hello from maryport

[sniffipn]

hello, my names david - and i like v-twins.

having said that, for the last few years, i've ridden a z650 (1980) to work each day, unless its icy.



wondering whether to recommission an old guzzi to use this winter, rework the zed a little, or try a firestorm.

so, here to research.

seriously impressed with how the forum is organised - and the amount of info available.

[nigelrb]

Hi Sniffy, and welcome.

Just bought my 1999 'Storm' yesterday. Big change from my Blades and a fun bike to ride.

There are many VTRs available at good prices. Why not grab one and save the Guzzi for best?

[tony.mon]

Storms work well as a commuter, except in city traffic for more than half an hour, I'd say.
They are very easy to use in less than ideal weather, and even in ice and snow they cope.
But when you do get a bit of straight road or a few bends on a dry day they reward you.

They'll overheat in summer in slow or stationary commute traffic, but as they're so slim you can keep moving when most bikes are stuck behind traffic.

[alanfjones1411]

Hello and welcome to the forum.IMO.the most underrated bike made by Honda.

[sniffipn]

There are many VTRs available at good prices. Why not grab one and save the Guzzi for best?
[/quote]
saving for best sounds like a sensible idea. having said that, the zed has been more fun for the use it gets. several winters use have been hard on it, cosmetically. content to enjoy using it, maintain, repair when it breaks, rebuild it when it rusts away. and it would be sad if the tyres got old before wearing out.

i've been watching on ebay for a week or two. nothing local - though north west cumbria is 40 mins from anywhere. if there was something in carlisle, i'd certainly go for a look. newcastle, glasgow and manchester are 2 - 2.5 hours, Liverpool a little further perhaps. sooner or later i'll see something.

they appear good value - and would go on a classic policy.

[sniffipn]

Storms work well as a commuter, except in city traffic for more than half an hour, I'd say.
They are very easy to use in less than ideal weather, and even in ice and snow they cope.
But when you do get a bit of straight road or a few bends on a dry day they reward you.

They'll overheat in summer in slow or stationary commute traffic, but as they're so slim you can keep moving when most bikes are stuck behind traffic.

thats the beauty of cumbria. little traffic. following a tractor and trailer at 30mph for a while - at silage making time is as bad as it gets. other than a caravan or two that is. plenty of alternative roads though.

[sniffipn]

Hello and welcome to the forum.IMO.the most underrated bike made by Honda.

so i now recognize. a delight to see the interest in them.

[sniffipn]

the more threads i look at, the better i see this forum to be. its great

[AMCQ46]

welcome to the forum.

we take a run through Cumbria on both the yorkshire meeting at the start of teh year and on the way up to the Scotland meet that we just had 3 weeks ago.

you might have heard us

[sniffipn]

welcome to the forum.

we take a run through Cumbria on both the yorkshire meeting at the start of teh year and on the way up to the Scotland meet that we just had 3 weeks ago.

you might have heard us

on the m6, or the a66/a5086?

maybe next year, i'll have a vtr to join in for a few miles

[AMCQ46]

For Yorkshire trip we went from Penrith round Ulswater over kirkstone pass and into Windermere. For the Scotland trip we got lazy and went up,the A6, but we got stuck behind a police car from Kendal to Shap, and then from Penrith up they had closed the M6 so we had to ride the white line for the rest of the A6 to Carlisle

[sniffipn]

kirkstone is an interesting ride. so are the other passes. a colleague rides them each year. best done early in the day - to avoid the traffic and mountain bikes.

i like honister in the spring and autumn. Hardknott Pass and then Wrynose Pass can be challenging when it gets busy. some bends are tight and steep. rumour has it that an ex colleague fell off his new bmw there, whilst on a training course. reminds me to have a look on youtube. dont recall the bends looking so bad on peoples videos. maybe i was riding in the wrong direction.

[sirch345]

Welcome aboard David

Chris.

[sniffipn]

Welcome aboard David

Chris.

thanks chris. lots of interest. tech info, inspirational rebuilds, sensible conversations going on - with friendly banter.

[KermitLeFrog]

Have you ridden a VTR yet? Or even bought one? I've not kept up with the posts.