My new (old) bike

[K2-K6]

If it's an alloy one they do get a bit "moth eaten" from salt so it may have been corrosion that got to it. Worth spraying with your favourite wd40 type stuff down into the matrix of a clean one periodically.

For engine braking,  you may want to turn the tick over up to as much as you can stand as it softens that shut off throttle effect quite a bit. Not talking about much but maybe to 1100rpm or so so it's still below road speed and doesn't try to push when you're braking.
My mate runs a 916 and that has a little mechanical switch on the twistgrip that sets a higher tickover so you can turn on and off to suit.

I like your Guzzi description mick, nothing like hooting the horn to attract attention to yourself when you're making a dogs dinner of something.

[MarkCR750]

Thanks K2 good point about salt, I hadn't considered that, I'm getting used to the engine braking now, I'll try your suggestion though,  currently tickover is 1k and very even, duff,duff,duff,duff!, lovely sound, but I'll try 1.1k cheers Mark.
PS the above sound is with the clutch in of course, with it out it's more , duff, clank, duff, clatter, duff clank 😄.

[Green1]

WD40 and or ACF50 is your best friend when you go Italian 

Funny you mention tooting the hooting horn. This morning I was going up market hill in maldon in heavy traffic at around 2mph slipping the clutch and blipping the throttle drawing plenty of attention to myself. When I got to the top I tooted the car in front instead of indicating and promply got an earfull I CAN'T GO ANY FASTER YOU someting something by this point I had drowned then out with the dry clutch 

[MarkCR750]

Almost 1k miles covered now, hasn't missed a beat, starts first touch of the button , Italian bikes unreliable?, Pah!, why you'd be lucky to get a SOHC as well behaved as this! (Leaps behind sofa, ARP helmet on, waits for incoming!) 😄.

[Green1]

Mines not unreliable just a pain to fix   

[hairygit]

Mines not unreliable just a pain to fix   

And expensive, often with a very long wait for parts!

[MarkCR750]

Mines not unreliable just a pain to fix   

And expensive, often with a very long wait for parts!

Well you know what they say HG, you get what you pay for and the best things in life are worth waiting for! 😄

[hairygit]

No! A fool and his money soon go separate ways!

[MarkCR750]

So that's why I'm so broke! 😄

[MarkCR750]

Done about 1300 miles now, clutch slave cylinder has sprung a leak, got a new seal to fit tomorrow, £3.41, front fairing subframe broke the other night, my local ducati specialist had a NOS one, sold it to me for £50, then he double checked the part number on his laptop and saw they are £458, he honoured the deal though , top bloke😄

[hairygit]

What can I say, as a ducati person he's probably used to losing money hand over fist! (Couldn't resist that! )

[MarkCR750]

Ha, to add insult to injury I only had £45 on me so I owe him a fiver 😄

[MarkCR750]

Just got back from one of those life affirming rides, perfect weather, bike running beautifully , it even seems to have developed the SR tingle!
(You'll need to be quite old to understand the SR bit, old toothpaste advert)

[MarkCR750]

.

[JamesH]

Ha ha the SR tingle. Nice one, I really should get out on mine ....!