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Hi all, hope your keeping safe in these terrible times. I fitted my new shift spring yesterday , thanks to scud and all involved in getting these made. Thanks also to everyone posting advice on how to fit it. I read it all .and it was a good lockdown job to do while we cant ride. Cheers flooky

I had an "essential" reason to leave my home and go to the post office for work today, so I mailed out several springs. If you've sent me money in the last month, during California's Corona-virus Clampdown, your springs are on the way.

Moto Guzzi should be so lucky to get a John Bloor.

Why do the silver bike photograph so well. Beautiful light you've caught there docc. Ciao

Anytime I ponder how big and heavy the Sport might be , I try to get a little perspective . . .

Actually, I have to admit something. My clutch isn't entirely V11 twin-plate. Because when I did the mod, I could not source a V11 twin-plate flywheel. Here is what I did: - Aftermarket steel V10 Centauro flywheel - Lemans starter gear (I think the latest Lemans before the V11, but unsure. It was a used part) - All other parts V11 twin clutch (new) except for the intermediate plate (used, but V11). To make this fit I used 8mm/m6 guide bolts (starter gear was M8, flywheel M6). The reason I hook onto this thread with my remark about the absence of rattle, is that my clutch engages late. I mean really late. I suspected the pushrod, but lately found out that is not the issue. So I suspect my modified clutch (now has 10.000km of experience) is a bit too loose when engaged (i.e. plates compressed). For this I suspect two possible causes: - Weak springs, I may have to go to either alternating weak+strong, or 8x strong. - Too much room in the clutch due to the combination of parts not being standard... I have the feeling my clutch will maybe last another 5-10k km. When it starts to slip, I will have to go and investigate....

Sadly, some say the 90's Hinkley Triumphs were the best in that they were over engineered as they had to succeed or the project would have foundered. They were also modular bikes so bits could be swopped around, knowledge of them grew and used spares easy. The later bikes come under the Accountants scrutiny with all the slack taken out. Regular model changes mean they are now just another bike, but importantly from a viable company. I do wish John Bloor had the confidence to start the company under a new name without the recycled old Triumph models. By now it would still be successful and not have the stigma some give it as an old fashioned product. They also need to build entry level bikes so youngsters who have never heard of Triumph can develop a brand loyalty.

Hammershaug- Hei, hvordan har du det? (That’s about all i can remember from what little my father taught me, other than a few other random, useless phrases having to do with cows or nails.... :->) i assume it goes without saying, but all of us that are passionate about our machines tend to “dig in” on these topics. To me, just another person with an opinion, its clear that it just depends on how you use the bike. If you want it to run best, hard to imagine going away from the stock intake. But then if you really want a bike that runs perfect, buy a Honda.... if its a machine that you have for a “Sunday ride”, and just makes you happy to ride now and then on a sunny day and as somewhat of a show piece, then the pods do look better imho. My experience so far over the years with non-stock air boxes has been about 99% negative, and sometimes very negative, with the only arguable success being on dirt bikes with single carbs, and where i spent a lot of time fiddling with jetting to get a final improvement. But we have to admit that most of us love the aesthetic of the V11, and I’ve got one friend with a greenie who installed pods, and while he does have odd & endless tuning challenges, heck, most of us have some of that, and ultimately his runs fine and looks great.

Thanks for that footloose , just the KTM and the v11 , the others were bikes that caught my eye around town. A lot of serious knowledge in this group, I look forward to checking in from time to time !

the links are clickable TJ, and with a few extra pics at the ready, and enlargeable. any of the other bikes yours? Welcome btw

Yes,without doubt. Thats the worst I've ever seen, apart from the one that ripped all the fingers off the basket and scattered them to the 4 winds. Ciao

I've never seen an automotive clutch that appreciates being disengaged when its not absolutely necessary. Ciao

That is such superb explanation. What has always led me askew is the use of the term "engaged" (versus "disengaged"). Must agree with footgoose on this: "engaging" the control lever disengages the clutch (and twin plates with intermediate plate rattles and will beat hell out of the gearbox input hub). Lever out in neutral (or underway) and the clutch plates are all "engaged" with no rattle, no hub damage. Can we agree that the clutch, itself, is "engaged" when the lever is out and all of the clutch components are gathered together by the spring pressure? As highlighted above, I would suggest, "Pulling in the clutch lever disengages the clutch, itself." And this, Chuck, "Bump it into neutral and release the lever as much as possible. That will reduce wear of the flywheel, clutch splines, and transmission input splines." is true wisdom. For some of us, hard won . . .

Yes Chuck, that's a good description. My clutch rattles pretty much like a Ducati at idle. When I start it up and its rattling if I "flick" the clutch lever (pull it in and snap it back sharply) it quietens it down about 75 percent as the plates re orientate themselves at opposite sides of the splines. Stays relatively quiet until I pull it in again and hold it or ride it and they both align again on the one side of the spline due to friction and load. I'll let you know what a single plater sounds like when I get the new engine running. If knumbnutz bike has a silent twin plate clutch then it should be in the Guzzi museum:) Ciao

thanks for 'splaining that Chuck. Just to clarify my definition of 'engaged' .. I mean the clutch plates are engaged, as when the hand lever is let out. Tinus, I missed the mark twice with your bike. I'm just wanting to remind all concerned of the unique differences in the RM. Not sure what to say re: your rattle. My dual plater is fairly quiet at idle. I do hear a bit of clatter, like in knubnutz's video, but the real 'rattle' comes when I pull in the lever. Not Ducati level rattle, just clearly more. I experience the reverse with my single plater.

That would make me worry . . .

Yeah, i read a lot of people say that. I never rode my sport long enough to know what it rode like before I modified it ie: I didnt even ride more than 5mins before I hit diesel and wound up in hospital then got it on the road 12months later in a modified state. So I had no reference point of how well it worked or fuelled or how much power. After getting it going again, maybe a month or two afterwards, Scud came to visit and I asked how does it compare. It was probably how to tell, because the suspension really needed work as I had a new shock not setup and at least 10+kg lighter, but he said it was probably same, maybe slightly better. Scud seemed to love my duke at the time, the seat was certainly more comfortable than the first iteration of my V11 seat! The friend who I bought my V11 off, also has a Coppa Italia and he thought it was much better than before and slightly better than the Coppa. But recently I bought a Cafe Sport with Ti pipes, tuned ecu from Cliff Jefferies and its otherwise in standard form and I gave it a service when I got it. This confirmed to me riding the two side by side that my bike is more responsive and made more power even with a slight lag from 2Krpm to 3Krpm (running rich).Then I put the Meinholf map in which took away the lag and added lower and midrange power. So to answer a couple of questions that havent been asked, I made velocity stacks that the filters sit on, the filters don't go directly on the intake side of the throttle bodies and I suspect that this is likely why people say the engines don't like pod filters. If they are bolted straight on, sure, it won't be good. Also, yes, the pods are huge on mine because the mouth of the pod fits over the velocity stack. So it has a huge space inside and a huge surface area - would be greater than the original airfilter - to pull air from. No if you were to use pod filters which just fit over the intake side of the throttle bodies, then both the internal pod space and the filter surface area would be greatly different to my setup, not to mention no velocity stack. If there is any downside to running pods and velocity stacks over the airbox, then I'm yet to see it.

In remodeling my garage I wanted to hang some "garage art." One of the pieces I wanted was a 24 x 36 poster of the original design for the V11 LeMans submitted to Moto Guzzi from Marabese Designs. It is discussed on page 2 of this topic. Here is how I created one for under $50. Brian Boles is hosting the 250 mb file. 250 mb is 24 x 36 at 300 dpi. 300 dpi is magazine quality. Click on this link and download the file to a zip drive. http://www.brianboles.org/img/Stuff/V11_Proposal.tiff I took the zip drive to Staples who printed a 24 x 36 poster for $29.95 To frame it I went to WalMart and bought the $10 frame kit. It contains everything you need. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-24x36-Thin-Poster-and-Picture-Frame-Black/883237 The whole project took an afternoon. My wife thinks it looks good enough to bring in the house. (see below.) Mike

I was chatting with friends about this amazing chronicle and stumbled across start-to-finish imges that are fun to juxtapose and ponder . . . Thanks, again, LuckyPhil!

Gio, that’s a great looking V11. Did you paint or have the valve covers and the alternator cover painted? If so, and regarding paint codes, was it hard to match the red of the frame and pork chops? I often stare at my bike and think how cool it would be to match the red to the the rims and various covers.

The wife's birthday is coming up I thought I'd treat her to a V11.

For the bright sparks amongst us. One night when his charge was at full capacity, Micro Farad decided to get a cute little coil to discharge him. He picked up Millie Amp and took her for a ride on his megacycle. They rode across the wheat stone bridge, around the sine wave, and into the magnetic field next to the flowing current. Micro Farad, attracted by Millie's characteristic curve, soon had her field fully excited. He laid her on the ground potential, raised her frequency, lowered her resistance, and pulled out his high voltage probe. He inserted it in parallel and began to short circuit her shunt. Fully excited, Millie cried out, "ohm, ohm, give me mho". With his tube at maximum output and her coil vibrating from the current flow, her shunt soon reached maximum heat. The excessive current had shorted her shunt, and Micro's capacity was rapidly discharged, and every electron was drained off. They fluxed all night, tried various connections and hookings until his bar magnet had lost all of its strength, and he could no longer generate enough voltage to sustain his collapsing field. With his battery fully discharged, Micro was unable to excite his tickler, so they ended up reversing polarity and blowing each other's fuses.

Paddy is sitting on a train across from a busty blonde wearing a tiny mini skirt. Despite his efforts, he is unable to stop staring at the top of her thighs. To his delight, he realizes she has gone without underwear. The blonde realizes he is staring and inquires, "Are you looking at my vagina?" "Yes, I'm sorry," Paddy replies and promises to avert his eyes. "It's quite all right," replies the woman, "It's very talented, watch this, I'll make it blow a kiss to you." Sure enough the vagina blows him a kiss. Paddy, who is completely absorbed, inquires what else the wonder vagina can do. "I can also make it wink," says the woman. Paddy stares in amazement as the vagina winks at him. "Come and sit next to me," suggests the woman, patting the seat. Paddy moves over and she smiles and asks, "Would you like to stick a couple of fingers in?" Stunned, Paddy replies, "You’re kidding—you mean it can whistle, too?”

In the year 2013, the Lord came unto Noah, Who was now living in America and said: "Once again, the earth has become wicked and over-populated, and I see the en...d of all flesh before me." "Build another Ark and save 2 of every living thing along with a few good humans." He gave Noah the blueprints, saying: "You have 6 months to build theArk before I will start the unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights." Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard - but no Ark."Noah!," He roared, "I'm about to start the rain! Where is the Ark?" "Forgive me, Lord," begged Noah, "but things have changed." "I needed a Building Permit." "I've been arguing with the Boat Inspector about the need for a sprinkler system." "My homeowners association claim that I've violated the Neighborhood by-laws by building the Ark in my back yard and exceeding the height limitations. We had to go to the local Planning Committee for a decision." "Then the City Council and the Electricity Company demanded a shed load of money for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions, to clear the passage for the Ark's move to the sea. I told them that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear none of it." "Getting the wood was another problem. There's a ban on cutting local trees in order to save the Greater Spotted Barn Owl." "I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls - but no go!" "When I started gathering the animals, PETA took me to court. They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their will. They argued the accommodations were too restrictive and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space." "Then the Environmental Protection Agency ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until they'd conducted an environmental impact study on Your proposed flood." "I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on how many minorities I'm supposed to hire for my building crew." "The Immigration Dept. Is checking the visa status of most of the people who want to work." "The labor unions say I can't use my sons. They insist I have to hire only union workers with ark-building experience." "To make matters worse, the IRS seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species." "So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least 10 years for me to finish this ark." "Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine and a rainbow stretched across the sky." Noah looked up in wonder and asked, "You mean you're not going to destroy the world?" "No," said the Lord. " The Government beat me to it."

The Wine Taster At a wine merchants the regular taster died and the director started looking for a new one to hire. A drunkard with a ragged, dirty look came to apply for the position. The director of the factory wondered how to send him away. They gave him a glass to drink. He tried it and said,"It's a Muscat , three Years old, grown on a north slope,matured in steel containers". Low grade but acceptable. "That's correct", said the boss. Another glass.... "It's a cabernet, eight years old, a south-western slope,oak barrels, matured at 8 degrees. Requires three more years for finest results.." "Correct." A third glass... ''It's a pinot blanc champagne, high grade and exclusive'' calmly said the drunk. The director was astonished He winked at his secretary to suggest something. She left the room, and came back in with a glass of urine The alcoholic tried it. "It's a blonde, 26 years old, three months pregnant and if you don't give me the job, I'll name the father."

I have a great deal of respect for what bloor did creating triumph from scratch. A few more like him and less entrepreneurs would make a better economy I think. I suspect you would be right, I hope so anyway. I owned 3 Triumphs in the 90's. The first was the original Speed Tripple which was a heavy thing and fairly basic engineering but decent quality as was required for launching a new company so I was pretty happy with it. The second 2 were the new Daytonas with the alloy frame from a few years later and quite frankly they were horrible. Both mine had to have the frames replaced, not for the well known failure of the clear finish but for other issues. The first one had a big ugly angle grinder scar across the frame in a really visible spot where the guy dressing the welds before the frame was painted slipped and marred it badly. Should never have made it through QC and the second one for a porous casting at the swingarm mounting point. Had to fight them on both counts legally but won. The bodywork on the first one had 2 different paint shades of the same colour, instruments that fogged up all the time( which I fixed successfully) and things like the airbox which looked like it was put together like a Lego kit. I used to call it the Hyundai Excel of motorcycles( which was really a disservice to the Excel) and if you knew nothing about the mechanical stuff you would probably think it was nice. Having said all that I had a great relationship with the deal;er and thought well maybe it was the old first model lemon so a year later I bought another new one. Mistake, it was just as bad with none of the quality issues addressed and had the porous frame casting. At the same time my mate had a customer that was racing one and he was taking care of the mechanicals and converting it to use a Motec ecu. I started finding out the internal mechanical details about the engine and realised that Triumph and I had different ideas about quality. The drive gear on the balance shaft on those second gen engines was a shrink fit on the shaft without a locating key or dowel and they used to move. The weight would then start clipping the rod bolt on #1 cylinder and the engine was scrap within a second. This used to happen with std bikes at track days not just race bikes. My mate used to pin the gear to prevent it on race engines. I mentioned to my dealer friend about this and they had a few customer bikes affected. That's when i gave up on Triumph quality. If you ever get a chance to buy or restore one of these old Daytonas I'd steer clear.Some of the basic stuff they never even supplied as spares parts, like valve guides. Ciao

*Not mine but ducati basket rider was undoubted deaf