Lucky Phil

Yea that sums them up fairly well. Not that I crave or need that sort of thing but I think a BMW is more a "what it can do" type of bike than one that stirs an emotional reaction. The only bike I've ever owned that I had zero desire to fit open mufflers to. A bit like an electric bike you still need to put Gasoline in. I'd probably like it better these days being a bit older and slower. I was a "Sports bike" guy at the time. and the BM was a bit to sedate for me. Ciao

I owned a new BMW R1100S for a while docc. Mine had the optional 5.5" rear rim. Ciao

Well it was between that and the grey silver one which also looks nice. I don't really want black wheel rims. But you know if you change your mind on the colour a brand new painted tank from one of the Indian suppliers that have the best service I've encountered in 18 years on ebay is like 380USD delivered to your door. Yes if you've ever had a hankering to own an old Triumph Bonneville than this bike fits the bill, except smoother, oil tight, reliable and better handling. Ciao

Only 1 from memory. The fuel tank breather and cap recess overflow which are "Y" junctioned together under the tank. I got rid of the thing when I did my V10 Sport build and just tie wrapped the tank breather/overflow hose to the engine breather return line at the bottom of the sump. It's just added weight and hardware you don't need. Ciao

I thought I'd bring everyone up to date on my latest acquisition and modest project. I bought the Interceptor for one purpose really, a hassle free pillion bike. Cheap and cheerful modest power, just something for the wife and I to do cafe jaunts on and ride to our favourite restaurants for lunch or dinner in the summer. I took one for a test ride and was underwhelmed by the power but quite happy with everything else esp the value. Here they are just under $10,000 ( I think in the states they are around $5500 or so) on the road and comprehensive insurance is cheap as well. The things that have been compromised to keep the costs down are things that are easily and cheaply replaceable, so plastic indicators and tail light assy, mirrors, levers etc. I replaced those with aluminium LED units and also did a few zero/low cost workshop stuff to enhance the looks and mitigate the cost cutting. Remember the frame was designed by Harris Performance in England where RE's brand new R&D facility is and their chief tester and developer is Paul Young a very handy ex British Superbike racer so it's got quite good bones. So I removed the std foot lever toe pieces and replaced them with Woodcraft folding units and added lightening slots to the levers. The rear tail light housing and front fork brace was finished in a utilitarian grey paint which was removed back to the alloy and given a satin finish and a coat of clear. The handlebar cross brace which serves zero purpose was ditched and the mufflers replaced which saved around 20lbs and made the 270 deg engine sound like a Ducati. The rear plastic guard extension was shortened as well and a 16 tooth countershaft sprocket to gear it up a bit. It's a nice thing to ride and re acquaints you with how much power you really need or in fact don't need in the real world. The engine is silky smooth with it's 270 deg crank and balance shaft. Valve adjustment is screw and locknut. The efi system is faultless in operation and it even uses the exact same mini relays a V11 does. The brakes are surprisingly adequate and ABS assisted and replacement parts are laughably cheap. I replaced the std seat with a RE accessory unit which is a little taller to give my wife less knee bend. Total cost shipped to my door, around $150usd and 7 days from India! It's quite amusing though in that I'm used to riding bikes that require concentration on the speedo on the road and you often find yourself thinking "That's a bit over where I want to be". Not the RE, it's the opposite. A glance at the speedo is mostly rewarded with a "Oh I can open the taps a little here, lol" It's relaxing and just what I need for a pillion bike. I dont want to be reining in a bike with the wife on the pillion seat. It will perform ok and give adequate overtaking performance but it needs to be ridden harder than you're used to after riding much more powerful machines. Reminds you a lot about how much power you actually use 98% of the time. If you want more, S&S make a drop in 850 kit for them. The forks could use some enhancement but the rear shocks are adequate. The only future mods may be a set of Stainless Steel brushed finish big bore header pipes and forks internals. So with parts for the V11 getting harder to source and for those wanting to keep the Guzzi mileage down and ride an economical to own, cheap to buy twin that's relaxing to ride , I rate the Interceptor. Stock Now Details. Aftermarket mirrors, levers, Yamaha R1 quick action throttle and grips, reworked brake and shift levers, SS reverse cone mufflers, seat, new aluminium indicators and tail light and housing re work. Ciao

There was only ever 3910 Hi Cam models made in total across all the versions so if you are going to own one and put miles on it parts will be an issue. With so few built the aftermarket world will never be interested in re manufacturing stuff either. They aren't really like your traditional Guzzi BB that will do big miles as well. So it's a collectors piece in a sensible world. Bikes like these aren't for the average guy anymore like bevel drive Ducatis. Add up the cost of an engine rebuild on a Bevel drive these days and be sitting down when you get to the total and they built a lot more than 3910 of those. Even if you already own one the nagging worry in the back of your mind will always be parts cost and availability. Personally I'd buy something like a Ducati 1098R if I was after a classic that will appreciate and buy some still readily available spares for it. Ciao

If you can get the C of G and the seat height low enough to get both feet flat on the ground with some knee bend it goes a long way to helping. The amount of times I've seen girls topple over in car parks I've lost count of. I did a magazine 4 way bike test 3 day ride/trip years ago testing the big 4 sports tourers of the day and one of the other riders was a fairly petite woman. Every time we needed to park perpendicular to the gutter/sidewalk we had to give here a hand. She was a competent rider but just too small to handle the walking pace/manoeuvring stuff. Ciao

I think most girls would find the V11 Sport way too heavy for them to manhandle around off the bike and carpark type riding. Mine seems to get heavier every year. Magazine images always look cool but the reality of riding a heavy bike with a fairly high seat height and C of G is another matter. I've known quite a few female riders and racers and I've never seen one of them that looks totally 100% safe on a large capacity sports bike at walking speeds. Ciao

Yea I've bought quite a bit of stuff off Denis (deal_ ricambi) over the years. Good seller. Ciao

Yea, I didn't even consider it wouldn't be the reaction drive but looking at the image at that res it actually makes me think. Ciao

You know what Pete you might be wrong about the reactive arm. The devil is in the detail of course and it's a low res shot if that's your only reference but I wouldn't be surprised if that big round boss on the axis of the bevel box situated on the outboard face of the arm is carrying a through axle and retainer that pivot/rotates in the arm along with the whole round bevel housing and the reaction rod is behind the main body of the arm. Seems surprising they would return to the old pogo system on a new model. Ciao

01466430XX is the base p/n and the last 2 digits are the colour but I don't have the number for black. Red is 65, Grey is 64 and unpainted is 30. There is a new red and grey ones on ebay from TLM in the Netherlands but I could retire on what they want for one if I sold my spare. I may actually have 2 spares, I'll check. Ciao

It's for my own good, I've led a bad life. The universe is punishing me. Could be worse, I could have lived in London in 1940. Ciao

I love the idea that a beautiful design like that sprung from an individual engineering mind. A pair of hands at a drawing board guided by an individual engineeringly brilliant mind created that out of nothing. To me it's creative art and a thing of beauty. Mind you I'm on my second glass of red wine and in a few hours and I might just see it as a heap of old useless shit. Ciao

I think a bit of wee would come out if Pete Roper saw it. Ciao

No Pete rail away, I'm stuck at home, nowhere to go or I'll get arrested:) Ciao

That would send me completely over the edge I think we should all be kinder to each other and be there to comfort, console and support each other through these stressful times. Anyone want to donate me a full restored Ambassador I'd be very comforted by one of those to put around on. Ciao

Same, the std headers from my V11 fitted perfectly to the Centy engine in a v11 frame with the v11 Stucchi cross over, amazingly. Ciao

Yea I don't think Pete and I would be qualified to give the "settle down" talk to anyone on a forum Both too curmudgeonly, happily so I suspect, for me anyway. Ciao