Scottish endurance testing

[Lloyd67]

On Thursday this week myself and 10 other blokes are going on our annual 1500 mile round trip ride from York up to Mull, Ardnamurchan, Skye, Applecross etc on various bits of two wheeled madness. I am taking my v11 while others are going on a Honda firestorm, kawasaki zx9, gsxr 750, two Triumph 955s and a 595, 2 1150 gs bmws, a trick 1200 sportster and an Aprilia Pegaso. Every time we've been before we have at least one major league breakdown. Two of the Triumph owners have changed from an aprilia mille and sportster within the last couple of weeks because of doubts about their suitability/reliability.

 

Question is, going on a mix of unreasonable bigotry and prejudice, which of the other bikes will break down first?

[docc]

Assuming the Sporty is "well sorted," one the Beemers could give up a nefarious rear drive . . .

 

You're keeping a shift spring on a chain around your neck for proper V11 VooDoo?

[fotoguzzi]

the "trick" Sportster.?.. is the trick that it can keep up and not break down?

[docc]

the "trick" Sportster.?.. is the trick that it can keep up and not break down?

 

That would be two tricks, no?

[The Monkey]

Two tricks would be the gixxer stayin out of the ditch and the Aprillia not self immoliating! Have fun man

[Lloyd67]

Good comments, all pretty much spot on.

 

Here's what I do know...

 

One of the beemers has already had a new rear drive and a clutch and an alternator and I think it's maybe 4 years old. If that were a Guzzi we'd all be wailing and gnashing but beemer riders seem to brush it under the carpet as 'unlucky' as if they're the only one it's ever happened to. The year before last a Futura packed up at the most westerly point of the British mainland as if to some script and the gsxr has already been in a ditch. One of the Triumphs liked to flash it's lights and horn at will until I fixed it's crap wiring. The sportster has already done a few long rides quite well so I don't expect any comedy from there. The kwacker blew a brake seal last weekend and we've got an American that's never ridden on the left on one of the beemers so it's a script you couldn't really make up. Oh and one guy destroyed a Triumph sprint by hitting a road sign before we'd crossed county Durham which got him a free ride in the air ambulance. One guy honestly believes he's a world class road racer but he's always last and another rode last time in a full wookiee suit which caused much fear/laughter among the natives and the attentions of a lovesick highland cow. The honda has a 90 mile tank range.

 

I look forward to this all year. As Chuck Yeager said, "If you don't lose a few you're not trying hard enough."

 

Bring it on......

[grossohc]

Good on ya, just back from the scottish guzzi rally and it was simply brilliant, was up ullapool, gairloch, loch carron roads and they were EMPTY of traffic, weather was good and dry, best weekend of biking in a long time.

 

Enjoy

[Gino Rondelli]

I'll be at Applecross Monday and Tuesday on a Norton though. Skye Sunday, hopefully no issues. Last time i had my V11 up there it mysteriously lost power just before the Bealach but then cleared thankfully.

Yep Scottish rally was good but a tad cold on the Friday run up.

[Guzzirider]

I'm dead jealous because they are some of my favourite roads! Last time we went was last July when it was 85 degrees and dry, apart from the last two days when we had huge thunderstorms!

 

Have a great time and I hope the weather is kind to you.

 

BTW the Beemers will fail miserably- I hope they have good breakdown cover.

 

[wambiker]

Just done a similar trip, a dozen bikes everything from a vmax, my pan and v11 to ducati 749 and two wild hogs. We did Liverpool to Fort William, then 3 days belting around including lunch outside the applecross inn in sunshine, then back into murke over the pass. All the other bikes set off for home friday and I set of to scottish rally. Then v11 threw its hand in no charge to battery and coughed and spluttered to halt. Eventually arrived at rally in hire car, the recovery insurance reckoned it was cheaper to give me a hire car for 4 days then recover bike during the week(it arrived home safetly yesterday), than have the scottish company take me home??? Liverpool from Inverness is a bloody long way in a 1.2 corsa!! Mind you one of the wild hogs a 650 drag star ate its own front cylinder, compression down to 50 psi, we did warn him about coming out to play with the big boys. But at least he got home on his bike (even if it was at 50 mph-not that much slower than the bloody corsa).

Cheers Gary

[The Monkey]

Nice terrain! Great shot Guzzirider

[wambiker]

Found out it was the altenator, two of the windings had melted and collapsed. £300 from Guzzi, £110 from electrex, £95 rewound by west country windings, who turned it round in a couple of days, and due to better quality wire and winding reckon it will have a better output than original. When I fitted it and tested it the output voltage was about 10 volts ac, higher han it was, and stronger at the battery at abot 13.5 ish.

Cheers Gary