Ouiji Veck

Hi Reboot...welcome. This IS an awesome site. Know whats funny? I just loaded my mint 94 900ss on the back of the new owners truck....boo hooo...~sniff~ for a measely 3K$...but I didn't ride it anymore.. even on mornings when I said "I'm takin the Duc today!" Go out..open the garage door...there it is...right next to the.... LeMans...and the good lil' Duc gets left sobbing in the corner again....awww... Insight....The Duc was just too aggresive. Powerband wise and handling wise. The Guzzi has a great feel of being on rails...carving those graceful 80mph turns under power...or stelthily sliding thru a small town 20mph over the limit @ 3Krpm.. the freight train excelleration... The Duc is probably the best bike ever built but the Guzzi ...I just friggin' love it. The size the pull the handling the sound...makes me grin constantly.

Still sounds like classic tight valves to me. So where are you now 004/006? Try 006/008 or even Try RaceCo specs 008/010 The more I open 'em the happier it runs/starts

Odd.. Though I have an '02 Champagne I've got 20K mi an none of the classic gremlins...Including non flaking paint. Mine musta been built on a Wed....before lunch. (belive me, I keep a close eye on EVERYTHING..including my extra shift spring in my tasnk bag.) Only thing to go prematurely is the throttle cable. Changed the relays (Eds) early on. Went in and poked @ the spring...looked fine. The Sachs puked it's juice but I refilled it 15K mi ago and it's been fine. Sorry for your hard luck...it's such a great bike to ride.

Turo.... Welcome to the Fam. Your out of Worchestershireshere? I'll hook up w/ ya some Sat/Sun. @ The Vinillabean ..rt.169 in Pomfret Ct. Good place to see some exotica and hit some nice rds. from. (30- 40mi south of you.) Also the BMW National is comming to VT. 7-21...they love Guzzis. Bring a tent, sleeping bag and refreshments and we'll scorch some rt. 30. 80mph? I just did 588mi comming home from the Alleygaineys and rarely went under 80. Thats only 42-4300rpms...bottom of the power band. Nailed wide open I've done an indicated 135 and not for just a short blast. I've rode at + 100mph on the Guzzi more than on my Duc for the simple fact that it feels like it ain't no big thing on the Guzzi. ( The little Ducky does 100 easily but feels more.....frantic) These things LOVE 80mph and can do it forever. I think you just have to get used to the big twin power plant after riding the big 4s for so long.

ACK! ACK! But does it make sence? Could we be missing something? I mean...considering it's a Guzzi. Whats different? Meanwhile...press a couple of baffles for me.

Bill.. Have you been running that Balabio in the salt water? Man that picture of your rear axle sent shivers down my spine. These things do corrode...I've got mine pickled in marine grease. Just slathered it all over various exterior surfaces...maybe I should use mink oil.

Nige that V11 LMII is a stroke of genius. I love it. The Magni is one of my Favs too.

Yea...tha'd be nice if your tires took exactly the same line but picturing following people in the rain I have a vision of two seperate tire tracks from the guy in front...especially on any kind of corner. With modern tires I ONLY care about grip in the rain. I haven't had a tire slide in the DRY in many years. (No I never had Bridgestones) I'm running Conti Road Attacks...3rd. set... I think the Conti Force was actually better in the wet.. Will try them again.

I have to get some pads for the back of my 02 LeMans, post haste. Any chance the Duc shop will have them? TIA

Man...those cracks are depressing. Guzzi should replace the shock. At the risk of being redundant: I have a 94 900SS Ducati, They have a flaw of frame cracking where the VIN Label was riveted on. On the Ducati thead I monitor, Ducati has replaced 100% of them. !!! (mine, fortunately, not being one of them...yet!) I'm talkin' 1994...not 200?...and the whole frame, not just a shock. Admirable, to say the least.

Sachs!! Just went through mine again. Had to rejuice it last year. Luckily it held for 15,000 mi or so. Decided to give it a whirl myself this time. It went surprisingly well. If I can get away with cleaning and refilling it once a year I'll hold onto it. Getting pretty fast at hauling it out and putting it back in. Checked and greassed up the fish eye's. So far so good. Leaving for a week on the road next week.

I think it's the 2 point..

And another oldie but goodie...

Don't know if this has been posted...,

Yup /Luftwaffe...fun to wear to a vintage meet w/ the SP... I'll be PMing ya.

Point? I'm not making no steeenking point... Well ...maybe I am. I'd rater think I'm just 'splanin' what kinda guy I am. I have the opinion all the good new tires are pretty darn good.Pirerlli, Michelins, Metzler, Avons. Maybe I just haven't had any sucky ones. I used to run Dunlops for a solid 20 yrs. then switched to Metz for 10 yrs or so... Z6s being the last series. Read some good stuff about the Contis and have ridden 3 sets right out to the edges. (Hey...I paid for the sides... I'm using the sides!) I would never want to have to go back to the old Dunlops. I did break them loose on ocasion...and they were terrible in the wet. Thats a huge consideration for me. I get caught in the rain.. a lot. (My main objective when I throw my leg over my bike is to get as far away from civilization as I got time for) Thats deffinately a trade off I'd make...gimme the tire thats better in the rain than the super sticky tire thats not as good in the rain. Else we'd all be running slicks. So different people have diferent needs. I'd love to be doing track days. If I was I'm shure I'd be a lot more picky about tires. I've read here about people liking poitier tires for quicker handling. Me ..I like my tire keeping a nice consistent radius..I love that big slower handling ..hauling it down feeling of my LeMans. It might keep my speed down ...(good) but I prefer that feeling to my very quick handling Duc... (I'll sell ya one cheap). I guess I'm just getting old... I like having to set up early and roll the power on through the corner rather than diving in and yankin' and crankin'. ( oh yea!...I used to love that too) I really love the way the LeMans handles. I hope you don't think I'm being contetious. I'm just tellin' ya about me. I get pretty carried away talkin' bikes...(the wife thinks I'm mentally ill.) but I'd rather make friends than "points". I should work in a bike shop but they expect ya to work weekends...!!! And not ride???!! Maybe I'm not concerned so much with the search for the Uber Tire because of 10 yrs. of ice racing...if the back lets go a little I don't flinch.. I just grin and gas it. (don't try this at home) I've only slid the front once on the road...on the Duc.. it behaved admirably...to fast in the dark..unexpected 90 deg turn..first set of Contis. Didn't grin. Don't take me too seriously ...I don't.

Sorry if I sounded like I'm telling other people whats good for them. I'm on here with a pretty tounge in cheek attitude. I look at it more like I'm telling other people around the world about me...people I hold in fairly high esteem.. seein' how they ride a Guzzi an' all. I have a very cynical sense of humor...especially about "products" and "marketing". As far as telling people what to do...if you think your $200 race compound tires aren't gripping good enough...try slowing down. Just pointing out the irony.

The "more rubber" is on the lower speed rated tires. They have more rubber (more milage) causing them to heat up more...go south... therefore can't carry the 150mph rating. He says the compound is the same...and we're all being led down the prim rose path. He sells tires...thats all he does. Walks around the rallys analizing peoples tires. He's a real trip. He put me straight about the over sized tire that came on my Duc. First time I met him. Just walked over from 30 feet away and says "Ya got the wrong size tire on there." Being a laid back kinda guy I just go "Ya?" (always looking for entertainment..figuring this should be good for a laugh) After about 10 minutes I realized he was exactly right and running an oversized tire is quite squidly due to how it deforms as it wears in. Anyway the guy is a trip but I enjoy seeing him...some not so much. He rides a Thruxton now and thinks my LeMans and Guzzis in general are to be reveared...I couldn't agree more. Anyway...back to the tire thing...I think it's like Converse and Nike... are you really going to play better basketball in $100 sneakers than $30 sneakers? Or are you just going to look like you do? Chicken strips? We don't need no stinkin' chicken strips.. http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f263/Oui...hickenStrip.jpg

Just pulled a set of Contis off my Duc. 8K mi...no squared off area...still a nice even radius..no ridges or feathering. Changing the Back Road attack on the LeMans.. 7K mi.. not to the wear bars yet but taking a 3K mi trip in a couple of weeks. This one has squared off just a little but I attribute that to a leaky tire valve and a 300mi day...when I checked it it was down to 28psi.. Dammm! I actually think any of the modern tires are fine. I also think very few are pushing these new tires overly hard in the turns on public roads or their concern for safety is really misguided. "I'm worried my tires aren't safe as I'm drifting them through a 100mph turn on LaLa Lane" Any time I get out of shape it's something evil on the road surface... or It's under acceleration..which is plenty good fun. Gimme a tire that is good in the rain..gets some decent milage and is PREDICTABLE in a slide. ..I can work with that. Other than that I am waiting for a tire that will stick on antifreeze and sand. I'm told by a gent in these parts known as "The Tire Nazi" (years before the Sienfeld episode.) That the difference between a V or Z rating and an H rating is not the compound but the AMOUNT of rubber. More rubber= More heat = failure. He says a tire rated for 150mph means it will do 150mph continuously without failure. They are tested @ 240mph...A bit more than I need.. There's a lot more stuff out there that will ruin your day than which brand Z rated tire you have on. All that being said I think my next tires might be Avons.. I kinda like what I've heard and read about them. Fickle ain't I?

I painfully watched several times. Looks like he....choked, greased the back tire with a hard brke, crossed up the front, over corrected and radar locked on the wall. Bet he didn't have 50 miles under his belt...the leg out is really ugly. Caption: Kawasaki sport bike $9,000...Dainesse Leathers $850...A little skill...Priceless

"Cept for the valves...run "World" or "RaceCo" specs...Factory specs are too tight..

Yup...what you said.

When my wife used to go with me I had her put her hand on my shoulder near my neck when we were around traffic lights or in town with lots of stops. Under braking shed put her forearm against my back and take up the breaking force that way...works great...no sliding forward...no nuts against tank.

Way to go Doc... Hey...does my LeMans look that good comming down the road! I guess...'cept on a left hander I'd be out on the other side of the lane... Go wide young man...go wide...