Lucky Phil

They aren't as nice in the flesh docc. One of those bikes that looks better in images than in real life. Looks a bit "weird" in the showroom. The headlight and front fairing style will be a transient thing I think. Triumph have copied it I see. Ciao

I've ridden one. Ciao

Ok red frame is the supposed less stable one. My bike has a slightly longer Wilbers shock and the forks dropped through the triple clamps 8mm and is ok as far as I'm concerned. Ciao

Compared to the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 it has a 120cc larger engine for the same HP, beyond retro 19" front wheel, 27kg extra weight, no slipper clutch, 5 speed gearbox not 6 speed, Japanese bike spare parts costs and it's $3000 dearer on the road. You'd have to be crazy to buy one of these over the Interceptor. Ciao

The "850" on the tank decal of the V7 Special looks pox. The rest of the bike looks nice but having "850" emblazoned on the tank decal is a styling mistake in my mind. It makes it look like the graphics were designed by a scooter stylist. Leave the capacity moniker for the side cover. Maybe it was styled by the moron at Guzzi that did the 1400 tank cutouts. Ciao

They are pretty docc. Ciao

Hence docc my attitude that if the oil manufacturer doesn't have a PDS listing all the additive details then I'm not going to buy their product. The information provided on the container and in a lot of PDS is like a star rating on food or white goods these days. Designed for consumers that don't want to go to the effort of educating themselves on "the details". A marketing persons paradise. Ciao

Also cracked mount is a possibility. Ciao

This the best modern retro bike on the market. Smooth, reliable, excellent quality, and amazing value. This is mine. Ciao Ciao

You can blame the US justice/legal system for that. Castrol and Mobil fought out that battle in the US courts about 35 years ago and Castrol won the argument. Apparently that's how the complex details of oil engineering and chemistry are evaluated and decide upon.......by an old guy in a black gown whose only experience of oil is the stuff he uses on his salad. Ciao

Don't forget that one of the best lubricating oils ever, even compared to modern oils was/is vegetable bases lubricants such as Castrol R. Very difficult to manage even for racing as it was corrosive and needed to be drained after every meeting plus other issues like gum formation but as an actual lubricant it was very good. Ciao

It depends to what extent you can keep the rotating mass down to minimise the secondary vibrations. Of course twin balance shafts these days negate the secondaries as well. Both my cars have twin bear driven balance shafts turning a twice engine rpm. Ciao

Nice work. Engineering plus creativity, if you can combine those then "genius" isn't far away. Ciao

Length Ctr to Ctr 278mm Bolt dia 12mm Bush O/D both ends 25mm so with a around a .6mm radius on the OD edge it's 23.75mm across the flat face. Ciao

Ha I'll show my teenage kids this:) I seriously lack any real artistic creativity in any form though, it's an engineers mind minus the creativity. Oh I have others. The Dale Earnhardt NASCAR Chev and the Ford Mustang engine are both 1/4 scale full metal diecast and too heavy for most shelves and the Ferrari V12 is 1/6 scale. My wife forgives me my lunacy.

I own an Offy engine, well kinda. GMP all metal diecast 1/6 scale. Weighs about 5 lbs. They had their day in the sun.

They tell you almost nothing. I'm not using oil that I can't source the specific details on even if it uses "their own recipe of magic additives" Without full disclosure of the specific details it's all just a marketing exercise. Ciao

Quicker steering, yes, more twitchy depends on what frame your bike has. The long or short frame. An English 2002 bike, not sure. Does it have the additional gearbox support? Ciao

Maxton are a reputable company so why don't they know the dimensions already? I had a Wilbers custom made for my bike and they knew all the dimensions. I can get the dimensions for you tomorrow as I have a std shock in the workshop. You can only go I think it was 10mm longer or you run into drive shaft fwd universal joint contact with the swingarm tunnel issues. Ciao