Martin Barrett

Mines a '86 like the one on E-bay. Except that it's not clean and tidy, Probably only needs a new battery, collector box, and a dam good service. Mine has blue air scoops, makes it look better and me worry about its antecedance along with the paint spots inside the speedo glass. Ran it trouble free for 10 years. unfortunately over the last few very infrequently. When it came to the choice of spending a bit on sorting it out or a lot on the Guzzi there was only one choice. Thou not based on economic reasoning. They both share features that I like 1/2-3/4 fairings, showing off the air cooled engine, for the engine is the heart of the machine. Even my knackered old FJ could hustle enough, for real road riding. Able to make up for it on the punch out of corners for what it would lose going in. It made the transition from being the big bore sports blaster of a trim athletic young man to the fast wallowy arm chair of lardy bald middle age man. If you were unkind you'd say I grew into it. I'm now feeling guilty and if there's an money left from the extension we're having built I might throw some of it at the FJ

Good turn out. "The Mistress" is what my guzzi is known as

I almost did the same in the petrol station. normaly kick down the stand, whilst remove helmet, lift tank bag etc and fill. even though still astride the bike. Its the time you break from the routine, left the stand up, filled went to lower to the side , and it didn't stop. luckily hadn't gone to far over before realised someting was amiss and hadn't gone past the point of no return. The other favorite is to start up and try and ride off with the stand down. Stall - but that's a lot better than getting going and trying a left turn Only one of each - Hope I've learn't

Watched during my lunch break at work. Quite tense with the rain starting - but get the feeling could be turning into F1 with the do they pit to change bike/tyres and could have come down to tactics if some one pitted early enough.

The picture has been changed from the one originaly advertised with. It would seem after all he has a MGS01 but hadn't posted with his own pictures. It therefore led us all to cast doubts on his intentions.

I'm still awaiting a responce from my dealer to the queery raised in September. I'm still waiting to be told that the header gaskets are in - had my sourced ones fitted for over a week now. I don't think I would be bothered if it ment being without the bike for a substancial period of time, unless a courtesy bike was in the offer. Being as my dealer couldn't refit the balance pipe without crushing a gasket I might think twice about it if done in house as well.

American to English translation - wild goose chase. Sounds like a perfectly reasonable thing to do on a Guzzi a bit like asking the apprentice to go to the stores for a "long weight (sic (wait))" or a "long stand"

Now this is the ultimate Bond car - the Bug

Do I get a quzi point for diagonsing the cracked headers as the cause of the backfire. Sorry, bad taste. I hope you don't have to wait too long for a replacement. Mine took over 4 months. Can they be welded in the mean time. The gasket does look like its still in the head, 3-4 mm wide should prise out with a screw driver. Go for the outer metal part of the sandwich and the rest will follow as it falls apart. I don't know what causes them to fail, too rigidly mounted and vibration or too slack? When mine was replaced within 100miles started blowing at the balance pipe header gasket, still waiting for my dealer to get the replacement gasket. I got so fed up and ordered them myself. Took two and a half weeks and thats over Easter, they were out of stock and the first set arrived crushed so were reordered. Thumbs up for them. Just waiting for the phone call from my dealer to say got them in- could be a while. Cost me 2x£1.51 head gaskets and 2x£8.51 balance pipe gaskets. Worth it as I now love my Guzzi again. I can't say the same about my dealer unless he phones today saying was a world wide shortage and the parts are now in. Can't see that happening. Good luck.

My exhaust gaskets arrived on Friday. So I can venture further afield than just to work, time for my first venture forth There had been a bit of a disscusion on one particular landmark a pair of boundary stones. With some saying they weren't there and couldn't be found.One even spent 3 hours looking for them (obsesive ) Another saying they were on the OS map. I had planed to ride to the village and just track each road out till I found them. But with the debate I went to the on line OS map and on the largest scale you can find loads of Boundary Posts and Boundary Stones, But only one plural - Ha Ha! That dictated at least one check point to visit today . There is a cluster of three others that lend themselves to make a little circuit with the first. I had already researched one of these so did the last two last night. Had a fifth for on the way back if making good time. Fell between the roads radiating out of London and up a vale so no direct route. Found the first four in good time and with ease. So set of for the fifth. I hadn't route planned this one so a bit on the cuff, so a bit of a circular route taken but got there in the end. This was one I hadn't been able to pin point on the map. But found easily once in the right hamlet. Feeling quite content 5 Landmarks scoring 80 points. 255 miles covered in under six hours. Two tank fills, first returning my usual 33MPG 15.75l 135miles(80% motorway) the second 37mpg 14.19l 136miles (right mixed bag). I was getting worried the fuel light hadn't come on. Had it blown and was I moments away from running out. Should find out as back to commuting expect it to come on at 118-125. Making a montage of the photos and crossing of the clue list and whats this, my memorial is for George VI not George V. Bugger. Quick check. It's not a typo. I can find a link to the right memorial. I rode past it Twice. I even considered having a closer look at it, out of curiosity. I can divert back there on another jaunt to the south or south west, or even on the way to Ireland. But did hope to do some of the Welsh ones then. So not so smug now, and here's a picture of the wrong memorial

sold lots of kawa and aprilla bits plus a few odds and sods - knocking of the parts warehouse?

Up untill a year ago I could have recommended this one Dr Harold Shipman

And what does he have against a 1984 Ford Escort I take its the same picture as the previous one and therefore suspected to be a scam. Arh the big downside to the internet, used by people. I hate them. People that is especialy at New Year. Being a Bobby out on footpatrol the 15minutes either side of midnight people ever so friendly. Rest of the year couldn't give a ..... . Thats probably being a bit unkind it's a time when they feel they can be, and social etiquette is relaxed. There are those friendly souls who bring out cups of tea when you're stuck on cordon. I don't think that they do it maliciously to fill you up with tea and then deny you the use of the loo 20 years of working with the worse people starts to colour your judgement, and thats just my peers.

Sorry was agreeing with your son. I think I generaly lack the wit and repartee to come up with original one liners on demand, most are very contex orientated and I'm useless at remembering jokes. But normally some one can have a light hearted jest at something I post. Anyway I hope they're ment in good spirit. The proffesional jest can backfire. I had one last month wherea woman who identified her self as the wife of one of our detective sergents. Rang up to conplain about the nuisance youths, though she hadn't been directly affected by the recent bout of criminality and she knew that two others of her neighbours had allready rung that evening. She sugested that the local officer would like to contact her husband who had some ideas on how to deal with them. I replied that these ideas were probably went out with PACE. PACE - Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 - introduced in Sept 85 changed the whole way The police gathered evidence and brought in various safeguards. I forget that i'm getting old and being a DS is nolonger a guarantee of having a least a comparable level of service, and that any one conected with that person would have at least heard of PACE. Well she complained to her husband that I was laughing at her and not taking her call seriously, who rang in to complain. The tape got pulled, but I was vindicated as a missunderstanding on her part. The best I've been on the recieving end of is when the Police Norton caught up with me in the garage block to the police hostel. After he told me I might out run one of a BMW but you won't out run one of these. PC- "lets see your insurance" Me- "here it is, do you want my licence as well" Pc- "No just your insurance , because if you continue to drive like that you'll kill someone" WOW - put me in my place. Looking contrite, eating humble pie and being job saved my "bacon" again. 1 of 3 times. I should have spent the latter 80's walking

Unless the screws have vibrated out to change the settings I would go with the exhaust leak. My headers developed little cracks. enough for small little pops developing into bigger ones.

I like the way business is conducted here in Jaap's house. I see you all as my friends. I wouldn't want to upset you. What you say matters to me. It's easy to jest robustly when face to face with people you know. not so easy with typed bullet points with or without smilies, with people you have never met face to face, but only have an insight from a few posted items. You make generalisations and possibly compare them/hold them against your own standards and you wouldn't insult yourself. We're here through a common interest in the V11, it appeals to us for various reasons. We can hold differences of opinion, but you won't bring anyone to the light of your truth by shouting and being rude. So until you can meet face to face and punch them on the nose you are faced with two options, polite reasoned argument, or a PM containing a virus Thats how I see it and if you don't like it you can just go and 5$&*^@£^ (seems to be an inbuilt politeness filter)

Whilst having a pop at the Canadian Navy. Remember that The British sold them four surplus Diesal Electric Subs. The deal was running 3 years behind schedule when last October on its maiden trip back to Canada one caught fire and a crewman died. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3722902.stm I had a brief spell in the RAF. I wouldn't have wanted to crew a warship or even worse a submarine. Military capablity a neccessary evil. Dependant on confident young people , rather simular to motorcycling. No body can match the US for military power. But there are very few who are trying to be a global super power these days. We British are in a quandary and can't quite accept our current global possition. We've gone from Imperial super power. Through USS Great Britian a permanant stationed aircraft carrier off the coast of Europe with a cold war role of protect the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap. to wannabe world Police (what have we learned in the last 80 years in Ireland). Every Strategic Defence Review cuts our forces and narrows our role and then we commit our troups to more and more out of area actions.

Hopefully by this age you would have let her have little freedoms and responsiblities which she has accepted acted appropriatly and been rewarded with yet more. Untill she is ready to walk unaided in the world. But can allways count on your support. A parent allways worries for their children. You hear something on the news and you allways worry that yours are possibly caught up in it. Even though you know its irrational. I would be reasured that she's going with a friend. Hopefully they are both fairly sensible and make sensible informed choices. She's unlikely to become a victim of serious crime, but petty crime could be rife. But could be totaly illiminated by simple precautions. My concern would be drugs. There likely to be readily available. The more she knows about them the better informed her decisions would be. She's of an age where she probably has encountered drugs before and her mind could allready be set. I would let them go. But tell her of your concerns.

1-Off 2-Position lamp - the little 5w in bottom off the lamp- used to be known as side lights. The parking bulb if in the second position when steering locked and key removed. UK road traffic Legislation - Obligatory Position Lights. 3-Head Lamp - activates either the diped or main filament in the main bulb depending to what(watt!) position the red push switch dipper is set to.

You've not been "Pig Baiting" have you? I thought I've been quite restrained. I did chime in earlier in the thread. Been on the radio this week covering the whole county esp the motorways and specalist units so can deploy them to assist the regular guys on the Town Talkgroups. Take over control of the major incidents- this week one chase and one firearms incident. Been plenty busy enough with accidents on the motorways. Just managed to close the M25 (london orbital) , just in time for Friday rush hour,in my area whilst waiting for brigade to cut a driver free. Luckily no fatal accidents during my shifts this week. I see these videos and all I can see is the potential for a serious accident. The Fatal CBR600RR accident I refered to above, seems he was doing about 110mph around a tight right hander in Lane 2 of 2. Came upon a slower car in lane 2 and lost control. He didn't hit the vehicle. Don't know if the car moved across or was allready in Lane 2. waiting for witnesses. It only takes one error in judgement. These very high speed through heavy density traffic in built up areas is just asking for trouble. Going so fast that you're never in one place long enougth to have an accident doesn't quite cut it. I'm getting old and with a family I realise I'm mortal.

The Fireblade - no They're driving on the right. The cars that is. The bike is all over the place. Road signs and markings aren't UK. Bike speedo appears to be Kph not that means anything The embedded 600 - Possibly IOM , If the Chaps stood behind the car are Police , They seem to be wearing white police helmets (piff style) Thats the only place (to my knowledge) that have white helmets. Other forces Helmets are black and Traffic officers wear white flat caps. The car also has a yellow rear number plate also indicative of UK Though the bike is possibly white - Thinking more Germans go to the IOM than any other nationality apparently

I liked the use of blur to give the effect of speed in the slow race photos It's a pisser when the light level drops and you can't adjust or haven't got shutter priority Thanks for posting the pics, Glad that you all had a great time. Looking forward to the rallys I'm going to this year.

I like kites. I've got a hexagonal box kite, flies like xxxx (not very well) Had it since I was about 20 (a gift) The kids have there own, get to fly them a couple of times a year in the New Forest (no not within the trees) when we vist my mother. Not for long as they get bored quickly, followed shortly by me. A bit like fishing without the risk of getting wet. And then theres stunt kites and power kites and.......

Not saying he was riding like either of the above, we had a fatality involving a Honda CBR600RR yesterday evening on the A414 nr St Albans. Don't know any more than that as wasn't on my Talk Group. The off duty Dr that stopped to help got rear ended. So at least one person wasn't looking far enough ahead or couldn't process the information quickly and accreately enough. On a lighter note the Duke advert is photoshopped. If you look carefully the bikes in colour and the background is black and white. Trained observer me

They're not very large, a Pair of large training shoes will fill one up. I tend not to expand them. Unless returning from a show with loads of goodies. I use them as a mounting platform for the tent and kitchen sink. My online album of the teknos fitted to my bike I also think the ventura system worth a look. :!: I would be very careful mounting a frameless tail pack or throw over paniers, without taking steps to ensure that they cant move or fall into the wheel. :!: