belfastguzzi

In that other 24/7 topic, I don't know why I briefly thought that Minister Roper should be made Prime Minister of AustriaLand. That would be terrible, certainly for the good burghers of Sydney and all outlying areas and possibly for the whole world. I suppose there had to be one slight flaw in what was otherwise a perfectly argued post. Clearly the person most fit the task is ADMIN JAAP. Yes, AJ for Prime Minister! Things would be looking up for The World: Arnold Schwarzenegger running California, Admin Jaap ruling Austrailyar... we would just need someone to hold the rest of the globe together, in between those places. Oh I know: Minister Roper for King of All England.

You know I agree with all of that and just to pick out that one sentence above, I've written and said the same so many times now, on forums, to dealers to Piaggio: but somehow, it really doesn't seem to bother people, least of all Piaggio themselves. I can't understand how they maintain this bad business attitude. They have so often said that everything on the web is just lies and rubbish. (That may be because all they look at is the MG site ) Not only is it a fact that many of our bikes wouldn't be running very well or running at all if it wasn't for the incredibly helpful information and help supplied by other enthusiasts around the world; but just from a sensible, selfish business point of view, Guzzi-Piaggio should be monitoring and engaging with what is being said – and so then quickly addressing serious issues that arise. Their opposite approach of showing disdain and contempt for their customers is no use to us – and it is absolutely no help to maintaining a healthy, viable company and brand in 2011, 2012, 2013... If they had half a creative corporate brain, they would be treating people like you as their most treasured ambassadors and backing you to the hilt in every way possible, including ensuring that you become the next PM of AustriaLand, or at least are allowed to sell one or two of their blessed bikes. They really are a monumentally stupid organisation, lost in the Victorian era and preserving a neanderthal outlook on the operations of society and commerce. Can you change them? Unlikely now, as they don't want to change. Can you work for them / with them? I don't know. Can the Guzzi 'community' change them? I think they could, they could certainly try. but that's the odd thing: what I have found in the past year is that by and large the glorious community of Guzziheads aren't really bothered. There are clearly exceptions and for example there are people on this forum who have encouraged and supported me and said they would back an international approach being made to Piaggio-Guzzi, but there has been a more overwhelming response/lack of response, of "don't rock the boat"!!! "I've got a good dealer" "my Cali/Nevada is great, what are you complaining about, I'll never need a new bike" and so on and so on. To some degree, maybe the world of Guzzi owners has got the Company that it deserves? My experience and involvement in no way compares to yours, but there is the same bizarre thing in that in a small, tiny way I have gone out of my way to promote Moto Guzziness and Guzzi ownership. I have spent far more money on buying and running the things than I have ever spent on my family cars and I have tried to galvanise Guzzi people through organising meetings, putting stuff on the web etc. I'm now even the Moto Guzzi Club GB, Northern Ireland Branch! Again, you would think that Piaggio Guzzi would realise that people doing these things are a huge help to the Company, are doing a thousand times more promotional work than the factory itself does. You would think that they would want to encourage us actively enthusiastic folk and build on the benefit that we freely create. Instead they are so dim-witted-short-sighted that they would rather discourage us. Weird Number 1 - We should be treated in a reasonable and proficient way as customers. We just should. Number 2 - The exceptional pride that we owners have in the bikes and in the marque should be seen, prized and used by the Company as a valuable asset. Number 3 - Just because all other bikes, cars and things have problems too, doesn't justify a complacent attitude (in us, if we are enthusiasts – or in the company) and it doesn't mean that Piaggio Guzzi shouldn't be prioritising improvement, particularly in customer service, with all urgency. It does mean that Piaggio Guzzi have got a golden opportunity to stand out as progressive, competent, caring, responsible, even excellent and innovative producers and partners in enthusiasm – when there is such a sea of crap all around. :!: Warning: motorbikes are SERIOUS fun :!:

I do love the way air cooled cylinders ring in the cool crisp air of the morning. 1 That ringing you hear: it's your tinnitus,, brought on by over-exposure to constant clanking, clattering and rattling. Sure anyway, the current Guzzis are half-way to liquid cooled and they've got the monstrous boxy radiator: might as well continue on the whole way. I do love the way air cooled cylinders ring in the cool crisp air of the morning. 2 Ah yes, the familiar ringing sound of a hammer hitting a Guzzi. Start you brute... why won't you go!*%^$?

No need. A piece of paper is all you need. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSSGiA4f5cs

I haven't really been on any Forums for a while. Looking at the Moto Guzzi Club GB forum just now and seeing more of the same old same old that is repeated there endlessly (no-one needs any new models... T3 / Cali is all WE real Guzzisti will ever need...) I found myself impetuously responding to the statement that no Guzzi owner would ever buy an un-necessarily complicated water-cooled MG. I thought I would re-post here, as in fact I'm somewhat surprised that I would now entertain the merits and necessity of a water-cooled Guzzi. Also, I note with interest the other topic about Aprilia sports bikes vs Guzzi sports bike. So here goes. On MGCGB forum: "Would anyone here ever buy a water-cooled Guzzi?" Me: – ahem, Pete if you happen to see this, sorry... no slander of Griso intended: I think you know it's the company that I'm fed-up with, not the bike – edit oh, er... not the company here. The company there, you know...Moto Guzzi Piaggio & Co.

Interesting to see this topic here, given that I came to post something about water-cooled motors! Right, must go back and post it...

2004 does seem to get the best reports and did have quality improvements. Around 2002 was a bad time at the factory and the 2002 bikes do seem to report more problems than others, with bad, wrong-sized parts batches. The Scura (my model) was particularly unfortunate because it also has that ill-designed clutch/flywheel. To my eyes, 2002 looks better. 2004 should be made better.

Axone is in DHL's hands now. Should be in States in a few days, in DH's hands.

Seems I'm not the only one suffering problems with the bike not starting, for no apparent reason. It can occur during a long run when bike is hot and battery is well charged, just as it can happen when bike has been sitting cold. A post from Wild may have the solution. I'll certainly be trying it. I had thought about doubling up the wiring to the starter as a possible fix: this post from Mike Haven will make it easier and gives a plausible cause of the serious, disabling problem. http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=36793.msg553740#msg553740

After more searching on Wild, I found this: http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=36793.msg553740#msg553740 looks like the post that you're referring to? I should really make it a new topic here as it seems to be a problem that is plaguing plenty of other people/bikes. Thanks

Oh great - thanks for that! I'll have a look-see. ----- can't find that link but I'll keep looking

Hi again Pete I've just sent a PM to Dennis and copied it to you. When I connected the Axone yesterday, happily everything read as it should. I found the tappet gaps a very slight smidgeon wide but really nothing significant: certainly not the crazy gaps I found when first using the Axone, as set by the 'service agent'. I did the very small tappet adjustments anyway and then connected the Axone. That all still read the same as after the original fix, is a great relief. Most important is that TPS is 4.6 rather than the 10 that it was running at. Balance gauge also showed that the reset balance has been maintained. It's great to have the motor running better and so much smoother. In terms of the general situation, of course I'm not happy about the damage that was done by the dealer/service agent and I'm not happy that warranty parts have never arrived, but I've written all that off now. The main thing that I would still like a solution to is the non-starting issue. Others at the end-of-May meet witnessed how the starter button often doesn't work. Push the button and nothing happens. Sometimes it will start after a short number of repeated pressings and sometimes not. That's really bad unreliability and uncertainty that I could do without. D

Hi Pete coincidentally (to you posting) I just came on the board now to look for Dennis' address in my message box as I'm going to post the Axpne today: and so I've seen your message. Apart from organising the Guzzi meeting here at the end of May, I haven't been active on any Forum for months and have only very occasionally looked here. I'm not going to start explaining how hectically busy and difficult things have been, but essentially, for whatever reason, time has disappeared and now it's the end of July and I had said to Dennis that I would send the Axone to him at the beginning of June. I had wanted to run through the whole set-up & tuning procedure again after the May event, when I would have had the opportunity to put a little bit of mileage on the bike. I had also hoped that while I had the Axone I could use it to set-up the V11 Scura. However I am just not going to get the work done that is needed to get the V11 repaired and running again. In theory, I am after having the last two weeks off on annual holiday. I had thought that's when I might get the Scura seen to, but although work was closed for the traditional 2 week holiday period here I still had to go in and to travel away to meetings during both those weeks, plus after waiting months, I was called to hospital for a procedure as well. So I haven't yet had a complete week off this year... blah, blah... and already it is almost August. With that being the fact and with the awareness that I'm outrageously late in sending on the Axone, yesterday I took a few hours off work to do a final check of the Griso – tappets and then use the Axone to see the settings while also checking the balance – to then finally box the Axone and get it sent off. I'm very sorry that I held onto it. I am also tremendously pleased to have had it, as it enabled me to get the Griso fixed, given the lack of help and interest from Piaggio/Guzzi that left me on my own with a badly messed-up new bike. (Chasing-up Piaggio is the other thing that I haven't had time/energy to do at all.) I'm going to look for DH's address now (and PM him) and then later today get to the post office. Thanks – I'll write/PM you again soon. D

I spy with my little eye... somebody found my video. Well spotted Trevor, you virtual adventurer you. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13358177&postcount=301

Stay away from the straw JR, stay away from the straw.

and sometimes you're riding so slow you just want to fall asleep in a big bale of straw. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n8BBJoL2Ag&feature=player_embedded

This has been posted before. Today seems an appropriate time to watch again the fantastic Dunlop-Jeffries tussle, with the 47 year old leading the way home. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wStMCth6dwE Today, July 2, marks the 10th anniversary of the King of the Road’s passing. Joey was racing in Tallin, Estonia in 2000 when he lost control of his bike in wet conditions and collided with a tree. He was killed instantly. ‘Yer Man’ was only 48 years old. Dunlop & Jeffries R.I.P.

Moto Guzzi Meet & Ride Tuesday 8pm Co. Down What: Meet with Guzzi enthusiasts When: 6 July 2010 Where: The Whitehorse Inn, 47-55 Main Street, Saintfield Time: 8.00pm Other bikes, particularly V Twins, are welcome Moto Guzzi Monthly Meet There other Guzzis out there: they just seem to be invisible. In May 2009 and again in May 2010, a weekend Moto Guzzi Ulster Meet was organised as an opportunity to meet with others locally and with some enthusiasts from Ireland, Britain and Europe. We would like to get together and arrange more frequent evening, day or weekend rides and events. We’re proposing the first Tuesday of each month. Come along to the first meeting on Tuesday: let’s see what plans emerge and let’s get a summer evening ride out. Dave Boyd email belfastguzzi@me.com tel 07720 404104

Do you want to be contacted about local news and particularly the possibility of a monthly meet? Email me belfastguzzi@me.com Update: I have removed the old list of names from this post. This Tuesday 1st Feb 2011 was the last meet at the Italian Café near Hillsborough. New Venue for monthly meetings First Tuesday of each month at 8.00pm Premier Inn Lisburn 136-144 Hillsborough Road Lisburn BT27 5QY Tel: 02892 627070 Directions: From M1 exit onto A1, Sprucefield Road. Bear left onto Hillsborough Road. At roundabout take 2nd exit and continue along Hillsborough Road for 0.5 miles. Hotel is on the left next to Table Table Pub Restaurant.

The Dorsoduro is one bike that was designed to take the 1200 motor when it becomes available.

Hmmm. A Bogwopit looks out to sea. They are not often captured in photographs, as they often go un-noticed, being mistaken for immobile rocks. I did, myself, get a few photos of one recently. I will post them in a while.

I did indeed put together a little booklet on 'Stone' once upon a time. Photocopied it in black and blue colour. Those were the days when 2 colour photocopiers were a fabulous new innovation. It was distributed to select cognoscenti. If you clamour for a re-issue, I'll see what I can do.

haa