Save the Racers Tail

[REDHEADBOXER]

Timothy, as we can all see, your taste in cars, bikes and women are just, terrible.... haha Good job brother and GREAT EYES!

Now as for the seat cowl, I will find out who I used to custom make me one for my Thruxton. It's small simple but purposeful.

I am in the process of selling my 2013 Thruxton in favor for a V7 II, SOON! ;-)

 

[timothy st.john]

Bu Freddy,

Nice clean look. I wish my bikes could demonstrate as much personal style a my wives, but our motor cops are too much on the 'code' up hear (they look very closely at my wife, but they don't ticket me for her; maybe I should charge them on those occasions). I had to settle myself with just cutting, contracting and repositioning the stock pieces of my OEM tail light assembly to achieve a lighter effect while still providing light. We have a section in our MVC that uses the language '...as per the manufacturers arrangement.' so its easy for them to ticket us. On another matter, those cans of yours look cool, are they custom?

Timothy St. John

 

[REDHEADBOXER]

Bu Freddy,

Nice clean look. I wish my bikes could demonstrate as much personal style a my wives, but our motor cops are too much on the 'code' up hear (they look very closely at my wife, but they don't ticket me for her; maybe I should charge them on those occasions). I had to settle myself with just cutting, contracting and repositioning the stock pieces of my OEM tail light assembly to achieve a lighter effect while still providing light. We have a section in our MVC that uses the language '...as per the manufacturers arrangement.' so its easy for them to ticket us. On another matter, those cans of yours look cool, are they custom?

Timothy St. John

Hi Timothy,

The cans on my bike are Hyde Harrier from England and the rear seat section is from MAS Engineering. I hope this helps...

 

[timothy st.john]

Hello everyone,

After seeing the pictures I took (poor as they are), I realized that Guzzi got something else correct: the Guzzi knee pads I threw on the bike, and forgot about, don't belong.

I actually purchased all the upgrade parts while waiting for the bike to arrive, as a way to settle my impatience and participate in the hobby. But I now see that they commit an injustice against the aesthetic 'potential' of the design.

Sure, they trigger nostalgia for other smaller Japanese bikes from the 60's, whose basic chromed tanks won style by them, but they too much disturb the pregnant lines of this tank (which is a Guzzi trait); especially in the chrome.

All matters of 'apparent subjectivity are invented by blending elements of seperate objective realities. (If anyone requests it, I will post a syllogism of objectivity* which refutes [philosophically] all subjectivity in a seperate thread.)

Timothy St. John

*This is a powerful tool for eliminating buyers remorse.

 

[mwrenn]

I'll would be glad to purchase those unsightly knee pads from you, if you choose to remove them. I have been coveting a set for my red and black fuel tank.
Cheers!

 

[timothy st.john]

Hello again,

They are already off! They came off clean and unmarred, because this bike has yet to see the light of single days riding (and probably because they were put on a chromed/metal gas tank in a unheated garage in December).

Thats good news for you too, because I'm sure you will want to take them off eventually too; then you can pass them on to someone else to make the same discovery. A few days in the sunshine will probably secure them more deliberately though; especially to paint on a plastic tank.

Be advised that they won't, as is their intended purpose, aid 'rider grip' under heavy breaking, because pads that are this heavily grained or textured, greatly reduce rider contact area; that defeats the purpose of 'friction' grips. The fact that they are rubber isn't as important as the size of the contact patch; its simple physics.

They are cosmetic in intent, otherwise they would be softer and smoother. That being said, I'm sure something can be arranged, but I'm not at home for the next few days. If I don't get back to you, give me and e-nudge, to refresh me to my obligation.

Timothy St. John

 

[pokeyjoe]

Be advised that they won't, as is their intended purpose, aid 'rider grip' under heavy breaking, because pads that are this heavily grained or textured, greatly reduce rider contact area; that defeats the purpose of 'friction' grips. The fact that they are rubber isn't as important as the size of the contact patch; its simple physics.

They are cosmetic in intent, otherwise they would be softer and smoother. That being said, I'm sure something can be arranged, but I'm not at home for the next few days. If I don't get back to you, give me and e-nudge, to refresh me to my obligation.

Timothy St. John

I found them to be quite valued during heavy cornering, not braking. Confidence-inspiring, if you will. Function over form. I think, at some point, you will find that some modifications make the bike a better tool and less of a more attractive piece of art.

 

[timothy st.john]

Hi everyone,

My wife might be young, but I've been riding for 35 years, and never seen anyone use knee pads at the track or in a race. I think, at some point, you will find that false confidence is of little use when the physics of an actual emergency determines that it is time. (Personally, I'm not in the seat during heavy cornering.)

I believe that these pads are dangerous (if you expect anything more than style from them), because they encourage casual riders (who believe in them) to sit heavy in the saddle to poor effect. By mechanism of pulling at your clothing, they instil the false confidence that you are more connected to the bike than you are.

Riding is active work. If riders labor a bike with their dead weight, as it were a mobile arm chair, and live to tell the tale, they've been lucky. I think I ride well because I started on horses. Like a jockey, I think of myself as a passenger, placing and positioning myself on something that needs to be free to work properly.

In short, you don't become a part of the bike; or worse, the other way around. Actually, its also a myth that you could use your adductor muscles (inside thighs) to keep you on the bike under extreme condition, when in truth, you don't really have suffiicient strength to do so even at nominal speeds.

You'll notice that race bikes have deep knee pockets in the tank instead. They actually do help the rider resist the authority of Newton's second law when braking. Racers balance by moving, not locking on. They minimize seating to reduce friction, and encourage slip on the bike to make it easier to position themselves.

That being said, these days I usually have a suit, tie, dress-shoes and a messenger bag on when puttering around town (I fear the rubber will abrade my silk pants). I have another bike for track use, but I seldom go anymore. Thats what riding is for me these days. I'll leave the seat of the pants stuff to the weekend warriors.

So, how's that for setting the bar? Some education and some entertainment, in consideration of public posting (no philosophy though, in sympathy of its generally poor receipt in this forum). Did you get what you expected from me; more importantly, did you actually expect what you got, as you suggested you would. I wouldn't want to disappoint. Cheers my friends!

Timothy St. John

 

[timothy st.john]

Hi again,

My comments on riding technique don't of course apply to those of you that ride heavy bikes. The physics of those numbers aren't so much affected by the fly weight of a man thrashing about on top of the bike; especially at speed where the bike barely even acknowledges your efforts. I don't have to tell you that the best of you ride police style; and brilliantly I might add. Its just that its less advantageous to do it on a small bike, which the V7 is. Even though these threads are in the V7 area, I must apologize for my over-generalization as many of you ride multiple bikes. I wonder then, do you change your style with your bike?

Timothy St. John

 

[mwrenn]

Hi again,

My comments on riding technique don't of course apply to those of you that ride heavy bikes. The physics of those numbers aren't so much affected by the fly weight of a man thrashing about on top of the bike; especially at speed where the bike barely even acknowledges your efforts. I don't have to tell you that the best of you ride police style; and brilliantly I might add. Its just that its less advantageous to do it on a small bike, which the V7 is. Even though these threads are in the V7 area, I must apologize for my over-generalization as many of you ride multiple bikes. I wonder then, do you change your style with your bike?

Timothy St. John

I do. I don't ride the XR500 like I do the Guzzi. Oh yes, about the knee pads, I am putting them on to keep from scratching the paint on my tank. I never really considered any other function for them. Lol

 

[Mozz]

I never realised changing something to to your own taste was so complicated no wonder my head hurts. I didn't take my racer tail off out of embarrassment I took it off because I think it looks better to me without it. Maybe I just don't put enough thought into what I do but like Forrest Gump said I'm not a smart man but I know what love is. And if I love something I don't change it and if I don't love it I change it and that's all I have to say about that.

 

[timothy st.john]

Not complicated, just a joy to invest in. For what it's worth, I have had chronic headaches since I was 6; I now teach philosophy. You do the math.

Glad to hear that you know your physics, and ride accordingly. I bought a Harley 'Heritage Soft-tail Nostalgia new in 93, but couldn't stay still and seat the bike. Fortunately I sold it a year later for several thousand more than I'd paid.

Saving the aesthetic of your painted tanks makes good sense. The chrome of the Racer tank is pretty sturdy compared to paint, so I'm going bareback.

Thanks for posting!

Timothy St. John

 

[Mozz]

I did the math and by coincidence I come up with 7.

 

[timothy st.john]

Hi Mozz,

I envy you that. For my part, that's the number of days in a week that I have a headache of one form or another. Enjoy your bliss; I wish I could.

Timothy St. John

 

[Mozz]

You should move here to Queensland where you can ride every day all year round to help get rid of your headache. But back to the number plate it's not the number I don't like its the plate itself. To me with it removed it gives the bike a more open look I think. I much prefer the plate with the black back ground and withe number the White back ground to doesn't suit the bike. But what I've wanted to do since first getting the bike is get another tail and cut the number plate out and mould it to one nice smooth round shape if you know what I mean and put the number on that because I still like the look of the tail.

 

[timothy st.john]

Hi!

I get you. Some of the tail tidies clean it up nicely. But I've done the sport bike thing, and still have a naked back-end on my Ducati Panigale.

I actually fell into the trap, and started thinking sport bikey, clean and naked, for this bike, and then realized what I was doing.

So I am forcing myself to be more racer retro as I think Guzzi intended. Removing the stock fender was as far as I was willing to go.

Timothy St. John

P.S. Thanks for your concerns about my headaches. In a different life, I was offered a solo position in paradise, with the Symphony in Auckland, but my 1st wife wouldn't move.

 

[Carl Allison]

I had a 2012 Racer for a while and rode it to a weekend bike thing in Phoenix that had a number of bike businesses involved. An HD guy walked over to the bike and all he could see was the chrome tank. If there was any other part of a motorcycle there, he didn't notice it at all, not even to diss it like some alternate v-twin owners do. I traded a V7 Cafe in for that Racer although I actually preferred the green bike, I wanted to move up to the better engine. Now - I have health issues and can never ride a bike with clip-ons again so the Racer is gone. My Sport 1100i is gone and now MG has finally brought the Racer out with the green tank. It's just not fair I tell ya. Sigh...

 

[timothy st.john]

Sorry to here about your health issues. I hope they are to be preferred over the possible things that could go wrong, and which other people suffer horrible torment with.

I think you should buy yourself the green bike, replace the clip-ons with standard bars, and ride yourself to relief if you can. You are right to sigh: only a God with a sense of humor could account for this much irony in the world (and I say that as an areligious pantheist).

Timothy St. John

 

[GTM®]

Sorry to hear this Carl, bummer. The Stone bars and pegs are a really easy swap. I have them on the RentAGuzzi V7R at the moment, and no one has yet requested the clip-ons and rear-sets since I swapped them out. You should buy the Verde Legnano SE. Life is short.

 

[timothy st.john]

I'll would be glad to purchase those unsightly knee pads from you, if you choose to remove them. I have been coveting a set for my red and black fuel tank.
Cheers!

Hi!

I'm home again. You are welcome to the knee pads if you still want them. Give me a mailing address, and I'll send them to you.

Timothy St. John