Guzzista_Joe

Thank you, yes that's right...I'm also trying to get Moto Guzzi UK to contribute but, as this is not certain yet, I've not mentioned it in the web page...

At Squadra Guzzista we are running a photography competition 'cause in December we'll be 1 year old! I hope you'll take part and enjoy it! See here for details: http://guzzista.wetpaint.com/page/Photography+Competition

yup, they're Aldo's all right, they really are something else!

...and I suppose the second one is Lee Majors?

...alittle video collection of some of the friends that have been sending us images for our gallery...you may recofnise some of them I hope you enjoy it...keep 'em coming in! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S81lw9rCl8

...it was a great ride...for anyone who fancies a read, the report is here: http://guzzista.wetpaint.com/page/The+Autumn+Ride ...we covered some terrific roads, maybe for the next one we'll see some local V11s

...sadly, on the Jackal you can't do clutchless gear changes, but on my X-11, I never use the clutch to go up through the gears..works a treat, and means you make far better progress through the gears...it's faaaar smoother than by using the clutch! I think the modern Guzzi box permits this type of gear change.

I don't know if any of you fellas know Bill, but we've featured his bike on our site and...seeing as it's a V11, I thought you fellas may be interested: http://guzzista.wetpaint.com/page/V11+Le+M...ill's+heart

...but does it kick arse? Whatever the green end result or not...does it go like a mad mutha or is it all fart and no smell? ie...is it faster, more agile, more torquey, more throaty, does it sound better than the original? 'cause if it is, hell...let's all go green...if it ain't, well...it's different...and that's a Guzzi trait in itself, so well done that man anyhoo.

Hi guys, Squadra Guzzista are organising our second ride out taking in some of the nice roads and sights of Kent. Sunday, 7 October 2007. The plan is to meet at 10:00 am and head off around some of the coolest roads in the county. I will be publishing details on our website ( www.guzzista.com ) and also on our forum ( http://guzzistaforum.eu/forum/portal.php ). All are welcome to come along, bring your Guzzi...the last time we did one of these, in May, the sound of a group of Guzzis thumping through little villages in Kent was awesome! I'll be adding a downloadable route map to our website in due course to help those that may not know Kent that well. Drop me a line at joe@guzzista.com if you'd like to come along! Hope to see loads of Guzzis on the day! Regards Joe

One thing about the pictures is that it demonstrated in no uncertain terms the scale of the damage done. I've seen those images on all the Guzzi forums I visit, and there are quite a few out there. Those images flew round the world so fast that I bet there isn't a Guzzi fan anywhere on the globe that doesn't know about it. Someone posted a picture on one of the forums without any words, just the image...words weren't necessary, and in that there has to be a value to an image. I understand all points of view on the subject, I'm in the UK and there's nothing I can do to help physically, but someone has aparently commenced a fund...I'm sure the graphic details of the sad event helped to galvanise some chap into positive action. I'm glad no-one was hurt, but a bike can be fixed...especially a Guzzi, they're made of sterner stuff than other bikes! Good luck to all those affected.

Hello guys I have just added a interactive calendar of events to the Squadra Guzzista website. The idea is that by simply sending me an e-mail with the details of the event and the location it can be publicised very quickly and easily. The cool thing is that it is linked to Google's excellent mapping system for directions etc. So, if you guys have any events in your area that you want other people to know about let me know by e-mailing joe@guzzista.com. Remember our website has readers all over the world, so it will be seen! I've only just added and I would be interested to hear your opinion from the point of view of the user, please give it a try here: http://guzzista.wetpaint.com/page/Squadra+Guzzista+Calendar Thank you all for your help! Regards Joe

Yo tambien lo hablo; que necesitas? (I also speak it; what do you need?) Regards Joe

Hey Jim, so far I've posted the link and my plea on the Squadra Guzzista foru, the Wildgoose forum, the Anima Guzzista forum, the Anzanigo forum (Spain) as well as here...that's a total of approx 8000 Guzzisti...I'm now gonna try the Australian and the Israeli ones haha The DAytona now has 381 votes, but more are needed !

Hi folks, our good friend John owns a nice black Dr John Daytona...Number 3 of a limited edition of 20 in the UK...it really is lovely. There is a competition in the UK on Motorcycle News for a reader's bike to be chosen as the top reader's bike in the UK and we are trying to do all possible for John to win the prize. We figure something as special as a Daytona is worth the prize and at the same time we can show that Guzzi is alive and well! All you have to do is click the link, click the thumbnail of John's black Daytona, then rate it with stars 1-5...we've all been hitting the 5 star button and so far he has 91 votes. Pleeeeeease lend your considerable voting power to this most worthy of causes! Here's the link: http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Other/Fr...ingtalenttop60/ Thank you all

There's an offence of "Theft by Finding". It's covered by the Theft Act. Basically, stuff that's found, it it can reasonably be expected to have an owner, should be reported to the authorities. There is, however, a caveat if the items are not claimed by their rightful owners within a prescribed timescale.

...been there and she's more trouble than she's worth...don't fall for it, trust me...I never did get my Guzzi cap back either!!!

Hey Orson...thanks a lot...I have now added youor trip to our site's features pages...check it out here: http://guzzista.wetpaint.com/page/Features regards Joe

Arthur Davidson, the inventor of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, died and went to heaven. At the gates, St. Peter told Arthur, "Since you've been such a good man and your motorcycles have changed the world, your reward is, you can hang out with anyone you want in Heaven." Arthur thought about it for a minute, then said, "I want to hang out with God." St. Peter took Arthur to the Throne Room and introduced him to God. God recognized Arthur and commented, "Okay, so you were the one who invented the Harley Davidson motorcycle?" Arthur said, "Yep, that's me." God said, "Well, what's the big deal in inventing something that's pretty unstable, makes noise and pollution and can't run without a road?" Arthur was apparently embarrassed, but finally he said, "Excuse me, but aren't You the inventor of woman?" God said, "Yes." "Well," said Arthur, "professional to professional, you have some major design flaws in your invention: 1. There's too much inconsistency in the front-end protrusions; 2. It chatters constantly at high speeds; 3. Most of the rear ends are too soft and wobble too much; 4. The intake is placed way too close to the exhaust; 5. And the maintenance costs are enormous!" "Hmmmmm, you have some good points there," replied God, "hold on." God went to His Celestial super computer, typed in a few words and waited for the results. The computer printed out a slip of paper and God read it. "Well, it may be true that my invention is flawed," God said to Arthur, "but according to these numbers, more men are riding my invention than yours"

...looking like that you'll be learning something...don't know whether it'll be italian though...actually Claudia Cardinale does it for me!

...harumph! we missed out on the play-offs by a point , I'm a Gravesend fan, we're now called Ebbsfleet United because some dudes built a train station in the area and it sounds more Eurostarry...100 years of tradition changed, just like that but that's progress I s'ppose... I agree Wembley isn't as radical as some others...like for instance the japanese one that allows them to drive the pitch outside for watering and sunning and then drive it back inside for matches and that was built for 1/4 of the price of Wembley...or the Allianz stadium I kep going on about...or even Dartford's new ground with its renewable energy things...or burgers...I dunno, something's renewable anyways...why's everything so much more expensive for us?

in a word...bloody marvellous...ok, two words

Haha...thank you, you're welcome! Do you remember when cd's first came out? I remember "experts" on Tomorrows World saying that they were much better than our trusty old records and, unlike vynil, a cd would last forever...then I thought, how can they say that? no one's had one long enough... Well, I wonder if your Breva will fit that bill too...old Guzzis took years to bed in and mature which is why they were kept by their owners for many years and why so many of the old 'uns are still running around. I wonder if the new generation Guzzis will also take time to mature and evolve in the same way...I guess time will tell...'cause no one's had one long enough yet! I'll be interested to hear about how your trip to France goes actually because I've been thinking of doing the swop in the oppo direction when the time comes to replace the old Jackal! Oh and, incidentally, if you are interested, it'd be cool to feature your trip on our site ( www.guzzista.com ) as we are all about people's experiences of riding real bikes...enjoy the trip and thanks again!

Anyone thinking of going to the new Wembley stadium at all? I travelled by Cali for the Muse concert on Sunday and I found out a few interesting points to consider... I was looking forward to a nice 100 mile round trip ...actually, it turned out to be 140 miles in the end...on the Cali, the trip was a breeze, two up and with a bag of stuff on the rear carrier. It is when you are on a motorway that you realise what the thinking behind the Cali is. Although it is styled like a cruiser it is nothing other than a fantastic tourer. Comfort is ok...the Jackal has an awful seat, anyone who rode one will know this, but Ruby, my missus and passenger, was perfectly comfortable. She had a perfectly padded seat and the backrest meant she was able to adjust her seating position if she needed to. For me, the rider, I could sit behind the huge Isotta screen in a bubble of still air and just let the bike do the work. We tore through the Dartford tunnel at a terrific rate (toll is free for motorcycles) and the sound in the tunnel was a delicious rumble. On the open road, the gearing and tuning of the motor means that you have most of the available power in the mid range, just where you need it...in top gear, at 75-80 mph it is just purring and you can feel it settle into a characteristic sweet spot at 80 mph. If you come up to a parsimonious Sunday bimbler, invariably in a Rover, or a bloody lorry, a grip of the throttle sees you shoot from 80-100 mph in the blink of an eye, crisply, progressively and, above all, easily. Once you have skirted the obstacle you are then free to settle back down into that sweet spot again. Incidentally, if you travel to Wembley ignore the sign that directs you to Jct 16 as this is inexplicable and must be some kind of official prank intended to piss everyone off. I had briefly studied the map the night before and knew the best route was M25 north to Jct 23, then A1 to Hendon for the A406 and then on to Wembley itself...see? no need for bloody Sat Nav...I had a 10 year old map and 3 markers to remember...how easy is that, why spend several hundred quid on a useless bloody gadget! Had we followed the official "advice" we would have found ourselves going right round the M25 from "3 o'clock"at the tunnel, to "9 o'clock" for Jct 16 then being faced with having to cross London on the M4 and all roads through Chiswick etc...nightmare of all bloody jokes...OI TRANSPORT MINISTER SORT IT!!! Once off the M25, the traffic is a 'mare. However, the slim design of our favourite motor means we have the pleasure of quite a narrow motorcycle…the result? A long distance tourer that can handle city congestion…try getting through weekend A1 traffic Mr BMW or Bedpan European rider! We made great progress; so much so that I could feel the slight twitches of Ruby’s knees at the back. Ruby wasn’t used to the Cali’s ability to carve up traffic. We arrived at Wembley so easily, it had taken less than 20 minutes from the M25, and were struck by two things: 1:- How impressive the new stadium is…you can see it for miles. 2:- What a dump the area surrounding the stadium is…we have built this state of the art, impressive edifice and placed it in a place that to call it a shit hole is to play down how bad it is…think Basra or Beirut on a bad day and you are not halfway there. This really is a sad fact but you think of visitors from abroad travelling to this wonderful stadium they have probably seen images of and wondering if they have been demonically transported back to the Vitorian age….oh, this was in daylight…dodgy looking locals have set up impromptu “car parks” and stand in their dirty fluorescent bibs trying to direct you in for “just” £10…I wonder how many found their vehicles intact when they returned…because they would have had to go back there at night…scary! They should have levelled off the whole flipping area and created a vast open green space around the whole stadium, like they have done at the Allianz stadium in Munich where you don’t have to negotiate armies of little urchin gremlins who are so obviously there for the thieving…bastards. Still, no such hassle for us, I had phoned Wembley’s car parking sub contractors during the week…twice…you see, I am a seasoned traveller in Blighty and I know that you need to confirm what somebody in a contact centre tells you…I had done that so no worries for us…or so I thought… When I phoned they told me that yes, it is perfectly fine to bring my motorcycle, go to the green car park, it is right next door to the stadium and costs £5. (You may think that’s a bit steep for a few hours, but do remember you are parking in Beirut so it is a small charge if it means it’ll still be there on your return! The Cali drew many an admiring glance as it weaved its way past all manner of slow cumbersome traffic, including several Harleys that would not have got their front fender through gaps that the Cali tore through. We arrived at the green car park in the shadow of the stadium’s arch to be told by the gormless barrier operative that bikes aren’t allowed in that car park…I need yellow car park he tells me, but I confirmed this on the telephone, twice, I retort…nope, he maintains, it is yellow car park which is right round the stadium to the opposite side. Bugger that I think and spot another member of staff further in with a walkie talkie, he must have more know how as they have entrusted him with a radio so I drive past the first gormless individual…to find another shit-for-brains, who also states that green car park is not for bikes, I need red car park…aaah, red, so the office says green, the chap at the gate says yellow, and this fella’s saying red…excellent stuff, I bet this sort of crap doesn’t happen at the Allianz stadium in Munich! I wasn’t going to take this lying down, I have Latin blood in my veins, and it was beginning to simmer…get your supervisor here please…a piece of my rapidly evaporating mind was given but he informed me it was actually York House where bikes park…he must have been a supervisor because this dude had a headset with his radio, not just an ordinary walkie talkie like his soon to be (hopefully) admonished underling and mister personality at the gate. We find it, park, go to gig, enjoy Muse, ride home…fantastic… the Cali is as good in town or on the open road and, apart from a slightly sore butt from its awful saddle, I am in total admiration of its capabilities…my only wish is that other things were as well thought out and designed as my motorcycle. And if you want to know about Muse, click this link: http://guzzista.wetpaint.com/page/Guzzista+Rock+n'+Roll ...incidentally, one final point, Wembley's pathetic website (looks nice but no useful info) tells you the stadium is a "Public Transport Destination" so leave your shitty cars n stuff at home and follow the utopian dream of new London transport planning...thell that to the thousands of pissed off punters who were told by public announcement that there would be no Metropolitan Line into London...peachy, stranded in Beirut at that time of night with no public transport from a public transport destination hahaha...like I always say...You're better off by Guzzi, to poke fun at the old tube slogan!