Skeeve

CARB (California Air Resources Board) is chock full of retards, Pete! How'd you know? I can see why having to redesign the Griso to meet CA's ever-increasingly-convoluted smog requirements is holding things up. From the looks of it, there's not space to store a book of matches on the Griso; where are they going to hide 5# of useless smog cr@p? I suppose I shouldn't complain tho'; our worst smog days now are WAY better than our "so-so" smog days were when I was a kid... Ride on,

Bob, let me clue you in on a great big secret: the only thing 'murricans can do better than most any other country is plumbing! That, & big flashy space programs. [At least, from what I've seen...] If the shower pan is gone, ol' Pete needs to have a new pan put in, have it hot-mopped, and float the rest of the shower. It'll take 2 guys about 3, 4 days tops: 1 day to pull out the old, 1 day to put in the new pan & the third to float the new tile. [That's *if* the tile they want to use is available at the local supply.] I've watched my brother do it, back when he worked for a full-service shop [he's just a tile man; he left the tearout, pan fab & tar work to other parts of the crew.] Too much like work, for me!

A librarian who can't read? ['Cause obviously, anyone who's literate would've figured out Marx & Lenin were having it on over the proles after a 100 years of the truth being printed over & over & over... ] Box your brother's ears but good for me for not taking care of your ma! Tell him if he doesn't show signs of improvement from his bad case of water on the brain, we'll be forced to amputate. Can't hurt none, since he's obviously not been getting any use out of the thing!

Shucks, Pete: I was only teasing! As far as I'm concerned, anyone who only patronizes v11lemans & never pokes their nose in over at Wildguzzi forum isn't worthy of your purple prose of practicality! So please ignore the jibe about bogarting the entries to your online manual. Sorry to hear about your mom's troubles dragging you 1/2 way round the world. Have you considered emigrating? [Not you; her. To Oz. So keeping an eye on her would be a tad easier. For you. I mean, surely the trip from wherever you're at to Perth is easier than going to the UK, & she'd still be nicely distant from you to keep her from bugging you on a daily basis... ]

OMG! You mean the release dates MGNA has been bruiting about all along are actually right? Astounding!

Awesome! Hopefully Pete Roper didn't add another in his series of engine teardown walkthrus* in that interval. Ride on! *[Which he has bogarted from this board for reasons unknown! ]

Seems like the Wildguzzi forums go down once a year or so, from what the track record has been lately. Seems to be the bbs software being used is susceptible to maliscious assault from wannabe "hackerz." Regrettably, this seems to be the sign of the future for our civilization; since they took corporal punishment out of the school system and "mummy & diddy" no longer love their kids enough to beat them when they do wrong, the little darlings grow up to be felons-in-waiting with no concept of consequences for their actions. Sic transit gloria mundi. Hopefully Wildguzzi will recover soon, and not lose too much of the back catalog of forum posts. :-p Ride on!

So, Pete: Will the longer rods/shorter pistons be a drop-in fit for someone who's already got his V11 motor torn down that far, or are the parts changes to the new motor too subtle for that sort of brute-force approach to an upgrade? I'm also wondering if the mapping for the new bikes is different, ie: w/ dual plugs, the spark advance should have been backed way off. Or did Guzzi fumble that part of the equation again, & that's why the new Quotards are making less power than the V11 series?

Uh, my comment about the exhaust can is that the Griso needs a different one, not that it's going to lead to better perf. because of it's gargantuan [appearing!] volume... After all, it still looks like Or was your first sentence a typo? I was under the impression that the stock cam for the V11 was about the same in/ex overlap & durations as the old B10 perf. cam? Clarification on that rumour, Pete? Also, how's one supposed to lighten the valve train? I was under the distinct impression that the Guzzi pushrods were already too light (aluminium, subject to mushrooming & battering) & the perf. mod was to go to cro-mo pushrods [slightly heavier, but much stiffer & not subject to shrinkage over time...]? I think the real perf. question I've got is: Who makes titanium pushrods & roller cam, lifters & rockers for the V11? And if nobody, why the h#ll not!; they're way overdue... I guess I'd like to be able to point to certain off-the-shelf small-block Chevy perf. parts & be able to say "These fit the Guzzi motor; let's use them: they're plentiful & cheap and worlds better than the stock parts." I know I'm livin' in a dream world, but when you get right down to it, the general pieces parts are somewhat comparable, & Guzzi could probably save themselves a chunk of production costs by sourcing from the many times larger than themselves Chevy aftermarket... Just call me "Mr. Off the Wall..." ;-)

Since MO's story content is well, mostly junk, & they don't pay their writers with anything more than a byline [yes, I know a guy who used to write for them...] I'm pretty steadfast in my refusal to buy into their overpriced "subscription rate." I mean, think about it: they have *no* overhead, since their hosting & programming costs are paid for by Bartlett's commercial website [written off by Bartlett's H-D as a biz expense, naturally] and they don't pay their writers, so any subscription monies they receive are pure gravy, along with their ad space in the stories. Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me, but the bottom line for me is that they should at least be paying me to read their ads by giving me the stories for free, y'know? I'm funny that way; I won't pay for a t-shirt w/ somebody else's name on it [A&F, Am. Eagle, H-D, Hollister, whatever the idiot kids are sporting these days], but I'll do it if they give me the shirt for free [ie, pay me to advertise for them by underwriting my annual clothing expenses.] It all comes down to economics. So anyway, you can redact the Griso feature & post it here w/ a reasonable amount of quoted content w/o violating fair use, & fan the interest in this new bike. Or not!

About the only immediate market I see for the Griso is an aftermarket can; let's face it, after 40 years of development, Guzzi has extracted about all they can from the big block as a reliable, mass production donk. Yes, individuals can extract more power out of it by doing stuff that doesn't make financial sense at the factory level [ported heads, etc.] I'm more interested in finding out if the Griso's 2->1 headers can be adapted to the V11 Sport derivatives, with smaller dual exhausts or a single rt. side can [to visually balance the headers on the left.] What did you have in mind? Frankly, I don't see much that can be done w/ the 2 valve heads now that Guzzi's gone the dual-plugged route. Coming out w/ 3-valve head might have had some potential, but I think that would need to come from the factory to be rea$onable... Ride on!

It's very sad to think of the fact that the last tie to the glory days of Guzzi's past is severed. All of us who ride the big blocks and love the marque have much to remember him fondly for; without his brainchild, Guzzi would likely no longer exist, since the big block is still the heart & soul of the company. His brain child turns 40 this year; let's go celebrate! I had hoped that he would make it to the 85th anniversary celebration next year, but perhaps it's best: Todero would not have enjoyed running the racing program in heaven w/o him!

O.K. that's a valid compaint in any right-hand drive country like the U.K., Commonwealth countries, Japan, etc., but frankly, the compromised ground clearance from that huge can will only come into play on really sharp left turns elsewhere in the world, & remains worlds better than that of other "cruiser" offerings [i use quotes because the Griso is a cruiser in the same vein as the Ducati Monster is a "cruiser..."] Ride on!

I haven't gotten a lot of road time in on my LeMans Nero, but from what I can determine, the rider is really supposed to sit the bike like a horse, w/ tension in the legs to take the weight off the butt & good posture to take pressure off your wrists. Hug the tank with your knees. Like I said, I haven't had much chance to implement this since noticing it [bikes in storage at the moment... ], but the few times I actually tried it, it was like the Bike sat up & took notice, & it really wasn't all that tiring to keep up. Dunno; I'll probably lower the pegs via the Buell route (just 'cause I'm longer of leg than most), but the jury is still out on the bars: I'd think that a long day in the saddle with some wind in your face & chest, and they would turn out to be pretty good... Soon, soon...

I thought Sardinia was a closed track?* Can you make it street legal again, or do you just not want to? [Curious; tell us more about the biking on Sardinia!] Heck, I've heard from those who've been there that the riding is great! Better be careful with that invitation; a whole horde of Guzzisti could show up on your doorstep at once! Ride on! * It's a joke, O.K? It's an island, after all; all roads must eventually loop back to the start!

Lookup "Quota." A GS-Breva makes a lot of sense, since the Breva & Griso are derivatives of the Quota, in the same vein that the Ballabio, Coppa, Le Mans, et al are derivatives of the Spot/Sporti 1100 & Daytona...

Hey, you found my Tenni! I always wondered who it was that bought the bike out from under me, but the story fits: No suede saddle "dealer claims never rec'd." [when I asked last year, So. Coast Triumph/Victory/Mg said the bike was "lost in the warehouse, & they don't know if they ever rec'd. the spare; it looks awful anyway..."], and the bike bought 1 year ago Sept., etc. The stinkin' bid is already up to $7600; that's only $400 less than So. Coast Guzzi was asking for it! ARRRGH! 1 year down the road & I'm still kicking myself for sitting on my hands & losing out on the deal! This character is going to get out of this clean, putting 2500 miles on it & bailing out with all his money back. Wish I had the funds to buy it; I still lurv the Tenni colors, almost as much as the Coppa Mans! Que sera sera...

Uh, I was comparing the small-block vs. a single cyl. in the role of multipurpose bike. I think you didn't quite catch the train of thought in my last post... Nonsense! I'll certainly allow that Guzzi might not want to absorb the expense of using esoteric materials frequently found in the J4 loss-leader race replicas, but not have access to the metallurgy? Nope; the metallurgy is out there for those who want to use it. Development of new technology isn't the forte of other motorcycle manufacturers either, altho' they might be quicker to implement new tech that's just coming on line... Well, Guzzi has done some adv. tourers before (using the small-block), besides the Quotas. The fact that only 1/2 a dozen or so made it Stateside doen't detract from the fact that they were part of the small-block sales success in Europe, and were part of keeping the company afloat when the sales of their big twins tanked mid-90s. The point I was trying to make was that Guzzi needs to be seen to be making something new, not just adapting existing designs in an attempt to trade on it's nameplate in another segment of the market. Guzzi has a lot of tradition, & its singles were successful in racing long after the handwriting was on the wall that their day was finished. By bringing a new single to market now, to expand their market base & get new Guzzisti enrolled in the list of potential future buyers, they have some hope of survival. Yep, that was my point. Yes, yes, & maybe. Frankly, I love the look of the MGS01, and its HiCam motor, but if Guzzi cannot provide it at a price that's competitive, it's not gonna matter. I'd rather see them make an homage to the Bicilindrica that uses the heads & as many internals as possible from Aprilia's SXV that's at least cost-comparable to the competition than to waste their energy trying to make the MGS01 performance competitive at a "nameplate surcharge" high price vs. their competitors... and have it fail! Agreed. That's why Guzzi making something that fits into a production racing category that's supplied by multiple manufacturers (like 500cc singles) would at least make it possible for them to get their marque some favorable racing mention on a budget. Plus, they need the sales in a more "entry level" category! Let's face it, even the Breva 750 is much more bike than many (if not most!) people can or should start with. Frankly, I *have* read some good press about the new Guzzi driveline, the press are sitting up & taking notice, & it's nice to see! As far as making an updated version of the Carcano V8, I hold serious reservations: too many parts, too limited market, too difficult to bring off w/ Guzzi's present limited resources. Honda Motor Co. was built on the 50cc Cub; Ford was built on the Model T: Guzzi needs to aim for the footlights, not the catwalks, if they want to regain their stature as a world-leader in the motorcycle marketplace. I'm just sayin'... Ride on!

Wow! Talk about "beetle butt!" Now someone's even adopted the "false eyes" protective coloration scheme so popular in bugdom! Actually, this could work pretty well to integrate the turn signals, if they used clear lenses and a mix of red LEDs (both sides light simultaneously) for brakes and yellow LEDs (sides light individually) for turn indicators. Hmmm...

Well, if the pump assembly just blurts out the excess fuel when the line pressure is sufficient back into the same side of the tank it's on, then that takes care of the return line, as well as part of the fuel getting trapped on one side of the tank [since the fuel pump will no longer be actively transporting fuel from the left reservoir to the right side, no matter that you just sloshed fuel over into that side in order to make headway... ] As far as resolving the fuel isolation problem in its entirety*, what's the chance of making a siphon out of a small piece of copper tube, sliding it down thru the filler neck and using some sort of epoxy to hold it in place straddling the "hump?" Yes, obviously you'd have to fill it with gas first, and have some way of removing any stoppers once in situ for it to work. And yes, it'll only keep working as long as you don't run completely out of gas or not get so low on fuel & leaned over that the ends get uncovered. On a related note, does anyone know what glues are safe & effective to use with the Guzzi nylon tanks? I'm thinking that the judicious application of some well-chromed steel (or stainless alloys that are magnetic) pads in appropriate locations would negate the need to recreate the entire tank out of steel in order to use magnetic tankbags... Ride on! * Obviously, this would only return maybe 1gal out of the 1.5gal of "phantom reserve" that the owners with "dual line" tanks have observed. So, it's a partial "entirety."

Um... Aprilia's big bikes are some of the ugliest things on the road; that's why they don't sell up to their potential. They get rave reviews for their performance, etc., but mostly they're eyesores. The fact that Moto Guzzi actually goes to the trouble to design fairings that actually fair*, instead of producing styling exercises that offer only marginally less drag than the naked frame isn't "dated" or old, IMNSHO. Only the idiots cried when H-D brought the VR1000 engine into their streetbike line; most of us were left wondering "What the he!! took'em so long?!?" As far as your comparison w/ WWII tech: yes, the old pushrod OHV air-cooled engines used by Harley & Guzzi are largely 50yo technology. Doesn't make'em bad. Guzzi is the real offender in this regard, sticking with an "hemi" combustion chamber long after Harley moved over to a Ricardo-design "bathtub" chamber. That technology was 50 years old when Harley made the switch...20 years ago!** Look at what Buell has been able to coax out of the Sposta mill, which is a design only 10 years older than Carcano's V7! You're right in that Guzzi must produce some innovation to stay afloat. Right now, they're innovating mostly on the styling front; once they're on more stable financial footing, Piaggio might let them innovate on the technological front more, but don't get your hopes up. I expect Piaggio is going to milk Guzzi for all it's worth while keeping them on a short financial leash, at least until some signs of long term viability can be established. In the meantime, don't sell their gearbox & driveline upgrades on the Breva & Griso short; by making these seemingly minor engineering changes, Guzzi has done more innovating than they did since developing the HiCam, and have done more to assure their future by eliminating the big raspberries the moto press has always given them for their clunky trannys and by fulfilling the promise of the "no maintenance" driveline that shaft drive delivers in automobiles.*** O.K, enough of that! Go ride! * That's right folks, you heard it here LAST: most modern sportbike fairings ain't particularly aerodynamic; look at the radically different appearance between the ones that are, like on the Hayabusa, from the ones that aren't [insert most any crotch rocket here. Or the Tuono, for that matter! ] ** Yes, I'll be honest: I'm practically dying to find some cheap Guzzi heads from somebody parting out their wreck, weld'em up & machine some pistons to get a "modern," efficient chamber design on my V11 and see what happens. I'm thinking better power & mileage & the chance to run regular, but it would have to wait for the timing module to become available for the PC3 or maybe a My15M in order to make it all work properly... *** Yeah, yeah, I know that should read LOW maintenance! Sue me...

I hear you, but my point was that they could bring a middleweight to market quickly, that would be a stepping stone to newer designs in their big roadburners. A wet, 4v 500cc single with a decent counterbalancer would have some appeal on the market, and give them a useful base from which to expand into the dual-sport market (which is bigger than the open-class touring market to begin with.) Yes, the small-block twin has been adapted in the past to make some nice adventure tourers, & may do so again in the future, but let's face it, that mill is too big & heavy for any amount of semi-serious off-roading. It's all just armchair quarterbacking, but it would be nice to see something beyond a restyling of the existing machines. Ride on!

Honestly, it's great except for two (o.k., 2.5!) problems: 1) It doesn't do anything the eliminate the Guzzi fugly "beetle butt;" in fact, it only makes it worse. 2) It would be better if the turn signals were integrated into the tailsection too; I mean after all, isn't a more aerodynamic-looking tail end what you're going after here? 2.5) Ex$pen$e. Hey, I realize that small production run items like this cost money. If the price was less, more would sell, that's all I'm saying. [Yeah, yeah, I know: nobody cares about my opinion on #1, after all, I'm the little boy who keeps pointing out "the emperor is naked!" wrt the ugliness of the Centauro, which nobody seems to want to hear about either...] What I'd really like to see would be a tail section that had more of the profile from the Sporti or Daytona RS that would fit on our V11ses.

Well, since we're on it... Guzzi had some good single cylinder racers, back in the day. Why can't they produce something similar now? Yes, I realize that product development costs a bunch, but follow the logic here: Piaggio owns both Aprilia & Guzzi. Guzzi isn't about to offer a scooter, nor does Piaggio want to encourage cannibalism among its marques in other areas, but Guzzi offering a 1cyl sport bike for market entry and prod racing classes might make some sense. By basing it on the head & piston from the 'Priller big twin, they've already got 1/2 the engine sorted; drop it on a Pegaso gearbox (or maybe just use the CVT off one of the big Atlantic scooters or Burgman?) and put it into a well-designed frame, toss in a few wins & BAM! Guzzi's getting good press from winning races again. Sales go up, more new riders buying Guzzi singles now means more old riders moving up in their favorite brand later, yada yada yada. Anyway, it's fun to think about...

Heh. "HUGE" demand, indeed! Lest we forget: if the can actually had that much volume, it would account for some added performance from the Griso's engine, but now that I know that it's just a heatshield, I suspect that the actual muffler hidden inside is similar to the very anemic and restrictive ones used on the V11ses. Time will tell...