Baldini

Welcome Mick. KB

...til you pass em the first time. Welcome. KB

PAH! - Try Isle of Man Early June or late August . I guess anyone can fit whatever tyre they want - but it's for looks only. No question on any Guzzi there's no big tyre required & the bigger the tyre the worse the handling. Manufacturers rec 5.5" rim will take either 180 or 170. Interesting why you use less front with smaller rear Pete? I presume 170 rear is reaching edge earlier than 180 cos spread is flattening profile. I always figured this was the problem with smaller (160/4.5" or 170/5.5") rear tyre - it would run off tread earlier than bigger (170/4.5" or 180/5.5"). As drknow says - you'll get plenty variation in tyre profiles eg a 180 Michelin 2CT will probably give similar tracking to a 170 BT020 or Continental? Some of the sportier tyres aren't available in smaller sizes. KB

I dropped triple clamps half inch on my Scura. Better steering/more planted in corners. Check clearances. KB

How you can do performance comparison without optimising fueling for each set up KB

Sticking piston? Rotor getting warm when not braking? Check/Clean calipers, check seals, change fluid? Check rotors true. KB

Mine too. I had same concerns. Just a blob of yellow paint over sticker. Spoke to a couple of dealers familiar w MG factory practice. Both told me it was likely they had a bin of stock ECU's & programmed/stickered em to suit application. When stickers ran out they just used what was to hand & reprogrammed it for kit, in my case a Cali ECU. From what I know of MG I can believe that. Mine didn't run great when kit ECU fitted with pipes, but it felt to be running rich. I figured with the open pipes & xover, if it was a stock Cali item it would have felt weak? I dunno, but once I'd done PC111 & dyno it runs great so I moved on. KB

Ohlins spec air gap of 85mm as stock for R&T forks. I run mine around 100mm. When you dismantle forks, do be careful to watch out for small needle assy popping out the top of long thin tube when you pump to purge oil. If you're not careful you could lose it. If you're replacing seals, there are later double lip type which are supposedly improved. KB

Can't find the specs that came w the Ti kit, but as I remember it FI was set up as stock spec (02 bike). I could remember wrong. Fitting cans was straight forward but getting them lined up (I never did fully) involved a bit of farting around inc cutting half inch off oneside of Stucchi x-over outlet. When I ran it with kit ECU (Mine was marked Cali but w paint blob thru it - I found story same as Waspp tells it) it wasn't great, seemed rich & lumpy but definitely pulled harder. Stock ECU ran smoother, but stuck w kit ECU cos I'd rather be a little rich than weak. Soon as I could, I got PC111 & dyno run - made all the difference - runs smooth, pulls hard. Definitely worth doing (or go with Cliff's unit which I hear can be set up to get fuelling & ign even better). KB

You can download Ohlins manual at http://www.ohlins.com > Clik Motorcycles, clik Manuals. There's detailed threads on this site re servicing Ohlins, try search. Or if you have specific question, there's several of us have done it...frequently.... KB

Avon UK production championship - Roy Armstrong (?) late seventies...77? US Endurance championship (Dr John's bike) - early 80's KB

& Good luck to you! There's arseholes out there for sure but they don't identify emselves by make/type of bike. I've still got good friends who ride Jap sports bikes & ride them well....& I've been an areshole myself plenty on a Guzzi! I can't be doing with the anti-Jap prejudice often shown by Italian/British/HD types - often it'll be some newbie just spent his load in some fine Ducati or HD thinks he is better than the R1 owner who's worked his way thru Fizzies, RD's, over the years...Does seem these days there's a a lot of the "all the gear & no idea" bunch - but not only on sports bikes! Best leave em to it.... Good for you for getting off your arse & organising something. KB

?.... please enlighten me Jim? KB

..."dayglo-clad rice burner muppets", "inadequate a-holes" & "tossers".....if you dislike em so much why ride all the way to where you know they are? KB

Guzzi raced 850 version of V7 Sport at LeMans, 71 Bol d'Or.

Yes. KB

Chris, sorry to hear re the eyes, hope it clears up for you. Guy, shit happens! hope you're over it soon. Sorry I missed you chaps, too much other commitments. Best to all, Keith.

Had a look at the test, not sure what you want a response to? R1 etc - lots more HP, far less wt than V11. Dyno or fast racetrack: V11 is nowhere. Torque figs., hence; useable, twisty road performance - much closer. HP is as much a liability as an advantage in the twisties, where tyre choice probably has as much impact. Ratchet (you don't mind my calling you by your first name I hope?) On a twisty road with all it's variables, if I am kept from keeping up by the V11's abilities rather than my own - that is faster than I want to be going on open roads. The pace at which that feeling occurs would be similar whatever bike I was riding. Therefore a V11 is as quick as anything else - for me. I think you are not saying anything different? Your concern re people hurting themselves riding V11 beyond it's abilities to stay with R1's etc..Do you think they'd be any safer on a R1? or anything else for that matter? Gotta go, I only booked the 5 minute argument . KB

If you want best grip, quick steering (& quick wear) try Michelin pilot Power 2CT. KB

No it isn't. KB

There's a bloke over on the UK Guzzi Club forum trying to gauge interest for a Guzzi only trackday for June/July 2008. He mentions Mallory & Cadwell as possible venues (Mid England). Anyone here interested? KB

I need to be a bit quicker w the edit button! My point is that in reality V11 performance is so usable that it can "keep up" better than it has any right to if you just look at paper figures. V11 performance is good enough for most, most times. At extremes it does not have "performance" (measured as HP & weight) of modern sports bikes. V11's limited HP is always accessable via good torque, so that it's "performance" is enough to "keep up" on slow/medium (& not too bumpy) roads when ridden at reasonable pace & most other roads if you're not riding too **** fast . Replacing parts with better/lighter will improve "perfomance" to a point where, with enough dedication & no original parts remaining bar tank stickers, it will match a stock R1...possibly. I don't see an argument, I guess it is semantics. I think the fellow who originally posted has not come back? Perhaps he felt he would be intruding on a private squabble? KB

Ratchethack, I've been out with good riders on modern sportsbikes on the road & we've enjoyed ourselves. On the type of roads we ride, & straightlining excepted, the point at which the limitations of the bike seriously limit progress is, for the most part, beyond a speed that is wise on open roads. ie: consideration for personal safety & the safety of others limits speed before the abilities of the V11 to "keep up". For the use to which they are mostly put, in a general sense Guzzis are"competitive" with most other vehicles. On paper & at the limit, the V11 cannot "compete" on hp, or weight, in a straight line, under very heavy braking on a bumpy surface or in speed of steering. However it is also those same features that, in most real world riding help make a V11"competitive": Low hp means it's safe to open the throttle pretty much anytime, weight & slow steering bring stability in long smooth sweeping corners. Relaxed nature of the motor & decent torque across the rev range make it easy to keep up good progress on the right roads. My observation is that it is the huge performance of modern sportsbikes that often slows them down: most riders would be quicker on something a little less potent. I don't see the need for so much sarcasm in your posts. Or do I misunderstand the purpose of this thread? KB

It's very important to make sure the tap is FULLY CLOSED! It can feel like it is but isn't & it'll p*** fuel everywhere! Trying to get the hose back on with petrol going everywhere is a very unpleasant experience I'd not wish to repeat... Tap'll still drip a little fuel even when fully closed. KB

Everything he says! Re tyres: If your tyres are worn or poor originals, changing them can transform the feel of the bike. If you want a really neutral, secure consistent feeling Conti SportAttacks are great (when new, but handling goes off with miles). Diablos are v consistent. For real quick turning & grip Miochelin Power2CT's. KB