PDoz

Was your mate Ian D? In which case, it was a cx 650 - the same bike we did the blue light on ( AND he "raced" it at Broadford back in the 90's ) BTW, to those who dislike the new katana - I'm pretty sure it was designed by the same guy who did our griso! https://www.frascolidesign.com/about-me/

That's sort of what I did - bought an ntx stelvio, kept my v11 lemans, then after 3/4 months of not riding the v11 I sold it. I think I'd have kept the v11 if I could justify having a bike for perhaps 1 ride a year +/- looking REALY nice in the shed ...but I can walk after riding the ntx ( and I had lowered pegs on my v12) The v11 motor is more visceral than the 8v , but the 8v is more flexible . I think my v11 gearbox was nicer than the stelvio, but I spent a lot of time sorting the v11.

On my dirt bikes, I've been using generic mylar sheet ones like Doc suggested - over the last 20 years I've found the only issue was wires cracking at the throttle every year or so, and occasionally having them melt the grip glue ( changing from dedicated grip glue to urethane based glues helped with this) . Great when riding in snow with thin dirt bike gloves on.....but not as effective as stelvio grips- BUT I hate the stelvio grips with a vengeance. Way too thick, plus they need holes drilling in the bars to secure them. Trouble is, they work REALY well.... Oxford grips aren't quite as thick as stelvio grips but still a bit thicker than I prefer. They are more effective that the mykar grips but less effective than stelvio. As for heated gloves - I dunnu - I enjoy the flexibility of chosing a glove that suits the riding I'm doing but being able to flick a switch and walm my hands a bit from the grips eg I've had days where we left in scorching heat with ventilated dirt gloves but came back in a blizzard with the grip heaters on full. If it's so cold that grip heaters aren't enough I slip thermal sachets into the back of my gloves.

You americans definitely blur the lines between car / ute / truck! I look at my humble triton ute - a 98 model with a diesel that feels more like an elastic band than an engine. That Tundra is , er, overkill. Or impressive? I can't quite decide.

Guzzi Moto - I'm no chemist, but I thought the octane rating isn't the only indicator of the quality of fuel ? eg we had a dodgy " high octane" fuel sold here by one of the cheaper companies that achieved the higher octane by having more ethanol. My bikes didn't knock, but they got dreadful economy / performance on it ( at least my ktm 640 did- and you notice poor economy when it's 700 km between refills and you're getting topped up by a bmw !) . Then there was another big company with a very ( " max") high octane but it got a reputation for frying motorbike valves - I doubt we'll ever find out exactly what happened but the crustations took it off the market. I don't know about the US , but over here we take a huge leap of faith every time we fill up - hoping that the stuff coming out of the bowser is some sort of bang juice that isn't going to leave us stranded. I've had a jerry can filled with this yellow solvent that stopped 2 chainsaws, an outboard, and my kids mini bike..... I'm presuming that some of the solvents in the mix had precipitated out and got sucked up by that pump, but who knows? I guess what I'm wondering is - on average, do our fuels allow our bikes to run different to the us fuels , or am I just not fussy enough ? I guess I could try running one of the " better" maps, but I'd never inow how much was placebo ( it's a very long way to the nearest dyno)

Thanks, that helps a lot. Mine doesn't seem to hunt down low unless the throttle bodies get out of synch . Is it still tractible down low? Ie can you wander up a gravel hill in 2/3 gear , lugging the motor and wind it on without too much snap / wheelspin ? I love the way mine can lug along through the trails , then wake up in the twisties. Not quite as charismatic as the v11 , but a LOT more versatile. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Any chance of a bit of feedback re the MIVV pipe? In particular - has it changed the economy / performance / vibrations? I read all about the US guys remapping their stelvios and wonder if our OZ fuel suits the stelvio better ( or I'm not very fussy ?) Also, I suspect you'll be very happy with the stelvio compared with the v strom off road. Once the suspension is dialed in it seems remarkably capable - MUCH more cobfidence inspiring IMHO.

The back is easilly fixed - what you save by not shredding tyres can buy you new shocks. Back when I had a v50 , even simple koni ( ikon ) shocks removed the hinge in the bike. But those forks....good luck. I keep wandering out to my shed with a v7 on my ipad and holding it up to my ktm 640 ...that front end, a longer set of shocks...then I smack myself about the head and take my ntx for a ride.

imagine if they threw ohlins onto a limitted edition version, perhaps with better brakes and the rearsets....like the cafe version but with real suspension.. Oh, and in ntx format....if we ask often enough.... Perhaps Ewan can ask for a v7 ntx so he can ride circles around charlie on his triumph in south america???

The v50 was an amazing real world sports bike in it's time. I used to love hunting big 4 cylinder japs on mine. To be honest, if the v7 came out with halfway decent suspension , wheels, and brakes I'd buy one in a heartbeat. Especially if it came out in ntx format..... Who needs 100 + hp of tyre destroying power to enjoy a motorbike in a world of speed cameras and dashmount camera dobbing internet sites? But the current v7 ...no thanks.

If you're new to guzzi and unlikely to be able to ride it for long, I feel sorry for you. I can't imagine anything more frustrating than having something so sexy to look at but not use - especially if it doesn't even invoke passionate memories. But presumably you get something out of the relationship to justify sinking $25 K into it, so better you than a " collector" . Just don't ride it - you'll be filled with the agony of knowing how your riding life has been incomplete for so many years ( ok, slight exageration, but once you get the guzzi thing you're stuffed) Good luck, but do your research if you intend to ride it - they are relatively rare and had their fair share of idiosynchracies.

Craig, if you don't get a buyer it might be worth seeing if the internals can be made to fit your later model forks? The early marzochis had compression dampening asjustment in one leg, and rebound in the other ( our later midels forks only offer rebound adjustment) My suspension guy did wonders with my forks, but there are days I wish I could back the compression off a little ( when I want to ride slow)

Scud, take a look at what's possible. http://rooneycycle.com/cycles/ The guy who killed the k rents his shed out to another guy....who has a k75 rooney . I mix with strange people....

Scud, I have a mate who took a k rs up this track. Two up. Then again...he did eventually snap the frame riding along a sandy whooped out trail.... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk