Lucky Phil

Ha, they need some post WW2 reconstruction determination. Ten years to rebuild a bridge! Sounds like us. We have determined it's going to take 40 years to build a high speed rail line between Brisbane and Melbourne. Meanwhile the Chinese are constructing 1400klm/month of HSR! I was reflecting on this a month ago as the Frecciarossa whisked us between Rome and Milano at 300kph in quiet comfort. Phil

Exactly. We just spent 4 nights at the Sheraton in Mestre. 5 min walk to a bunch of restaurants a shopping centre and the Ospedale train station and 3 stops to Venezia. It's my usual MO for foreign travel. Stay on the fringes, save a ton of money and utilise the local transit systems. I normally wouldn't stay at a Sheraton but in this case it was a very good move. Phil

It closed years ago doc. In fact so long ago I read Dave Richardson autobiography “my life in bikes” and author of Guzziology and the guy that ran the place for over 20 years about 4 years ago. If you are a true Guzzi fan and esp a US Guzzi fan it’s a must read. phil

Yes it sometimes detaches from the filter on removal and sticks to the filter mount and you end up with double gaskets which don’t seal correctly. It’s possibly caused by overtightening the filter. For some reason people think because they can’t see the filter externally on the engine they need to over torque it. The other reason may be filter design which allows overtorquing and distortion of the seal. A lot of filters these days will bottom out if overtorqued so the gasket doesn’t distort to the point of leaking. phil

What you want is a group 4 full (proper) synthetic oil with the lowest cold number you can get for good flow at start up but with the narrowest viscosity spread for minimal VI improvers. So for the old BB 2 valve engine a 0W-40 such as Mobil1 0W-40 or a full synth 10W-40. The M1 spread is on the limit but I ran it for years without issue and you might need to change it slightly more regularly but it’s a great oil. The M1 also has enough zink for the lifters as well. Too much zink is a bad thing and actually leads to greater engine wear. A case of too much of a good thing. Even in a moderate climate you want the lowest cold number you can get while keeping the viscosity spread within reason. My Daytona engine runs 10W-60 which is a bit to much spread but that engines has “special needs” phil

The above the clamp risers are actually slightly higher and vibrate less. Phil

They look like std early model swan neck risers to me. Before they went to the later above the top triple clamp style. I had them on my 2000 red frame bike before I switched to the longer 43mm forks and later triple clamps with the canted stem and top triple with the clip on mount holes as shown. Phil

Incredibly? This is how I normally remove tank decals and pretty much any decal. Warm it with a heat gun before attempting removal. If you're too scared of a heat gun you can also use boiled water. The heat gun is easy and safe though, wave the gun over the decal and use your fingers to repeatedly check the surface temp of the decal. Hand hot is around 50-60 deg C and thats enough to soften the glue and 50-60 C won't hurt any painted or plastic surface. The other popular method these days that professionals use to remove automotive PPE is a steam gun. Same as those ones you can buy for home use to clean tiles etc. Fast and safe. I've not used the steam gun method myself but seen it done and it's more forgiving than a heat gun if you're not the type that can concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time. Phil

This https://www.amazon.it/Cancellare-Adattatore-rimozione-Professionale-pellicole/dp/B08BG3D9Y3/ref=asc_df_B08BG3D9Y3/?tag=googshopit-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=701213345730&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5995203386749263621&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9218491&hvtargid=pla-925105828522&mcid=4f1e119a2e33385b94bfaabb262910d8&gad_source=1&language=en_GB&th=1

There are just some things you don't do Mick. It's a thing. Phil

Took a trip to the iconic Imola race track yesterday. Not able to get on the track unfortunately but we took a stroll around about half the circuit. Visited the Ayrton Senna memorial at the Tamberello corner where he died 30 years ago. More significantly to me it's where Paul Smart on a Ducati L twin beat Ago on an MV Agusta at the Imola 200 in 1972 and put himself and Ducati on the motorcycle racing world map. My best friend was actually at that meeting to see history made. Apparently it was a typical Italian race of the time...Ago took off and they then dropped the flag to get it underway:) After that we called in at the local supermercato for some groceries. You can't carry much in the way of shopping in one of these.

Travelled from Rome to Milano on this beast a few weeks ago now. The Frecciarossa (red arrow) went business class and it ate up the journey at 280klm/hour. Five hundred klms in 3 hours. The Italians like fast stuff. In contrast the same journey here in Australia takes, well forever. Over 9 hours because we are too hopeless to built a train network with speeds over about 100kph. Aussies, we are good at 2 things, sport and leisure. High Tech? not so much. Phil

Like this Pete.

Unless it's had the roller cam/tappet retro fit. Lots did have as Guzzi offered kits. Pete Roper will be along shortly and know the details but you can visit the Grissogetto forum and there will be a ton of late model 8 valve cam and tappet detailed info including from Pete.

Up to mid 2013 from memory. Any engine that has flat tappets, ie non roller tappet engines will fail it's just a matter of when. In the short term or medium term. Phil

Visited Mugello race track yesterday and just my luck there was a ride day on. These guys are pretty serious about their ride days as the paddock images show and the action on the track was take no prisoners as well. Go hard or go home pretty much. No fast, medium and slow group stuff here. Paid 10euros for the wife and I to get into the pits and got trackside on the pit wall and took some videos which are too big to upload apparently. Mugello is the track where the MotoGP boys hit 366kph on the straight. At the end of the straight there is a rise and a kink not a million miles away from the kink and rise at Laguna Seca on the straight except here the GP boys are cranking out 366kph and also setting the bike up for the braking zone and turn in point for turn 1 without being able to see either because of the rise. It's not that apparent on the TV but trackside it's quite distinct as is the undulating nature of the rest of the track. Back maybe 10 years ago Rossi's Yamaha blew up here as it wheel spun over the rise every lap over revving the engine until it called enough. Yamaha had to reduce the max rpm to compensate at this track for a year or two till they got the engine management stuff sorted. No Guzzi presence at all, not hard enough. Phil

Oh good, glad I didn't fly half way around the world to miss great weather at home. The weather here is perfect. Yesterday evening we sat outside in the 24 degree sunny day, drank vino and listened to the steady stream of sports bikes going past on the very windy road past and below the villa. After we ate a simple meal we prepared ourselves with pomodoro, Mozzarella, basil and Bresaola. The Pomodoro and Basil were home grown and given to us by our hosts. The road surfaces here are perfectly smooth and grippy. Relaxation day today with a tour around the local area and a visit to the Mugello track. Only issue is I really don't want to leave. Phil