po18guy

Well, like adult diapers, it Depends. Here is an air-cooled Tatra hemi V8 with front exhaust (OK, it uses a manifold). Known in Europe since the 30s. And the car into which the ultimate DOHC/fuel injected version of it went in: The little-known Tatra MTX. And here is a 2.5 liter version with a rope start(!) I must note that this is an option for us Guzzi owners when the starter acts up.

I suspect that we in the west will hobble ourselves via subjection to ideology while the gross polluting nations will continue to run roughshod over us. History will record that we extincted ourselves for the most noble of motives.

It is a given that the noisier an activity, the more enjoyment is realized. No jokes, please.

At times, my keen sense of wit has a 3000 RPM hiccup. True life file: Had I known that a crankshaft roller bearing on my 305cc Yamaha was about to fuse itself at 110 clicks on the motorway, I'd have had an absolutely nervous ride. As it was, I experienced only a few brief moments of stark terror, left hand clamping clutch lever to bar whilst I weaved between faster traffic toward the roadside. To this day, I still cover the clutch lever as I ride.

And more ominous and worrying! With a volt meter, your entire ride can be tainted by worry over the electrics flaming out at any point. However, without a volt meter, you can ride in total bliss until...

Honda literally took a "straight ahead" engine package and simply turned it sideways. More easily seen if you take this as the left rear 3/4 view. Then, everything (except shaft and rad) are right where they'd be on, say, a VT700.

I note that MG dropped the right hand shaft like a hot potato. So now it's a guess as to engine rotation and how many changes of direction in the trans and final drive. 100 years and all, the big "P" musta spent a few bucks on her: fat farm, makeover and what have you.

Liquid cooling allows higher compression ratios, and dampens "ambient" engine noise - Euro 5, 6, 7 etc. We've already breached the fuel injection Hadrian's wall, so all the rest should not result in twisted undies. Not to mention emissions. For the goggles and scarf crowd, there will always be V-7s and all subsequent carbureted, air cooled models. As they become classic, we may even see Jay Leno doing a segment on one. Right after the Velocette.

Some Guzzi fans are going through the same angst that the H-D guys are over liquid cooling, V-Rods, shocking electrics and whatnot. Honestly, I think its all academic.

We have to define big block. Original architecture? Then the V11. High cams-short pushrods, then something earlier or later. All argumentation aside, is not the V100 the ultimate big block, albeit in shrink-wrap form?

It strikes me that throttle plate position/TPS setting are the one constant in the process. All other alterations to fuel flow relate to the position of the throttle plates and consequent airflow. Unless...

One could also fab up a lid out of 1/4" ABS sheet with inlets sized and placed wherever desired.

The point is to keep moving! The OEM system is actually a supplemental cylinder heads cooling vacuum. Actually, along the spine up to the steering head would be ideal - except for all those thingies in the way.

My idea, yet to be realized, is to open the snorkels about 2" in front of the box lid, then run 2.25" or 2.5" 45º bend silicone car turbo hoses down at a 45 from each, then forward as far they will go. Could top them with velocity stack screens. Dunno.

The full "decent tune-up" is an excellent place to start. The TPS and CO are important, but so is synching the throttle bodies. Can make a huge difference. Just before synching, give that white knob a full turn and watch how she runs. If you are replacing intake rubbers and cannot therm to separate from the head, try that and they should "pop" right off. The early XS650 Yamahas had totally separate CV Mikuni 38s. Synching them was an exercise in futility. I finally installed a balance tube from diaphragm to diaphragm and while that helped, the cure was linked carbs, which Yamaha came up with as part of their emissions work on the ancient air-cooled two valve engine.

As far back as I can remember, every Guzzi has been an owner involvement relationship. Not for the casual, the weekend warrior, or the urban poseur. In recent years, that has sadly been PeeAhGeeOh's aim.

Here's a vid with some close-up details and some fellow gushing over it. With slightly lower bars, it might be seen as a NewGen Cafe Sport/Coppa Italia with the standard model a Novo Ballabio perhaps.

I was going to say that, the more any future model (or aftermarket body kits) looks like the MGS-01, the better!

Someone here is going to have to take one for the team and buy one. On the upside, the exhaust now appears to replace the old spark plug/head guard.

Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) in Fawlty Towers listening to a portable cassette player. Wife Sybil: "Basil, turn off that racket" Basil: "That's Brahms... ...Brahms 5th racket!!!"

The vid is wrong. It should be this one:

Well, I had a 283 that I built and that much is true. Our ears catch that 270º interval even out of the eight cylinders. There's an engineering fellow who has posted YouTube vids showing why various engines sound differently. It can be the number of cylinders, the firing interval between cylinders, or both. The cross-plane Yamaha R1 is completely unique. By firing interval, it is kind of like two Guzzi engines linked together. But it also has a hint of that V8 sound. And here is Guzzi, Ducati etc. 270º twins. In my youth, I would have thought it sounds like a 289 Studebaker, 327 Rambler, or 352 Packard. Of course, all are cross-plane V8s, so sound alike.

Drifting here, but the pendulum swings. Just too slowly for my taste.

It has traces of the angry chicken 'tard look, which makes me want a naked bike. But, people are lining up to buy 'tards. Motards, that is. Give 'em time and money. They'll at least come up with a sporty look.

Government is human power over other humans. It takes on a life of its own. It is a cancer and grows until something or someone stops it. I have experienced both.