Baldini Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 Managed to get a day out on track, - Oulton Park: an old track with a weight of history, not least for me that I used to watch their as a kid - cars & bikes - Cobras, Mustangs & Escorts, & the Transatlantic Trophy - Cal Rayborn winning on a Harley...I never rode there before cos I figured there was too many long straights for the Guzzi.... Well I had a great day despite losing the starter motor on the way there & nearly turning back. Only a couple of other hardy souls had ridden to the track, everyone else in vans. But good lads who helped me bump start the bike all day. Anyhow I had a ball, & the long straights weren't so straight afer all, & these are some photos. No V11, just the old Tonti & even with the slow old motor (& skinny tyres!) it got around pretty well. It made me think - the springs are very tired & it's never had it's sag set, the brakes are hard work, but the Tonti frame is so good, none of it matters - even amongst all the Firblades & R1's, it just gets on with it - TONTI!!! PS: Anyone looking for sticky tyres for one of these - try Pirelli Sport Demons, easily best I've ever used - great feedback, great grip & progressive on limits.
Guzzirider Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 Great pics Keith- looks nice and hilly. Do you fancy going back in the spring? Cheers Guy
belfastguzzi Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 Managed to get a day out on track,..... Second photo very nice. Yeh, confirms that they should have put round fins on that new-old model V7 retro. It's not fair
Baldini Posted November 10, 2007 Author Posted November 10, 2007 ... nice and hilly...Do you fancy going back in the spring?... It's a lovely track, wide, flowing & lots of hills! It feels very good to ride, even the chicanes seem to fit OK into the flow of the lap...I'd like to go again, I tend to leave it last minute with an eye on the weather, I'm self-employed so can do that to some extent...but as always family & work dictate etc.... KB
belfastguzzi Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 Whats wrong with Scura/LM111? With the lll it's still the electrical(?) thing of running cold on one side. With the Scura it's the oil that leaks out of various places. Fix one place and another starts. The one that has put-paid to use-ability is the fork seals. When they went again, they soon got to the point where fluid was soaking over the rotors and pooling in the wheel rim when the bike was stopped. The brakes work when they're oily
big J Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 Sounds like a great day Keith.Oulton always struck me as the last of the old style tracks,not messed with too much. The Tonti looks grand!
dlaing Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 No V11, just the old Tonti & even with the slow old motor (& skinny tyres!) it got around pretty well. It made me think - the springs are very tired & it's never had it's sag set, the brakes are hard work, but the Tonti frame is so good, none of it matters - even amongst all the Firblades & R1's, it just gets on with it - TONTI!!! I love the roundfins...but mine's 30 yrs old now & a day chasing modern stuff is hard work for motor... It must be tough on the motor getting so far ahead of them in the turns that you can keep up through the laps. But don't count out improvements you can make to handling. Maybe you need to go on a diet, get skinnier tires, and learn to lean like Rossi Hailwood???? Increase the power to weight ratio, maybe a kevlar race suit, or less junk food. Skinny tires will reduce rolling drag and weight. Maybe a 3.00 on front and 3.25 rear, after all, you don't have too much power, right? But more than anything, just setting up the sag would probably do wonders. In the photos, your forks look pretty well compressed. And maybe some nitrous so you can get ahead at the starting line, or at least be happy at the pitstops (fewer calories than ale )
Baldini Posted November 11, 2007 Author Posted November 11, 2007 ...Oulton always struck me as the last of the old style tracks,not messed with too much... It's a lovely track. Hard to put into words but it is just right, it all runs together without any bits that don't work. Bloke running the day reckons it's the best track in Britain. I haven't ridden on one I liked better. It must be tough... Dave, mostly what you're seeing there is body armour.... Yeh, springs both ends are shagged I think, & suspension has never been set up, but limiting factor in keeping up wasn't handling, it was massive power defecit (more than a little wt loss could affect) & brake set up. KB
Martin Barrett Posted November 13, 2007 Posted November 13, 2007 Keith, Bike looks as good as ever. Good chance to make the most of the mild spell we're having. On the increasing performance issue You could lose a couple of inches out of your legs you don't really need to be that tall, and I'm going to remove all the pictures of me before Dave has a go.
belfastguzzi Posted November 13, 2007 Posted November 13, 2007 pictures of me Totally un-necessary headwear and helmet adapted to fit, only provide detrimental top-heaviness. Yes, it may be a fashion statement that marks you out as an individual in a mass of black-suited biker-boys, but, you pay the price in performance.
Martin Barrett Posted November 14, 2007 Posted November 14, 2007 Totally ........... I could use my moderator powers to remove this post but as it's a frontal on picture it can stay and I'd say [cough] body armour [cough] Edit - Bike looks clean and shiney
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