Ouiji Veck

And if you have a Yammaha you should only use YammahLube... Else your bike may incur serious bla bla bla. I really don't see how Guzzi or anyone else can say tire compound, bias, vulcanizing process, profile and riding style makes no dif. what so ever... Jeepers ..I'm not even running the size they recomend... HA!! (As well as half the crew here) let alone air pressure... Their numbers are in the ball park. This ain't the space shuttle. I go with the guys that make and test the tire, and have a lot riding on their dependability and safety. I run mine per / ""Our test riders/engineers in Germany recommend the following for your bike: -120/70ZR17 Road Attack = 36 "cold" psi. -180/55ZR17 Road Attack = 42 "cold" psi." This is hearsay @ this point but I trust the guys over at Ducatisuite and it concurs with the original info I got from Continental when I started running the Contis'. I'll let you know if I fall down... So far I've only been able to grind a half inch off my kick stand. (I've only seen 4 or 5 people "fall down" in 39yrs...and it wasn't due to air pressure) If 4 or 5 lbs of pressure was a deadly safety hazard I'm sure we'd have official state tire inflation inspectors every 10 mi. I check my air every time I go out for more than just a few miles. Especially in changing weather like now. My concern being tire ware....not sticking like a GP rider. Softer would be stickier but not as sticky as slowing down 5mph. Sorry but my #3 hero is Chuck Yeager...he use to pound 16p nails into the cowl of his P-51 to steady his gun sight...I love that kinda stuff. Otherwise I'd have a Beemer. I'm not trying to rattle your cage. It's just my Pure anecdotal opinion with several hundred thousand miles to back it up.

What bike are you getting off of? Probably need attention to suspension...especially if your over or around 200lbs. There's volumes on this forum about it. Most of which posted by Mr. Ratchethack the resident suspension expert. I don't know if his numbers are absolute gospel but he'll get you understanding what's doing what and why. And the most important lesson is suspension can be truly counter intuitive. If you can get near his numbers your definately getting dialed in. But mostly I believe I tend to agree with Baldini...this ain't you fathers Honda. Steer with your ass and throttle and you'll be onto what a Guzzis about. This is not a dive in and flick it on the apex bike (my opinion) It's a set up the corner way early and carve a big arch bike. Put some Armorall on the seat and get a cheek over the inside on the corners and throttle right through them. Crowd the tank too. I'm only 5' 9 so it all works well for me. I may be full of hot air on this style but man I am having FUN and corners are a blast. Lots of lines to choose from. No chopping or cranking the throttle too...ya gotta be smooth on the throttle. Aggressive sure... but smooth. You will be well rewarded.

Yikes Ben.. You have my sympathies. I just got back from Costa Rica. Eternal August. A perfect place to open an adventure ride business. Buy a half dozen KLRs and get a grass shack on the beach...ahhh Take rich gringos for the ride of their life a couple times a month and live like a king. If it snowed another 6 inches here I might have been on my way.

Not to bad Ratch. VT. is a pretty short hop and excellent roads all the way there if you go the way of the fox. But I have to make it to the Maritimes to match West Coast riding. Western NY, Western PA is pretty gogeous and the BRP and Shannandoah Valley mmm. I really love the mountain farm land panoramas..rivers running through them. I often break out into a chorus of America The Beautiful. Throw in a freshly mowed field of green hay and I'm in ecstasy

Why Guzzi? 3 words Shake rattle and roll. Just like "real" rock and roll, Guzzi is the real thing. It all staeted innocently enough 15 yrs. ago or so. After campaigning a long list of inlines all over the N.E. quadrant of the western hemisphere I would ruminate around the campfire about my friends having access to their carbs and other important parts of their BMWs. Finally one of my Beemer buddies offered me his '80 SP 1000 that had been sitting in a chicken coop for 15 yrs. or so. He'd waxed often about the quirky bike and it's even quirkier riders. It sounded like a good lark for me so I tore down the rusted hulk and went a little creative on it over a winter. Once I got it on the road...that was the end of inlines for me. I campaigned it for a few years keeping the CBR1000 for back up and then a Duc SS while I shopped for 5yrs for the LeMans. I wasn't happy about the V11s new technology for a year or so. I wanted the old tractor tech of the SP So I held onto the adorable SS till I got the confidence in myself to not be scarred of Fi and ECUs and LMNOPs It's the thunderous roar and deft handling and old school looks that just exudes everything motorcycle to me. I love setting up corners and throttling through them the way the LeMans likes to do it. It's just a constant grin. Then there's the joy of pulling up to a group of Beemers, HDs or big 4s and thinking "You lemmings ain't got a clue." And getting a thumbs up from the few that do have a hint of a clue. Then I get to do my "cat that swallowed the canary" routine. "What??? Oh...this thing? Yea...it's kinda neat..yea..they still make 'em.. No..you don't see 'em much" :mg:

Ha! Bikes are like excercize equipment. People go out and buy 'em picturing themselves svelt and ready for a new love affair or getting in a movie or on MTV or something. Two weeks after reality sets in said equipment is in the basement covered in dust as the owner is off persuing the next easy short cut to actually having a life. Real riding takes serious effort and some degree of a support / reward system until your truly addicted to it. The average person just getting into riding is going to feel pretty lonely all by him /herself out on the road for 100s of miles all alone. They're going to be out there thinking "where's the pretty girls? Where's the group of envious onlookers affirming my self worth like in the commercials?" That's the gap HD fills. You can just go down to the watering hole and pose like someones doing a magazine article then ride 12mi back home totally content with your $12K investment and plenty of time left to mow the lawn, shine your chrome and wax your bean. To the dedicated rider it's all about rolling. Your heart is down there right where the rubber and the pavement are making the hot love of adhesion. Your mind is astral projecting around the next corner as your whole being is embracing the unfolding incredible beauty of the landscape. When they start selling that in the commercials instead of MCs as a short cut to the Hollywood lifestyle more bikes will have more miles on them. Many people buy bikes to be seen on it. Not to ride it. Good...I hate paying retail...

Yup..... If I miss a shift I go right to the linkage. Poke it with a stick...spray on some goo... She's good for another 5 or 10K mi. depending on how many muddy, dusty back roads my GS buddies drag me and the old girl down. Yes, the Acorn Adj. seems to be a once in 40K mi fix. (Or after taking off the side plate..as in my case...checking the "spring of ill repute") So yea..linkage, linkage, linkage.. then adjuster...if necessary. But it's not complicated. So easy even a caveman could do it.

Ha! I'm a complete caveman...that's why I got a Guzzi. I look at it like it's an antiquated tractor. I have a complete assortment of hammers, sticks, chicken wire, tire irons and duct tape to keep everything in proper running order. As just posted on another "shifting" topic I bare my soul to the more technically inclined. Fear ye not the Acorn Nut.....says I. repost: Adjuster under acorn nut gets my vote. Adjust and lube your linkage first and if that dosen't get it move on to the Acorn / Nut adjuster. It's right behind the starter...and the best way to adj. is to... adj.- test-repeat What's going on is your changing a cam that works with the gear selector. The trick is you need to restart / ride after each adjustment. The starter can be left on if you have a sacraficial 17mm (15mm?) wrench to cut in half (1/3?) and a 5mm (?) allen to sacrfice also. (0r was that for a different project? I forget..) A couple seconds on a grinding wheel and shazzammm!! You got a couple jeenuine certified Guzzi tools. I guess this sounds pretty convoluted but if you've been down there monkeying around already and put your thinking cap on...find the Acorn nut we're talking about you'll figure it out. The idea is to do the adj. without taking off the starter each time. It sounds like your pretty close to set correctly and within 1/8 of a turn on the slotted screw...one way or the other...that's the trick..which way to turn the slotted adj. screw...hence..adjust / ride / adjust /ride 1. Spin off the acorn nut with your new genuine Guzzi wrench...put it someplace safe (aww..that never works..) 2. Loosen the lock nut and give the slotted screw a 1/16 turn in one direction or the other then re tighten the lock nut. 3. Test ride and note shifting. (take your special Guzzi tools with you) 4 Repeat until desired results. ( 4 or 5 tries should do it..one direction or the other) 5. Replace acorn nut.........go play. I did mine at night out on the back roads....by moon light. (Backing into my cave to deflect the sticks and stones to be hurled my way) Good luck and don't burn your hand..... mg.gif biggrin.gif ohmy.gif homer.gif

Adjuster under acorn nut gets my vote. Adjust and lube your linkage first and if that dosen't get it move on to the Acorn / Nut adjuster. It's right behind the starter...and the best way to adj. is to... adj.- test-repeat What's going on is your changing a cam that works with the gear selector. The trick is you need to restart / ride after each adjustment. The starter can be left on if you have a sacraficial 17mm (15mm?) wrench to cut in half (1/3?) and a 5mm (?) allen to sacrfice also. (0r was that for a different project? I forget..) A couple seconds on a grinding wheel and shazzammm!! You got a couple jeenuine certified Guzzi tools. I guess this sounds pretty convoluted but if you've been down there monkeying around already and put your thinking cap on...find the Acorn nut we're talking about you'll figure it out. The idea is to do the adj. without taking off the starter each time. It sounds like your pretty close to set correctly and within 1/8 of a turn on the slotted screw...one way or the other...that's the trick..which way to turn the slotted adj. screw...hence..adjust / ride / adjust /ride 1. Spin off the acorn nut with your new genuine Guzzi wrench...put it someplace safe (aww..that never works..) 2. Loosen the lock nut and give the slotted screw a 1/16 turn in one direction or the other then re tighten the lock nut. 3. Test ride and note shifting. (take your special Guzzi tools with you) 4 Repeat until desired results. ( 4 or 5 tries should do it..one direction or the other) 5. Replace acorn nut.........go play. Good luck and don't burn your hand.....

I regularly try to wear the sidewalls off my Guzzi but taking my Bicycle on the road scares the crap out of me. I always ride my MC like everyone else is drunk and blind. Usually my main object for the first 20 or 30 miles is to get where there IS no one else. It's the only cure.

Yea...I'm not up on the Desmoquatros Did I not mention earlier I wouldn't have a 4 valve? Whats the sense? How often are you going to go 170-180 mph? 130 once in a while is more than enough for me. Throw in a couple long graceful wheelies and I'm pretty much satisfied. ( Yea the V11 will stand up but is neither long or graceful...the Monster on the other hand does it inadvertently ) Your going to suffer a lot for mere bragging rights with a 4 valve... Belts?...easy easy every 12K $40...and I couldn't own a bike if I had to take it to the shop for a valve adj. Not just because of the expense but also the down time. The candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long.

Yea...there was a short list of known problems. Regulator...replaced with a honda XL175 reg. or something. Carb icing...'cause of the long intake...dry gas cured it. mmmm couple of other things as easily cured. There's equaly as good Ducati Forums as this one. Kinda like relays and tranny springs. Just gotta get ahead of the curve.

Yea ya would.....me too. That and it's grandPa

Ok...here we go again...maybe we'll pull it off this time.. We got a little rendezvous in E. Ma. 3-30 MZ...my last inline was a 1000cbr..over 130hp, 170+mph out of the box. had a prertty fierce bark. Really nutless compared to the Guzzi no matter what the numbers say. I loved my CBR but ...well..you know...no comparison..Guzzi is just a more motorcycly motorcycle. Shake, rattle and roll. Lil' Eddie VanHalen plays much better than Chuck Berry but........who cares. It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. Yea. Catskills are within easy striking distance...good roads too! Keep me posted.

Ooo a mean greenie...the quintisential Guzzi sport. Destined to go down in history. Congrats again. Don't worry...in a couple of months an inline 4 will will seem pathetic to you. No gusto. WCB.... Yea...last year at this time I was all excited to get us New Englanders together for a good ride. I failed miserably. The sun came out and the bike was ready for another season and .....you know.... The Yankee Beemers put on a good little rally toward the end of May. Frosty Nuts. Jamaica Vt. There all frustrated Guzzistas and welcome the lost children of motorcycling. The ride up and back is great and Ya wake up Sat. morning on the corner of rt. 100 and rt 30 in Vt. !!!! Nothing to do but carve corners all day and hang around the camp fire drinking beer and talking bikes all night. No brainer.

mznyc Yea...that's what happens to a new set of tires on a 4,500mi trip in July. 100 deg. temps and a constant 90 mph melts 'em quick. They last a lot longer in the winter though. Hey gurl...want to do some New England riding ? (Toms right...a V11 really shouldn't shake awful...Definately a lot less than an HD)

I campaigned a 95 900 SS for 3 years and kept it for a year after getting my LeMans. I think Ducs are the finest made tool of any kind..including Dewalt. First "trip" I went on was a 450mi first leg. No problem..I WAS surprised. My friends 900M is the most fun road bike I've ever rode outside my LeMans. The fit and finish on both bikes is exquisite. Working on them is a snap, including valve adj. The tanks flip up and changing an airfilter, battery or assortment of tinkering is done easily. I put 40K mi om my SS and it never failed me or even hiccuped once. Belts are $40 and take 40 minutes to do every 12000 mi. Nimble, fast, torquey, dependable, comfortable and in the case of the Monster, extremely comfortable. So whats wrong with 'em? There's a kids bike.....a squids bike, a self proclaimed holigan bike. Always in attack mode (God love 'em) There's nothing under 4Krpm They're like a constantly barking dog on a chain if your not breaking the law. bbbbbBBBBBBbbbbBBBRHHHHH FOOOOOOBAHHHHhhhhh repeat. Which is exilerating and adrenaline pumpingly wonderful...for an hour or so.. Maybe even for a day or two...but day after day after day after day scarring children and old ladies and attracting the attention of every cop in the valley .. well it just gets old. But...I owned one and loved it and will always get a far away look in my eye when the subject comes up. If I ever can afford to have 2 bikes again #2 will be a latter model Monster with as much HP as I can get in a Desmodue. (pass on the Quatro) I love the OEM Dial-a-Wheelie feature. Once I got the Guzzi the Duc became a Sunday afternoon 100 miler, neighbor hood bike..then less and less. Eventually I felt rediculous and silly on it at my age on such an aggressive bike on the public byways. My buddy on his M me on the SS...using them the way they're intended to be used. Nothing to be proud of. That being said, no rider should go a whole life time without one for at least a season or two. One just for the track would be the best idea. That's where they belong. They insist on acting stupid. I swear they really do insist and ya just can't talk 'em out of it. I can make my LeMans go just like the Duc but I can also back it down and get all kinds of grins and giggles at a little more reasonable speeds or even clunking around @ 45-50. I really like it...even more than the SS. Just wish it was as simple and trustworthy. (It's only not trustworthy from reading this $%$# forum ) Well...that's my Duc lecture.. Drinking and posting......again... p.s. I don't see any more jerks on Ducs than anything else ('cept Guzzis..that's another thing. Guzzi riders are the best of fellow riders I've met)

OK Gurl...it's a date! Actually I'd love to ride with all the great people I've met on this site. Roper for the laughs and lessons, Ratchet just to get a look @ him,(talk about an avatar!!) Cheeks for the religion, Todd to go to school on, Greg for the soul, Carl, Docc, Baldini, Dave, Joe, BFG, Antonio, Paul,Witch City,Skeeve, Wasp, Japp of course, DeBen, Dan, Baldini, Henry, Rocker... Now I'm afraid of leaving someone out...I'm sure I left lots out. I get this way at the end of winter....and it is the end. Yipeeeeeeeeee!!!!! Get that fresh rubber yet???

Yea we're interested. Keep us posted and best of luck. Kick some ass!!!

Words fail me...

I went with a handful of GEIs from Dan ($15) before I had any problems. That was about 30K mi ago..still good. Threw about 3 of the Simmens in my tank bag ...I get a glimpse of them once in a while when I go in for sun glasses or some Jolly Ranchers...

Welcome to the fold Joe and welcome to the modern age. How d'ya like having brakes? 54 huh?......aww.. you kids and your motor scooters.....

Hey gurl.... It's so great to hear someone "getting" the Guzzi "thing." Especially someone that knows bikes. Yea...they handle different...and it's all good as far as I'm concerned. Once you find it's groove it's a mile wide ...just like the grin on your face when your feeling that big locomotive spooling up after you grab a handful. It takes a second but it's all about the anticipation and the shake rattle and roll. Get your ass in the right position and just throttle through the corners. There's a lot of bikes that do a lot of things better by the numbers but none are as exilierating or as much fun as far as I'm concerned. Yea...you'll be happy with a new tire and you'll even be happier when you get the next rear a size smaller in back. Foam grips? * Ick! * (I think they tire your hands / fore arms) I don't have a problem with vibrations. (I do lots of 4-500 mi days) My bars are full of bird shot and I keep my TBs happy. Again ...opinions....everyones got one. Any way...It was great to read your first impressions. It put a smile on my face. It took me a year to let my Duc go. It only gets better and better. Plus you get to hang out with the great people on this forum. I've seen people here help out other members like they were family. And don't be complaining to us in New England about AZ. cloudy days...! Congratulations, Have fun and be safe.

I have a pile of Guzzi shirts but I think my favorite is the one from Guzzi Tech "You meet the weirdest pepole on a Guzzi"

Yea...thats cute. HD totally dropped the ball when they didn't go with a production XR like Jay and Bubba were running back in the day. If they brought that on line and paid engineers to keep up with the Nippon models instead of graphic designers, I'd be riding one today. (maybe) I got a buddy that can jump his road king through a hoop too. yea...he gets all the girls......