Kane

Hi guys, am back after a break while my V11 was spending time at Sean’s moto spa and rehab center. I was pretty much off-line a lot for the time, which was nice to take a break from the screen. Anyhoo, the badass V11 green goddess is back on the road with a new Mistral crossover, Ohlins shock, Racetech fork springs, and a bunch of little leaks and other stuff sorted out. Also now running a Roper windage plate and the Chuck & Scud shift spring and bracket, as well as Knight Design lower pegs. All of this compliments the Michelin Road 5’s I put on her recently. She’s running great, fun as hell, the suspension upgrades really brought her to life. I have a few more things to sort out like a dead speedo and a few more leaks to chase, and I have just received from Ghezzi-Brian a carbon rear hugger and pretty nice looking red pod filters, so am planing on cleaning up the rear wheel and air box areas. In the meantime I’ve been using the Hypermotard as my daily driver, and managed to get a 1,000 mile camping trip on her up and down the coast which was a blast. Also been borrowing an Energica electric for a bit which is a hoot. But since getting the V11 back on the road, and with the upgrades and improvements, I still love this bike the best. It’s good to be back on the Guzzi. I hope all has been going great for you all. Cheers!

Breakfast of champions! Put a little octane in my tank.

Alas, this may be yet another fish story of “the one that got away” . Appreciate your efforts! Cheers

Wow, that’s amazing they got back to you! Thank you very much for pursuing this. Man, 174 tins is a lot of sardines. I guess they don’t do much shipping like this. Who the hell is going to buy 174 tins of sardines?! Well, if these fish fly, I’ll happily go 4 sets of 3. I bet they taste great, and I’ll get around to eating them, probably keep a Guzzi tin for fun and give the other Guzzi tins away. If it doesn’t fly, no problemo, it’s been fun and interesting!

p6x, No problem! Appreciate your effort! It’s just such a cool tin. I’m curious to try the sardines after reading about the place. The next time I’m in that part of the world I would visit. Love those those things. They’re a super food! I always feel great after I eat sardines.

Please let us know what they say! I’m down for a few tins!What an interesting place. I bet those sardines are darn good.

You nailed it, docc! What a gorgeous bike. I wonder if those tins are available in the states? Olive Oil delivering sardines with a Guzzi! How friggin’ cool!

Well, I'm intruiged by all of the love that this bike gets on-line (I do know that there's a lot of KoolAid out there, and I try not to drink too much), and the 1100 DS engine in the one I rode was pretty good, and that version of the bike is relatively low tech, which I like. Completely different from anything I've ridden before. And I am not a hooligan! I'm an old man! The last time I popped a wheelie was on my Schwinn Stingray when I was kid. I rode the Hyper 1100 a second time, after knowing what to expect, and it was better, but still weird. Sort of like flying, rather than being in the bike. If I had a bike like that I would use it for commuting and riding around California, day trips to the mountains and the coast. Right now my V11 is off-line at a friend's shop and we are going through and sorting the bike, but it may be a few weeks still until she's back on the road, hence me looking around at bikes to ride. I have been riding Bobby D's old 850-T3 to work everyday, but with over 180k miles on the clock I don't want to push my luck. But then again, she always starts and runs pretty good for an old-timer: You can't keep a good Guzzi down!

Hi Billy, please post what you find out! I too am putting in new spings and am wondering the same thing. I'm not doing the valving at this point, just new springs, light oil, and an Ohlins shock off of a Scura. Those three changes should be a decent improvement. 190lb. solo rider here. Cheers

Wow, your engine so so clean, docc! Very nice.

Guzzimax, what big lovely family you have! So who’s your favorite? Cheers!

I had a chance today to ride a 2009 Ducati Hypermotard 1100. The engine was great, very torquey! The bike was pretty fun to ride and handled really well, but the seating position made me feel like I was perched over the front wheel, like I was a masthead on a ship! It wasn’t bad or uncomfortable, but it was just weird compared to what I am used to. Maybe this becomes fine over time, but it’s different. How do people like this? Is it good once you get used to it?

Very cool. What is it that draws French women to motorcycles and the freedom of the road with the spirit of adventure?

The lady has style and is lovely, then and now. I wish I knew some people like her. Sometimes I feel that I am trapped in a small petty society of wage slaves who worry too much about themselves and others, and their friggin’ relationships with others, known and unknown! She’s the type of heroic human with the spirit that I look up to. So grand! Man, I need to get the you-know-what out of here and hit the road!

The gearbox is great. I was told that Guzzi had a formula race car designer come up with the design…..anyone know about this? Apply the slightest pre-load pressure to the shifter and your shifts will be clean and easy. This is an analog real motorcycle, and 20 years old. Very charming machine. The vibes are great, nice low frequency stuff, not like the buzzy crap that makes your hands go numb on other bikes. The shaft torque is a comforting sensation to tell you she’s got it. The only real problems that I have had have been grounding issues with the headlight, but nothing that has kept the bike off the road. My trip meter stopped working soon after I got the bike, but I can remember OD numbers and my low fuel light works so that’s ok. So long as you keep up with basic maintenance, keep the oil clean, remain connected with her, like a good pony owner should, Guzzis will just keep going. Heck, my other Guzzi is a ‘78 that just turned 180,000 miles, and that bike has been my daily rider for the past few weeks while my V11 is off-line getting some upgrades. The ‘78 runs every day, back-and-forth 38 miles each way to work. No problemo. That bike is a testament to the build of the Moto Guzzi, and certainly to the care and upkeep it received from its previous (and original) owner, Bobby D. One other thing that you may notice, on hot days after hard rides, when you come to a stop at idle, these engines will give an occasional hiccup. Apparently this is how they shrug off the heat. Kind of like how a fast horse will give a shiver when resting after a ride. If you are riding in cooler weather this may never occur.

The V11 is a very real roadster! You’re gonna love it! There is mass and a bit of bulk, but she loves to be ridden like you mean it, and she will pay you back with a visceral, steady and comfortable ride. Push it and it handles pretty good for how heavy it is. Mine is an ‘01 red frame, and I find the bike to be very stable. Don’t lug her! Guzzis like to be revved. My V11 Sport starts to smile and lighten up once past 4K, and opens up and seems very happy around 5K. There are a lot of great bikes that are lighter with more power, but the V11 engine is great, and the bike will really grow on you. I love mine more and more as time goes on. Congrats!

I’m sure you may have already seen this, but here is a pretty good testimonial to the RE Himalayan:

Mademoiselle Dautheville is not the only rider to put the old loop frame Guzzi to hard mile riding. No ECU, disc brakes, fuel mapping, EFI, etc. They did ok. Is this a case of making due with what was on hand at the time, or are we missing something in the modern motorcycle era? I know Mr. Adam’s is using a digital camera, but his bike and going forth are pretty old school.

His opening riff and the tone and feel that follows it always knocks me out! When ever I feel like crap, that riff and what follows pulls me up.

Ooooh…..one of my favorite tenor players. Check out the recordings he made with amazing organist Shirley Scott. Then check out the recordings that Shirley Scott made with Stanley Turrentine!

The badge on the bike looks like “V7 Special” if I am reading it correctly. Would this be a European designation for what in the U.S. was an Ambassador, or would this be a pre-Ambassador variant of the V7? (I’m thinking of the V7 first V-twin model, before the Ambassador).

Btw, not to sounds like a total ignoramus, but what's the difference between a "raid" and a "ride"? Thanks, I answered my own question. For those who were also wondering: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rally_raid Very cool that she did that rally. And on an MG 750 no less! Here she is, all bad-ass and lovely. Very French.: https://thevintagent.com/2021/07/11/the-unstoppable-anne-france-dautheville/

Very cool! I had not heard of her before. Maybe a good opporunity to learn to read French!

I read Holbrook’s book, and it’s ok. I’ve been reading a few motorcycle journey books, and she’s a decent writer and tells some good stories. When I think of real-deal hard-core riders, Bessie comes to top of mind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Stringfield At Pro Italia in Southern California, I’d say 5-10% of the riders and customers that come through are women. Some are serious sport riders, one gal is on a Duc 1299, one races a Aprilia RS660. Most seem to be buying MG V7s and Royal Enfields. I met a young woman yesterday who went from riding a Sportster to a V7 and was really happy with it. I recall one older woman on a Breva 1100 touring bike (she was looking to upgrade to a Multistrada V4), but most of the woman I’ve run into are young and starting out. I hope they stick with it and we can build our community! On the roads I probably see women riding Harleys as much as anything. *Dang so many typos. That's what I get for typing before coffee on a rush out the door. Sorry!