guzziownr

Friday after work I took a quick spin up to visit Mr. William Hart. We chatted and he led me on a tour of the neighborhood on his Nero Corsa. I put about 100 miles on the clock in the round trip. Today I persuaded Mr. T. LaNasa to show me the quick way round the Bear Mt. area. Sr. LaNasa put about 50 miles on my bike while I viewed the Sport's red carapice from the drivers seat of Tom's immaculate '93 1000 S. I liked Tom's bike and he liked mine and then we had brunch at the Red Apple. After recovering my bike from Tom we rode a bit more and I began getting used to the handling. It changes direction so much more readily than the Tonti bikes that there is a bit of an adjustment to be made. I also had to consciously unweight the handlebars to tip smoothly into turns as I am more used to a sit-up riding position. With another 150 miles added I returned home and actually used sixth gear en route. (4000 rpm, 70ish mph) Once home I turned my attention to the tank suck problem. I had to burp the tank three times during the course of the day. In the garage I zip-tied vertical what I hope is the fuel tip over valve. I also tightened the sensor on the engine case just in front of the left jug as it was leaking some oil. It was pretty much finger tight from the factory. There was a lot of vibration from the clip ons making my Monster mirrors useless above 25 mph. I have a couple of vibration reducing home remedies but I need to remove the bar ends first. From the picture in the parts book (see below) I assume they are threaded. Any trick to this? Today's cool car sighting was a pack of three Mopars. 1970-ish Road Runners with hood scoops emblazened with "440" decals and racing stripes. Enjoy the ride, David in NYC

Ok, Dave sucks. I go with him to pick up his new bike and then he lets me ride his bike and now I want one. Dave sucks. Tom After test riding how many V11 varients? Over how many years? Yeah, you never wanted one until today -- we believe you. Dave

Since it has been over 24 hours I guess it is time to customize. Here is my homage to the 750 S3 -- 1000S style:

To me the group gets too big after the third guy/gal. We try to keep it stealthy and local law enforcement likes it that way too. There are a lot of Guzzis around NYC. On my way to pick up my bike I hooked up with Tom LaNasa on his green and black 1000S. While I was looking for a spot to park I heard a familiar rumble and some dude on a Rosso Mandello came by so quick I didn't have time to wave. There is another Rosso uptown by Columbia U. It has big Guzzi stickers on the carbon silencers and the owner can't be bothered to wash it. He parks on the street in a somewhat dodgy area. I want to go for a ride tomorrow but I blew off work to pick up my bike today. DW

I bought a black Jackal in 1999. V11 ownership was just a dream then... DW

My Red 2004 V11 Sport Naked flew into JFK airport by truck and I picked it up today. It was in a motorcycle specific container with doors at either end like a huge steel cracker box. I pushed it out, and poured in 2 gallons of gas. I connected the battery and it fired up very quickly. The ride home through rush hour could have been better but I love the bike and felt at home in a few miles of riding. This was one of my favorite forums from its inception -- I always wondered why I was attracted here. I guess it was meant to be. David in NYC

...it just so happened that my work came to a logical stopping point as the truck/trailer pulled in the drive. Funny how that is I would agree with the aggressive break in theory. In the olden days you had to break in the rings and the cylinder walls simultaneously. If things got too hot you glazed the walls and had poor sealing. With the nickel silicon coating of the Guzzi cylinders you are not going to be making much of an impression. After 25K I could still see the crosshatching in my Jackal cylinders. Higher revs are better for bearings and other things that are breaking in at the same time but you still have to be careful about heat. What really does the job is to back off the throttle on a nice down hill grade. The engine braking will put a smooth finish on those rings as the oil is sucked away from them into the crankcase. On and off the throttle, accelerating and slowing, going to redline for no reason, you will blend right in up at Bear Mt. DW

Hey Bill and others reading this thread. I am a New Yorker and long time Guzzi geek. my last project was transforming a Jackal (low end Guzzi cruiser) into a 750S/1000S clone. See www.guzzitech.com if you missed my previous posts. I just bought a red '04 V11 Sport from Moto Int. The shipping date from Seattle is 4/28 via Forward Air. I sold the Jackal project to a deserving fellow here in NYC and he is quite pleased with it. He sent me a picture of the bike posed by Bear Mt. GRRRRR! It looks great and I miss the sound of the La Franconis terribly. Serial collecting sounds like the way to go. I loved the bike I built but even cubic money was not going to make it as capable as my new sport will be. I could start pushing bikes to the rear of the garage as I acquire new ones but I like to do my own work if I can and two bikes is about right to keep me busy in addition to my 9-5 as a teacher and school principal. Buy the best cars and bikes you can afford ( I think Guzzi are the best for my purposes) If I could, I would drive Ferraris for the same selfish reasons I choose Guzzis. I like them and the way they sound. When I bought my first car I chose a well used and cosmetically challenged 1968 Porsche. The PO was scheduled to drop it off at my house on a Saturday and on that Friday night as I walked home I saw an immaculate low-milage Toyota econobox for a thousand dollars less. A much more sensible choice. (The Porsche was a money pit and somehow morphed into my first Guzzi.) I remember standing in front of the Toyota with the for sale sign and laughing. Tempted by mediocraty! Fortunately I don't do sensible. Bill, if you want to get together before I knock all the new off my V11 give me a buzz. I will be zipping around the area breaking in the motor anyway. David in NYC

Congratulations to Den Ben and Corey. I wish I lived near Moto Int. David in NYC

My local dealer charges $85 per hour for labor. The first service on my 2000 Jackal was $600 and I discovered later that the yellow paint on the throttle linkages was still intact after he "synched" them. I will most likely uncrate the bike myself at those rates so buying from Seattle is not so far fetched. Loyalty is not created by geography. DW

My local dealer is quoting $10,000 U.S. plus shipping and prep for the Black '04 sport Naked. Moto International is on the other side of the country but look at those prices! http://www.motointernational.com/MI10-04.htm I could learn to live with a silver or red bike I guess, they don't seem to have any black ones. Is there any difference between an '03 and an '04? Peeling paint, explosive clutches, fuel pump in tank, etc. David in NYC

I guess we should have that NYC rally after all. Camping might be an issue but there are plenty of restaurants. Bear Mountain sport-touring ride Tour of Team Obsolete headquarters in Brooklyn Reception at Piaggio Inc. IOM TT at Midnight (Island of Manhattan Tourist Trophy) Beach day at Fire Island. Broadway show nite (Spamalot? Guzzi parking in front of theatre?) I wonder... David in nyc

Let us know when you are going to visit John T. at Dyno solutions. Perhaps we will make a day of it. DW

This from the wildguzzi list: http://p209.ezboard.com/ftherollingcrowmot...opicID=51.topic DW