Steve G.

I gotta ask a question at this point this very interesting thread. I'm assuming that you are either employed or co-owner at Moto International Greg. Can I ask where Captain Nemo gets his Moto Guzzi parts for his machine? Ciao, Steve G.

I can't speak for the Sol Cal guys, but I've been priveleged to ride a few times with the Sunday Morning Guys, Golden Gate Bridge to Pt Reyes Station, north of San Fran. Very eye opening experience, very high levels of skill, AND, 0 % held back for those unexpected things we see all the time, like cars backing out of driveways, animals, lawn sprinklers on the road, etc. Hence the high level of injuries, and the high level of police presence. Essentially, except for obvious mechanical differences [Vespa vs ZX10] , it's always the rider skill who decides such situations. A perfect example last weekend, during vintage racing at the local roadrace track. My brother on his thourally shagged CBX, easily kept everyone else [including hopped up Tonti Guzzis] way in the back, 'in the corners', not on the straights, where he purposely shut it down to let them catch up, and once into the tristy bits, left them virtually standing. Everyone should know that the early CBX is probably the worst handling bike of the modern age. Greg should take on Mr. Nemo and his RC 51. That sound like an even match. Ciao, Steve G.

I get the feeling Pete that it is just as important to find a good tire as it is to get a good price, an important consideration. Everyone here should likely concede that there is no such thing these days as a bad tire choice. Even Maxxis [Cheng Chin] makes a tire that works ok. But, clearly some tires mentioned above may be eliminated from your potential list on price alone. Metzeler pricing in this country [Canada] has always been rather silly expensive, and are permantently off my list. Others with sport compound may not be considered by you simply because they're toast a 3500kms or less. I think 3500 kms is totally unacceptable on a street bike, unless your driveway directly enters onto the world greatest hairpin road in the world, where sticky compound tires can be used up properly, rather than flat topping the centre. Having a 175hp ZX14 in the garage may need a stickier compound as well to keep the thing hooked up. However, my buddi'es going through a rear tire every weekend with his 14, and he's ready to start using a sport touring tire. It can get a little silly. As you know, tires are like oil. One mans amber gold is another mans camel drool. Same goes for tires. A bad experience, a good experience, good advertising, bad advertising, it's an inexact line. You will never get one difinitive word from this or any group on what is the best tire "for the money". You will get guys calling a tire best based on road manners/adhesion, but they will if pushed say they accept more tire use. So here's the straight goods on my tires. Bridgestone 020's, with 1/8" chicken strips on the front, and it's good for 18,000kms, and the rear 020, dropped down to a 160/70, gets 12,000kms. Excluding Maxxis, they are about the least expensive tire out there. Ciao, Steve G.

I've noted with my Garmin that the Veglia guage is pretty well spot on with odometer reading, and consistantly 7-8% optimistic on speedometer readings. This is easily understood when you consider the odometer readings are directly linked via cable and gear drive, and the speedometer needle is run by magnetic spinner. Think of it as your built in speeding ticket saviour, should you ride near the edge of that end of things. Ciao, Steve G.

I'm hoping that you guys are just buddies throwing jabs at each other. If that's not the case, I'd be telling Captain Nemo to go take a Flying F$@#. Deep Forest Abandonment Fiasco? Sounds like someone should stick a tire repair kit somewhere. I mean somewhere on the bike!! Ciao, Steve G.

I'm very happy with my Staintunes. It really is a matter of personal taste with regard to the visual appearance. I choose extreme quality and fit, and beautifully polished stainless steel. Others choose carbon fibre matt wrapped metal. Still others go for aluminium. The sound, arguably, from most all of these pipes will be simliar, as will the performance increase. And it seems price varies dramatically. Personally, I am old fashioned, and to me carbon matt, even when clear coated, looks like the underside of a kit car. And check out the stuff after 3-5 yrs, it looks like shite. It racing applications make sense, with the weight reduction issues. But we're talking about a V11 here, come on guys. Ciao, Steve G.

Welcome back Joe. While a Multi strada probably has an advantage in the corners [guaranteed I think] the old air cooled lump M.G. do have a strange draw don't they? Ciao, Steve G.

I can understand heat, and enjoy it. Heat makes me uncomfortable in leathers in a ttraffic jamb, but, BUT, cold actually stings, it hurts, make the muscles contract in defence. Global Warming [sorry guys, I had to say it], BRING IT ON!!!!! Last weekend we rode through our little desert in B.C. here, little towns with the names Keremeos, Penticton, Osoyoos. 44 degrees celcious, which in real temperature guage translates to around 112F. Strangely, it felt ok, as it was typically popcorn dry. Out on the coast where out version of a heat wave is around 34-36C [93-96F], it hits you square in the head with 100% humidity. I'll take the desert heat any day. Tell me Todd, what's the temp around late Sept around San Antonio? I might be riding down on the Guzzi with a buddy then, the company's paying the shot. Ciao, Steve G.

I' will back up the comments above on the FBF tail light kit. The Schumacher LED light included in the kit is very directional, and as a result is difficult to see the brake light come on during daylight, and the running light is impossible to see during daylight. Ciao, Steve G.

Ahhh, this is going to be fun! Believe it! The BMW front end is very confidence inspiring.

Of course, the key to modification is to personalise a machine to your own tastes, keeping in mind that making it easy to return to stock is the smartest way. Not many people want somebody elses personal accent on what a machine should be. If selling a machine becomes an option, it will always become more attractive and worth more money if bone stock. As to the question of a V11 series machine being 'collectible', this is for the crystal ball, but history being a map for the future, the V11 based machines will always be a 2 to 3 star catagory, depending on the trim options it has. 4 star is relegated to such machines as Vincent, Brough, MV, BSA DBD34, etc.......... Not many go there, and no V11 will go there. Modern machinery, well a perfect example is the RC30 [VFR750R] . It is there, BIG time. You guys know where I'm coming from. It's like the stock market, the market rules, and it's that simple! Ciao, Steve G.

I think you are drinking too much coffee. Try single malt, and all will be well. Ciao, Steve G.

General wisdom says that during the spine frame years, around 5000 bikes rolled out of Mandello each year. This includes, all California 'tonti' based bikes, all 750's, and all V11 based spines', and everything else. . Basic arithmetic deduction kind of indicates that 1/2 of these would be spine frames, in all their spin-off trim and color options. In the year that Jim's Rosso and my V11 green were made, 2001, you could say that there were 300 Rosso's, making say 2200 bikes split between green, black, and silver, so 700 or so each. Jim, while you should be justifiably proud of your Rosso's limited status, your Laverda SFC is one of 549, built over I believe 5 yrs. A very special machine indeed. I rode one around Nakusp last weekend, in full race trim as usual, and it's performance and heritage made me weep a bit as I flashed along the Nakusp bypass at near redline in 5th cog. Last year in Los Angeles I asked Pierro Laverda about production numbers on all his bikes. He said production of all models for each calendar year was 100 bikes each model. They upped production to 120 bikes a year with the 1200's. Amazing stuff. Ciao, Steve G.

When will you guys be heading through? Ciao, SteveG.

Perhaps I can clarify. Firstly, Mexicans learned their beer making trade directly from German missionaries spreading their christian thoughts, and alot of their recipies are still direct from recipies used in Germany 200yrs ago, so it may not be accurate to call Mexican beers swill. Secondly, I think I can agree with both of you that most all of North American mass produced beers owe their success not to how good the beer is, but by the marketing geniuses who push the crap. They must use the same marketing firms that are employed by Harley Davidson!! Clearly, if it's Miller, Bud, Shlitz, Molsons, Coors, Kokannee, or Labbatts, it must be served near freezing to be palatable, and under the most basic of recipe guidlines, one cannot even call this stuff beer, no, it's just a malt based sustance. The only difference between the American crap, and the Canadian crap would be that the mass produced Canadian crap started out with a bit more corn sugar, and results in 1% more alcohol. Arguably, ground centre for cottage brewery activity is Portland, Oregon, and it radiates, and rightiously infects areas north east and south. Washington state has very near as experienced a beer palate as Oregon. California is a distant 3rd. B.C. is catching up, but it is mostly in the big hubs, Victoria, Greater Vancouver, Kelowna. Other smaller hubs like Kamloops are learning. Smaller cities and towns still are guided by the taste buds of the classic red-neck. That means drinking beer entails buying a 24 of bud, drinking the whole box with an ordered in plain cheese pizza, and doing it again the next night. Hope this cleared up any confusion. Ciao, Steve G.

Riding from Seattle to Prince George in one day, on a bike, well, you must have a hard ass. Like Rusty said, northbound @9:00am at any crossing will not be an issue at all. The best for speed will be the Pacific Highway crossing [ the "truck crossing"] , as this highway, if you continue to it's northest extent, will link you up to highway #1. From there you can either go west towards Vancouver/Whistler/Pemberton/Lilloett [The motorcycle noted Duffy Lake Road], or, you can go east on Highway#1 and get the hell out of Dodge City. Greg, tell us how much time you are alloting to get to P.G.. If it's 1 day, just get on Highway #1 and book it. If it's more days, then we can offer some real good options. Ciao, Steve G.

I learned from last year that the people who run this event at Laguna Seca are incompetant. Your comment has now back up my claim. They had a year of knowledge of the logistics needed for a "Full House" at this event, and they failed again. For Moto GP, this is the wrong race track at the right location. These machines need a 'big' track, like Road America. I'll not be back. Ciao, Steve G.

I feel there is a very good chance that Mr. Hayden will win this race, and probably the championship. Mr. Rossi is still the best rider on the planet, not many could say otherwise, no matter how your nationality favouritism. Rossi has had a bad spat of mechanical let down from the Yamaha, and a couple of rookies taking him out early in the race. It will be a great race, in spite of the fact that Laguna Seca as a venue has been spoilt slightly by the F.I.M. modifications. That and the fact that these current machines overpower a track like Laguna. Probably only Road America is suited to these machines to let them stretch their legs. Ciao, Steve G.

I've coralled my bike selection down to 5, although I've recently been given the news that I've been willed a bike. Space is the only limiting factor really. If there was a machine out there that I wanted and could budget, I'd have it. Budget has limited at least two machines from being in my garage, at least until the early baby-boomers start dieing, and the price comes down to a more managable level. In case you are wondering, those two machines would be an MV Agusta America, and of course a JAP powered Brough Superior, probably the two most sought after machines on the planet today. Ciao, Steve G.

Where do you get those valve covers Ratchet??? I'd like a set of those! Ciao, Steve G.

A V11 based bike summed up, is a really good bike, from the mid/late eighties. Essentially this is the feel, ride quality, and build quality that was the norm back then. The one difference is the Brembo brakes these machines have, which are very much circa-late 1990's. Don't paint it with a bad brush compared to the new 'post spine frame' bikes. The riding public have yet to give these machines seat time and mileage. I would not be surprised to here of problems arising from usage. Ciao, Steve G.

I had a visit with the other M.G. dealer in these parts. Lets see, they've just spent 5K on M.G. diagnostics computers, have several potemntial owners ready and willing to buy new models, yet, they have been pulled from the dealership slate. But, they do want them to continue as official service outlet. With the representation of Moto Guzzi being run by Scooter Canada Ltd, this is surely starting off at a bad note. Why oh Why can't a company like Moto Guzzi step away from the usual attraction of getting a distributor that has experience in clock radio and toilet distributorship rather than bikes? I can see Moto International is going to get really, really busy!!! Better hire more employees Greg! Ciao, Steve G.

This 'stuck clutch' problem can be an issue with any machine, wet clutch or dry. Once you've determined that the clutch lever is indeed making movement in the slave cylinder behind the clutch, the best way to brake free a clutch is to get out on a straight stretch, pull the clutch in, and gun the engine in 4th or 5th at the same time holding the bike back with both brakes, being at the ready to shut the throttle off once the engine instantly breaks loose, or it will quickly go into red line valve float territory. Because of the V11's power characteristics, you may have to allow the engine to rev up around 5000rpm to break free the clutch. Also be carefull you don't slide the front wheel out on yourself. It is a tricky method, don't try it if you are, well, uncoordinated. Ciao, Steve G.

No, No. This is Ratchethack's difinitive cause of Global Warming. BTW, IMHO. Ciao, Steve G.