audiomick
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Posts posted by audiomick
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Going by the photos here, the fairing is original.
https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/Laverda/laverda_rgs1000 82.htm
https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/Laverda/laverda_rgs1000_84.html
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9 hours ago, docc said:
... Yet, fair warning: long answer . . .
Long, but very interesting.
I read "Zen and the art..." a couple of decades ago, and now I think I should perhaps have another look at it. What I remember most is his questioning of how someone can work in a concentrated manned on an engine with the radio going in the background. That stuck in my head, as I ask the same question myself.
The concept of a "Gumption Trap" is fascinating. I'd never heard of that, but having consulted the Wiki on the subject, I realise that I am very susceptible to those. Hmmm...
EDIT: thinking about it, I reckon the more one is a perfectionist, the more likely one is to be susceptible.
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Yes, but...
I remember reading a test of the RGS 1000 back in the day, and thinking "I want one of those". For someone who wants one of those, that one looks pretty good.
EDIT:
15 minutes ago, Lucky Phil said:I'm sure wondering about the length of that cam chain tensioner adjustment bolt. Doesn't look stock to me which leaves questions, maybe.
a closer look at the naked orange Laverda picture posted by P6X further up makes me think that the bolt was that long originally.
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12 minutes ago, docc said:
.. I bought the tool ... but have not been back in there...
That's never happened to me.
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1 hour ago, PJPR01 said:
These are easily available from MG Cycle and in stock
For the sake of completeness, also in Europe.
Wendel in Berlin
https://wendelmotorraeder.de/ansauggummi-sp1100iv11brgr_gu01114390-p-1034021.html?ref=expl
Stein-Dinse
https://www.stein-dinse.com/de/item-1-1020293.html
I'm pretty sure that in both cases they are not original parts, so apparently someone is making "after-market" replacements.
PS: in my opinion, the best lubricant for fitting rubber bits is silicone spray. Works wonders. A judicious application of a hot-air gun is also often a good thing.
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Have a good look at all the rubber bits under the tank whilst it is off. That is, of course, a good idea for any bike that is a bit older and has been standing for a couple of years.
On the V11, a particularly close look at the breather hose that goes from under the frame up near the steering head down to the back end of the motor is to be recommended.
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Thanks for the link, Joe.
There was something in there that said that they are "going back to the roots".
Jaguar was traditionally a brand that offered interesting vehicles just under the luxury market.
Quoteall embodying Lyons' mantra of "value for money".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_Cars
Maybe the brand is getting back on track.
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8 hours ago, LowRyter said:
Or ... they're making money off the sports/entertainment as "life style" brand...
I'd be very suprised if they weren't. Owning a successful soccer team, for instance, brings in quite a bit. The air races, too. Cost a lot to stage them, but earn a lot selling TV rignts etc. .
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28 minutes ago, p6x said:
According to KTM, not everyone needs these features, so they are optional and it is up to you to activate them or not.
Fair enough, and actually good marketing, and even fair, to let people try the features out and then decide if they want to keep them or not.
Fair because the customer gets a chance to try before buying, and good marketing because I reckon the majority of owners would have a hard time giving up on something they have had the use of, even if they never really noticed the full benefits of it.
A motorcycle is, after all and if we're really honest with ourselves, a bit of a status object, and everyone wants his or her motorcycle to be the best one of all.
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5 hours ago, LowRyter said:
I've never understood either KTM or Red Bull. I assume that both companies are somehow wrapped up into some Austrian deep money pockets. Neither company seems have the sales outreach to match their respective marketing budget and international presence, particularly Red Bull.
Maybe I don't know "what" Red Bull actually is?
I can't comment on KTM, because I haven't paid attention to them. I find their bikes very ugly, so I don't look in that direction.
As far as Red Bull goes, that is a success story. There is lots of money in the company. This bloke was co-founder:
QuoteIn April 2022, Mateschitz's net worth was estimated at US$27.4 billion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Mateschitz
A colleague had dealings with him, ended up working in his TV Station in Austria, I believe. He said Mateschitz is a nice enough bloke, and told the following anecdote: As Mateschitz was setting up the company, he got a good deal on a company car from a particular Opel dealer (used to be GM subsidiary in Europe). Because he was pleased with the deal and thought the handler was a good bloke, he continued buying all of the Red Bull company vehicles from that handler, even after Red Bull had grown beyond a multi-million dollar company.
Looking at these two articles, I'm also impressed that Mateschitz went into business with the bloke from Thailand, instead of just pinching his idea.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull_GmbH
In the first of those two links, you can find an explanation as to why the company spends so much money on sports events
QuoteRather than following a traditional marketing approach, Red Bull has generated awareness and created a "brand myth"[14][15] through proprietary extreme sport event series such as Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Red Bull Air Race, Red Bull Crashed Ice and standout stunts such as the Stratos space diving project.[16] In addition to sport series, its marketing includes multiple sports team ownerships; celebrity endorsements; and music, through its Red Bull Records label.[17]
And it works. Everyone here knows what Red Bull is. Particularly in Leipzig. Red Bull bought a minor league soccer team here, and pumped money into it until it got into and was consistently winning in the first league.
That annoys me a bit actually. The stadium that the team uses is about 4 km from me, and the most prominent feature in an otherwise rather nice view out my kitchen window is the Red Bull advertising on top of it.
PS: I can't stand Red Bull myself. Tastes like liquid jelly babies.
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38 minutes ago, docc said:
... if a hairy-chested V11 SpineFrame (that the rider keeps a voltmeter in his pocket and a spare shift spring in his boot) is the best of worlds . . .
Of course it is. Silly question.
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Well said @docc.
The 350 Guzzis were created to cover a market created by the Italian registration or insurance laws (I don't remember which, exactly). Same as 400 in Japan (motorcycle licence regulations) and 250 in Australia back in the day when I started riding (Learner Permit and Probationary licence).
These days, motors have got bigger, and at least some of those criteria don't apply anymore (in Victoria, Australia, it is now a power-to-weight regulation, as far as I know).
Even in Europe, where "small capacity" motorcycles is a relatively dynamic market, I think Moto Guzzi is well served catering to the market that buys a V7 850. There is a market for smaller capacity motorcyles, but it is already well served, including products from Korea and China.
Moto Guzzi is no longer an "Einzelkämpfer". DeepL.com says that means "Lone Fighter", which is pretty close. It is now part of a large concern with a number of brands, and does not need to try and cover the whole market. Better said, the mother concern would be making serious marketing mistakes in trying to cover the entire market spectrum with each and every brand in its porfolio.
So I'm expecting Piaggio to develope the lines that it has been working on for Moto Guzzi for the last, at least, 6 or 7 years, i.e. the V7 range and the V100 range, and probably not make any radical new steps that no-one saw coming.
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7 hours ago, p6x said:
should Guzzi consider a smaller V engine?
Interesting question. I'd reckon it shouldn't be too hard to scale down the developments in the newer V7 850 engine to a 500 or so, since the V7 850 engine derives from the old V50. Still, I'm not a motor engineer. Maybe it would be harder than I think.
A relevant question is, I think, what is available from other brands in the Piaggio group? Not in terms of whether there is an engine somewhere that could be re-badged as a Guzzi, but rather in terms of watering down the brand image. Piaggio seems to be doing "this brand for this, that brand for the other". Have they got a bike somewhere in the 450 range that is doing well, and do they want to tempt buyers away from that brand with a competing Guzzi?
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On 12/1/2024 at 2:18 PM, gstallons said:
70% of all lawyers on Earth live on the N American continent !
Way off topic, I know, but....
I heard some years ago that about 60% of the literature in the entire world about tax laws deals with German tax laws.
There have been some attempts to simplifiy the tax laws, but there is a profession called "Steuerberater" (tax advisor) which is very well organised, and doesn't want the laws to get simpler.
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Getting back to the video, why is a place with "Vintage Motorcycles" written in big letters on the wall selling new bikes? Just asking....
Apart from that, I've read any number of posts from owners of various V85 models. all of whom where and are very happy with their bikes. I reckon they must be good. If you like chook chasers, which I don't.
I'd like to see that motor in a "retro sport" chassis, including clip-ons and a bikini fairing.
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Good question, and quite possible.
Your comparison with the "rise" of Japanese vehicles is very appropriate, I reckon.
I see two factors that may well influence further developements, in my opinion.
One the one hand is China's authoritarian government, effectively a dictatorship. If that government decides that their motorcycle industry needs to dominate the world, the will just shovel in resources until the goal is achieved.
On the other hand is the slowing of economic growth that has been apparent in China for the last several years. The economy was able to grow very rapidly for a couple of decades, because the starting point was way behind the rest of the world. In the meantime, a lot of catching up has been done. It remains to be seen how much more growth potential is there, and how long the government can keep forcing things through without taking economic and finacial realities into consideration.
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1 hour ago, guzzler said:
Ps I watched a review of a V35 Imola the other day and Father and son both loved it. You might be onto something Mick!
Quite apart from the fact that I find the Imola very pretty, and the riding position is pretty much perfect for me:
I rode a Suzuki GSX 250 E, similar to this but silver and red, during my L and P plate times (for non-Australians: Learner and Probationary. At the time, a 250 was the largest capacity bike those licence categories was allowed to ride)
By Mark247nz at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Off2riorob using CommonsHelper., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6916719
A good little bike, but as an up-and-coming motorcycle legend, one always wishes for more. The Imola has quite similar power and weight figures to the GSX 250, but is just better. The motor has more character, the handling is tighter, and so on. It is, more or less, the bike I was wishing the GSX were.
After I got off my P plates, I bought a Z 900.
These days, as an established and experienced motorcycle legend who has been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and has nothing more to prove, the Imola is just really good fun.
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No mate, get a bigger garage.
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I hope you find something, but it might be easier to have the existing seat re-covered.
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2 hours ago, wavey_davey1 said:
... a 2005, which MIGHT be when it was registered in Japan,...
That'd be it, I reckon.
From what I have read here, I have the impression that US registration laws record the year of manufacture. I don't know how the UK handles that. Here in Germany, the date of first registration is recorded. That means, if the vehicle sat in the showroom for two years, it may have been manufactured in 2003, but will have 2005 in the papers.
Anyway, nice that it all seems to be falling into place.
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Yeah, I'd have one of those in a pinch.
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On 11/28/2024 at 3:50 PM, gstallons said:
IDK what the OEM number of ring terminals are to a V11 + and - battery terminals are ...
You mean how many wires need to be re-connected when the battery was out, don't you? I assume the original state is only one (fat) wire to each terminal, like most vehicles. The thing is, one never knows, on a bike one isn't familiar with, what may have been added to or altered in the wiring loom.
For instance, my Breva 750 has only one additional wire to +, the modification to get battery plus direct to the starter solenoid.
From memory, my V11 has 2 wires on minus and 3 on plus, but the wiring loom has obviously been modified, so that is nothing to go by. It looks like it was only the two fat ones originally.
My V35 Imola is the clear winner: 3 (or 4?) on minus, and 4 (or 5?) on plus. It also originally only had the two, I believe. However, it has acquired a mount for the navigation device, a different alternator and electronic ignition, all of which brought additional connectors to the battery with them. I really should build some sort of "connector busbar" so there are only the two wires on the battery.
PS: I've gotten into the habit of binding the connectors from each pole together when I disconnect them. Experience shows that is too easy to miss one out when reconnecting if I don't do that.
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Finally found the "proper" Fat Bottomed Girls photo.
I think it is an ad for the item, so the link might break at some point...
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38 minutes ago, guzzler said:
HUGE RESPECT for anybody who races ANYTHING at Bathurst.
Yes.
Mistral V-Boost Fuel Injection Upgrade - In stock
in Commercial Ads
Posted
OK, what does it do? How does it work? And is the bike still legal with the device fitted?