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2021 LeMans benchmark


ScuRoo

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On 4/9/2021 at 6:35 AM, po18guy said:

Looks like this fellow's helmet painted red and hi-viz. 

Screen%20Shot%202021-04-08%20at%203.32.0

“...the most butt ugly fairing.” Pfffft! A Hollywood helmet comparison?

Really? Seen worse. (Eg.)

Guareschi’ Carc platform Varano effort is laudable and as close to the MGS-01 as the brothers can adaptively get. Of all people they with their racing history should know!

Colaninno’s description of the new 2021/22 engine as extraordinary in terms of performance & technology simply sets the bar higher for the new bike. What’s not valid or understandable in that concept?

Conceptual discourse in relation to Colaninno’s announcement makes sense but nitpicking over details yet to be revealed can be a bit like can’t see the wood for the trees. What the devil is the point? Open to enlightenment tho... 🥸

29B1344A-3B92-40A6-AD1D-2B94F34E2A06.jpeg

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Some confusion - my bad. This is the fairing "design" I am commenting on. As to aerodynamics, the Subaru XT6 proved the slippery does not necessarily mean beautiful.

Screen%20Shot%202021-04-19%20at%201.10.2

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7 hours ago, po18guy said:

Some confusion - my bad. This is the fairing "design" I am commenting on. As to aerodynamics, the Subaru XT6 proved the slippery does not necessarily mean beautiful.

Screen%20Shot%202021-04-19%20at%201.10.2

I used to LOVE the Subaru XT-6!!! The "CHEESE WEDGE!"  

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1 minute ago, footgoose said:

I'm a fan of the LeMans I fairing.

1978 MOTO GUZZI 850 LE MANS 1—Sold Motorcycles

This is what Im thinking they'll do.. Basically a combination of MK I or MK IV bodywork on a V7 850 platform and then hotrod the motor for more power. Better fueling and some other bits. Maybe the Ohlins treatment.  If you see the V7 Racer disappear you'll know what's up..

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3 hours ago, Rox Lemans said:

I used to LOVE the Subaru XT-6!!! The "CHEESE WEDGE!"  

Remember the wedge garage of the Triumph TR-7 and TR-8?

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On 4/19/2021 at 12:01 PM, po18guy said:

Remember the wedge garage of the Triumph TR-7 and TR-8?

The XT-6 I think was aimed from the TR-7. They look pretty similar. The XT-6 is just more extreme. 

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4 minutes ago, Rox Lemans said:

The XT-6 I think was aimed from the TR-7. They look pretty similar. The XT-6 is just more extreme. 

Sadly, I do not have any elderly uncles who have either car.

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I know twin brothers that bought a TR-7 together.  I don't they were ever so close thereafter. 

I can't blame the car for sure but it was the car.

 

 

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OK, first... the fact that this thread had drifted to include prospective inheritances of TR7s and an album cover by Wishbone Ash... that is expert level thread drift.

Next... I just got an email from GP Motorcycles (Guzzi Dealer in San Diego) promoting a new V7 Special with an 850 engine. I assume same engine at the V85. If Moto Guzzi doesn't make a LeMans, somebody surely will make a LeMans kit for that.

https://gpmotorcycles.com/bikes/inventory_Detail.php?id=3654

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Here I’ve selected recent pertinent quotes from translated links indicating current thinking/plans:

 

 

The birthday present? "It is a very secret model, it will have a new engine and many other innovations that Guzzisti expect".


“Yes, we are studying whether to go to lower displacements but not soon, also to meet young people. An entry level is not planned for the V85 TT enduro, rather we could think of variants of motorcycles with smaller displacements on crossovers. We work to create engine and chassis platforms on which to adapt different models. This next bike will be the basis for others. The new course of the second centenary will be seen in Mandello and Eicma "
 
"But no, California does not die, sooner or later it will come back", Zanolini reassures us
 
“An electric Guzzi? Nobody will escape from this - Zanolini tells us again - even if today we are still far away as a concept for the brand. We are certainly working on it with a dedicated division of the group and, when we consider it a mature technology, we will do it seriously ".
 
 
Communications Director of the Piaggio Group.
 
“The Guzzi World Days will conclude a long series of events celebrating our centenary. On that occasion we will kick off two very important projects. The first is that which concerns the refurbishment of the Mandello production site. There is no other factory in the world in such an iconic location and so tied to the territory. We will present the project for the new plant and a very important experiential area within it, which means that the Piaggio Group believes in the production of Moto Guzzi in Mandello and has no intention of taking it to India, China or Thailand as many do. our competitors. “, reveals Zanolini with legitimate satisfaction also for this last not just underlining.
 
What about the vehicle fleet? “We are working on the Moto Guzzi of the new centenary, the first of the second century of life. We will unveil it in Mandello, it will be a new bike, with a new concept, a new engine. Something that has never been seen in Guzzi until today. We want to start our second hundred years with product innovation, always remaining faithful to the heritage and values that have always inspired Moto Guzzi. " Mandello is confirmed as the true and irreplaceable heart, industrially but also from a philosophical point of view.
....
Let's go beyond Guzzi and talk about what the bike represents today. Perhaps the strongest symbol of a desire for freedom that we have never felt so strong as today. “People no longer take public transport as before, those who have to come to work in big cities want to move with greater autonomy. After the first lockdown where many people have returned to the bike or have arrived at the first bike to enjoy the holidays in a slightly different way. It was difficult to use trains and planes. What is the best way to travel? The motorbike. Over time, this desire to use the bike for the pleasure of having fun, for the pleasure of riding it, is reconsolidating. It was a feeling that was getting old.
The average age of the motorcyclist was rising alarmingly in the Western world. This wind is bringing fresh air that we love so much. Guzzi has always been synonymous with the journey in the mind of the momcyclist. The Guzzista has always been considered a great traveler. This moment shows us a positive light for motorcycles in general. "
 
Do you expect the numbers to grow too, which translate into more sales? “We expect positive numbers Although we do not have a huge range, perhaps we are in the best condition compared to the period. With the V7 we have an excellent entry level, an easy and non-demanding bike in terms of costs and performance and can also be ridden by a motorcycle novice. Or it can be an excellent return bike for those who have temporarily abandoned them. With V85 we go into the world of more structured travel. This compactness of the range, which for us is a starting point for rebuilding the range of the future. "
....
Is it still possible to attract millennials? "The authentic old-fashioned Guzzi driver is there and will always be there. In recent years Moto Guzzi has done a lot to rejuvenate its target. When I arrived at Piaggio in 2013, I told my 19-year-old nephew that I was starting this new experience and told him about the brands that were part of the galaxy. And when I named him Moto Guzzi he said to me: does it still exist? Then I started thinking, namely that if a 19-year-old knows what Moto Guzzi is but he doesn't know it still exists, then we have a problem, not even a particularly small one. The work that has been done in recent years, focusing heavily on the V7, which was perhaps the least Moto Guzzi, given that the classic Guzzi drivers were thinking of California, paid off. Many new drivers and many girls were very attracted to the V7. It represents a different language. We found ourselves speaking a language much closer to young people. Not having made radical innovations but having ridden the true Guzzi nature, that is of a simple, beautiful, not too expensive bike, with a style of his own for many years has been a winner. On top of that, the ease of customizing it, things that were only the preserve of Harleys, helped. We have created an official accessories catalog, something that previously only existed for American or British motorcycles. We have created quality merchandising. We invented the Moto Guzzi trophy, we brought the bike back to the track. Ten years ago the average Guzzista was over 50, now we can say that we have lowered this average by 10/12 years. "
 
How important is it to be part of such a diverse galaxy as the Piaggio Group? “The technical engineering advantages are evident. We can afford to invest on a large scale in technologies that are used by all. Cultural contamination is fundamental. We remove ourselves from the risk of being too self-referential, from the tendency to feed only on that world. We are very multifaceted, we go from the 14-year-old scooter to all the higher targets. We have assigned a function to all brands. Vespa is life-style, Aprilia is the adrenaline of racing, Moto Guzzi is travel, Piaggio is commuting, or mobility, above all metropolitan. Everyone draws from other worlds what it takes to complete their own. If Guzzi had not been part of such a group, guaranteeing its survival would not have been possible. Everything contributed to making Guzzi grow. Six years ago we invented the "motoplex", we already have 800 in the world. They are stores that bring all four of our brands together. We have given many points of sale the chance to survive that perhaps with the Guzzi brand alone they would not have had. "
 
Happy birthday, dear Moto Guzzi centenarian.
 

 

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