly better. And will be cheap. Gideon

Thank heavens that there's a support group!

As places to freeze and starve to death go, Glencoe has earned its place in history, alas - but if you're well wrapped in modern kit and have a ticket out of there, it is feckin' gorgeous. That the Romans never made it that far may suggest some basic common sense - or, then again, a pre-modern sense of aesthetics and a shortage of good ancient motorcycle dealers.

It will give him a good sense of why the Romans left.

This is exactly the answer I needed to find, and where else would I have found it than on the V11lemans forum... That third bolt (and lack of alternate holes to screw it into) was mocking me, and now I know it's stupid and I can ignore it, I feel much better. :-)

If you're around the Midlands at all, drop me a bell - I'm in Birmingham and do Greek/Roman stuff

Snow on the mountain-tops, just a bit soggy and cold everywhere else. Quite gusty, too. But as UK winters go, you're right, practically summer.

Green? It is Scotland, it is wet...

Just bought off Pandamonium, who was a perfect gent - a full tank of gas, a bottle of good oil and a stiff upper lip as his baby went away.

You're all evil. Keep it up. :-)

I should have added: in Rome, every other bike you see is a Triumph Bonneville. The modern Triumphs are *huge* here - the affordable ones at least. They have a big thing for Minis as well.

Mind if I steal this, for personal non-commercial use only (if I tried it at work I'd be fired)? Excellent line, and I can just hear your tone of voice as you deploy it.

Forum readers who'll be in Rome before the end of January 2012 may wish to check out the Quirinale - the presidential (former royal) palace, which is open in the evenings right now for an exhibition marking the 150th anniversary of Italy as a state. Some info, in Italian: http://www.quirinale.it/qrnw/statico/artecultura/mostre/2011_SantEgidio/SantEgidio_home.htm The reason I bring this up, other than it's an amazing place to visit and it's free, is that they have a bunch of former royal/presidential vehicles on display in the courtyard, including the most gorgeous 1952 Falcone Sport, used, I guess, for presidential motorcades. I only have my iThingy here and can't make it post the pics in a forum post - anyone with a proper computer willing to be emailed them and stick them up? Thanks.

Then again, David Fincher - always interesting to watch... I'm hoping this'll be another 'Let the Right One In / Let Me In', not another 'Nikita / The Assassin' (or whatever they ended up calling that piece of...). /-)

I skipped the Alps cuz I'm a wuss - well, mostly because I was in a hurry to get somewhere - and took the Autotrain from the Netherlands down to Alessandria in northern Italy; if you're ever down that way, the Autostrade (toll roads) in that neck of the woods are *fantastic*. The Italians are great highway engineers and they've had some very dramatic landscape to play around with there.

Bonus points for life-changing romance - that's got to be a good road. :-)