wambiker

Hi Martin, I used U-POL ACID #8, an acid etch primer, then Plasti-Kote Super enamel primer and top coat, which is Bright Red. I have also used their Silver to paint the alternator cover and diff housing. It is not a bad match to the original colour. The alternator cover has stood up well without much damage through 15,000 miles as have the heads, although these have picked up a couple of chips. The diff has only beeen done since the spring, but is still looking fine. I will at some point during the winter attempt to fit a roper windage tray if I can get one and while it's apart paint the sump and the mounting spacer, in attempt to tidy up the engine. Cheers Gary

Hi Crooz, like Martin I've had to deal with the aftermath of incidents (I'm a firefighter), they are troubling but you do get over them and have to move on or you become more of a victim than you are already feeling. As Martin says all the lectures and talks about first aid/CPR are great till it happens in the real world, people just do not react like practice mannequins, ribs break and you wonder if you are doing more harm than good. Do nothing and they are probably dead anyway, bones mend, death doesn't. I'm not trying to be hard or sensational, just honest. You did the best you could as someone thrown into a situation you are not trained to deal with, in fact much better than most, you prevented someone from moving the casualty, in a very stressful situation, a very difficult thing to do. People are apt to think the more attention they give the better, but in many cases least is best, you had an obvious serious/head injury, by preventing her from being moved you would probably have saved her worse damage, had she survived. After 26 years, I still sometimes work with RTA casualties and pray the paramedics get here soon, because my first aid training is only adequate for initial assistance, (we have a different system in GB than much of the US, Fire service and paramedics are different services, not combined and cross trained as yours are)so do not worry, you did your best, you controlled a bad situation and called for help, no one could ask more of you. Give it time, but not much, get your Guzzi out and ride, still the best cure for doubts and worries I have. Enjoy the ride, you must move on and keep doing what you obviously love, 3bikes and 30 years is a lot of dedication, or this drunk has claimed another victim. Gary

Hi Ross welcome to the forum. I had to go and check mine was still there, I thought I had the only green V11 with red heads. It must be a Scottish thing as my bike was originally from North of the Border. They where not that well painted in a matt paint and I intended to respray them silver but the red grew on me so red they stayed. I used Plasti-cote enamel from B&Q finish has survived 20,000 miles so far. Here are a couple of pictures of mine. And a picture of the head itself. Cheers Gary

Hi all, me and my guzzi courtesy of one of my club mates after a run in with with north wales gestapo.

Hi, I know what mike means I used to cart an 8 draw tool cab round on a frame I built on a 900 Honda, It could vertualy pull wheelies standing still!!! Cheers Gary

I'm in for one or if it's easier a copy of the template. Cheers Gary

Hi all, just found this thread so had to lob my twopennyworth in. I've ridden and driven most of the major mountain roads and passes in the UK, Alps, Pyrennies and dolomites and still the steepest road I know is in my fire stations area. It's only short maybe 100yds long but is definately approaching 1 in 1. I have failed to get up it in a couple of our older machines and even the current dennis and scania appliances find it hard going. I will try to get a picture next tour. Every winter we get a series of accidents when it ices up and cars just hurl down it out onto the major road at the bottom where it joins. We also get people who get stuck half way up and have had to winch a couple to the top. Cheers Gary. PS wouldn't mind scandinavia myself in 2007 if I can work the time off.

Hi all will a set of 2004 ohlins fit a 2000 naked v11? I realise that I have to change the axle and bearings but are there any other problems? Cheers Gary

Here is a final couple of pictures with the panniers fitted, hope this may be of some use to someone. Cheers Gary

Hi all, I was reading a thread about fitting hard panniers on a v11. I thought I would add my fittings to help anyone looking for inspiration. I tried soft panniers but have never really got on with them so I bought a set of Krauser panniers of ebay, they where fairly early and had been fitted to a jap twin shock bike. I have already removed the rear plasic guard and no. plate assembly and replaced them with a stainless bracket and led tailight. This allowed me to also incorporate a plate with mountings attached to the existing 3 bolt mounting at the back of the subframe. Firstly I created a sub-frame that mounts to this bracket and the back of both exhaust hanger mounts, and cleared all the tailpiece plastics. The following pics will hopefully make it clear. The Krauser subframes could now be added to the mountings I have made and an additional bar acrosss the rear to reduce flap (terrible thing flapping, all to evident in senior officers promoted well beyond their capabilities in my job ). Cheers Gary

Last couple of pictures This probably my personal favorite of the V11s the Cafe Sport, just a shame it's not green. Lastly John's V10, the first one I had seen in the flesh. Cheers Gary

Hi all, had a great time at the rally and was great to put faces to different forum members. There must have been a representative of just about every V11 sub-species available at the event, certainly the most V11s I've seen in one place. Martin I did not realise the route I had set out to do was also the route to Rosslare or I would have ridden back with you for part of the way, see you next time. Martin's description of us a the horsemen of the apocalypse was a great description, I was ridding at the back on the run back to the site and the noise rolling back from the buildings as we went through the villages and towns was spectacularI. 've got some photos from the saturday run. This where we encountered the character who liked exhaust pipes! This is the view from this layby back to the Dingle penninsula. Martin attempting to appease the Guzzi Gods with a spot of pennance. View from Dingle to Ring of Kerry, not long before the heavens opened. My bike. Cheers Gary

Hi Martin just found this thread again (been having a blonde moment). I,ve done 6,9,10,11,17,22,36,48,49,58,60,72,73,77,78and 79. Had some good runs and a bit of naff road around stafford but enjoying it. one long day to do cumbria, and north to the seat and cross in the borders then back across to reeth and down to the double bridges over the canal, 440 miles cracking roads but a bit cool snow still on many off the tops including the carpark at hartside! Have had a lot on and not able to get out as much as usual, but after Erin and french holidays following couple off weeks will get down to it in earnest. As you say no pics of landmarks but here is a couple of pictures from my travels. Cheers Gary--See you in Ireland

Hi all, I got hold of the replacement Ohlins shock this morning and fitted it this afternoon,after an initial setting up the shock is so different to the sachs I was amazed. If any one has ball park settings for rebound and compression settings for the rear ohlins I would appreciate it. I have attached a couple of pictures off the broken shock for reference.

Hi again, have just been offered a second hand ohlins from a v11 , so have cancelled hagon shock and will collect the ohlins in the morning. Cheers Gary

Hi all, I've just discovered that the bottom eye on my rear shock has done the breaking up trick. This is even worse as I am going to the Erin rally on Friday. Tried the breakers no joy so have taken the plunge and ordered a hagon shock, any one any experience of these? It was relatively cheap £250 compared to £350-600 for others, but it does not have a remote reservoir. But they can have it with me by courier for tomorrow, so we will see. And then at later date maybe an all singing and dancing shock (or not if this turns out to be ok). Cheers Gary

Hi OBND, I assume you mean the wire loop on the sidestand to help kick it down. If so mine fell off last week, luckily I was parking outside the house and spotted it. Will have a go this evening to repair it, if I can be bothered to replace the mild steel mig wire with the stainless reel. Maybe ad a strengthener as this looks a weak design. Cheers Gary

I feel the same, just coming out of the house and seeing my Glorious Green V11 always makes me smile even if I'm not about to ride it! I've run the circus of jap missiles, but get more enjoyment out of the V11 than any of them. If any of you are in Ireland for the owners rally next month see you there. Cheers Gary

I often help out in my mates bike shop when the workshop is busy or or one of the two mechanics is missing, and when I was looking up the back pads in the ebc catalouge was amused to see that most of the listings for this pad where for scooters. As you can imagine when I went to the shelf to dig them out of stock the other mechanics where in bulk. There bloody scooter pads your putting in your tractor was the main cry from the workshop-this from a mechanic with a 70's trident (grenade) and a modern enfield(where the queen keeps her chickens?) ! The shop does a lot of work with old brits , we could probably build a new commando or bonnie from bits(god forbid what the cost would be ) as well as a dealership for enfields, MuZ and most japs. My guzzi purchase as you can imagine has prompted great amusement and stick. But the trident has yet to beat me to local bike meeting through some good twisty roads As with Martin my pads last about the same as a back tyre, but as yet not in time with each other. To avoid major disc wear avoid the ebc HH pads as these appear to be really abrasive to discs from evidence off front jap fittments. Will look up pattern discs when I get a chance, but as the disc appears very similar to rear monster ones (will cross reference fitting) I would imagine patterns are available from the likes of ebc, or even original brembos are probably cheaper than guzzi relabled parts. Cheers Gary

Hi, I,ve gone through two rear diablos, one a std one and the other a diablo strada, and I'm on my 2nd front diablo. I can't fault them, they stick, they turn well and even last a reasonable (by sporty tyre standards) mileage. I've just ordered a new rear diablo from a dealer on ebay for £65 + 9.50 p+p today to replace the balding rear strada. I was going with another strada as in fairness I can't say I noticed the difference(although a lot of the miles on it where during the winter)but the diablo was £25 cheaper than the strada?! rear diablo - 6000 miles rear diablo srada - 5500 miles front diablo - 12000+ (was fitted when I got bike last june, but could possibly be original in which case 18000! there was no mention in the service records of it being changed) Cheers Gary

Hi is it just me, but when I click on the image all I get is the actual code note the image. This has happened a couple of times recently and other times and sites works completely normally. Any ideas or have I altered a setting without noticing it. Cheers gary

Just back after a grand day out in North Wales, went out to do some clues for the Round Britain Rally and ended up doing 250 miles mainly on good twisty roads . Good weather(apart from 10 mins on the way home!) Bike was running great, but have probably seen off the back tyre, its hard to tell with diablos as they have no centre tread to begin with still haven't reached the wear bars in first set of tread cuts so will persevere for a bit longer. Cheers Gary

Hi I've started my quest for the RBR event, I deciphered the clue list(well all bar 2!), plotted the places and sat and looked at them. Today was my second outing, first one was fairly local, from Liverpool up to the lakes and then across to the pennines and scottish border country, returning via yorkshire and the dales. All together 440 miles, bright sun and dry roads, have finaly reduced the winter induced chicken strips, last hour after sun went down was a bit cold but what the hell. I can't post actual pictures of the clues but here is a few other pics, despite the bright sun there was still a fair bit off snow on the tops.

My sympathy, same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago, but at least my neighbour saw the beemer driver do it and made a point of telling the git that he had his reg no. His exscuse was his reversing sensors didn't go off. After resisting urge to ram sensors and rest of bm up his arse, I explained in no uncertain terms that his bloody sensors didn't exscuse him from opening his f**king eyes and using his bloody mirrors. He seemed a bit offended that I didn't think his technology was infallubule, when I asked what he would have said to the parent off the small child he had backed over if he didn't feel anything pushing 500lbs plus of moto guzzi over it's sidestand, he shut up. We settled in cash and I estimated £250 worth off damage but managed to keep it down to around £150 so a winner for once!! Cheers gary

Hi the electrex are available in the UK,heres the web link Electrex Cheers Gary