Knobblies anyone

[John in Leeds]

I now know how to makeover my Rosso Corsa

 

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211830

 

next winter eh!

[Guest ratchethack]

Hm. Now this is just me, but I've been riding a dozen moto's both offroad and on road for the better part of the last 40 years, including in deep snow on many many occasions, such as at the link above. I currently have a Guzzi Sport much like the one at the link (in road trim of course), and I also ride a big single trailie, which I use for occasional offroad shennanigans.

 

Now if I were to put offroad tires on my Guzzi Sport and attempt to ride it offroad, I'd expect the most fabulous of all disasters -- sort of wot one might reasonably expect from attempting to wrestle a 535 lb. motorcycle with way too short-travel suspension, horrible ground clearance, way too tall gearing, and a horrendously offroad-antagonistic 25-degree rake frame over typical offroad surface conditions. In snow I'd expect it to handle more or less as well as a boat anchor for a vessel of ~50 ton displacement, though for a vessel of 50 tons, it would also make mighty piss-poor ground tackle.

 

I'd also anticipate dead-lifting 535 lbs continuously in any soft and/or slippery, leave us not even think about steep terrain, and being passed like I was standing still (which condition I'd no doubt be in much of the time) in my attempt to get it back on pavement ASAP. I reckon wot'd be passing me would be any offroad motorcycles built -- er, well......for offroad riding.

 

Should I eventually succeed in wrestling my offroad-tired Guzzi an agonizing trip back to pavement, at that point, I'd deeply regret not having halfway decent road tires, because offroad tires on my Guzzi would SUCK the Royal Green Pomegranate on pavement.

 

BAA, TJM, & YMMV

[John in Leeds]

 

I'll stick to the Highland after all then......

[Guest ratchethack]

 

I'll stick to the Highland after all then......

I hope no offense was taken by my post, John.

 

The photo at the link you provided has been around for at least a year, possibly two, having appeared on this Forum, if memory serves.

 

I can well imagine this photo being misunderstood by those who have no experience riding in snow. To me, it looks without much question about it like a Guzzi already gone about as far as it's gonna go -- all done f'er the day. Might jumpers to conclusions get an entirely different idea? Yes, I b'lieve so, but that's just me.

 

Hey! Offroad tires can transform a big road-going Guzzi into a snowmobile f'er carefree romping at will over snow-covered hill and dale!

 

Sorry if I've rained on anyone's parade with a small dose of me own experience here.

 

Life is full of disappointments, some o' which are best avoided if at all possible, yes?

 

Now if anyone wants to put WINGS on their Guzzi, I reckon that'd make a fine photo too. It might even inspire others. Certainly every Guzzi owner's free to strap on wotever manner o' gear tickles their fancy. But IMHO best leave motorcycles to the task f'er which they were designed, or be prepared for disappointment.

 

I suspect y'er M ain't gonna V, but then, who am I to suggest otherwise?

 

Wot offends people is often a curiosity f'er Y'ers Truly, occasionally nothing sort of fascinating, eh?

[badmotogoozer]

Not set up for snow and gallavanting about the bushes. This bike is an ice racer. With a couple hundred sheet metal screws in the knobbies it'll rip around an ice track almost as if on pavement. It's only once half the screws have been tore out that things start getting exciting.

 

I could dig out the pics of a bunch of us who've headed up to play on the ice tracks once the races were done. The old Maico would spray a sweet rooster tail of ice chips sliding around the corners. Eight guys, six bikes, one barbecue, and far more beer than safety would dictate.

 

You see just about anything out there that you can get knobbies on. My RT450 is going up next time we go.

 

Sweet pic John - I've seen the other shot that's been around but not this one.

 

Rj

[John in Leeds]

I hope no offense was taken by my post, John.

 

The photo at the link you provided has been around for at least a year, possibly two, having appeared on this Forum, if memory serves.

 

I can well imagine this photo being misunderstood by those who have no experience riding in snow. To me, it looks without much question about it like a Guzzi already gone about as far as it's gonna go -- all done f'er the day. Might jumpers to conclusions get an entirely different idea? Yes, I b'lieve so, but that's just me.

 

Hey! Offroad tires can transform a big road-going Guzzi into a snowmobile f'er carefree romping at will over snow-covered hill and dale!

 

Sorry if I've rained on anyone's parade with a small dose of me own experience here.

 

Life is full of disappointments, some o' which are best avoided if at all possible, yes?

 

Now if anyone wants to put WINGS on their Guzzi, I reckon that'd make a fine photo too. It might even inspire others. Certainly every Guzzi owner's free to strap on wotever manner o' gear tickles their fancy. But IMHO best leave motorcycles to the task f'er which they were designed, or be prepared for disappointment.

 

I suspect y'er M ain't gonna V, but then, who am I to suggest otherwise?

 

Wot offends people is often a curiosity f'er Y'ers Truly, occasionally nothing sort of fascinating, eh?

 

Not at all Ratchet

 

Your observations were absolutely right

 

I just saw the offroad tyres and could not help but smile. If ever there was real ambition it was there. Could be someones dream but to me it looked like a quick way to hospital - I don't know if you've ever weighed your bike but I'm sure if it ever lands on anyone it will smart

 

My Highland has got some serious traction and with 77 ft/lbs at 4000 and 85bhp at 6000 (claimed) goes like smoke but even this at 370lbs wet is a little heavy for anything technical off the tar.

 

regards

 

John

[Guest ratchethack]

Good eye, Ryan. Mea culpa, it seems I'd jumped to conclusions myself and missed the screws in the tires! Puts a slightly different spin on it alright, but OMG how d'you s'pose a V11 would do on an ice track up against bikes of considerably less than half the weight?!

 

It takes a "special" kinda racer to ride amongst a tight field o' wot amounts to giant buzz-saws on ice. I can only imagine wot runs thru the mind when being overtaken in a tight group on the inside -- fully caged front wheels or not. I used to watch them when I was a kid in Michigan. Incredible lean angles far beyond the capability of any Guzzi, and feet-up carving with considerable rider weight on steel knee sliders.

 

IMHO best leave the ice f'er narrow-niche purpose-built bikes and keep the V11's on pavement. But that's just me.

 

Then again, in the dead o' Winter in the Great White North, stranger things than this have been known to happen, eh Ryan?

[Guest Nogbad]

 

Then again, in the dead o' Winter in the Great White North, stranger things than this have been known to happen, eh Ryan?

 

Just think though Ratchet, technology like this may come into its own when Global Cooling really takes off.

[Guest ratchethack]

Just think though Ratchet, technology like this may come into its own when Global Cooling really takes off.

An excellent point, Nog. Since the Anthro-Glo-Warmies would be dumping their ice-tire-screw stocks in anticipation of beachfront property in the mountains (that is, if they believed wot they were preaching ), the rest of us should be able to pick up ice-tire-screw stocks for a pittance today.

 

Er, check that. I'd almost forgotten. As history shows us, the Anthro-Glo-Warmies are the same people as the Anthro-Glo-Coolies...

 

Have you noticed that "Global Warming" is seldom used in the propaganda rags these days? "Climate Change" has now displaced GW as the preferred nom de jour.

 

D'you figure this hearalds the advent o' the next Ice Age Threat?

[Guest ratchethack]

Many pics of the bike being flogged are under the 'bilderarkiv' link.

I reckon flogging a poor defenseless Guzzi in snow, where if it ain't a fish out o' water, I don't have a clue wot it is (? ?), might be just the ticket if you happen to find y'erself above the Arctic Circle in the dead o' Winter with only a Guzzi and nothing else to do. But being that desperate for entertainment, might we perhaps more wisely consider driving screws with a hammer? O' course in the Land o' the Noonday Night and the Midnight Sun, there's not all that much clear pavement to be found, and the only outdoor exercise alternatives to dead-lifting a Guzzi out o' snowbanks might be herding reindeer, ice fishing, and wolfing down lutefisk like some kinda demented blubber seal (or is that just a Norwegian thing?).

 

This is just me, Zenben, but paved Oregon coast and mountain roads seem to me like they might be lots more fun on a Guzzi than the above (and below), but then I've never ridden up your way. I'd sure like to some day. I'd be on the best road tires I can find f'er that, though.

 

Ah, but we all have different ways of enjoying the very best o' wot our our Guzzi's are capable of, eh?

[John in Leeds]

One of the best road racers I ever had the good fortune to see started with ice racing in Finland. His name was Jarno Sarinen. He seemed to get track records where ever he went. Doing his own spanner work on a 350 Yam as a privateer. With narrow clipons set low in the fairing he was an astonishing proponent of the 2 wheel drift. Something I had not seen in road racing only in flat track and speedway. Even as a privateer he just walked away from the best. Sadly he was killed in an accident together with Renzo? Passolini whilst overtaking a back marker. It was many years before we were to see what is now (for the Gods) a commonplace technique.

[g.forrest]

One of the best road racers I ever had the good fortune to see started with ice racing in Finland. His name was Jarno Sarinen. He seemed to get track records where ever he went. Doing his own spanner work on a 350 Yam as a privateer. With narrow clipons set low in the fairing he was an astonishing proponent of the 2 wheel drift. Something I had not seen in road racing only in flat track and speedway. Even as a privateer he just walked away from the best. Sadly he was killed in an accident together with Renzo? Passolini whilst overtaking a back marker. It was many years before we were to see what is now (for the Gods) a commonplace technique.

 

 

 

 

and it was a sad day in our history..R.I.P

[badmotogoozer]

Don't knock it until you've tried it! I've had way more fun ripping around on ice than any road. Great traction, amazing lean angles, no worries about oncoming traffic or Winnebagos, crashing is nothing to be afraid of (try to keep them lowsides!). Your face will hurt from all the smiling!

 

Rj